Long Time No See

Sorry to all my blog readers. As some of you know I have to be in the mood to write. Maybe I take it to seriously but that's me. I will try to do better in the future. Anyway as Christmas approaches we all are very busy - too busy to read blogs and too busy to write on one but I thought a note for the month of December would be good. I have been working for approx. 30 hours a week since we are down 3 Medical Assistants and one supervisor. I turned down the 36 hour a week opening at my clinic since I'm just too tired to work that much even though I love working for that particular doctor so I'm sticking with the 20 hrs a week I spend with Dr. X. As many of you who are 50+ know one starts to want to stop and smell the flowers and kick fall leaves and if I took that job I wouldn't have time to slow down for any of that, especially all the volunteer stuff I want to do. I would love to share the many stories and blessings I receive meeting and working with so many people in just one day at work but privacy laws are paramount so I can't but suffice it to say I love what I do. I will be posting a new post soon that I'm going to do thru Allina at the Ronald McDonald House so I will looking forward to sharing that. Right now I'm sewing a carry bag pattern I picked up last week for my gift exchange at work (picture above). This particular fellow employee loves cats and the material has lots of cats on it. I'm really having fun with that and staff at work are all enjoying Michael's Chex Mix and Christmas cookies. Well, back to all the festivities. Here's to a relaxing Christmas and New Year. Thanks for stopping in!

TCOTC (Twin City Obedience Training Club)

Karen came with me to obedience training class and shared some photos with me so I decided to add a very short segment on the blogsite. Bandit is doing well. Me, not so much. It is hard when you first start out because the dogs don't get the first thing you are trying to teach them but they say that eventually it clicks. So far his attention span is great which is one of the most important parts. They have to "check in" with you at all times. The teachers are great and there is homework every week. Essentially they teach you how to teach your dog to be obedient to you, to make him believe that you are the "top dog". He knows signs for sit and down and some heeling with turns. We started out with clicker training but I don't like it because it's one more thing you have to remember to do and it's all about timing. The only problem now is he goes down when I say "stay" so we are working on that. Don't know why, though. I plan to move into Obedience II and then possibly agility training where they jump through hopes and stuff. Everyone tells me he would be great at it. Right now he can catch balls in the air so I'm hoping to move into using a frisbee at some point and at the airport dog park he gets so worked up and running so fast that he sometimes will jump over other dogs in all the excitement.
**As a side line from my last post, Allina was able to collect close to 3500 bikes for donations at Christmas. Yes, Virginia, there is such a thing as Minnesota nice.

Freebikes4kids!

When I started my job with Allina I found out that they offer a number of volunteer opportunities. I picked one that is right up my alley since I bike to work and enjoy biking. My first volunteer opportunity came this past Saturday for the Allina/FB4K Community bike Collection Day. We held a collection day at each of the Allina clinics and people donated old and new bicycles, volunteers fix them up and refurbish them and then they are given out to kids in need at Christmas. It's a win-win for all.

I had a wonderful time getting to know some other people in the Allina network, I logged some volunteer hours that will be matched by Allina to go toward my favorite charity at some point and the end result of all of it will be making a difference in thousands of children's lives. So if you have a bike gathering dust in your garage or basement there is still time to donate. Just go to Freebikes4kidz.com. All bikes are accepted, regardless of condition and it is tax deductable.

Three-peat

Took a weekend away with Michael down to the homecoming at Platteville, Wisc. Michael is on the alumni committee and enjoys his involvement with his university. Karen decided to take the weekend and join us which was a rare treat. We took in the sites, farmer's markets, and festivals along the way as well as enjoying the wonderful weather. probably packed too much into the weekend but with my new job I don't have clearance for vacation time until next September. We managed to have alot of fun despite the fact that I know the route and stops by heart.

