Winter's Gifts

Our world is awash with the gentle silence of the white falling snow...

Everywhere the quiet fills the courtyard with winter's shining glow...

The trees stretch in the cool blue winter air, joyful to be adorned by the angels...

A cozy day inside awaits with hot chocolate, old movies, and a good book...

Merry Christmas! Happy Holly Daze!

Ho, ho, ho to and Merry Christmas to all you riders out there in Blogger Land!!!

'Tis the eve of Christmas Eve and my flower delivery gig is about to be up. One more day of spreading floral cheer throughout the land!

And am I ready for a rest!

After over a thousand miles and hundreds of flower arrangements, poinsettas, center pieces, and fruit baskets, I am finally coming to a close on my seasonal busy-ness.

And it has really been FUN and oftentimes HARD WORK! But mostly FUN!

Naturally I've learned a few things and seen a few things and concluded a few things.

Flowers smell delightful crowded into the car going down the road!

Big fruit baskets weigh a TON!

Candles do NOT want to stand up in the middle of floral centerpieces.

Poinsettas do not want to stand up inside an SUV cab-they love to lean and tilt.

Most people never use their front door. They come and go via their garages, so set the orders out where they can see them when they drive up.

Few people seem to know their neighbors but are willing to hold orders for them until they come home.

Lillies and roses smell the best.

Dog owners do NOT need to install doorbells on their front doors. WOOF!

People LOVE getting flowers and fruit baskets and centerpieces and I loved seeing their smiles of delight when they opened the door.

And finally, I loved this gig and I am hoping to continue doing something like this after the holidays.

Hope all your holidays are filled with love and laughter!

See ya next year!

Happy Little Gig!

I have to admit that my time living in the country changed me into a simple little soul. Yea, by that I mean I like to keep it simple.

Life, that is.

For me, life is best enjoyed on a primal level and that goes for my work as well.

I like simple, clean, pure work. Nothing complicated. No monumental accomplishments.

Just quiet, simple, productive work.

I like being "out and about" too. In the outdoors, that is.

Not sitting in a confined office space.

So, I've come upon this little gig that I will run through Christmas.

It is a simple, happy little gig: delivering flowers!

I ride in my cute little truck with my cute little Maxidog, Co-Pilot Extraordinnaire, and we drive around the nearby neighborhoods and bring joy and happiness and color to people!

It's only through Christmas Eve, but it's fun, it's easy, and it's fulfilling in a simple sort of way!

No wonder HE loves his gig!

Get Thankful, Turkey!

All right...quit yer bitchin' and GET THANKFUL, Turkies!

Oh, yeah...and have a WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING DAY while yer at it!

Love to all and SAFE RIDING!

Deb, Squirt, and Maxidog, "Co-Pilot Extraordinnaire"

Scootin' the Loops and Waves

Where have I been, perhaps you ask?

I ask that same question myself...especially when I ride around and around and around the local mall loop on my Met!

Yes, I am actually still getting in some rides, and I foresee riding through the winter as long as it does not snow or ice up.

These might be little rides, but I am out there, yes I am!

I am keeping my scooter in a local storage unit next door to our apartment complex and I go over there twice a week (at least) and ride the scoot around inside the storage unit lanes.

This is a blast, because the lanes are curved and dipped to facilitate drainage. It's like riding waves of concrete, rise up, dip down, rise up, dip down...

That is "minimal scootin'", these concrete waves, but they give a thrill and keep the battery charged up pretty good. My little Maxi sits in the truck and watches me go 'round and 'round.

For more of an "immediate rip-out ride fix" on the scoot I go across the street and ride the looped perimeter of the local mall parking area. Now this is a pretty big area and there are offshoot loops to explore and scoot around on.

It too is a blast!

Sunday has become my favorite scooting day around here, especially after 6 pm when the mall shuts down and the cars go home for the most part. That is getting ready to change, however, with the "Christmas Crazies" out shopping 24/7 beginning after Turkey Day.

After then we will probably focus on the Waves and other residential side roads in the neighborhood.

I have also considered some "night scooting" around here after 10pm as there are limitless shopping plazas, offshoot roads, etc to explore with 24 hour food and restrooms readily available to me if I need to stop and take a break.

This is a scenario where I can feel like I "own the roads" around here as hardly any cars are out. It's pretty neat, actually. And it's so brightly lit that I can see even without headlamps shining in front of me.

As long as there is no snow or ice and I can suit up to tolerate the wind, I see me and Squirt out and about through the winter.

Oh, and we are asking Santy for a WINDSHIELD! Don't know if he can scrub one up, but it would be nice to have to cut the icey wind! Brrrrr....

I've been good, Santa...please bring a windshield for Squirt to use to keep the wind out of her eyes and increase her speed by 2-5 mph!

Just a little Metro windshield would be good...

Incomprehensible

Like many of you, I have spent the last few days glued to the TV watching the coverage of the devastation on the east coast caused by Hurricane Sandy.

The amount of loss and tragedy is incomprehensible to the human spirit.

There is nothing I could say or show or do to express how horrific this experience has been to every single person involved.

I just felt that to NOT mention this on my blog would be to NOT acknowledge what may be the most horrendous weather-related disaster of our time in the US.

My heart goes out to the millions affected by Hurricane Sandy.

