I was in bed before 10 on Saturday night and up at 6 for the dogs and to coffee up and get out the door for an empty stomach lumber in the woods, a lumber that would have me hit 20 miles for the week. Again, not my normal 30, but after a month of deck refinishing and limping, I’m happy enough with it.
As previously mentioned, Sunday is/was my birthday, and while I don’t give a shit about getting older or hardcore celebrating the day I happened to be born (thanks?), I do have some things that I like to make sure I do on my birthday. Some are old standards, and some just happen to be going on this year.
ONE
Get outside to ride or hike. This is something I’ve been doing for almost 30 years because nothing says age is just a number, like getting outside, pushing yourself, and sweating all over yourself like a pig. So, I did just that early Sunday morning when I got out for a 5-mile lumber before 8 AM.
TWO
This is a new one since I’ve perfected the recipe, but I made a post-hike shower big-as-my-head breakfast burrito filled with semi-homemade refried beans, diced potatoes, scrambled egg whites, salsa, and cheese.
Nothing says Happy Birthday, like eating all your carbs for the month in one meal (not that I count such things, obviously).
I hope to keep this one going for years to come.
THREE
Watch the Tour de France. This is another one that I have been doing for 25+ years. It started in the late 90s/early 2000s when Wifey and I would head to Colorado every summer to hike and ride. Getting up early and drinking coffee while watching the Tour was always a great way to start the day before doing an epic ride in the mountains of Colorado.
I took a few years off from following Pro cycling after the whole embarrassing Lance doping scandal, and my friend Mike was killed (we spent a lot of time talking about Pro cycling), but in the past couple of years, I’ve started watching the Giro and Tour again, and today’s stage was a great way to enjoy that big-as-my-head breakfast burrito.
FOUR
This one is a happy accident specific to this year. The Euro ’24 final is on at 3 PM Eastern; England is in it, and if they win, it’s going to be epic. Spain looks in form, so I don’t think they will, but IF they do!!! Oh boy!!
It JUST might be “coming home.” Well, not my home, but after years of watching the Champions League, Premier League, Serie A, Bundesliga, and La Liga, I find myself way more knowledgeable about the players and style of play in Europe and the UK than I do about our own country or leagues. Mostly due to the fact that I’m actually awake and usually ending my day as weekday matches come on, and there is no better way to end a day than beer and footy whilst making dinner.
FIVE
This one is a no-brainer; spend time with Wifey and B. B is at the lake (Huron) with some friends and will be back later in the day, and I look forward to hearing about his weekend, watching the England match, and surely eating some JET’s Pizza, and the birthday carrot cake cupcakes that Wifey got me.
FIFTY-THREE
So, this is 53. I have a history of DVTs, a million aches and pains, bad hearing (thanks, Motörhead), high blood pressure, horrible vision (they told me I’d go blind from that, but I didn’t listen), and I have to work hard every day to keep my depression and anxiety in check.
But I’m still hiking, still riding on occasion, and still love being creative. I’m still in love with my wife of 27 years, I still have most of my hair (knocks on wood), and I still don’t need gas station dick pills. Not to mention that I feel better at 53 than I did at 50. So, bring on another 365 days on this big blue hell-ball; I’m sure I’ll be craving more carrot cake by July 14th, 2025.
I took the above photo and sent it to B on Saturday to remind him to take sunscreen to the beach. 20 year olds love when you tell them things like you did when they were 6. It’s a fact. However, after taking it, I thought, “Almost 53 ain’t too bad, might delete later.”
Later.
THE SOILED SOUNDS TRACK OF THE POST