Maple trees? I don't think so

Sorry for taking so much time away from my blogging. I had a broken index finger and keyboarding is next to impossible. Praise God for the Gentle Leader people. I now can walk my dog in "calm" mode. Hopefully you all are hanging in there for friendship sake. I finally have something to blog about and it's not about the puppy for once. Michael came to me last night and said he wanted to take a day trip to enjoy the colors and buy his usual supply of raspberries that he gets at a stand just outside of Clearwater, Wisconsin. We headed out this morning (Saturday) bright and early and headed down the Wisconsin side going through Wabasha, Red Wing, Winona, and various other places and heading back the other way. Don't tell Michael but to me these trips are "yawners" and full of old retired geezers eating ice cream cones and stopping for the festivals and farmers markets, ending up having a meatball dinner at the local church in some little town along the way. One has to admit if you've seen one maple tree you've seen them all. I can hear all my Christian friends saying, "but Christine, the maple trees are like the snowflakes. Every one is different and unique". I agree but when I have my camera I tend to take pictures of things you would never see in the ordinary day at any time of the year. If you have seen some of my pics from past posts you know my style. Anyway I was again successful! Enjoy or say, "she's at it again".

Leash Or No Leash; That Is The Question

I have now discovered dog parks. I had tried to introduce Comet to off-leash dog parks but she would have nothing to do with them. Very shy, one-friend-at-a-time dog, it was not for her. Bandit on the other hand can't get enough of them. We have been frequenting the airport off-leash one which is quite alot of acreage. The noise from the airplanes going overhead just about deafens us but it doesn't really bother me considering I see it as job security of a sort.
Doing a little research I wandered on to a truth vs myth site in regard to the parks. They say that it's a nice place to meet other dog owners since most return now and then. I also wondered about whether fights break out, etc. but they say that fighting is usually about teritorial rights and since everyone is "leash-less" there is no territory to protect. They are all equal and seem to work out the dominance roll pretty well. Bandit hasn't seen any other dogs that wanted a fight except a bassett hound named Goliath and he was old and wanted nothing to do with the shenanagans of a six-month old goofball like Bandit. Lots of fun was had by all, at least by the
dogs. The knats have fun with us.

Bandit and River (a six-month old lab mix)

cousins

Back in my January 28th post of this year I featured my twin cousins. I spent this past Labor Day holiday visiting Judy. We hadn't seen each other for quite some time, approximately 12 years. We obviously had alot of catching up to do. Some of it was difficult to grasp since our views were clouded by time and mis-information given to me by her father and mine. Now that both are deceased we were able to hash through some of the events surrounding the later years of our their lives. Through this process I have come to the conclusion that much of my childhood was spent in complete and total isolation to the sins of my parents, esp. my dad. He wasn't a bad guy but in truth gave me information that was pretty sugar-coated. With that information I grew up seeing only the charitable attributes of my father and his brother. The labor day holiday changed much of that. I'm not sorry I know the truth but I have to admit it kind of changes my perspective about them both. In some respects I don't really care because they are both gone and nothing is accomplished by talking about what was said or done and who said or did it. I was able to at least let her know the care and love I have for her as my cousin and that I would always be there for her if she needed me. I hope to visit again some day soon.

Illinois

It's a Dog's World

A friend of mine was wondering about my dog. She does'nt have Facebook and can't get over much but does read my blog so I thought I'd give her an update as well as those of you that are dog lovers (and/or don't have Facebook).
Bandit is now 5 months old to the day. He has accomplished much. Being still a puppy he has managed to eat one library book, 3 shoes (thankfully old discarded ones) and chewed off the plastic dial tht controls the heat level on my electric blanket (now that I'm in menopause I rarely use it). On the up-side he is sleeping until 6:30 rather than the 3:00 a.m. whine, he loves carrots which, thankfully are cheaper than rawhide chews at Petco and he has a personal attendant by the name of Manon that will come over at the drop of a hat most days and play with him. She also takes care of him when I'm at work since he is a "kennel" boy and I don't let him stay in his "home" for more than 4 hours at a time. His best friend is Geordi a little dog that wears a shock collar and never sees the outside of his own yard so I take Bandit over there to run in Geordi's fenced in yard. His other friend is Sophie, my oldest son's dog who is 3 times Bandit's size which makes no difference to Bandit. Confidence is his middle name and fear is not even in the picture. Just like the kids out there he starts school next month to learn how to NOT take me for a walk but the other way around, some wonderful manners that include words like "wait" and "off", and hopefully some much needed energy run-off 'cause he has WAY to much!

