Jump to content

Bud Baker

Members
  • Posts

    1,423
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by Bud Baker

  1. Good morning, everyone!

    It was 68 degrees as I rode to work this morning. Forecast high is 88. I rode to work all five days this week. Monday and Tuesday, it was 100+ degrees. Tuesday afternoon, it was 107 degrees. That set a record as the highest temperature ever recorded here this late in the season.

    Wednesday had enough cloud cover that it didn't reach 100 degrees, and yesterday a front came in and cooled things off. Hopefully, we've seen the last of 100+ degree days here this year. Tuesday was the 70th of the year, a new record.

    Ann, I knew you meant weeks. We're supposed to read what you thought, not what you typed, right?

    On the TV thing, I still don't watch any network TV at all, so if it's not old enough to be on Netflix, I won't be watching it. We're watching the second season of Mad Men right now.

    We have a chance of rain here for the next several days, they say. I'm still planning on getting the kayak out this weekend. Time to get back to work. Have a great day, all!

  2. We just don't get the extreme weather that many of you do.

    Michigan? Doesn't get extreme weather? I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but there's a reason so many people in that part of the country move south when they retire. I can bike and boat year round here. I'd put up with heat, drought, fires, dust storms, tornadoes, locust plagues, famine, and pretty much anything else before I'd endure a Michigan winter........LOL.

    This is an unusual year here, the worst drought year ever and the hottest July and August ever (and according to this article, the hottest summer ever endured anywhere in the United States, or at least since they've been recording such things). The fire danger isn't that extreme for most people living in or near urban areas where there are lots of firemen nearby, though. It's the people living in rural and small town areas who really have a problem.

    As pointed out in this article, Governor Goodhair's budget made huge cuts to the Texas Forest Service and volunteer fire departments. This, in spite of the fact that we were already in a severe drought, and had had a big wildfire problem just two years ago. Rural folks depend on fire protection from the Texas Forest Service and volunteer fire departments, so are really hurting now. Everyone should support Governor Goodhair's run for President. That would get him out of Texas.

  3. Good morning, everyone!

    It was 53 degrees as I rode to work this morning. Forecast high is 91. It's funny that yesterday afternoon's 87 degrees didn't feel warm to me at all. Over two months of 100+ degrees pretty much every day will change your perspectives some, I guess.

    Alan, congrats on the scan. Around here, there's nothing better than that. The most ironic part about our fires while Irene was flooding everyone else is that the winds from Irene, as it was passing close, are what caused the fires to get so bad. It's been better since the wind let up, but as long as we stay this dry, fires will continue to be a problem. Here's an article from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that does a good job of showing how severe our heat and drought has been this year.

    Ann, good to see you on the Air. Sorry that lung cancer keeps showing up around you, but with so many cases of it around, I guess that's bound to happen.

    People have to keep their minds and bodies active or they will fall apart.
    I don't think most people really understand just how important that is to our health. As we get older, and more and more health problems show up, it becomes harder and harder to stay active. But if you don't, a downhill slide can happen very fast.

    I'm going to ride the Cowtown Classic tomorrow. It starts just 4 miles from my house, so I'll just ride to the start. I may do a little fishing on Sunday.

    Enjoy your big weekend, KW Judy. Have a great day, all!

  4. KW Judy, I'm right there with you. I've been on NSAID's for my back for years. It has improved enough in recent years that I'd cut my dose in half, knowing that NSAID's long term aren't good for you.

    After I mentioned the shoulder pain I was having to my doctor, he diagnosed it as bursitis and told me that, other than the physical therapy he was prescribing, the best thing for it was the NSAID's I was already on for my back. Oops. I started taking the full dose again.

    Sometimes the drugs are better than not taking them, even if we don't like it.

  5. Good morning, everyone!

    It was 86 degrees as I rode to work this morning. Forecast high is 105.

    Katie, I never know what to say for support over the phone. I just listen, tell of my own experiences, and try to be positive, which is pretty easy for me, considering how well I've done.

    Ginny and MI Judy, I know what you mean. My treatment was brutal, but short, and I've been cancer free now for more than 3 1/2 years. I feel a kinship with everyone here, but often don't have a lot to contribute in other parts of the forum

    Time to get back to work. Have a great day, all!

