Raining, constantly raining, November has arrived

Not only do I have the extra hour they took from me last Spring back, but I have all the rain that I missed (lightly) during the dry Summer, and since I was motorcycling I wasn't missing it too much. The heavy drops pelt the skylight and rock on the roof, the water flows down to the gutters and down the down spout and out onto the lawn. The moss will love it, the moles will build more drainage to stay a bit dry, but the grubs and worms they feed on will like the moisture.

Hibernation begins, staying inside instead of running along the roads, my wife is much better about hitting the treadmill than I, but I can do it when I don't get distracted by what I found on the computer or the mindless mush of the television - now in HDTV - better pictures but same commercials framed by folks that don't know how I think. One day they will surprise me, but it will never get repeated. We did decide that the YMCA wasn't for us, the Air Base and Fort Lewis have the same facilities and equipment if we need them, and in the end driving somewhere to exercise only makes sense if one is going to be social at the same time - team sports or events for charity. Otherwise sweat at home, run that heart rate up and then get the hot shower and pose in front of the bedroom mirror (better not imagine that - we are Seniors far beyond foxy fifties). Although my wife did get some cute pink patterned pajamas and top to lounge around in after her workouts, I just slide on old gray sweats and a muscle shirt (muscles only in the name not on the body).

Cup number three of coffee, the mind is working. My blood pressure was good this morning, the weight excessive - stupid candy eating fool I am, should have frozen it until next Halloween, or taken it to leave at the church. Anything except gobble it down - chocolate and sugar - when it comes time to report the cause of my demise - look for the wrappers before your eyes - chocolate and sugar - no surprise. CSI will only have to find out who bought the goodies and charge them. See how boring that episode would be?

Well, nothing to write about, the darkness is waiting outside, the rain still striking the roof and I have time after devotions to exercise, breakfast, clean up and go off to work. I must pay those bills and the taxes, millions of us must pay the bills and the taxes, billions of us must pay the bills and the taxes, what was that about the hamster wheel whirling on?

Bikers Against Statewide Hunger BASH, of course

Okay, we did it. U know that I am old and cold and beaten, we gathered pledged and rode out to do good things for the needy of the community - okay, just an excuse to look mean and tough and go fast on our motorcycles. It is the Great Northwest and the Autumn rains are here - just for us, just for today. My wife told me it was raining when she woke, just in case I hadn't looked outside. So I put my leather coat on, and then added the rain suit on top of that. I greased the chain for Trusty's day in the slop and street soup.

In small groups of five we hit the highways and charged up through Seattle - three times I have visited that city, the remainder of the time I drive-by, one rest stop for coffee, one fuel stop for trail mix and beer for the horses (okay, but that is a great song - thanks, Willie and Toby).
About a hundred and some miles into the Sound and the forests to the house that would host the picnic. I parked my motorcycle in the treeline, and helped set up and took lots of pictures - and kept moving trying to warm up and dry out. Good food, great trial of a ride, talk and food and more riders coming in as they found their way - some adventures are bigger than others when they make an unexpected and totally undirected turn. Yep, that is Canada to the North, don't go that way. We did get a real bonfire built. When the last of the food was served and the final riders started warming up the raffle and silent auctions were held, after a brief thank you from the Bikers Against Statewide Hunger as he explained his work and where the donations were going to go. Worked out well for a cold and rainy day, they may not allow Tougher than Thou stuff much any more, but the hard core rain riders had beaten themselves well at seventy miles per hour (or there about) and that made this the highest grossing fund raising activity of the season so far. Next years might be bigger and better, and on a Sunny day the wimp riders will join - and maybe I will have Trusty shining and my wife riding with me.

I did find my way to the ferry, hadn't done getting on and off a ferry with the motorcycle, just walking, and that was new and interesting. More rain on the way home, completely lost contact with the other riders but made it safely. Time for that really hot shower, and deep sleep, did talk to my mother on Skype.com, and my wife has returned from her dinner. Another great day.

There will never be enough time, so plan a little bit...

Goal for my day, shoot the postal match for Sailorcurt, okay, it wasn't just for him. I had to fire my rifle and I wanted to fire it well. I also wanted to put discipline back into my day - start with medications, measure, coffee, devotions and breakfast and exercise -- without checking the blogs to find out if anyone missed me and if I could add my two bits worth (the dollar has really declined).
No, I didn't make it perfectly, temptation is terrible and I think I am suffering from Disoriented Hive Disorder, I really do pile too much on to a small plate and am surprised when it falls off...

