Busy at work
Lynn and I have both had a busy week at work. The final days before the Christmas and New Years break are always busy. The weather also turned a tad cold as well. Both of these combined to play havoc with our workout schedules but we improvised and got everything done. I’ll be busy going through all the student computers over the holidays so they will start the new year without any technical issues, (hopefully). The weather has been around normal for this time of year pretty much. I rode home from work in -29F temperatures the other day. Surprisingly it isn’t as bad as you might think as long as you take care to keep exposed skin covered, also having plenty of lights on the bike helps warn other road users that some crazy guy is out riding.
Running and swimming
For the most part I keep running outside when it gets cold. So far I think my coldest run has been about -26F. Again, the main thing is to try and keep the exposed skin covered. Actually one of the bigger problems I have is dressing too warmly. You really don’t want to sweat at these temps since you can get ice forming really quick and that can cause problems. I try to start out just a little bit chilled, knowing that the exertion will warm me up fairly quick. Another thing I do is try and plan my route to keep me closer to town instead of running out to the dump and back. There are certainly more cars on the road but I don’t want to run the risk of twisting an ankle or something and having to walk back home several miles. Being dressed for running and walking are two very different things. At least near town I can get help a lot quicker.
Days are slowly getting longer
We finally made it through the shortest day of the year. I wanted to get out and get a noon picture on December 21 but I was working so I settled for one on the 22nd. The sun really doesn’t have much effect this time of year but it is nice to see it for a short time. A luxury they don’t have in places a few hundred miles north of us.
More baking and cooking
Lynn has been doing a lot of baking and cooking over the last few days. Normal for this time of year. We ran out of propane yesterday morning so I had to go wrestle a fresh 100 pound propane bottle into place so we could have the cookstove and dryer operational. I have four bottles and usually go through three of them by mid summer. We have to barge the empty’s back in to town and have them filled. I try and time it so that we get them back just before the barges stop running.
Back to work tomorrow
I’m back to work tomorrow morning. Monday is my designated rest/recovery day but I’ll still ride the bike back to and from work. Lynn will be home with Snowball. Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas! I’ll write more later.