What's white and gray and pedaled all over?

We had a new light snowfall last night, just a light dusting. When I saw this, I was discontented. "Great," I grumbled, "just enough snow to cover the ice sheets that're still lingering on the streets." This morning when I pulled my bike out of the garage and prepared to ride, I resigned myself to a cold, slippery, dark, miserable ride, not looking forward to it.

Yet once I actually started pedaling, I found myself quite enjoying the morning. I left just at dawn, to get into work early. This time of day is magical, especially with a gray overcast sky and that light sheet of white on the ground, muting what few noises occur this early. It was a peaceful, smooth ride, and since I've been riding the same route, I knew where the ice would be so I wasn't surprised. I saw more people out riding bikes or walking their dogs than I did drivers.

I admit, I haven't been riding my bike to work quite as much as usual during these winter months. More frequently than usual, work obligations have meant I need to drive to work. Also, my daughter has finally obtained her driver's license and is eager to drive -- and to give me a ride to work. I've succumbed to the lure of the warm chauffeured ride many days! But those other days, I'm still pedaling away, along with the other hardy winter commuters.

It has been a bit of a dreary winter season for me (us) and that's why I (we) haven't been keeping this blog up as much. I'm going to work on fixing that. More later.