  6. Good morning, everyone!

    It was 86 degrees as I rode to work this morning. Forecast high is 107.

    I had a great time in Wichita Falls Friday and Saturday. It got up to 109 degrees Saturday afternoon, hot even by Hotter 'N Hell Hundred standards.

    But I finished well before it got that hot. I completed the ride in 4:57, the first time I've ever done a 100 mile ride in less than 5 hours. I didn't think I had that kind of ride in me, but I guess you never know. I did a ride report on my blog.

    Time to get back to work. Have a great day, all!

  7. Good morning, everyone!

    It was 78 degrees when I got up this morning. Forecast high is 106.

    There was no bike ride to work this morning. I'm taking today and tomorrow off the bike. I'm also taking off work tomorrow and heading down to Wichita Falls, where on Saturday I'll be attending an intimate gathering of 14,000 of my closest friends at the Hotter 'N Hell Hundred. So my weekend starts less than six hours from now.

    Have a great day, all!

  8. Good morning, everyone!

    It was 80 degrees this morning as I rode to work. Forecast high is 106.

    Glad no one was killed in the earthquake. Let's hope we're as lucky with the hurricane.

    Not much going on here, just another day at work. Have a great day, all!

  9. Good morning, everyone!

    It was 78 degrees as I rode to work this morning. Forecast high is 107.

    MI Judy, if Indiana drivers have their turn signals on all the time, Texas drivers are just the opposite. They never signal anything.

    Back to work for me. Have a great day, all!

  10. Good morning, everyone!

    It was 80 degrees as I rode to work this morning. Forecast high is 104.

    I made a fishing trip to Lake Aquilla on Saturday, but didn't really catch very much. Yesterday, I joined a couple of friends for a 5:00 am start on a 200K ride. It still got pretty hot by the time we finished the ride at 2:30 pm.

    It's back to the grind for me this morning, one more week of coming in earlier than usual. Have a great day, all!

  11. Good afternoon, everyone!

    It was 82 degrees when I rode to work this morning. It's supposed to get up to 107 this afternoon.

    Laurie, sorry to hear about your sister's lymphedema. My wife has it in her left arm. Not much fun.

    It's almost the weekend. I'm still debating about where to go fishing tomorrow. I'm thinking about getting the kayak out again. I'm planning on riding a 200K on Sunday.

    Have a great day, all!

  12. Good afternoon, everyone!

    It was 78 degrees as I rode to work this morning. Forecast high is 108.

    Not much happening here today. I spent yesterday evening trying to figure out how to operate my newest toy, a video camera that's built into a car key remote. It's tiny. I'm going to try doing some videoing while I ride. We'll see how that goes.

    Have a great day, all!

  13. Good morning, everyone!

    It was 84 degrees as I rode to work this morning. Forecast high is 106.

    I am the one to blame for turning yesterday's log on post into the Air......LOL. I replied after Lillian just like it was the Air, and only noticed late in the day that it wasn't. So, just like I had good sense, I changed the title to Tuesday's Air.

    Sorry to hear about the shin splints, Stephanie. I got it early this year after doing a long ride on a bike other than the one I normally do long rides on. There never seems to be any predicting what might trigger it.

    MI Judy, glad it turned out not to be a hernia. Phantom nerve pain is really aggravating (we who've had lung surgery know that all too well), but still better than another hernia, I think.

    Good to hear from you, Karen. I feel for you, with all the chemo stuff you're putting up with. Putting together all the stuff for my blog last week, I was reminded of what a struggle it was for me, and I only got three rounds.

    KW Judy, traveling always makes me lose track of days, so I won't hold that against you.

    Good to hear from you, Annette and Ginny. Have a great day, all!

  14. Good afternoon, everyone!

    It was 82 degrees as I rode to work this morning. It's closing in on 100 now.

    I can't claim to have had any log in problems. I just got busy this morning, and need to run now.

    Here's hoping everything works out for you, MI Judy. Have a great day, all!

  15. Good morning, everyone!

    It was 82 degrees as I rode to work this morning. Forecast high is 103.