Lemonade

Went with Michael last weekend back to his home area of Platteville, Wis. to attend two meetings. I had to be dragged there (I'd rather to to Hawaii but it ain't in the cards). Even though I didn't want to go I always try to make lemonade out of Platteville lemons. We drove down Friday night and met with his high school friends to plan their next 5 year reunion. The lemonade was not to bad since we met at a wonderful pizza place with a sports bar and some wonderful pizza. It was also fun hearing them share stories about their high school days. The next meeting was on Saturday morning at the University of Wisc. Michael is on the Alumni Board and they got together to plan out some events coming up specifically homecoming. I was left to do whatever I could to find something interesting in town for about 2 hours time. Since it was Saturday I thought I'd drive around and maybe look for the local library. Then the lemonade started pouring when I discovered a huge garage sale! Everything was very inexpensively priced. Had a great time visiting with 3 ladies that were experiencing the empty nesting syndrome and were getting rid of all their little boys toys and supplies. They sold me on a touch lamp that they had priced at only a dollar.

I enjoyed visiting with them and finally moved on downtown and there was more lemonade in the form of a farmers Market in the middle of downtown. I bought some cinnamon bread from an Amish lady and her two young boys, one of which was reading a Louis LaMour book (one of my favorite authors). I asked if their mother was reading it as well and she smiled and said "oh, no it's too violent for me". I also bought 4 perennials from a guy that was selling his wares out of the back of his truck. At 3 bucks a pop I thought it was a great deal getting some Shasta Daisies and Corn Flowers. All in all I had some interesting experiences. Michael connected up via cell phone and walked down to meet me at the Farmer's Market. We headed back to the Twin Cities through some huge storms and arrived home earlier than expected.

Daniel and Karen had stayed with Bandit for the overnight so that was nice for them since they had plans for the evening. Sometimes lemonade isn't quite as sour as I think it might be.

Time is Marching On

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAREN! HAVE A GREAT DAY!

Indiana Starnes'

A couple weekends ago Michael and I flew down for the annual Starnes (Michael's moms side) family reunion. Lots of food and fellowship. They were a family of 7 kids. Their mom, Michael's grandmother played piano for the movies before the talkies. Her name was Mary. She named each of her children after famous people. Not sure about all of them but I know that Michael's mom, Betsy was named after Betsy Ross. She was the oldest. Then Tenney after Tennyson the author, Malcolm (not sure about that one) or the one they called "Daws". Then JoAnn, Lindy (after Charles Lindberg), and finally David Charles (not sure about him either although we call him Charley).
One became a school teacher, one a nurse, one was a gifted musician, and the rest did a variety of other occupations.

The grown children with their mom

Betsy, Malcolm and "Daws"
The three that are no longer alive. Michael's mom is the little girl Betsy.

Their life was very difficult. They were extremely poor and their father was abusive to not only the kids but the mother as well. Betsy left home at 14 to live with an aunt and her sister Lindy soon followed. Charlie was one of the few that escaped any abuse however he wasn't able to finish school past the 8th grade. Three have died, and the remaining 4 are married and have kids that have kids that Michael and I travel to see and spend a weekend with. All of them turned out fairly well considering their difficult childhoods and have made lives for themselves with loving families and grandchildren. This particular year they celebrated Tenney and Charlie's birthdays together at the reunion. It was so fun to see the camraderie and fun they had together that day. We all sang "Happy Birthday" and celebrated with cake and ice cream.

My two youngest kids drove down for the reunion as well which I found particularly nice. Our vacations never were as exciting as Disney World. Many times we would stop in to see relatives and take a day or two at the Dells but it was mostly raising them to understand and relish the importance of family and heritage that we hold. They played frisbee golf with Charley and they find Lindy particularly fun to be with since she is so much like their Grandma Betsy.

Reading their birthday cards

It is of particular enjoyment for me since they accept me into their fold just like I'm a blood relative. Better than Disney World, I think.

They Drink Alot of Coffee in Hendrum

This past weekend I went to Hendrum, MN. No Mall of America, no city buses, not even a grocery store. Just lots of humming birds, flowers, and friends including an occasional rooster.
I got the royal treatment of accomodations with the best bed in the house and found out what something called "coffee time" is. At least I think that's what it was called. I got to hear stories about numerous people and events I knew nothing about but was fascinated by (at least somtimes). I was treated to a Redhawks game on Saturday night and found out that paint stops drying after the 6th inning. I attended their local Lutheran church on Sunday morning with Myra, her sister Bev and Kathy (who might as well be their sister) and had trouble figuring out who the minister was because she didn't dress the part, but her message was great and there was coffee time again after the service.

