January Thaw?

After a December which saw below normal temperatures, the first weekend in January is shaping up to be a pretty nice one. Temps are predicted to be in the upper 30's, and if we get some sun, we may melt some of the ice and packed snow off the roads and trails. I checked on the Bike Club web site, and as it turns out, there are only a couple of rides in which I'll be able to participate and even one of those is iffy. The problem on Saturday is that the younger two need to get to Karate in the late morning, which nixes any morning ride. TOYH works every Saturday and is unavailable for taxi service. This evening is another possibility for a club ride, but it means that the girls will be home alone for quite a long stretch in the afternoon/evening. I went on that ride last Friday, and it was very nice. Cold, but nice. If you have a trail to ride on, I think winter biking is more relaxing than any other season. I should be more specific. Riding in a group in the winter is more relaxing than any other season. Let me qualify further. Riding a TCBC ride in the winter is more relaxing than any other season. Why? When I go out on a TCBC ride, I am nearly always the youngest rider in the group, sometimes by more than twenty years. The retirees I ride with are not going to burn up the trails, so it is relatively slow going. On last Friday's ride the moon was trying to poke through the clouds and it was cold enough that the moisture in the air was condensing into snowflakes. There was no wind. The trails are isolated enough that you don't feel like you're in the middle of the city. 15 degree temperature feels good at that pace. Add all those things up and you've got one nice ride. The same thing happened on Sunday afternoon, except you need to replace the moon with the sun.

The girl's two week vacation from school ends Monday morning. Even though I've been coming into work off and on during their layoff, it's been so much less hectic in the mornings. We can sleep in a little more, and we don't have to pester the younger two to get moving so they can get to the bus on time. The Madster is not looking forward to going back. It's not the old, "I don't like school, I'd rather be on vacation," complaint. She is really not being challenged at all and is starting to dislike some of her teachers. We've really got to get her into a different school next year. Our problem is that transferring to different schools within the district is not easy. There are a couple of schools we would like to see her get into, but of course there are a ton of other parents thinking the same thing. Essentially we would enter her into a lottery for a particular school, and if she's chosen, she gets to go to that school. Since there is sibling preference in school choice, 'Nika would get to follow. I am secretly hoping that a rumor we've heard turns out to be true. If the district simply axes the middle school program at Emerson, we can go to the district and demand to get the kids into any school we want. Ultimately we just need to get The Madster through her 8th grade year. The High Schools don't seem to be as messed up as K-8 in the district. If we get the girls out of Emerson, it will be a sad, sad end to a era. We really, truly liked that school, and up until this year, the girls were getting a great education. Not anymore.

TOYH is still busily studying for her boards and is poking around for a few jobs. Nothing is turning up yet.