Such a lovely day in Knoxville, sunny, blue skies, the bare hint of a breeze and low 50’s. Days like this bring to mind the fact that spring is not far off and the sense of rebirth, hope and renewal will prevail.
I came home from a run this morning, feeling somewhat discouraged because the effort was less than I planned. In my front garden, basking in the sun, was this single, bright yellow crocus, the first crocus bloom of the year. My spirits were immediately lifted! In a week or so, all my yellow crocus will be in bloom, followed by the white crocus. The final show will be put on by the deep purple crocus that will fade and make room for the tulips to debut. Rebirth, hope and renewal….it happens every spring!
Crocus
Lenten Rose
My Lenten Rose plants on the side of the house have been in bloom for a little over a month, but I have been waiting for the Lenten Rose in the front garden to show some sign of flowering. I planted this plant some 2 years ago and it has neither bloomed nor grown much. Today I found this showy flower under a pile of oak leaves. Although a little shadowy in the photo, it is quite spectacular, don’t you think!?
Several hours after the run, I loaded up my bike and met John at Old Walland Road. OWR is a relatively flat 18-mile out and back with a number of options to ride longer. For this reason, it is popular with local cyclists. We saw at least 20 outfits (cyclists) on the road taking advantage of the warmish weather. We rode only the out and back stretch and had a wind in our faces in both directions, go figure. John tells me as soon as I get an offical outfit, a pair of bicycling sunglasses, a new helmet AND a new bike, I will look like a real cyclist! Thanks honey, you buying?
After the ride, I slipped on my running shoes and took off to see if my legs would work. The effort actually wasn’t too bad, but of course I didn’t go too far. The main issue I have when I do this is that I am out of breath quickly. I hope it will get better soon!
Run: 3-miles, 34.29 minutes, 11.43 min mile
Bike: 18.0 miles, 1 hr 10 minutes, about 15.5 mph
