Friday, October 16, 2009

Worldwide, Sort Of




Since things are slow here at the B-43 Mega-establishment-conglomerate, I though I would switch it up a bit. Have you ever paid attention to my headline at the top of this page? It would lead one to believe that I am some sort of evil mastermind bent on taking over the world. Not true, at least in that sense. I’m hardly evil. While my aim is world domination, it’s not what you think. Sure, I am a super-awesome racer with mad skills (please, hold back your laughter), but that and a dollar might get me a ride on the local city bus. No, I’m talking about blog domination (in a worldly sense of course.) I started this blog to chronicle my action-sports adventures, and I wanted to watch it grow into an uncontrollable monster. So far so good. I really haven’t been spreading the word about the happenings at B-43, instead just relying on dumb luck to get it out there. Some people have stumbled across this mess from my Facebook account, but not as many as you would think. Others have just come here by complete accident. Believe it or not, they read it and decided to stick around. Thank you.


Don’t worry; I’m not that high on myself. If you’ve been around for a while, then you should know that. Sarcasm is hard to convey through a computer keyboard. If I was that serious about myself, then I would have named my bike Maverick instead of Goose. See, told ya.


How about we travel the world now? I want to take a moment to look at the places from which this site has received visitors. As I said before, I look at my stats every day. I love watching the map fill in every time I get a new visit from some unknown land. It bears mentioning again that I expect visitors from Florida and North Carolina, but even some of the cities in those two states are surprises to me. The visits that come from other countries intrigue me the most, however.


My first foreign visit came from Kaiserslautern, Germany, which I found out has some really choice mountain biking. How did they find me? I have no idea. It has spread from there to other German cities, and I hope to have it spread throughout Europe as well. It has begun, my friends.


Next up is Manchester, United Kingdom. We all know that football is big there, but so is mountain biking. Hell, even my naïve ass knew that one. There are plenty of places to ride there and I even found a cycling club there, the Manchester Wheelers Club. By the way, that site had 43 recent visitors when I checked it. Go figure. I hope my new friends across the pond will spread the word about this crap sandwich I call a blog.


If you’ve been following this junk a little while, then you no doubt know I have some visits from India. If you haven’t seen that particular post, then you should check it out. It has also since spread to other cities there, like some kind of disease I might add. Let’s hope that continues to happen, and maybe I can help their mountain biking scene flourish. You never know.


Canada was another surprise. Everyone thinks of mountain biking in Canada as just Whistler, but my Canadian visitors come from Don Mills, in Toronto, Ontario. Little Miss Sunshine is from Western New York (damn near Canada), so I thought she may have heard of it. No dice. Instead I had to rely on the Internets for some reliable information. Instead of taking a chance of committing plagiarism (and I’m too lazy to type it all), you can go to this link. It’s a happy little place.


Russia was the big one, Elizabeth. I have visitors from Moscow, and I am very pleased to welcome our friends from the former Soviet Union. Again, I had no idea there was any kind of mountain biking in Russia, but apparently I was mistaken. As a child growing up in the 80’s, we were most likely fed propaganda from our government. Russians were the enemy back then, or so we were told. Cross country mountain biking is an Olympic sport in Russia, and there are other disciplines there as well. See for yourself. Looky here.


That pretty much covers my foreign visitors, for now. There are new locations popping up every week. I hope one day to take some mountain bike excursions across the country, but now it looks as if I may have to venture outside the U.S. as well. One can only dream.


As for this weekend, it’s still a toss up. I’m definitely attending the Tarheel Trailblazers Kids Ride on Sunday, but I haven’t made any absolute plans for Saturday. Little Miss Sunshine is on call again, so she won’t be able to join us. Lunchbox mention a trip to the skatepark, and I may just go with him. Tune in Monday to find out. Have a great weekend, or don’t. Whatever.

