Bud Baker
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Posts posted by Bud Baker
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Congrats for Ruby!
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Happy Hogmanay, everyone!
It was 55 degrees when I got on the water this morning, and stayed about that temperature all day. The cooler air from the front that blew in was just about enough to offset the sun trying to warm things up.
And I do mean blew in. It was the windiest day I've fished in quite a while. But I brought home a nice mess of crappie. I took a nap after I got home, so I'll be ready to stay up late. It's just a party at home for Rose and I.
My only New Year's resolution every year is to fish more. I actually accomplished that in 2010, with a fishing trip more weekends than not, after two years of not getting to fish very much. In 2009, with Rose getting treatment half the year, selling a house, moving, and all the projects I had with the new house, it ended up being the least fishing I've done in probably 35 years, even less than in 2008, which was my recovery year.
There do seem to be lots of folks with exercise resolutions, though. I think the key is to find an activity you like a lot. As long as it's just another "chore" you have to attend to, you likely won't stay with it.
When we lived in Arlington, we rode the Joe Pool dam road. It's a popular cycling spot there. In January, I was always surprised by how crowded the dam road was, new bikes and helmetless riders everywhere. By February, we'd pretty much have the dam road to ourselves.
One problem was the cheap bikes everyone seemed to start out with. I can't tell you how many times I stopped to help someone with a repair on the road, only to figure out that the problem couldn't be repaired. It was just a poorly made wally world bike that couldn't be fixed. If your chosen exercise requires equipment, don't buy poorly made equipment.
Happy Hogmanay, everyone!
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Congrats for Joel!
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Good morning, everyone!
It was 59 degrees as I rode to work this morning. Forecast high is 72. But, right on schedule, a front is coming in tomorrow morning, and it's supposed to be a lot colder for the weekend. It's turning into one of those winters where the fronts always arrive for the weekend.
It's my version of Friday, so my weekend will start in about 6 1/2 hours. I'm planning on going fishing tomorrow, then just hanging around the house the rest of the weekend.
Have a great day, all! And have a fun New Year's Eve!
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Good evening, everyone!
It was 57 degrees when I got up this morning. This afternoon's high was 71 degrees. It rained on and off all night last night, and was still raining when I got up this morning, and I just drove to work. So we all missed out on exercising this morning......LOL. That ended a pretty good streak; I had ridden to work the last 26 work days.
Just as I was about to make my morning post, my work computer crashed. And just like always happens when it crashes while I'm here, I had been logged off when I came back, and it wouldn't let me log back in, and wouldn't email me a password, either. When that's happened in the past, Katie has set me a new password fairly quickly, but she was off at the coast without internet, today.
So here I am, the last one to drag myself into the Air today......LOL. I hope everyone had a great day.
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Give her my best wishes, Judy. If there's anyone around who knows that the surgery is very doable, it's us. Let us know how she's doing.
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Wow, great story and beautiful bird!
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Good morning, everyone!
It was 43 degrees with heavy clouds as I rode to work this morning. Forecast high is 48. There's supposed to be rain later today. I'm hoping it holds off until I get home, but it's drizzling now, so that may be wishful thinking.
This morning was my 171st ride to work this year. On the ride home yesterday, I reached my 2010 riding mileage goal, 7,500 miles. 4,768 of those miles were from commuting to work. This has become the first year of my adult life that I rode more miles on bicycles than I drove in motor vehicles.
MI Judy, I would have never thought of blaming the dog when my reading glasses come up missing (is that like blaming the dog when someone passes gas?). I need to remember that next time my glasses disappear.
KW Judy, I can't speak for anyone else, but I certainly appreciate those who take time to share here. I'm usually just on my break and reading quickly, but it's a part of my day I always enjoy.
Have a great day, all!
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Good morning, everyone!
It was 26 degrees as I rode to work this morning. Forecast high is 53.
