Not yet.

The nearest dream recedes, unrealized.
The heaven we chase
Like the June bee
Before the school-boy
Invites the race;
Stoops to an easy clover
Dips--evades--teases--deploys;
Then to the royal clouds
Lifts his light pinnace

-Emily Dickinson

First, I had to look up pinnace, so let me go ahead and define that for you: "a small vessel used as a tender to larger vessels amongst other things". (Source: Wikipedia)

'Tis spring.  Finally. 
'Tis also, finally, Daylight Savings Time.
Not that it matters...

I have been sick with a terribly unrelenting upper-respiratory virus for the past 3.5 weeks. Combined with a pattern of Wednesday and Sunday ice and snow, I haven't been riding yet at all. I haven't had a day in nearly a month where I haven't encountered a terrible coughing fit that resulted in me feeling light-headed afterward. I've gone to the doctor twice; I have suffered a round of antibiotics, and progress is minimal. I'm just going to have to ride this out... pardon the pun.

In other news, we released the contract on the house we hoped to buy. It was a foreclosure, and we found the seller to be difficult to work with (putting in mildly) and the house needed far more work than we had allowed for in our budget, and honestly, after haggling with the seller for nearly two months, we lost interest. The home was placed back on the market, and immediately taken down, so I suspect someone else has it under contract. That's okay. We'll keep an eye on the market and if something else compels us, then great. Until then, I am 2 miles from a great bike trail, 2 miles from church, and six miles from work. Now if only I can kick this cold...

That said, it's gorgeous outside, and tomorrow, while significantly cooler, looks like it will be clear, so perhaps, if I'm feeling up to it, I'll attempt a ride.

Bicycles and the "Winter Breaking Point"

As a fair-weather cyclist, I've found this winter exceptionally difficult. I think starting this blog has exacerbated things, because as each Friday has rolled around, I've been a little more hard-pressed for blog material when I'm not riding much, if at all (my last ride was in early December; my schedule, daylight, and nice weather have not cooperated to make room for a ride since then - ouf).

And today, they are calling for another 6-8" of snow in our area, with another 1" of ice. Which makes me feel a lot like this:




Yeah.

So, I'm going to listen to the weather and hunker down for a little while longer. No matter how bleak the weather, and how short the days, they are getting longer, and spring is just a few weeks away. A week from tomorrow marks the return of Daylight Savings Time, which, with sunsets currently stretching to 5:30 p.m. and beyond, means riding to work will be an option when mild mid-week weather presents itself. So the riding posts will begin again, and I can start blogging about bicycling again, and soon.

Someday, this winter will. end.