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Thursday, October 15, 2009

Back to Normal (for now)



Things around the Charlotte B-43 camp have returned to a somewhat state of normalcy. There are no more races on the horizon for this year. Well, that’s not entirely true. There is the Recon Double Trouble Off-Road Duathlon on Sunday, November 8th, but I’m kind of leaning towards not going. It is being held at the same place as the Tree Shaker, Anne Springs Close Greenway. As much as I want to race there again, there are too many other things going on that weekend. Saturday the 7th is the annual Dirt Divas and Tarheel Trailblazers year-end party, held at you guessed it, Anne Springs. There will be mountain bike rides, a cookout, and of course, beer. I’ve missed the last few year-end parties due to scheduling conflicts, so I really want to attend this one. Everyone says that they are a blast, and not something to miss. On Sunday, there is a scheduled group ride at my closest local trail, Poplar Tent. I really like that trail, and I would love to be a part of a huge group ride out there. If I do the duathlon, I will definitely miss the group ride. Hell, the year-end party could affect my performance the next day, especially if I ride too hard (and drink too much beer.) Plus, I don’t want to wear out my welcome at Anne Springs. I guess I will discuss it with the family and go from there. Honestly, I would really like to take it easy until the Winter Short Track Series scheduled for January.



After taking a few days off from the bike, I figured I had better get back to “training.” Monday really wasn’t supposed to be a rest day. I had taken that day off well in advance of the Tree Shaker so I could go on some epic ride, but the weather had other plans. It pretty much rained all day, so I ended up sitting around the house, and aside from cleaning, I really didn’t accomplish anything. I had originally planned on riding at Dark Mountain or Uwharrie. I will plan that for another time, I suppose. Maybe I can even get Lunchbox and Little Miss Sunshine out on the fabulous Dark Mountain Trails. We could make a day of it, even including some wine tasting and a visit to North Carolina Amish Country.


Yep, there's an Amish Paradise in North Carolina.

Since I did nothing bike-related on Monday, I decided that yesterday I would get in some much-needed road mileage. I woke up to more rain, and a quick check of the weather forecast said that it would be raining all day. Great, just what I needed. I’m still not real comfortable with skinny tires on the road, so I decided against it. There is a business park next to my office, and there are tons of roadies circling the loop almost every day. I’m really not ready to ride in the rain on my roadie, especially in a group. I guess I will suffer through the rainy days until I can get back on the trail this weekend. I will also resume my regularly scheduled road rides when it dries up a bit. Yeah, I know, I should stop being such a sissy. I know plenty of these roadies ride in the rain. That’s just not for me. I’m still a mountain biker, and I hope to continue down that path.

This Sunday is the next scheduled Tarheel Trailblazers Kids Ride. Although it won’t be as big as the last ride, I’m still looking forward to it. The usual ride coordinator, Gramps, is moving down to the Sunshine State at the end of this month, so this will be his last kids ride. He asked Lunchbox and I to handle to coordinating duties, and we accepted. I have a few ideas for the rides to make them more appealing to the masses. Since we have so many adults in attendance, I was thinking of changing the name to the Tarheel Trailblazers Family Ride. A lot of the adults that ride along are beginners, so I figured a family ride would be more appropriate. Some of the regular attendees have concurred with my ideas, so this might be the way to go. I’ll get some more feedback this weekend during the ride. I still want to focus this ride around the kids, but also encourage more beginners to attend.

On a final note (for today), I want to thank all of you for reading my blog on a daily basis. My stats have indicated that most of you are repeat visitors, and we pick up a few new viewers almost daily. I appreciate you suffering through my season of inept racing adventures, and I hope that you will all stay tuned during the “off season.” Also, I’m relying on my other B-43 teammate to provide you with some of his racing stories, since he takes on far bigger challenges than I do. I’m not sure what is on his calendar at the moment, but I’m sure he will enlighten us all in the near future. See y’all soon.

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Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Still Shakin’


Welcome to the second installment of the Tree Shaker chronicles. Yesterday, we left off at lap one, with promises of more pain and suffering. I guess it’s only right that I start out with lap two (hell, I had to do them in order and so should you.) When the DPC returned, we did the chip swap, and I was ready to go again. He told me that the trail conditions had improved, so I took off with all I had. I was going to make up for lost time. I entered the trail and I was greeted with a nice tacky trail, much to my delight. Now I could ride like the wind.