After going fishing Thursday, I spent the rest of the weekend visiting and eating, and not a lot else. It's definitely time to get back to riding and eating better.
Annette, and everyone else in snow covered places, I hope the roads weren't too bad for you today. MI Judy, I like the new avatar.
Best wishes for your sister, KW Judy. I hope it's nothing. Have a great day, all!
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Good morning, everyone! It was 35 degrees with a howling north wind when I got up this morning, but the rain has ended. Forecast high is 47. It's perfect weather for enjoying the great indoors.
We had our family gathering last night at our daughter's house. Tamales were the main dish for dinner, and that was followed by gift opening. Today, everyone is coming over to our house for a turkey dinner.
Merry Christmas, everyone!
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Good morning, everyone!
It was 48 degrees when I got up this morning. The forecast high was 45; I think the colder air didn't get here quite as soon as they expected. The weather radar is showing a huge area of hard rain approaching from the west. It's looking like a very rainy Christmas Eve here. At least I won't be driving to Arlington for the family gathering this evening in the snow, like I did last year.
It was a cool day on the water yesterday. It was cloudy with a brisk wind and it never got out of the 40's. The crappie bite was very tough, too. I wasn't expecting that just four days after having such a great day fishing. But, that's fishing, and I always enjoy myself, even on the tough days. I ended up bringing home five crappie, enough for dinner, but not much else.
Bruce, I had a couple of cortisone shots in my back in the mid-90's. You're right; it isn't much fun. My cratered back wasn't from an injury. It was just from 25 years of acting too bulletproof while doing heavy work in machine shops. Now, 15 years later, it's quite a bit better, but was still my most serious health issue until I was diagnosed with lung cancer. That does have a way of dwarfing everything else, doesn't it? I hope yours is better soon.
MI Judy and Libby, sorry to hear of your dogs' problems. We love our dogs and hate to see anything wrong with them. Petey, our male Chihuahua, was a Christmas present from my sister in 1995. He's over 15 years old now. He's blind, moves pretty slowly, and I know he won't be with us a lot longer, but he's been a real joy to have as part of the family for the past 15 years.
Annette, when a chemo drug (gemcitabine) kept giving me a severe headache, they did an MRI on me, too. Lung cancer is so quick to spread to the brain that they really don't like headaches in someone who's had it. Compared to all the other medical tortures that have been done to me, it didn't seem that bad, though.........LOL.
Eric, I am so sorry that you have been touched so closely by alcoholism. My father was an alcoholic (and mother a mental patient for most of her adult years), and it made growing up a challenge, to say the least. I always joke that I'm enjoying my childhood now, since I didn't have one when I was young.
KW Judy and Lily, I hope you enjoy your family gatherings. I'm really looking forward to mine this evening. I was given a whole new appreciation of being with family on Christmas the year I got out of the hospital on Christmas Day. Wow, I wrote a novel! Merry Christmas, everyone!
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LOL @ me urinating all weekend. From thefreedictionary.com, the two meanings of piddle:
1. To spend time aimlessly; diddle.
2. informal To urinate.
I definitely was using the first definition. Actually, a more popular version of it is used a lot here in Texas, with a four letter word added onto the end of it. I was trying to be nice about it, and obviously failed.......LOL.
Tomorrow's forecast here keeps going downhill. Now, they're calling for a high of 55 with rain in the evening. Looking at the weather maps, it seems the jetstream is out of kilter this year. That's why all the cold temps in places where they shouldn't be. And Texas is right on the edge of the cold, so we'll likely keep going back and forth between cold and warm.
But even with a cooler day tomorrow, I won't be fishing through ice, hopefully.
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Good morning, everyone!
It was 44 degrees with a brisk north wind as I rode to work this morning. Forecast high is 64. That's 20 degrees cooler than yesterday, but still not bad for late December.
Sorry you lost your hot water heater, KW Judy. It's amazing how often that kind of thing seems to happen right around the holidays.
