We All Fall Down?

[image via Nationaal Archief]

Girl on Roadbike: So you've never worn clipless shoes?

Me: Nope.

GOR: Oh you should just do it! It's really easy, honest.

Me: Really?

GOR: Oh totally!

Me: So how did you get the hang of it?

GOR:Well, I fell down all the time at first!

Me: [horrified silence]

GOR:Yeah, it was pretty funny. I'd come to a stop and just go plop!

Me: Oh my God...

GOR:But don't worry, after a couple of weeks you'll be fine!



You see, that right there is what separates me from "normal people" who've grown up playing sports: I see being guaranteed to fall and being told not to worry as completely incompatible notions.



Hopefully I won't jinx myself by writing this here, but I've never fallen off my bike as an adult. When I tell this to experienced cyclists, their reaction is usually "Oh, that's not good. You need to get used to falling." The idea being that, if I have no concept of falling - and more importantly, of how to fall "correctly" - then when it actually happens (the use of "when" instead of "if" is in itself alarming), it's going to be bad. I've been given advice such as to go out and practice falling on some grass, but honestly I cannot imagine doing that unless someone holds a gun to my head... and even then, I'd probably be trying to talk my way out of it!



What exactly scares me about falling I don't know. I don't have a fear of pain, so that's not it (I sat though an emergency root canal without novocaine yesterday, which was honestly not so bad!). Maybe I have a strong self-preservation instinct, and the physical sensation of the fall triggers it. Either way, when I am told that a specific behaviour - like learning to ride clipless - is pretty much guaranteed to make me fall multiple times, I am highly motivated to avoid that behaviour.



How do you feel about the idea of falling off your bike? Is it something you view as an inherent part of cycling (be it for sport, recreation or transportation), or do you believe that it can (and should) be avoided?

Mini fallout

Late yesterday afternoon we had a mini-fallout of spring birds, so we got up early this morning to see if they were still here. They were! In addition to the usual suspects, we heard and/or saw these migrants:

Ruby-throated Hummingbird
White-eyed Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Hooded Warbler
Kentucky Warbler
Louisiana Waterthrush
Northern Parula
Worm-eating Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
[Ed - forgot one!]
Green Heron

And maybe - Swainson's Warbler. Maybe. We never saw it, and we're not very familiar with its song. It sounded a lot like a Louisiana Waterthrush's song, only not quite. But I'm remembering that time on a bird count when we chased what I thought was a singing Swainson's warbler for quite a while, scrambling over hill and dale, the ID becoming more concrete with each warblery rendition, and then when we finally saw the bird... Well I can't remember what it was, but it sure as heck wasn't a Swainson's. A lesson in birding-by-ear humility.

A few birds we saw hanging out with the warblers will be leaving us soon and heading north:

Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
White-throated Sparrow
Cedar Waxwings

Oh, and we saw a new yard bird!

Eastern Meadowlark


Many small spiderwebs were visible in the early morning dew.


A bigger web.


Another big one.

I wish I could show pictures of all the migrants we saw, but this is the best I could manage - I don't have the camera for far-away birds.


A Louisiana Waterthrush. They constantly wag their tails up and down when they walk. The Northern Waterthrush looks almost exactly like this, but his song is different.

And if you think that picture is small and fuzzy, you should see the Pine Warbler...


Oh well there's always...

the female Red-bellied Woodpecker at the suet feeder.


The amount of pollen that fell on my binoculars while we ate lunch in the back yard.

O Joshua Tree! O Joshua Tree!

The Joshua Tree isn't really a tree at all, rather, it is a giant yucca plant. The trunk of a Joshua Tree consists of thousands of small fibers and it lacks annual growth rings, making it difficult to determine it's age. New seedlings can grow up to 3 inches per year in their first ten years. After that they grow only 1 1/2 inches per year.

According to park literature, the Joshua tree was so named by a group of Mormon settlers who crossed the Mojave Desert in the mid-19th century. The tree's unique shape reminded them of a Biblical story in which Joshua reaches his hands up to the sky in prayer.

I was told by a Ranger, that each of the “arms” or the branches of a Joshua Tree was the result of it blooming and flowering. Each bloom creates another branch. The trees bloom in the spring, though they don't all bloom every year. In fact there were some Joshua Trees that were six to eight feet tall without any branches! And then there were other trees with an overabundance of blooms. After flowering, the blossoms drop off, leaving a length of dried stalk. New leaves grow beneath this dead portion, and a new branch begins its growth in another direction. The numerous shapes and sizes of the trees is fascinating.

This was one of the largest Joshua Trees that I saw in the park, perhaps 35 feet high. I don't know what caused it to lose the limb hanging down on the ground but it was somewhat recent damage.

It wasn't the first damage this tree sustained. On the side opposite of the new downed limb was a gaping hole from a loss in the distant past.

It also had one of the most complex branching systems that I saw. It must be very old and is still blooming!

The “furry” nature of the branches helps it to grab and retain moisture from the air.

New branches will grow from the remnants of the flower stalk.

One of the blooms of the Joshua Tree.

And another.

Hole in the Rock

There seem to be more beleivable skulls in these rocks.

Abbie and Kaylah's Baby Lambs

Nathan's brother, Chris, and his wife, Katee lived in Arizona when we were out west. We had fun visiting different places there and even went to the Grand Canyon together. They have moved back to Virginia since then and now live in the house that the three brothers lived in while growing up. We knew they had added animals to their space, but I have not been up there to see all that is going on until this visit.



I hit the jackpot when I did go up, because two babies were born that day. One of them was born minutes before Mom and I arrived and was still all sticky and wet. What a beautiful thing to be a part of!







They are all active in 4-H, and shared some of what they are doing there. Abbie showed us her skills with bracing.



Katee showed off some of the beauties that live here. It was clear to me that she spends a lot of time bonding with the animals and really loves it.











We can't forget about the chickens. Well, you really can't forget about chickens because they won't let you if you are anywhere near them.



Every farm needs a great dog and this was one great dog. I wanted to bring Zoe home with me.



It was so heartwarming to see life and love filling the place that had sat empty for far too long. Do you think I could fit one of these in the RV? It could sleep right next to the horse I am wanting to bring along when we start to travel again! That will be one downside to our lifestyle, no space for the cool animals that the other family members get to own. I guess I will just have to be content to soak up the goodness of their animals when I visit and be the aunt to both the children and the pets.





Living the life in VA!

Watering

This is Tuffee helping me water the horses.

Happy Easter

Today was the last Easter that we will have a minor child of ours living at home with us. That same minor child spent the entire day working so I didn't get to give him his Easter basket until late tonight. So to ease my sadness some, I dug out some old pictures of the kids on Easters from long ago. I especially love this picture of the five of them in 2001. Austin still makes that same face so it is proof to me that no matter how old they get, some things never change.



Thank goodness for the positives of them growing up, like the reality that the Princess is now here due to them growing up. Her Easter pictures made my day!





We really did have a wonderful day, even though it was quiet. Hoping everyone else did too!