I pedaled my ass off, taking the corners with an even higher rate of speed than before. My goal was to get us back on track, and also to not disappoint my team. However, the trail had other things in mind. I took one rooty downhill corner a little too fast, and ended up sliding out again. There was no dabbing this time. I landed on my hip and my forearm, and it really hurt. I immediately hopped back on my trusty Goose and went back at it. I tried not to let that little episode deter my speed demon aspirations. I was hurting, but I rode on. I knew I was making good time too. I plowed up the horrible climb that is the Sugar Loop, and I made it this time with no issues. I tamed the rest of the trail like a circus lion, and enjoyed my newfound riding prowess. Little did I know that that the trail had another surprise for me.


I exited the Sugar Loop area, headed for the final section. I jumped off of a little berm and landed on a pile of sharp babyheads. One of them decided that it didn’t want me to have air in my rear tire, so it poked a hole in my tube in two places. Damn, this will slow me down. I pulled over and removed my tire, getting more and more pissed off that a flat had negated my speed. The tube replacement went well, but it seemed like it took forever. I got back on the bike and mashed out the rest of the course. Doug and Craig looked concerned when I arrived. They knew something had to have happened. I explained my misfortune while we exchanged the chip, and Doug was on his way.

On the final approach to my pit area.


Here, take this damned thing.

As you can see from my shorts/leg, I had a good crash. I didn’t really feel any affects from it after that, save a little soreness. I would be able to continue. I told Doug that the trail was faster now, so he can go balls out. He took off with a quickness and hoped to avoid any mishaps. That’s racing, I suppose. During my break, I decided that I needed a better carbohydrate replenishment plan, so I busted into the after race beer cooler. I drank one Sweetwater IPA and immediately felt better. I would certainly pass this knowledge onto my teammates. It helped with the pain from my crash too, at least psychologically. Now I was really relaxing between laps.



Unfortunately, my photographer (Lunchbox) didn’t take any more good pictures, so I have to rely only on my poor literary skills from now on. Even though the trail was in better condition, our lap times didn’t really improve much. We still hovered around 55 minutes or so. I guess that’s what we expected, but it wasn’t going to get us on the podium. After everyone’s second lap, we were still hanging on to 11th place. Now the goal was to stay out of last place if we could help it.


Doug and Craig both reported minor mishaps on their laps, but no major incidents to speak of. They too had participated in the new carb replenishment program I had stumbled upon earlier. We all completed lap three in stellar fashion (for us), and I was ready to head out for number four (after two beers this time.) The rule for the race was, after 5:30 p.m., lights go on your bike. I readied my lights while the DPC was on lap three, and met him at the transition point.


It was still daylight, but the trail was a little dark. I had a great lap, but I noticed a little cramping in my thighs. I worked it out and kept going, so as not to disappoint my teammates. The shadows were difficult to ride through, and some of the bridges gave me issues. I never went down, but I came close. When I arrived back for chip swapping action, I again relayed the trail status.


Me: “Watch the bridges in the dark. There are a lot of switchbacks that turn directly into bridges. Also, watch the section by the river. It’s really difficult to see the edge.”

Doug: “Okay.”

DPC: “I’m worried most about the river section.”



Doug headed out in the near dark evening, and never looked back. He had a nice lap, albeit a little slower than usual due to the darkness. He came back to base camp, and the DPC was ready. He headed out like Luke Skywalker attacking the Death Star, and we waited for his return. The last rider had to be out by 8:30 p.m., and the DPC left at around 7:40 p.m. I hoped he would have a good lap so I could head out for one more. My body didn’t want to, but I wanted to put it all out there for the team.