Libby, shoveling sounds like pretty good aerobic exercise to me. Just put on a tune and turn it into some kind of an aerobic dance step.
Stephanie, the eclipse here was exactly in the middle of my sleep night and we had company the night before and I didn't get to bed early, so I decided to just skip it.
The copy so you can recover by pasting is an quicker and easier technique than Notepad, Annette. I got out of the habit of using it when I had an old computer that had a habit of crashing at the worst possible time. If it's in a file you still have it, if you just copied, it's gone. But that was ages ago. I don't have that kind of problem with this computer; I should start doing the copy and paste thing again, myself.
It is, indeed, my Friday. I'm off the rest of the week. I'm thinking I'll brave the wind and go fishing tomorrow. It's supposed to be pretty chilly the rest of the weekend, so other than the Christmas gathering, which is at my daughter's place this year, I may just stay home and piddle around the house.
I hope your weather gives you a break, Eric. Have a great day, all!
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Good morning, everyone!
It was 59 degrees as I rode to work this morning. Forecast high is 83. No white Christmas forecast here, although they are calling for it to be chilly, at least the Texas definition of chilly, with a low of 27 degrees, and only getting up to 50.
Wow, a busy day on the Air yesterday. Eric, it's really just the middle of pecan gathering season right now. Last year, I was still bringing home many good ones at the end of January. It's just not going to be a good year for pecans, it seems.
Paulette, your husband's nerves get frazzled just from watching all the running around you're doing. It's the same principle that makes Annette tired when I ride.
KW Judy, your posts are starting to seem more chipper. I hope that means you're feeling a lot better. Have a great day, all!
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Thanks, everyone!
Such a great way to celebrate. Happiest of New Years! (Will you make the mileage goal for 2010?)Stephanie, according to my profile at bikejournal.com, where I track my miles, I now have 7,430 miles. That leaves just 70 miles to go, so yes, I expect to make it.
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Congrats, Annette! It sounds like you aced the scan!
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Good morning, everyone!
It was 53 degrees as I rode to work this morning. Forecast high is 76.
I finally finished rigging my new bike Saturday, and took it out for a short ride in the afternoon. Yesterday, I went fishing, and in a two hour stretch in the morning, caught 23 crappie, all over 11 inches long. I just kept 10 of them, no point in keeping more than you can use.
I gathered a bag of pecans before I headed home, but when Rose and a cracked a bunch of them, every one was bad, so we just tossed the bag. It looks like there may be no fresh pecans this winter.
We didn't go all out for Christmas decorations this year, but at least we did put up the tree. Last year, with Rose in the middle of treatments, we didn't even do that.
Have a great day, all!
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Three years ago today, I spent the day in the hospital, having the upper lobe of my left lung removed. The biopsy from that surgery became my official diagnosis, making me a three year survivor today. I've been cancer free for those three years.
I was released from the hospital on the afternoon of Christmas Day that year. My family gathering is usually on Christmas Eve, but everyone waited until I was home on Christmas Day. I was still pretty feeble five days after surgery, but it felt great to be home and opening presents with everyone.
Every year now, at holiday time, my mind goes back to that very special Christmas gathering. Merry Christmas, everyone!
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Congrats, Jamie!
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Good morning, everyone! TGIF!
It was 36 degrees with a brisk north wind as I rode to work this morning. Forecast high is 53. I rode to work every day again this week. I have ridden to work my last 21 work days.
That is serious cold, Libby. Are you saying it gets colder still in February? They are now forecasting mild and dry days here all the way through Christmas. I hope they're right.
I know what you mean about being shocked by the news about Donny, Eric. We all knew that he'd had more than his share of respiratory problems, but I don't think any of us thought it was that bad. It's a reminder of why we worry about regulars when they disappear for a while.
MI Judy, glad you got your office functional again. I'll bet that goes a long ways toward making you feel normal again (or at least the new normal).
