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January 21, 2006
snow ride!
Last night it kind of looked like winter around here! There was snow and everything. It started out as rain in the afternoon, when we ventured out, and slowly turned to snail! Yes! And was officially declared to be snail by the originator of the term, a Travesty, who knows about these things, and lots of other things too. Believe it! In any event, we experienced snail, a light-weight, bouncy hybrid of snowish hail, which gently taps on one's helmet and pingles on one's nose! We ate brunch and watched the snail from the window of the cozy Flying Saucer. The way home was a wee bit complicated! Was it food coma? Was it slush? Yes! It sure was! I know, because I saw it up close! My knee hit the ground, how was it that I failed to keep the rubber-side down!? Slush is an ugly business, and is unsightly on one's hand-knitted hand-warmers, truly. Anyway, I gotta bruised knee and some muck on my gloves, but other than that, am pretty unscathed. So there it is, my dorky bike confession! Well, there was at least one witness. I can't deny it! The rubber side was sideways, momentarily. Ahem.
And this was before the snow ride!
There were about 2 inches on the ground when we decided to go to the Handlebar and also do some errands, one for urgent girl stuff, oh yeah, is that TMI?? Well these things happen! It couldn't be avoided, thus, we trundled out into the sno-globe, the pretty, glittering sno-globe. So few words for it in English, that stuff the Eskimos know has so many more varieties! This was the big fluffy dense kind, swirling in streetlights, piling up in little mountains on one's hands and shoulders, melting in big watery blobs on one's face, in lakes and lakes of crystal tears. It was poetic! Even if words fail! Believe it! Tree branches coated with diamond ice, glittering and whatnot. It was a postcard of a night.
And plus, in wet, unplowed snow you point your tires straight and pedal and then somehow they have minds of their own, and skitter and skate like nervous ponies! Tire ruts can be your friend, or not. Just one of many things I observed! Blinky-lights look pretty through the snow, another thing I learned because we weren't the only ones out!
This winter biking is a crazy business! (And I've only seen the tip of the iceberg.) There's more I could tell but here's the main thing~ this morning I went out and once again it was spring.
More later!
Posted by pippypippy at January 21, 2006 09:14 PM
Comments
I heart your writing, believe it! It has elements of Lynda Berry, With more Chicago in it!
Posted by: Rob Helpy-Chalk at January 22, 2006 10:05 AM
Hey! Stupid Bloglines only just updated you from last month. I'm a little jealous of your wintry weather, it's been like southern Cali here for the last couple weeks. Which is kind of pleasant, but basically just feels wrong.
Posted by: mindy at January 22, 2006 07:10 PM
That was some of the toughest winter road conditions I have ridden in. Because of the thaw, and then the freeze, and the inability to plow all the side streets within a day, it was expecially icy and quite uneven in its icyness. ice hidden under snow, partially melted and refrozen snow ruts. I found the untouched snow was easiest to cut through with my skinny tires.
Good job Pippy!
-Travesty
Posted by: travesty at January 24, 2006 10:32 AM
I'd say you are very intrepid. I just found a pattern for knee warmers, maybe you winter cyclists could use something like this. I like the word for snow hail. I'm waiting for some snow thunder, now that is cool. Here knee warmer pattern:
http://www.sarahpeasley.com/freepatterns/philskneewarmer.pdf
It's a pdf file.
Posted by: Elizabeth at January 25, 2006 10:17 AM
Well personally I prefer unseasonably warm no matter how wrong it seems. Here's to more coatless spring
like days throughout the rest of winter. Summer soldier and sunshine patriot? Quite possibly ? I am a Paineite though.
Posted by: djm at January 25, 2006 11:04 AM