Me: “Hurry up so I can do another lap!”
DPC: Laughs loudly



I changed back into my riding clothes at about 8:20, and waited for our teammate. I kept looking at my watch, with hope that the DPC would return in time. The minutes ticked away, with no sign of the Dirty Party Cycle. I knew there were people still out on the course, so we weren’t really too worried about him. When he arrived a little after 9 p.m., we found out that his light setup was less than ideal. Apparently his lights didn’t do their job properly, so he had to navigate the course a little slower than he intended. He finished his lap however, and our team had completed the 12 Hours of Suffering, er the Tree Shaker. We held onto 11th place, and that was good enough. None of us had ever taken on such a big event like this, and were extremely proud of our efforts. Sure, we won’t have any big-time sponsors knocking down our doors, but we can say we accomplished something significant. Big thanks to Doug and Craig, and also to Lunchbox for assisting with support duties. I am proud to have raced alongside such a great team. We had our celebratory brews when it was over, and toasted the day’s events. Now it’s time to scour the race calendars for the next big adventure. I’m ready, as long as there’s beer.

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Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Shaking the Trees


Image used without direct permission of Charlotte Sports Cycling, but I’m giving them free advertising. That should be enough, so step off.


First of all, I want to apologize to you, my loyal readers, for disappointing you yesterday. I know you all fired up your computers, headed over to the fabulous B-43 Blog, and noticed that there wasn’t a new entry. I have been trying to blog every day except weekends, but yesterday was like a weekend to me. I took the day off for some much needed R&R, so I could come at y’all with complete freshness. Yeah, I had Sunday off also, but I needed more than just one day of recovery. The Tree Shaker was hell, my friends.


As you can guess by my usual weekend pattern, Saturday morning started out early again. Little Miss Sunshine headed out a little earlier than Lunchbox and I so she could help with some volunteer action. She was the official medic/neutral food support organizer, so she had a lot to do. Me and the youngin’ packed up Goose, Clark, and a cooler full of beer (everything else was packed up the night before.) After a quick stop at the store for ice, we headed down to Fort Mill, South Carolina to the Anne Springs Close Greenway. We arrived on the scene sometime before 8:00 a.m., with plenty of time to set up camp, I mean our pit area. Doug was already on the scene and graciously located a spot for the tent and junk. The Dirty Party Cycle arrived a minute or so after I did, so we all pitched in to get our area ready. Everything went according to the plan (really, there was a plan?)


Two of those coolers contain beer, the other one is food. We have our priorities straight.

After everything was set up to our liking, we headed on up to the barn for the pre-race briefing. There was a huge crowd, full of racers of all ages and abilities. At that point, I really wondered what I had gotten myself into. I’ve watched a lot of these racers at past events, and I didn’t think we had a chance. There were 14 three person teams, so a podium finish was going to be tough. Did I mention that we had a lot of rain the night before? The course was going to be slick, so those tough climbs and downhill switchbacks were going to be difficult to navigate. We all said screw it, just go ride as best you can. We decided that as a team, we would give it our all, and see what happens. Our goal became just to finish, that’s it.


Along with being nominated for team captain, I had also been selected to start first, followed by Doug and the DPC. For some reason my teammates figured I would be faster t the start, since the pack really turns it on at the beginning. I wondered why they took off so fast for a race that lasts so long. Anyway, we were each to do one lap, and hand off the timing chip before the start-finish line (near our pit area) so we could avoid the masses and their seriousness. The approach to our pit area was a long gravel road, so it would be easy to see our teammates. I was ready to go, and my teammates were standing by.


Is that a little nervousness I am feeling?



Doug would be ready to meet me at the rendezvous point.


The Dirty Party Cycle was the anchor, and he was filled with determination.

We started way down on the gravel road, so the field could spread out a bit. Just as I figured, everyone took off like bats out of hell. I tried to stay with the main pack, and I planned to settle into a good pace when I hit the singletrack.


Looks like a “Where’s Waldo?” race.


Here I am. Lunchbox wasn’t ready for my high rate of speed.


