Jeneric

#yegbike commute: other than cooling down to -10°C and no wind to speak of, pretty much the same conditions as yesterday.
#earworm ‘Don’t Know Why’, Norah Jones

#yegbike commute, pm update: most surfaces are great - except for the icy parts that can be anywhere! Any shady intersection or place can be horrifically slidey bulbous ice feature. Greisbach neighbourhood especially. Scona Hill MUP as always is an icey death luge run.
And my home neighbourhood at the 4-way stops for cut-through traffic and behind the Yardbird Suite.
But as I say, 97% of the riding is great.
So the ice bike for me, a modernist mountain bike with spiked tires.

#yegbike commute: merely cool at -6°C with southwest winds. Surfaces icy patches, especially in the river valley, but melt patches all over.
Main roads and MUPS bare pavement, with the previous caveat.
Traffic weekday light, fairly respectful.
Not many people about, even in the inner city.
Not a bad ride, but spike tires definitely a plus.
#earworm ‘A Hymn’, Khrungabin

When I first moved out to Vancouver in the late 1980’s, I worked a health food/vegetarian diner very much in the middle of the ‘new age’ era. There existed a directory of all the ‘new age’ facilities and activities in the area. I remember one ranch offering a program called ‘chop wood, carry water’ that ran the week before the facility opened in the spring, and after it closed in the fall. I was amused that people would pay to stay and do the facility chores for them. As I eagerly and happily chop wood today at this spot out here in Alberta, I still wonder who would ever do that. When we stayed here 2 months ago, I set up the sauna for other guests as the booking was for Sunday morning, when the owner was at church!

This weekend, we are staying at a guest cabin/chalet out past Pigeon Lake, a mile or so before Winfield. We’ve stayed here before, it’s a nice medium sized property about a days bike ride from home. But we took a Communauto this time. Too warm for skiing - yesterday we were bird watching from the deck in shirtsleeves. Today is massive winds, so it’s just a rest lounging day. Later on I will fire up the sauna. The owner is out for the day watching grandkids hockey games - we are to put her dogs and cats back in the house if the wind doesn’t let up.

#yegbike commute: cool at -9°C with southwest winds. Funny how a few Celsius degrees feels considerably warmer. Surfaces still with reasonably good snowpack, minor MUPS still not done, a bit of a slog but rideable, certainly with the fatbike.
Traffic medium weekday levels, not too annoying. A few people out an about on the paths, street life reasonably and quietly active.
Not a bad ride at all.
#earworm ‘In The Bleak Midwinter’ traditional English hymn. Music by Holst(?), reminds me of New World Symphony. Lovely tune.

#yegbike commute: -17°C is cold enough, with a medium southeast wind. Surfaces are mostly good snowpack. Major MUPS done, and the others rideable, but it really is a fatbike day.
Traffic medium levels and medium annoying. Not many people about, street life was downright absent in the Boyle McCauley area.
Am not dealing well with the cold,but really not a bad ride.
#earworm ‘Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want’, The Smiths

#yegbike commute: chilly at -9°C with medium gusty northeasterly winds. Small amount of fresh powdery snow falling - maybe a few cm this far? Covers the ice quite nicely, good day for the fatbike.
Traffic medium but well mannered, not many people about on the paths.
Actually not a bad ride.
#earworm ‘Dear Prudence’, The Beatles

#yegbike commute: cold at -13°C with slight northeasterly wind. Some bits of snow, not significant. Most surfaces good snowpack, most MUPS done. Icy patches throughout.
Traffic not bad, street life quiet.
Just another winter ride, not perfect, not horrible.
#earworm ‘Taking It To The Streets’, Doobie Brothers.

Supper involved poblano peppers. This involves getting the skins superheated so that they blister with black, such that the skin peels off later after they cool. Unfortunately nothing in our kitchen gets that hot, at least not very easily.
So the oven was used, with a high broil. I did the peppers in a glass casserole dish. Upon taking the dish out, I left it to rest on the range top, which was plenty warm from the oven. Nevertheless, the casserole dish exploded, spraying shards all over the kitchen. I found this upsetting, from the major kitchen clean required, and from the loss of the pan - it has a now orphaned rubber lid.
I know I don't have American/Isreali bombers assisinating my leaders, or neighbouring countries training death squads to commit genocide on my family, but I am upset.
The Nachos were great in the end, the peppers were taken out before the dish explosion.
#yegfood

So glad this is my weekend, and I don’t have to riding home in this.
Or preparing the #yegbike commute pm update!
https://share.icloud.com/photos/093QBHQY2vuMRu1pXY3sgtmOw
#yegwx

Today I'm looking up Rep Al Green D-TX and the Rev Al Green. They are similar ages, but different people.
One has filed multiple charges against Donald Trump, one is a funky soul singer whose songs I know so well.
Am so glad both people are alive and kicking in this world.