All in all it was a very nice time. I think I'll go and have a cup of coffee and think about the next time I plan to visit Hendrum

"DJ Fieds & the Fam"

Way back in junior high Daniel wanted to DJ for his church youth group. It never happened (another blog) but he never gave up. Buying equipment and renting some when needed he has branched out and made a small business for himself providing music for weddings, dances, and other events. He joined forces with his sister who has a tremendous handle on song titles and music from many different eras due to her degree in Music Therapy and help from dad (those that know us know what I mean). Muscles and transportation was provided by his friends Jesus and Jordan and "DJ Fieds & The Fam" was born.

Since they were creating a Web page I was asked if I would take some photos for advertising purposes. Taking Michael with me we drove out to a Ramada Inn in NE Minneapolis and I spent an hour shooting various pics of them in action. It was actually an enjoyable time even though I didn't know a soul there. It made me kind of sad that we didn't have a dance for our wedding.

Summer Birthdays

Michael and I celebrate winter birthdays and our kids celebrate summer birthdays. Daniel turned 24 on Saturday and since my mom's birthday is 5 days later we usually combine the two. I thought it would be fun to eat outside at the picnic table. It was until a bee came along to join in the fun, somehow the dog ended up with mustard on his back, and a side dish was left in the microwave and I didn't find it until 3 hours later.
The evening ended well however with ice-cream cake and presents all around.

Sharing and Caring Paws

Karen mentioned to me that I should bring our dog to the nursing home that she works at. I thought it was a great idea and agreed to bring him over there the next week. I picked a day I had off and headed over to Hopkins. I don't know who had more fun, the residents or Karen. She enjoyed her time sharing Bandit with the staff and residents where she works as a Certified Music Therapist.

Everyone loved to see him and it was equally fun for me to finally see where she works. I got to see her office and some of the equipment she uses with the residents when they have a therapy session with her. I could tell she loves her job and the staff really like having her as an employee.

I found great satisfaction and pride seeing how Karen is so relaxed with the residents, knowing all their names and making sure that everyone that wanted to pet the dog got to do just that. We ended at noon, she punched out for lunch and we swung by Jimmy Johns for a quick sandwich. I think Bandit had fun too even though he didn't get to order anything.

A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words

Michael and I have a couple that we bike and fellowship with through church whose husband is a 3rd year art student. This year he is studying portrait painting with oils. He was sharing his love of that particular mediam over Sunday brunch with us and stated he was looking for subjects to paint. He would pay his subjects $8.00 an hour. They usually get people through running an ad in the paper, sometimes having them wear certain outfits, etc. Being as my work schedule was reduced to nothing at the time, I volunteered thinking it might be fun. I had no idea what goes into a painting! My job was to sit on a chair that was on a short table and stare at an object out the window for 22 minutes without moving. He would set a kitchen timer which would allow me 7 minute breaks as well between sittings. Sounds easy, no?? It's wasn't. I kept falling asleep after about 15 minutes. I found it very hard. I did have a walkman to listen to and found that classical music was the only form of music that kept me awake. Don't ask my why. One would think talk radio would do it but that had no effect. It took approximately 2 months. I had to always wear the same clothes and the chair was marked so that it was always in the same place. We also would do it at the same time of day so the rays from the sun through the window would be the same each time or close to it. His teacher would stop each day and give him ideas on how to improve each part. I never thought my hair had so many hues or that my blue eyes actually have green tones in them. I thought I looked to serious and a bit too old but then I'm a difficult critic when judging myself.
Last week was the final spring showing of the artists work. There are approximately 50+ artists at various stages of development of their art. Dan did a great job and even though it was hard and I wouldn't do it again, I found it was a wonderful learning experience of which I am proud to have taken part in. I'm including a shot of Dan with Michael in front of a self-portrait Dan is working on. (Sorry about the body portrait behind me. Hope nobody's offended. It is one of the subject art forms used for some of the students)

