7.63 miles of bliss

In general, everyone on the bike path is smiling. It's as if we're all members of a secret club, the club that gets to enjoy their commute on a scenic rails-to-trails tunnel of leaves instead of battling traffic to go the same distance in half the time.

After a long hiatus, I dusted off my bike in May, and began a once-a-week ride from home to office, 7.63 miles door-to-door, 40-45 minutes. My mood about going to the office instantly improved. I'm not a daily commuter, mind you, since I still haven't figured out a way to wear heels and a pencil skirt on my bike, and teaching when I'm a little ripe, dotted with bugs and slightly spattered with pine needles would no doubt negate my chili pepper status on Rate My Professor.

But for those days when the weather cooperates and I'm not especially visible on campus, I love this bike ride. It takes me over a gnarled wood railroad bridge, with spectacular views of the Connecticut River and the hills beyond; past a Polish deli, an ice cream stand, a book store where cyclists get 10% off, a bike store where they'll fix you right up if you mess up your spokes during Bike-to-Work week (ahem, so I'm told) and the Coca-Cola bottling plant that often smells like cherry or grape Kool-Aid; through tassels of corn, pastures of cows, dark woods and a field where buffalo roam; around toads, snakes, turtles, hawks, geese and songbirds. And it's flat.

I bring my bike into my office, since my request for a bike rack near my building was unceremoniously denied, and for the most part enjoy the envious stares of my colleagues and the complete ambivalence of students. This being New England, I know my bike commute days are numbered for the season, but for now, it's the most enjoyable way to get from here to there.

Brring, brring. Who is it? Nature.

Last night the dog mauled a toad in my backyard, and I'm fairly sure it's because she spent a collarless week on an island hunting rodents and she's still in feral mode.



The roll call of animals and birds I saw in Northern Wisconsin this year was impressive, and happily included no bears:
Our Nation's Bald Eagle
white-tailed deer (the state animal, if you really wanted to know)
hawks
least sand piper
mink
loon
painted turtle
mice, mice and more mice (some alive, some not)

Alas, the weasels were elusive this year, most likely because every time I looked for them, I had a noisy black dog running or swimming after me who scared them away.

Next year: Lumberjack Bowl. Only 53 miles away!

Toaster 2.0

I have never been very good at throwing out old things that still work just because they are old, no longer shiny and twenty times larger than their updated version. Either I become attached to them, or I don't like the idea of replacing something that still works, or both. Also, I don't want to contribute any more than I already do to landfills. Still, sometimes you gotta just admit it's time to move on. But what to do with the old junk? Here are four of my recent upgrades, the destination of their outdated counterpart and my assessment of the process.

#1 Printer.
The new one: I got a new HP printer/copier/scanner and it has already revolutionized my life (well, I scanned this classic image from the ol' college days, which was cool).
The old one: I got it free about 3 computers ago, which means it was too old to work with my newest computer.
Where'd it go: HP recycles or reuses their old printers. They pay for me to ship my old printer back to them and gave me 10% off the new printer.
Assessment: Mission accomplished.

#2 iPod.
The new one: I got for Xmas and is very snazzy and orange, not to mention much smaller and easier to handle on runs.
The old one: Still kicking.
Where'd it go: Reassigned to the kitchen, where it plugs into a CD player and provides musical interludes to NPR.
Assessment: Two iPods, ug. But I'm using them both!

#3 Stove.
The new one: I bought the floor model of a fancy convection oven for cheap. Well, cheaper.
The old one: A crappy old stove that was here when I moved in.
Where'd it go: Removed by the previous owner.
Assessment: Technically, it was not mine to dispose of, but it's probably in a junk heap somewhere, and that might be my fault.

#4 Toaster Oven.
The new one: Pretty much the same as the old one, except newer and cleaner and not bent. Has a somewhat annoying ding.
The old one: A toaster oven my parents got 40 years ago for their wedding. Was dirty and beat up and just plain old.
Where'd it go: Donated to a visiting professor who likes toast.
Assessment: Pay it forward. Let no man, woman or child go without toast. Success .