April is almost here!

I am really enjoyed Tennessee this time of year! Like magic, suddenly the trees become green and flowers burst into color! Wonderful! I am looking forward to the next 6 months!

Life continues, and I am always amazed at how fast it goes! I am going into my "hour" session with the bicycle where I try to ride at least an hour when I ride, especially on weekends. I hope to slowly start increasing my speed.

My goal is to do 60 miles on August 6 when I turn 60! (If not exactly August 6, than a day close to that.) At my present speed, it would take me at least 6 hours to do 60 miles and, including breaks etc., I am probably looking at 8-10 hours to do sixty miles. Oh well, I can dream! Maybe I will do 20 miles a day and just call it one long day!

I really do enjoy biking, but time is also a factor. Currently, on many days I walk for about 40 minutes, do weights (another 40), and then bike (60+), so I invest a lot of time in exercise! I have lost about 35 pounds, but have reached a plateau and need to reduce my eating so I can lost weight. I want to lose another 20 pounds or so before I plateau again and then I will decide if I want to have the pain and suffering (and not eating peanut butter and strawberry ice cream!) necessary to lost the next 20 pounds I really need to lose.

We try to make a point to keep in touch with our families in OKC and visit personally about every six weeks or two months. Sometimes it is hard to get away from work (it normally takes about two days of vacation plus the weekend), but we feel the personal visit is good and necessary.

Happy Birthday to Barbara (March 24) and Eleanor (March 31).

Spring Musings

Sometimes it seems this time of year is the hardest. A few days temp you with nice, warm temperatures and then it turns cold again. Even though it isn't really that cold, my expectations of the temperature are different!

This year it has been especially hard to ride the bike cool temperature (45-50 degrees) after a few days of riding in shorts and a t-shirt!

Every year it seems that Spring temps you and the cold chill hands around until May. Maybe I need to take a trip to someplace really hot in March!

Everything is busy as normal. (I guess busy is good!) I saw some Spring flowers the other day and I guess I got overexcited. But soon the trees with bud, other flowers will come out and Spring will truly be here!

While riding my bicycle in the cold air I think about this summer and riding in the hot weather! Summer will widen my bike horizons. Right now I am planning on how I can ride 60 miles on my 60th Birthday!

I have been reading an interesting book on Lincoln, "Team of Rivals", by Doris Kearns Goodwin. I have enjoyed all of her books, and learned I need to buy them so I can take the time to read them throughly! I heard her speak at an International City Managers Conference (ICMA) and was so interested I collected all of her books. (She has written biographies about Roosevelt, Johnson, Kennedy and now Lincoln, as well as a book about her love of baseball.)

At that same conference, I heard Beck Weathers ("Left for Dead") speak and I became a fan of books and movies about mountain climbing. I'd never want to try it myself, but I really enjoy reading about it.

I have been keeping a listing of all books I have read since 1989. I am slowly putting them into a computer listing.

“I THINK I HAVE SOMETHING YOU ARE LOOKING FOR” (LEE WRIGHT)

Few events strike dread like suddenly realizing you lost your wallet (or purse etc.) with you drivers license, credit cards and money. The feeling of panic and helplessness is overwhelming.

I recently lost my wallet and after, several hours I called my house and had a message “I think I have something you are looking for” from a Lee Wright. (I’m not even sure if I have the name spelled right.)

I am pleased to say that Mr. Wright not only sent my wallet to me by FedEx, but he did not take a single dollar for the expense or his time or as a reward. (I urged him to keep the money for his time and expense.) I called and asked what I could do and of course, he just said he was pleased to help.

I don’t know anything about Mr. Wright (his name fits!) except he is from the Atlanta, Georgia. I decided I will make sure I will pass on his good deed (somehow, the term “good deed” seems inadequate) any time I have a chance. Somehow I think he would like that!

On reflecting on this, I observe a lot of similar “acts of kindness”, although if you have ever lost your wallet or purse, you will know what I mean by the feeling of relief you get when you get everything back intact!