Catching Up

It's been a minute since I've put anything up. I have not disappeared off of the planet (at least not yet), but life has sort of been in the way of many of my more usual activities. We were very excited to finally have a home again, but that new home is sucking up so much of our time that it feels like there still isn't much that is normal in the day-to-day operation of life. It is what happens when one purchases a large project. I'd promised myself that the house would not take up all of my time, but I don't enjoy living in a rundown shack, so that pinky-swear to myself has disappeared as we sludge through the mire of fixes. Every week I tell myself that the following week will be different -- and then it isn't.

Frankly, I haven't really been riding a bike much. Sam gets in some short rides during the week to and from work, and we try to ride the tandem at least one of the days on the weekend, but I can easily count the number of solo rides I have completed over the last three months. It feels as though I went from riding fairly significant daily rides to forgetting that I even own a bicycle (or several, I suppose). 

On a morning walk with B-girl.

The transition to life in Oregon has been far more challenging for me than I anticipated. Initially, I believed that the trouble was that I needed to have our four-legged fur-kid with me 24-7, but as I have discovered, even having the ability to leave her at home alone has still not managed to get my rear end back on a saddle with any kind of frequency. I am disappointed in myself that I haven't been able to keep things going as I had hoped. 

Mentally, I am struggling. While I believe myself to be fairly adaptable, I miss "home." I miss the riding more than anything and I just can't seem to find equitable routes here that I enjoy as much as those out the door in our previous home. I don't think I truly comprehended why so many people would visit to ride in Colorado, but after riding here, I have a better grasp of just how good it really is.

In many ways, the city-cycling in our new home is much better. It's tough to find roads within city limits that don't have a bike lane, and as shared in a prior post, there's even a bike lane running along the highway through town (though I still find it an entirely startling experience to ride it), but once out of the more lived-in areas, bike lanes and shoulders seem to vanish and road quality diminishes significantly. 

I keep telling myself that it just takes time to adjust to a new place, but riding is such a big part of life that it feels as though part of me has died. I spend at least a few minutes every day telling myself that everything is good and that I have no reason to be upset, but inevitably something comes up in reading or conversation that brings me back to my homesickness. Though I am aware the feelings will pass (or at least dull) with time, it doesn't make it any easier while in the middle of it.

I've also discovered that I have a fairly substantial allergy to Juniper trees and this type of tree is quite abundant in this part of Oregon. Already having several allergies to various plant life, it was not something I was expecting would affect me so severely/regularly, but it's made breathing a bit more challenging and many days I look like I haven't slept because my eyes are puffy and/or red.

It isn't all bad though. I do very much enjoy having so many places to run/walk the pup. I think those paths are in much greater quantity than in our prior home (at least with the ease of being able to walk to them from home). I have thoroughly enjoyed getting out on foot to explore and see the various areas within walkable distance. I mean, come on, how many people get to have views like the one below on their morning walk?

I am also grateful that Sam is having an opportunity to explore a job and work with people he enjoys, which was the primary purpose of this move. Having the opportunity to experience a different place is always good too - whether for the experience alone, or because it teaches some type of lesson. 

And so, while life marches on, we are figuring out this new area, trying to get back to some sense of whatever normal is or should be, and realizing that there is always a yin/yang with anything - the good and bad, the up and down, but hopefully in the end, it brings some type of balance and harmony to life.