    I got up yesterday morning and rode from home. I ended up with 93 miles. It was cloudy until late morning, but was getting pretty hot by the time I got home.

    It sounds like the Seattle event went great, wish I could have been there.

    Am I a regular?

    Alan, at my age, regular has a whole different meaning...

    MI Judy, I hope your foot is feeling better this morning. Have a great day, all!

  16. Good morning, everyone!

    I got up at dark-thirty this morning to do a ride from home, but there was some kind of strange wet stuff falling from the sky, so I went back to bed and slept in.

    The forecast high for this afternoon is 102, so I don't think the clouds are going to last. I'm going to make a trip to Sam's and Harbor Freight since I'm not riding. I'll probably ride tomorrow.

    Have a great day, all!

  17. When I was diagnosed with lung cancer, I went into mad internet research mode. Between all the clinical information and scary stats I ran across, I found several cancer survivor blogs, and really appreciated the stories being shared in them.

    It made me want to do a cancer blog myself, but I knew that if the surgery left me cancer free like it was supposed to, my cancer story was going to be way too short to bother with a blog. So I never did one.

    But, I have finally gotten around to gathering up all my writings and posts and doing a blog that suits me better, a cycling blog. It's still a work in process, and a lot of the cycling posts need more added to them, but I don't think most of those posts would be of much interest here, anyway.

    But my cancer story is there too, in more detail than I've ever posted in any individual place. For anyone who wants to read one more cancer story, just follow my blog from December, 2007 to May, 2008. It's at uneasy-rider.com

  18. Good evening, everyone!

    I thought yesterday was just going to be another standard 105 degree ride home, but I was mistaken. When I went to leave work, I noticed my front tire was low. I pumped it up and headed for home. As soon as I walked out of the shop, I noticed the dark clouds in the north. I didn't think too much about it. Most of our storms come from the west, so I figured this would stay north of me.

    Just over halfway home, I could tell that front tire was getting low again, so I stopped to pump it up. It was obvious by then that this storm wasn't moving east, it was coming south and gaining on me. I hadn't quite finished pumping the tire up when the 50 mph north wind and dust storm hit.

    The south ride down Crowley Road was nice. I would have averaged over 30 mph if I hadn't hit every traffic light red. But when I turned west on FM 1187, I was dealing with a 50 mph crosswind, not that much fun on a faired bike. The storm faded before it reached me and all we got at home was wind and dust. It looks like the cooler air reached DFW Airport early enough to end our streak of 100+ degree days at 40, two short of the record.

    I took a day of vacation and went fishing today. I tried some new spots at Lake Whitney, but only caught a few. This nice one kind of dwarfed the measuring board, so I didn't figure I need to measure him.

    wcrappie2.jpg

  19. Good afternoon, everyone!

    It was 82 degrees as I rode to work this morning. Forecast high is 106.

    I've been working on my blog when I'm not working on machinery, and just haven't taken time to stop by.

    Not much else happening here in the blast furnace. Have a great day, all!

  20. Trying to interpret less than dramatic changes always seems to be tough for medical people. But less that dramatic changes sounds a whole lot like stable, and stable is good! So is feeling well, congrats!

  21. Good morning, everyone!

    It was 86 degrees as I rode to work this morning. Forecast high is 108. It will be our 40th consecutive day of 100+ temperatures.

    Bud, I was just curious why they closed all the boat ramps to one of your fav lakes?

    MI Judy, Benbrook is first and foremost a water supply lake, and with the drought and extreme heat here, the lake's water level has been lowered to 9 feet below normal. That leaves all the nice concrete boat ramps high and dry. Here's an article from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about it. I found this graph showing Lake Benbrook's water elevation for the past year.

    benbrook1.jpg

    After posting my Don't Set Limits guest blog in March, stating that I expected some time this summer to surpass 24,900 miles (the circumference of the earth) ridden since my diagnosis, I forgot to track that this summer. I now have 26,221 miles since my diagnosis, so I have indeed ridden around the world since being diagnosed with lung cancer!

    Perhaps I should post that in Updates or somewhere else. No time right now though, I have to get back to work.

    It sounds like you had a great birthday, MI Judy. Have a great day, all!

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.