#yegbike commute: warm at 0°C with negligible wind. Unfortunately, that warm reduced the snowpack to mush on most MUPS, and the uncleared minor ones were quite the slog. Main roads also has large patches of brown sugar mush.
Traffic was weekday medium, but not too annoying. Street life was out with campfires in the inner city, and they must have got better fuel.
Paths have more people out and about.
But what do I know, like Glen Campbell, I’m just a lineman for the county, and I ride the main road.

Today’s secret mission at work was showing the residents who are more of a classic rock familiarity how Whiter Shade of Pale was sort of based on JS Bach ‘Air on the G String’.
Not sure they were convinced, but I did get to work in some beautiful music.
https://youtu.be/CvglW3KNSsQ

#yegbike commute: merely chilly at -11°C with no significant wind. Most surfaces still snow covered, minor MUPS are not done and a little skittery on regular gravel tires. Main roads medium brown sugar- rideable.
Traffic medium weekday levels, not too annoying. Not many people about.
Not a bad riding day, the good parts are great if you can find good snowpack.
#earworm is the haunting theme from ‘The Mission’

#yegbike commute, pm update: a small fall of snow through the day - maybe a few cm (an inch) of fresh loose powder. If you can find virgin snow on a wide path it's smooth sailing on regular tires, pretty bumpy on ghost footprints. Main roads quite pressed down, minor roads mushy but rideable. Already forming good snowpack, I'm sure tomorrow will be fine for regular tires.
Grierson Hill (top half) and Scona Hill MUP already done, pretty impressive actually, @CityofEdmonton@mstdn.ca
#earworm - we had a piano player in for the afternoon entertainment, and she's quite good. One thing she played quite well was the love theme from the 1968 Romeo & Juliet
The tasteful piano reduction was nothing like this overblown histrionic version, but even Henry Mancini can't quite smother a good tune!
https://youtu.be/GtmW0BfKpA8

#yegbike commute: cold at -20°C, but no wind really makes that temperature quite bearable. Light skiff of snow covering surfaces quite nicely, providing traction on the icy bits. Intersections require caution for pressed ice and chunky bits.
Traffic medium, not too annoying at all. Not many people about on the paths or in the inner city.
Not a bad ride.
#earworm ‘You Really Got A Hold On Me’ Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - with a bit of the Beatles version also.

#yegbike commute: cold at -18°C with slight southeast wind. Surfaces mostly good, slight brown sugar spots rather than icy. Many paved surfaces bare, other good snowpack. Some pressed ice and ruts, but not to terrible.
Took the summer gravel bike with regular gravel tires to good effect. Yesterday took the fatbike, but that was more caution than anything else.
Traffic surprisingly busy for a Sunday morning - maybe the upcoming hockey game?
Street life out and about, but mostly quiet.
Surprisingly good ride.
#earworm ‘Reeling In The Years’, Steely Dan

When I first heard of the ‘crying horse’ manufacturing defect for the Year of the Horse, I knew I needed to have one.
But it’s even more effective than I hoped.
The Crying Horse looks - Concerned? Worried? Scared?
Anyway, it’s great.

#yegbike commute didn’t happen. Took the bus.
About -15°C with medium northwest winds for a chilly morning. Maybe a few inches of loose powdery snow all over.
From what I saw, nothing had been cleared yet.
#earworm ‘Desperado’, The eagles.

#yegbike commute: warmish at +3°C with slight northwest wind. Surfaces fairly icy, snowpack covered with a ight sheen, sidewalks slippery. Main roads okay, but caution is required throughout. It’s not as bad as I feared, but it’s not good. Traffic was blessedly light, and mostly driving slow and careful. Street life out and about but quiet and self contained. #earworm ‘Running On Empty’, Jackson Browne