Thanks! Sunshine is here. No snow but we’re looking at a week of rain ahead.

Sure seems like it. Or alternatively — we’re getting old and complain about little things that didn’t used to affect us.

We’ve been abusing Mother Nature, and she’s pissed off!

I’m pretty much done with riding in snow. It was a challenge for me and I needed to know if it was possible. And I had some fun. But I don’t need to experiment anymore with that particular challenge.

Warm weather is the goal now. For a lot of reasons.

Our Belgians have better gear for winter. I’ve never seen either of them cold. Wind is probably the most bothersome to them.

Brushing out the dogs has already begun. That undercoat seems to never end. Long after the robe is gone I’ll still be brushing…

Since I’ve retired I have lost all discipline. Completely. I’m just floating on the wind doing whatever I want to do within the current responsibilities. Lazy, lazy, lazy.

I am slowly moving toward a more productive path, especially as it relates to home maintenance, finances, etc. Creative projects — they remain a scary landscape. But I have only 128 days left until I open an exhibition of my work. I’ve not posted about it yet. Guess I’ll do that soon.

Hard to say how a dog will react to snow. If he doesn’t mind the cold I bet he’ll frolic in the snow. Ours love it. Lily especially. She would lay out in a snow storm all day if we let her.

Hello John,

I’ll put some pictures together of the lap robe. I know when I used to look at them it seemed difficult to imagine them not being tedious to use. The truth is they are supremely simple to install and use.

Somehow I imagine the North Pole being colder than -16F. That’s central Pennsylvania weather. No wonder the ice is diminishing.

The handlebar muffs on my Vespa, along with the heated grips, allow me to use the same gloves I use in the summer in all but the coldest weather (below 15F). I’ve only used the Gerbing electric gloves a few times this season. They’re a pain to fiddle with all the wires but the warmth is luxurious…

We’ll take any warmth you can send this way. I wonder whether my preoccupation with the cold is related to riding, or more likely a response due to my increasing years? Either way, I’m tired of winter.

Like you, I’ve ridden a lot of different motorcycles. The Vespa remains my favorite for exactly the same reason as you — it does paste a smile.