Bring it on skeeter punks

Oh the price we pay for rain. The recent frequent rains have been welcomed by all after the dry, very hot summer we experienced here in south Texas. What is not so welcomed is the return of the mosquitoes. A week ago, as I walked with my dog Penny through tall grass in the nearby creek I was attacked viciously by those nasty blood suckers. They were all over me! Stinging little turds! I ran out of there and headed home with welts all over my legs and arms. I rubbed down with alcohol and soon felt better.
I am not a fan of applying chemicals on my body, but needed to find something that will help against these nasty blood suckers. I searched and found "Badger" anti bug balm. It is made from all natural ingredients. After ordering it I patiently waited for it to arrive and stayed clear of the tall grassy areas. Although the skeeters found me on the upper levels of the creek too.
I was happy but surprised when my package arrived. 6 bucks for a .75oz tin of bug balm! I guess I hadn't realized how small an amount that is. Oh well, I readied for a run and spread a very light coating of the balm on my face, neck, arms, and legs. I soon found out a little goes a long way. The balm has a pleasant smell and is not at all uncomfortable or irritating.
What better place to try this stuff out than the tall grass in the lower levels of French creek, Where I was so viciously attacked a week ago. As I reached this area I saw the skeeters all around me. They tried but would not land. One brave one did land if only for a short time as it soon fell off! This stuff works! I had a pleasant run with maybe one more determined skeeter landing on my arm for a second. Keep in mind, this is a creek, with plenty of standing water. A perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes.
To add to my pleasant run, a mountain biker came to a complete stop as he saw me approaching. "Come on by" he said. "I am supposed to yield to you, Not everyone knows that" he said. "You are right" I resonded. THANKS!
As I headed home on this short 5 miler, the perspiration dripping from my body on this humid day made me wonder if the balm would hold up and keep it's potency. Arriving home I stretched on my front porch as perspiration dripped from all over my body. One sole speeder skeeter hovered over me trying to find a place to land. Here, No here, oh, there, no Here. It could not find a place to land. This stuff works!
As the Badger anti bug balm says "go ahead bug punks, make my day"
And the best part, "Good for the skin, bad for the bug".

Night Rider

This weekend the running group has a big run planned for Sunday at Government Canyon. 2 to 4 hours on the trails. Can't miss that! Brush pick up is also scheduled next week for my neighborhood. I need to trim some trees and lay out the brush by the curb. So when do I schedule my Bike ride? I have to put in some saddle time for the MS ride to river in two weeks.
I decided to start my ride at 5 AM Saturday morning. I have a "flea". A small but very bright red LED lamp I attach to the rear of my jersey. And I use a Petzl lamp on my handle bars as a headlamp. As I am about to leave my driveway my neighbor exits his house, coffee in hand, and tells me to be careful. "got all you need?" he asks. Yes, I reply. The only thing that worries me is drunks that may have been out all night I tell him. "yeah" he says. "they're out there".
I head out Mainland and onto Bandera road. My petzl lamp is bright enough, but does not stay stationary on my handlebars. It moves out of position with the vibration of my front wheel on uneven portions of the road. I continue to adjust it throughout the ride. The street lamps help somewhat with illuminating the road, but there are periods where the lamp comes in handy and helps in avoiding debris on the road. There are a few cars on the road, but mostly I have the road to myself.
As I reach Helotes, Tx at the 7 mile mark, I turn right on Scenic loop road. This road is a quiet two lane road with some homes on large two to maybe 10 acre lots. I pass through the sleepy town of Grey Forest. So small they don't even have a traffic light. Not even a blinking yellow light! But they do have a cop who likes to harass Cyclists into riding single file (Texas law states cyclist may ride two abreast).
Leaving Grey Forest the big climb begins. A three tiered hill about 3/4 of a mile long. Here the homes lay far away from the road. There is no lighting. It is pitched dark. I continue to adjust my petzl headlamp as I climb the hill. Over the top there is a short descend and a quick very short ascend then a one mile downhill. I am careful not to pick up too much speed for fear of something suddenly appearing on the road. A truck approaches towards me with it's bright lights on but quickly dims them. At the 15 mile mark it is almost 6 AM as I turn right onto Boerne stage road. It is still dark on the road and I AM 3 miles from Leon Springs, Tx. where Liza and Joe will be meeting at the Starbucks to run 16 miles on the road. I planned to surprise them.
I make it to Starbucks just as Liza and Joe are ready to start their run. what excitement! I have not seen Joe in months and Liza has just returned from Kenya where she was instructing tour guides on wilderness survival. We shook hands, hugged, and shared great big smiles. Liza shared a few stories too. I bid them farewell and I hung out at the Starbucks a while.
Returning towards home the traffic seemed to increase. I made it to the Leon Creek greenbelt where I road at a leisurely pace among walkers, runners, and other cyclist enjoying the overcast morning. Arriving home after 33 miles at about 7:30 AM, the neighbor was trimming his hedges and getting ready to mow. My wife and I hit some garage sales in the neighborhood. Then we returned home, she left for the gym and grocery store. I had breakfast, then trimmed trees, layed the branches out by the curb, mowed the lawn, showered, and took a well deserved nap.

The Human Spirit

Today I left home with Penny, my three year old Chocolate lab for a walk on the trails. Wearing my vibram five fingers we headed out on french creek then on to leon creek. Walking at a slow pace and enjoying the cool overcast evening. Penny was excited as deer frequently ran across the trail ahead of us. She made me proud as she calmly watched as mountain bikers came toward us on the trail and whizzed on by. As we reached the newly paved trails in the creek, two young boys about 5 and 7 rode up to us and asked " can we pet her?" Sure I said, but she's gonna lick you! the two boys smiled ear to ear as they pet Penny. "Why is her tongue hanging out?" they asked. She's been walking over two miles now I explained, and she is overly excited at the attention you are giving her.
As I bid farewell to the kids and headed back home, a young lady on a mountain bike came riding up and said Hi. I said Hi, and asked her how long she's riding today. "oh, I came from Babcock" she said. Wow, I responded. That's 4 miles to this point (Bandera Rd). Yes she said, but I do it almost everyday and it doesn't feel like 8 miles round trip. We struck up an interesting conversation and she explained she suffers from Diabetes. She tries to keep it in check by watching her diet and exercising. You all know me. I suggested vegetables and fruit to eat, to which she responded, "I do eat all that." She told me she was a runner in high school. I asked if she still runs, hoping to recruit a new runner to our group, she went on to tell me she also suffers from poor blood circulation in her legs and restless leg syndrome. And, she later explained "I also have low bone density, and scoliosis." All this she told me while smiling often. "Wow, you ARE sick" I said laughing. "Como una vieja!" she said (Like an old lady). I asked her age (I know, don't ask a lady how old she is), and she said she was 37. She did not look a day over 30. Due to the exercise and good diet, no doubt.
"Keep up the exercising" I told her. And "keep smiling and thinking positive." I will she replied. Nora rode off and I could not help but think what a great joy for life she has. She suffers from many illnesses and still smiles and tries to help herself through diet and exercise. So many others let such conditions rule their lives. But some like Nora fight through it.
Many of us are so fortunate to have good health. If you are one of these, Treasure it. If not, Keep smiling, and keep pushing on.