My prayer is for a speedy and complete recovery and for the strength to endure as you surmount this overwhelming personal tragedy.

To each and every one of you, no matter your situation, I wish you blessings,love, and future prosperity.

3 Grumpkins Sittin' on a Bench

Here we are, the "3 Grumpkins", sitting on the bench just watching the leaves blow and feeling the ice crystals dancing on the breezes that swirl around our yard.

UGH! :=(

Why are we grumpy? Because it seems that scooting weather is coming to a close for the season and Squirt is now in the storage unit preparing for her winter nap.

Oh, my! What will we do with ourselves? We are really gonna miss her!

But we've got a gig on Halloween night, doncha know...

We're going to sit out here on this bench and frighten away the ghosties and goblins and winter ghouls so that the little children can go around the apartments and get candy and popcorn and all sorts of goodies in their sacks.

Pretty good work for a bunch of dried up ol' Punkin Heads, eh?

HEY YOU! Yeah, we're talkin' to you: BOO!!!

And have a HAPPY HALLOWEEN, ya hear?

Pretty Day in the Burbs

Not far down from my apartment complex I found an access road to a pretty plat of homes along 2 lane rural roads and side streets with cul-de-sacs.

It was 75 degrees, sunny, and a balmy autumn day. So nice for a little ride...

Another view down a peaceful side street...

And another...

Here's a "deer warning" sign next to an open field that stretches for acres.

Who knew "the country" was so close to my own doorstep?

Saw a lot of motorcycle riders. Unlike in "the country", no one waved back. Ho hum.

Hey, this burb scootin' is not so bad after all!

Looking forward to more joy rides this week with warm temps in the forecast...

Quick Zip = Lousy Trip

Around my neighborhood this afternoon on the scooter.

And I mean "quick".

No photos, nothing.

No time for THAT.

Just constant glances in the rear view mirrors, to the right, to the left.

The constant threat of cars everywhere!

Did I enjoy ANY scenery? No.

Did I relax, enjoy the ride? No.

Do I look forward to going out again tomorrow? Hell no.

What I DID feel is that I took my life in my hands today just to get in a 30 minute scooter ride.

I am so sad. I have lost the joy of scooter riding as I knew it.

I don't know what this means for my scooter riding future or if there even is one.

Right now I feel as if I've lost more than I've gained by moving here.

I lost my job, almost lost my dog, and now lost my scootering joy that got me through times like these.

Things are not going well...

And yes, I'll have some cheese with my whine...:=)

Changes

Here we are, sitting in our new scootin' digs! This will be my first day to take a ride around the area later this afternoon as it has rained or I have been super busy dealing with the last details of settling in the new place.

What an adventure getting here! A week ago Sunday I rode Squirt down (or over, depending on how you look at the map) from the county where I had lived for 6 years and into THIS county now which I called home for over 10 years before that.

I am here and I'm not going ANYWHERE! LOL

The 57 mile ride along the back roads of southern Ohio was fabulous! I started out around 12:30pm and I arrived here around 3:30pm. Yes, I meandered along on my 49cc, but I stopped along the way for "butt rests" and half-way through for lunch and hot chocolate!

No kidding! It was COLD riding in 60 degree temps out in the country! At least to start out. By the time I got into the second half of the journey I was warming up and starting to relax and enjoy the scenery.

By the time I got into the burbs of Cincinnati in Clermont County I was hitting roads that were two lane with little or no shoulder and I did find a few cars on the road on this Sunday who rode my hi viz hiney a bit too close for comfort. I just pulled over into drive ways or on to side streets to let them go by. It worked ok.

Here is the last photo I took out of Adams County as I departed the area:

It is a pretty autumn scene of the reservoir in Winchester, Ohio. A place I enjoyed scooting to on some of my lunch rides over the years.

I'm going to miss those bucolic rides, but I am really excited about some of the adventures I am going to have down here too!

Within the last week some other changes occurred too. We had quite a scare on Wednesday when we almost lost our Maxi, "Co-Pilot Extraordinaire":

She became very ill overnight and I rushed her to our new vet, howling in pain. She had a blocked urinary tract and had to have emergency surgery and her kidneys shut down due to the blockage. We were beside ourselves with worry, but she had the surgery and came out all right. She is such a trooper, that girl!

She came home the next day and I've been her bedside nurse ever since. Right now she is wanting to go full tilt and jump and run, but the leash is out and the Dog Mom is holding on to her to keep her as quiet and calm as possible.

She is doing fantastic and we are grateful beyond belief.

Also, our new vet examined our Tree Walker hound and told us he is NOT "terminally ill" with cancer as our previous vet clinic did in August. She examined him and said he is healthy and the tumor can be removed easily. We plan to do that and he is back home here and adjusting really well to apartment life. Just amazing...

If that weren't enough, I lost my job yesterday and I won't post the details, but suffice it to say that we will somehow be ok and I will find something that I enjoy and that will be fulfilling. Strangely I am not worried. Some endings can be better than we anticipate.

So that's my update to changes in my scootin', dog-lovin' world!

We are loving living here and I look forward to posting some ride reports and pics within the month of October, at least.

Then comes the cold and Squirt goes over to storage for the winter.

Maybe it will be a mild one again and I can get a few "putts" in on the scooter and on the golf course!