Bandit

Since not everyone is on Facebook that reads my blog I thought I better cover the latest addition to the family. His name is Bandit, the name of which I'm still not fixed on yet but it's okay. I wanted to call him Louis or Louie after my favorite western author Louis Lamour. We then considered Hunter but even though he is a hunting variety of English Setter he will never hunt. Then we thought about Dupont since he lives on Dupont Avenue but then we would probably end up calling him Dewey and we thought that maybe my good friend Myra wouldn't appreciate that. I thought about Ranger after The Lone Ranger since he also had a mask and was a good guy and a bandit is usually not a good guy but then our little guy is not a good guy yet since he is not quite housebroken and likes to nibble on tender fingers with his needle sharp teeth and steal my small kitchen towels that hang off of my refrigerator. However he has his good points too. He is a very cuddly type and loves to be held. If he is tired from all his shenanigans and you rub his chest very gently he falls asleep in your arms. He considers me his meal ticket since I'm the one that feeds him and rescues him from his kennel most days and when he goes in another room he sometimes thinks he's alone in the house and cries for me even though all he has to do is come into the room I'm in.

They tell me he will be bigger than Comet but then that's okay since it's more to love.

Will You Still ...When I'm Sixty-Four (or 90)

Sorry my blog has taken so long to post but Google shut us down for maintenance reasons. Anyway, I thought I'd slip a "long lifer" blog post to cheer any of you that think life is a bummer when you reach old age. My Uncle Norman turned 90 last week and when one of his kids posted his picture on her blog I felt compelled to as well. After all, turning 90 doesn't happen every day. I came to realize that I really don't know that much about him but the things I do know I'll share. He was born in Duluth and has one sister, my mom. He is from Scottish descent having the last name Cameron. He had a band when he was a teenager and played the trumpet. Even though he wasn't close to my mom growing up he is now. He calls her every Sunday without fail. He calls me about once a month. Yesterday he called to say that his son bought a van that his Little Rascal fits into so he can go to church. I thought he was going to burst through the phone. He spends every Mother's Day with his kids and they go to the horse races in the Seattle area. Life has been kind to him especially since his mind is still pretty sharp. So if you are ever in the Seattle area and run into an elderly Scottish gentleman riding a red Little Rascal that looks like the picture on this post say hi for me and btw, don't forget to throw him a salute: he also served his country during World War II as an Air Force "Radar Man" in China.

Molding Hearts and Changing Lives

Last month a friend named Sharon prayed with me for employment. I have been a temp for approximately 2 years now and want permanent employment, or thought I did. No matter what happens I always want His will to be done even if I think I know better what I need or desire. Right after that wonderful fateful day of prayer, I got two temp assignments and have been steadily employed. My last day at the downtown Allina clinic will be tomorrow and I have already been placed somewhere next week. I've been praying for permanent employment so I could be part of a "team". Through these two assignments and the prayers of faithful friends God has molded my heart to accept being a temp, not worry about permanent placement, and work where I can get assignments. After all it's a wonderful way to meet and work with friendly fellow caregivers and meet the needs of patients and their families as we all work our way through the healthcare system that Allina offers us. Btw, the picture was taken during a complimentary breakfast that was jumpstarting a volunteer program through the Allina clinics. They insisted I be a part of the picture because "you are a part of the team, after all".

Comet (Not The Cleanser)

Two nights ago we went to bed and I was awoken by our dog Comet seizing on the floor by the bed. The whole rest of the day is a blurr for us both as she had two more episodes and basically lost her ability to comprehend not only where she was but who we were. By 6 o'clock that night we were in the vets office with my two youngest grown children as we were forced to euthanize her. She was 14 and in excellent health. We all cried buckets of tears and ended the evening crying over a meal at Perkins down the street and talking about what a great dog she was to us. The question of heaven and dogs came up. I would like to quote a wonderful article from Dogworld that was put in Comet's file that I kept with the vacinations a few years back. Bear with me: it's worth it.
"I am not a member of the clergy or a theologian, so I will admit right off that I have no authority to discuss such weighty matters. This is just my opinion. But honestly, it wouldn't be heaven if there were no animals. I believe all animals go to heaven to make it a better place for us. But I believe animals merit heaven in their own right - probably more than I do.
A lifetime of living with animals has convinced me that they have the purest souls. By that, I mean they seem to experience every feeling in its purest form. Their joy is never diminished by thoughts of the past or future. Their trust is never less than absolute. Their innocence is spotless. They love us in a way that is limitless and all-embracing. Their devotion is never tempered by doubt or self-interest and they accept themselves in the same way they accept us: they never see our flaws; they are never self-conscous about their own. They struggle to live in our world, on our terms and accept our demand that they put aside their very nature to live up to our expectations. They joyfully offer us the assistance we require, the approval we crave, and they never stop to think about what's in it for them. Sometimes their love heals us: Sometimes it transforms us...." Comet did both for me. R.I.P. "Sweets"(my sometimes nickname for her).

