Sore

Kevin explained to me last night that my body hurt because there are micro-tears in my muscles and they have more lactate acid. In other words I am sore sore sore. Of course I knew I would be sore, I took a 24 mile bike ride yesterday. It was southern Washington County NY's Tour de Farm. It was a great three hour trip around to three different farms whose land is part of the local land trust. Land trust programs like the one in New York State are part of a larger movement, the American Farmland Trust is a good place to learn about it.

Sure I hadn't ridden my bike since July and I've only ever done 17 miles at most, but I made it, and I came in only a half hour after the first riders. So now I am sore sore sore.

On a side note the camera will be back this weekend! Even if it's broken it still takes pictures.

A Day in the Life

8:30 am-10am Bike ride, Clear Creek Trail Lowell Blvd to Sheridan Blvd plus around Mountain View lake. Riding around is the perfect nap activity. He always starts out the ride happily watching everything go by but after ten minutes he's out. I need to figure out a good pillow for him since every time I put one in there for him he leans the opposite direction.

10-12 Play around house, Alder figures out how to open the gate at the bottom of the stairs, we figured six foot heavy wooden screen might keep the kid in, ha! Another figuring out project, how to make a lock. It isn't that I don't trust his ability to climb the stairs, it just his habit to slide down them and crumple into a heap at the bottom that concerns me.

12pm Walk to library to pick up books on hold and have picnic. Denver Library is great I can find just about everything I want to read and have them drop it off at our library. I used to love searching things out but now taking Alder to the library is a little chaotic, his Shiva really shows through, so we limit ourselves to children's sections.

1pm- 3pm Swimming both in the big pool and the kiddie pool. As the temperature rises into the nineties here there is really nothing else we can do but go to the pool when Kevin has the car. Alder loves the water and is even moving himself around a little in it. Of course he loves the kiddie pool where he can cruise the edge, but we have fun in the deep water to, although a lot of parents cringe or are in awe when I dunk him under.

3pm- 3:30 Picnic #2 under shady tree.

3:30- 6pm Long walk that includes buying Koolaid to dye yarn and searching out a creamcicle. It was one of those days where just being outside in the shade was where I wanted to be, we just never quite made it home from swimming since I had two goals in mind and a habit of choosing what streets to go down by how much shade they had.

6pm- 7pm Collapse on floor together.

7pm-8pm Make and have dinner.

8pm Alder crashes on meditation mat in living room (his new favorite cozy spot is the mat and a two pillows on it which he dives on to with a look of glee).

8:30 Dye yarn, berry blue and lemon-lime. One of my hands is still greenish the other blueish. And I still need more color. The yarn is not turquoise/ green / natural I think it needs a darker blue tone to fill the natural areas, I'll get some food coloring paste today to do that. Otherwise the process was really simple. All you need is large containers (I used the giant yogurt ones), lots of Koolaid, white vinegar and water.

8:30 Watch Transamerica. Really great movie.

10pm Kevin unearths himself from studying at the library.

10:30 All of us are in bed.

Just a Day in the Sun

Since we got the bike trailer Alder and I have barely gotten in the car. It is so nice to be able to get around town faster than walking but with out driving. Today was a little much, we were meeting Kate (godmother) to go for a bike ride and to the Botanic Gardens plant sale across town. This meant that we rode eight miles before we started.

The day was good. Playground time with a second adult to chase him around. Discovering how to climb ladders (doesn't he know he is supposed to walk first?). Picnic in the shade. Godmama Kate carrying Alder as we walked through the gardens. Of course that part gave me serious garden envy. Meeting up with Papa for Brazilian Limonade (one of the earths greatest inventions).

Alder is really good in the trailer but we were in and out of it for eight hours. Even a mellow kid like him has his limit. Luckily we caught up with Kevin near school and got a ride home.

It's hard for me to remember that I have to shorten my rides now that I have him with me. It used to be that if I had a free day I would just head out. If it got too much I would jump on the bus. But with a trailer the bus isn't an option.

So we're finally home and both exhausted and well sunned (one of us is so thoroughly dirty that he was sticking to himself). I can only hope that it doesn't get as hot this summer as usual (reason number three that we are leaving Denver: average summer daily temp in in the mid 90s!)

Unfortunately I forgot to put the card back in my camera so no pictures.