Snowy Monday

It's snowing! I'm really looking forward to the ride home. It seems weird, but there are times I enjoy riding in the wet even if it's cold. Drivers seem to give me a little more space too, probably because they realize that anyone crazy enough to ride in such weather could just possibly be an axe murder too. Yeehaw! (It's a good thing I put some Mink Oil on that leather saddle!)

My crew chief said something about riding in the snow and asked if I was ready for it. I replied that Oklahoma weather has taught me to be ready for anything. "Never believe the weathermen. They can't get it right more than about 12 hours in advance here, and sometimes not even that." Today's original forecast called for temps just above freezing at dawn, warming to the low 50s in the afternoon. It actually 'warmed up' to the mid forties, but it's been falling steadily since noon. Who knows what it'll be by the time I leave work?

My weekend plan fell apart, as such plans usually do. The weather Saturday was gorgeous. I went down to Tom's for the small parts I needed to finish the Bianchi. I'd hoped to complete that bike in the afternoon. But I ended up cleaning the bathrooms instead. This requires some explanation.

Both kids had some kind of stomach virus last week. They missed some school. I didn't want Mary to clean the bathrooms because her health is fragile, so I volunteered myself. I went to Home Depot for some industrial strength cleaner/disinfectant. It's powerful stuff! I sprayed it on all the surfaces, then left it to work for about 10 minutes. The smell was powerful too. I couldn't stay in the bathrooms more than a few minutes even with the exhaust fans on. But I got the job done. Everything was gleaming.

Then I went out to the garage to work on the Bianchi. Some of it was easy and straightforward, but one part stymied me. I needed a new cable anchor for the rear brake, and I'd found one at Tom's that almost fit properly. The hole was just a little too small - a little judicious filing would take care of it. I needed a small rat tail file or a jeweler's file. Now I know I have one at home - somewhere - but I couldn't find it if my life depended on it! I put off the work until today, brought the anchor in to work and used my jeweler's file. Maybe tonight I can finally finish that bike!