Tomorrow is supposed to still be a bit chilly here. I'm thinking I'll just stay home and work on the new bike all day. I have all kinds of things to do to get it the way I want it. Sunday is supposed to be warmer; I may think about going fishing.
Hope you're feeling better today, KW Judy. Have a great day, all!
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5 years out
in HOPE
The magic 5 years! Congrats, Mike!
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Good morning, everyone!
I'm being reminded that the wind around here can be brutal this time of year. I rode home against a 30 mph south wind yesterday afternoon and rode to work against a 25 mph north wind this morning. My legs are starting to feel suspiciously like mush.
It was 80 degrees when I rode home yesterday. At 1:00 am this morning, it was still 63 degrees, but the front blew in and by 2:00 am it had fallen to 48 degrees, 15 degrees in an hour. It was 41 degrees when I rode to work, and 39 degrees now. They're forecasting a high of 57, but I'm thinking it better get started warming up soon if it's going to reach that.
Sorry you're feeling poorly, KW Judy. It sounds like that antibiotic is having the same effect on you that it did Rose. Bundle up and stay warm, Annette! I hope they let you off early.
Have a great day, all!
Yesterday,
All my troubles seemed so far away,
Now it looks as though they're here to stay,
Oh, I believe in yesterday.
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Like the others, I'm saying that the lungs being clear is a biggie. Let's hope the next scan just shows a big "stable".
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Good morning, everyone!
It was 53 degrees as I rode to work this morning. Forecast high is 78. But our balmy weather won't last long. A front that is coming in early tomorrow will cool it off to the point that Friday afternoon's high temperature is forecast to be 45 degrees.
It sounds like everyone back east is still in the refrigerator. I hope you don't get too much of the white stuff, Annette.
Sorry you're not feeling well, KW Judy. Rose's stomach antibiotic wasn't any fun for her, either. Those seem to be a very different antibiotic. They even told Rose that what she was taking wouldn't help with the flu or anything else, only the stomach.
Ann, I hope you're staying warm and keeping busy and that today passes gently for you. It's hump day, so we're half way through the work week.
Eric, I look forward to seeing your video. I'm betting that you did a great job in it.
MI Judy, it sounds like you need to ease up for a while. Not easy to do right before Christmas, I bet, but still needed.
Ginny, doctors can certainly be maddening sometimes. Libby, stay warm, I know it's chilly where you are......LOL. Have a great day, all!
Sunday's Air
in JUST FOR FUN
Posted
Good morning, everyone!
It's 19 degrees here this morning. Forecast high is 51. I'm thinking about going fishing, but it's going to have to warm up some before I do.
Rose and I spent the entire day yesterday being zombies in front of the tv. The dogs love it when that happens; there's nothing that either of them like more than curling up in a lap.
Eric, sorry your dinner plans went awry. Rose and I aren't vegetarian, but we seem to eat less and less meat these days. I think I could do the vegetarian thing, though I would miss my fish, and the beef in the great Mexican food that Rose cooks (her real name is Rosita; she comes by her great Mexican food cooking skills honestly). As long as there's lots of pasta though (need my carbs with all that bike riding), I'm happy. Get a DVD called Food, Inc, and watch that. It will definitely make you think twice about eating that meat......LOL.
I ended up with 7,555 miles on the bike last year. I'm setting this year's goal at one mile more than that. I think that's about as many miles a year as I can manage, at least while I'm still working full time. I ended up with 478 miles in December, almost all commuting miles.
That's about right for me. I ease up my mileage in the winter. I think having stretches where you rest more is good for you, and one of the reasons I've avoided riding injuries so well. And, I really don't like the long rides when it's cold, so just concentrating on commuting whenever I can works well for me in the winter.
Last January, I only rode 323 miles. The weather was so cold and wet then; I hope it's a milder January this year.
Good luck with your New Year's resolutions, everyone. Have a great 2011!