A Little Slice of Life

The other day I was at my moms and her photo album had fallen apart. She had created it back in the 40s so it was on it's way out anyway. I told her we could create a new album with the pictures and we could have some fun walking down memory lane. She wanted to throw most of the photos away stating "I don't know most of these people anymore, I'll never see them again and it's too much work." Spoken like a true 87-yr-old. I wouldn't let her off the hook that easy so we delved in and took a look at some of them. Even though she was born in Duluth she spent from junior high years and up in the Minneapolis area. She went to Washburn High School and went steady with a guy named Donald who we both agreed was a real "looker". She would later run off to California with some girl-friends when her job as a typist at Cargill Corp. was ending (yea, they had layoffs then too). That is where she met some guy named Harold who she later became engaged to but then met and married my dad at a USO show in San Diego and the rest is history.

While in high school she had tons of friends, hung out at Lake Nokomis and was a baton twirler for the marching band at Washburn High School. Her best friend was Arlene Dahl, the American film actress that worked in TV (What's My Line and various movies) in the 50s. My mom use to go over to her house and they would practice their twirling. When Dahl was active in TV in the 50s the press would always state her age as about 4 years younger than she was and my mom said she would yell at the TV "she was not born in 1927, she was born in 1923 you fool!" So much for a little slice of her life very different from mine. I never dated in high school or college and I would never be brave enough to run off to another state with friends but then my mom was a real "looker" and braver when she was in her 20s than I was. For those of you with moms that are still among the living pull out those old photo albums tucked away in a closet somewhere and walk down memory lane with her. For those of you whose mom is no longer with you take a look anyway and remember the good times.

Mom is the one on the end closest to the photographer.

The Forest Through The Trees

As some of you know I have been searching for permanent employment since losing a job that I had secured in August so by the end of the summer it will have been a year. If I could have held on, my probation would have ended this month. Of course it was not to be since I was unable to keep the job due to circumstances that were under and not under my control. Since that time I have gone back and forth throughout something akin to the 5 stages of grief. I regret never fighting for the job, never defending my position or trying to explain some of the issues at hand to the supervisor. I regret that I have let it consume me so much so that I can't raise myself out of the depression that weighs me down. Part of the reason it was so very devastating for me was that I had worked for the temporary company that placed me there and they chose to not have me do temp work after losing the permanent position. This meant that not only was I going to lose more employment time as a temp since I had worked more than 20 hours a week for them but I would no longer ever see all the nurses doctors and staff that I had worked with over the course of 2 years. I had developed some wonderful friendships with supervisors, the staff and the doctors at the various clinics I was assigned to. One of them was an alumni of my college and I enjoyed working for her and her with me since we had a mutual bond together. The other day I was feeling like a modern day Job lamenting on my state in life. Then I went on a quilt retreat that at the time God was again speaking to me but I didn’t see it. I quilted, fellowshipped and generally had a good time. I never realized that the message was right in front of me “Bloom where you are planted”! Even though I continue to struggle wondering where I fit in the vast realm of things I have decided for now to bloom where I’m planted whether it’s cleaning the bathroom or washing the dog. I don’t think I will have time to grieve the loss of something that probably was not meant to be anyway and move on. Thanks for listening.

Sewing Machines Are Humming

Just got back from my annual quilt retreat. Had a great time sewing a wall hanging. Most were quilting and some scrapbookers as well. Weather was cold but sunny which added to the enjoyment of the weekend on the lake front. Extra special was my favorite daughter Karen who joined the fun. Was so very nice to have her with me to enjoy the weekend.

Sleeping is usually at a minimum especially this weekend since there was a heating problem in our room which wasn't fixed until Saturday evening but everything worked out fine since there is a bazillian quilts to cover up with. Food however isn't at a minimum with people bringing snacks or junk food if you want to call it that (hey, we're on a retreat after all)! The chef cooks the most wonderful food and of course there is always the camp oatmeal, my favorite! Back to the exercise bike I go!