Still, all I had to do was share a bit of banana and strawberry jelly on toast - talk to my wife, take her to the YMCA and drive off to the range and engage targets in serious measurement of my sharpshooting skills. I will relate that bad guys twenty yards from me had best have a large bullet proof vest - I was all over that target with the little 9mm, sigh. I always wanted to shoot the buttons off his vest, but it is velcro now isn't it? I gave up and went to the rifle firing area, put the target up, engaged to find my zero - yep, still there for a hundred yards (what kind of a dreamer shoots twenty-two at a hundred yards) and I was only firing on the fifty yard mark.

So I moved onto the postal target and shot ten rounds. Day is done, now pick up the brass, put the firearms away, take down the targets, pack out and drive off to find my wife waiting, patiently for absent husband. I really don't want to know what kind of trouble she thought was delaying me, but since she had worked out for and hour and a half she was hungry - having given me half her breakfast sandwich, we went to Than Brothers Pho Place. Don't I love being in the Crossroads of Civilization Collisions - there is so much good out there my mother never gave me.

Friday and the house is full of laughter...

Well, I rode my motorcycle on Thursday, to work and to choir practice, did all of Wednesday and Thursday's mail and stuff and Friday was clear. I wasn't feeling well, the right foot still hurts in moving but bears my weight just fine. My sinus problem comes back with the cold weather or the total pollenization by growing green stuff and the fungus and mushrooms blowing up in the yard. Still I am the guy in the home, and I get to move the furniture for the little woman - what were all those pushups and chin ups for, more than my looks. So the home is shifted and reworked and set up, and cleaned up. This is the time I notice all the STUFF we don't need, but are so fortunate to own (or someone would say). I also vaccum and try to make the computer cave organized enough not to shame my wife. Then sleep for tomorrow Winter will return to Western Washington - Global Warming anyone? that bear over there is white for a reason. I sleep restlessly with a clogged head that hangs so heavy.

Still, with the new morning of the LAST workday of the week, I get up to get going, no motorcycling this morning - Seattle is threatening rain and snow - and King County thinks they are in charge, who are we to protest? I don't do the walk to the dock either, my sinus problems won't get better in the whipping cold wind. They cram everyone on one ferry - to save twenty thousand dollars this month - the budget is rapidly running out. At work we put thirty-two new books in circulation, and twelve new CDs. I have thirty-nine donations that I download the MARC records for, three British publications I haven't found records for will have to wait. Our last morning hour the cabinet makers show up with the new nine foot long Staff Reference desk, only needing one more hole drilled for power cables. It is impressive - I keep thinking I could get a castle built for me if I wanted it, but this will do. I empty the old desk and then decide I don't want all that junk going into the new one, so I could organize it couldn't I? That and all the normal library stuff for closing out Friday, seems I have to schedule interviews and testing for new inmate library clerks - I must drive them away with my lack of charm and personality.

Home and my wife is happy and worn, she has been finishing the home, and cooking and preparing. At six I start opening the door and greeting everyone in my best Korean - and it isn't that good but I always tried to learn the polite phrases and the proper time to use them, so the person listening to my poor pronounciation won't be totally lost. Total audience of eighteen women and one man (token male leadership from the church - the women have their own leader of the group, and his wife is here, too). I get to eat, the picture above, squid, clam on half shell, spiced pork, mixed vegetables and noodles, rice with barley and seaweed soup - Coffee from America. I am always well fed. They celebrate one lady's birthday, I print out two copies of the picture (aren't computers wonderful?) and I talk about Army Service and military careers with the Deacon, he did twenty-three years in the Republic of Korea Army as an officer, but I was a paratrooper and in the American Army. The devotions start with singing hymns, prayers, small sermons and the good gospel message. My wife hands me her mobile phone to talk with my daughter-in-law in San Diego, her husband is coming home on Sunday - from a long deployment on the other side of the Pacific, she is excited and happy and it adds to the joy of the day.

We have a pile of cars outside, sixteen pairs of shoes on the porch, and happy well fed people about to depart - taking the extra to their homes to share. Life is good, even for reclusive almost monklike Library Keepers.

Time to see the expert on getting put into a box...

I like to think I am unique, one of a kind, and original -- but the doctor wants me to fit into a 'best health' box, with my blood pressure at a certain constant level, cholesterol at the best level and weight to height ratio with little fat fooling me. I don't fit, but then am not really fit yet again - hibernation does really happen, I should be a snowbird and go south for Sun or at least up on the mountains - it is too gray and dark in my days in the Great Northwest. I weigh 205.5 pounds this morning, and am starving since last I ate was six last evening. My blood pressure is 137/80 with the heart rate of 46. Dreams were my normal military tom-foolery, with long runs and bad plumbing. I did concentrate on running strides yesterday and made myself happy actually doing the distance a bit faster and thinking I looked graceful - although I still looked like an old man trying to relearn the joy of running.