Just in time for the long weekend the weather has taken the predicted turn for the cooler. Winds are blowing off the lake and it was nearly 40 degrees cooler for the ride in this morning than when I rode home last night. Wow, talk about windy! As soon as I got onto Polk and was pummeled by the hot gusty wind, I thought that I should ride on over the El and take my bike home on the train. Then I saw the light turn green on Damen and instinctly bent to the task. I made the light at Ogden and was on my way. Fortunately it was gusty, not a constant harsh wind, so I hunkered down, peddled in a low gear and pushed my way on home. I was spent when I made across Oak Park to Chez Hales. Today, the wind was in our face again, but quite a refreshing breeze and it was a pleasure to peddle liesurely at 15-16 mph with the boys. Long weekend and am looking forward to an early departure today.
Saint Stephen and I will be running 19 miles at Water Fall Glen tomorrow with the ChiA-deads. A great way to start the weekend for sure. I have big plans for the garden, finishing the spading, and working in the compost and planting. I extended the raised bed another 6 feet taking over ever more of the yard with garden. The grass terror Mirabel has not destroyed my newly planted grass yet and for the first time in 3 years (since she arrived) we have a full lawn full of grass in the back yard. My sanctuary. The Buddha pond and newly planted vinca minor framing the end of the deck with the small concrete bench at the foot of the locust tree-- creating a very peaceful place to contemplate. With the new hamock in place and the outdoor fireplace installed, it promises to be a very pleasant summer in the backyard.
Last Friday when Paul and I rode to work, we neared the corner of Cicero on Harrison and came upon a dozen or more police and fire command vehicles. The street was wet and the smell of smoke was in the air. Many folks were standing in the front of their houses in they night clothes with very somber and shocked expressions. It was just after 6:30 and we learned that at 5:00 AM there had been a fire in one of the houses. Seven escaped but two people perished in the smoke. Big Mamma and her grandson 20 year old Spencer died. Each day when I've ridden past the 4900 block on Harrison I take a contemplative breath and look at the now boarded up house. It is quiet as it ever was on this block. The smell of the Golden Hearth bakery fills the air with the delicious aroma of fresh baked bread-- when the wind is right. On really hot days when the wind is not right, the Odor from the Flood Brothers waste haulers just across the road from these homes is so strong it can make you gag. It is a curious environment. Really nice brownstones with neat yards and shady porches for a one block stretch, surrounded by industrial crush of west Harrison, Cicero and flanked by a middle school. When ever I am riding home and cross Cicero the environment changes and it starts to feel welcoming. These homes make Austin feel like a gateway to civilization. I often see 8 or 10 folks crowded onto these porches. I never realized until this happened that it is more likely than not most of those folks all live in that one house. This sure puts things into a new perspective.
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