We climbed a small hill to cross the start/finish line, and we hit a little grassy downhill section leading to the trail entrance. When we got onto the singletrack, the pack was still pretty tight. The trail was slicker than dog snot, and very difficult to maneuver. I pushed as hard as I could, with no regard for my poor choice of tires or my own safety. One rider went down in a corner, and took out two guys in front of me. I pressed on, hoping to take advantage of my newfound positioning. I hit the next corner at a ridiculously high rate of speed, and I slid out. I had to unclip my left foot and dab a little, so I didn’t fall at least. That did scare me a little, and from then on I became more cautious. I started to settle into a good pace, and maintained my position on the trail. I saw a lot of accidents, but I didn’t participate in any of them. After that first section, the trail opened up to a fire road. It was full speed ahead again, until the next set of twisty turneys. I nearly went down again, but my dabbing skills rescued me once more. I became more worried as the first lap went on.


Next up was the notorious Sugar Loop, which is a nightmare of climbs, roots, and the special for today, mud. I hammered up the climbs, but I lost traction several times. I had to hop off and walk one big climb, or else I would have fallen backwards. The roots were really the big story here. They were soggy, and threw off my mo every chance they could. I went through a couple of tunnels, crossed a whole lot of bridges, and eventually got into a rhythm. The trail meandered along a river bank at one point, and I nearly slipped off into the drink a few times. After another big rooty climb, I headed up to the gravel road to find my teammates waiting.


Doug is poised for his next lap, while the DPC was there for timing chip handoff assistance.


I pulled off my chip and handed it to the DPC for the exchange.


We had to have a quick handoff, so I didn’t really have time to properly inform Doug about the trail conditions. I told him, “One word. BlackIceDeathRoots.” He understood. The DPC and I watched as Doug went out to conquer the slick rooty goodness. I wandered over to the tent and changed my clothes. It was time to relax and eat a little, and also to brief the DPC on the trail conditions so he would be ready. I was hoping that the trail would improve with so many riders packing it in, but we neglected to pay attention to the weather conditions. It had started to rain a little. Shit. This will complicate things. It was only a brief shower however, so nothing to worry about. I went right back to relaxing.


Yeah, I’m lounging. I’m also promoting Middle Ring Cycles and Cane Creek with hardly any effort. Only NASCAR promotes companies more shamelessly than I do.


After Doug returned, we had a chance to discuss the trail. The DPC was out on his first lap, hopefully with improved conditions. Doug seemed to have the same experience as I did, and it bears mention that he is running the same tires as I am. We both ride Kenda Small Block 8tires, which are meant for hardpack or dry conditions. We both figured that the DPC would fare better, since he had a more aggressive tire. The pack had spread out a lot, so there was less chance of a collision with other riders. That was one positive thing for us, I guess.


Doug tells the tale of BlackIceDeathRoots.

After about 45 minutes, we headed to the gravel road to wait for the DPC. I had eaten plenty of food and taken in lots of fluids, so I was ready for lap number two. The DPC came in at around 55 minutes, which was right in line with all of our lap times. We had better step it up for the rest of them.


DPC making his final approach from his lap number one.

Well, lap one(for each of us)was in the books, and we survived. It was going to be a long day, but at least we knew what we were up against. We all knew we could finish the race. The Tree Shaker was in full swing, and we were definitely shaking some trees with our haphazardly style of riding. After three laps, we were sitting in 11th place overall. Team Suffering was in the house, and we were there for the long haul. Speaking of the long haul, that’s all for today folks. Come back tomorrow for more fun and suffering. I can’t spill all the beans today, can I?

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Friday, October 9, 2009

Calm Before The Storm



That’s the best way to describe today. The Tree Shaker is tomorrow morning, and of course I expected a little nervousness. Today however, feels a little different. I woke up today with a fresh haircut from the night before, shaved, put on my fancy work duds, and headed out the door. There was a weird feeling in the air, and I’m not talking about the weather. It’s a typical beginning of fall day here in North Carolina, but the weather wasn’t on my mind. And I didn’t wake up thinking about the Tree Shaker either. It seemed like a normal day until I pulled out of my driveway. Traffic wasn’t as bad, and it actually seemed like there were less people milling about, for a Friday anyway. Health-wise, I feel fine and ready to race. There aren’t too many daunting tasks waiting for me at work, save for a small project after lunch. So why do I feel different? As I tried to comprehend the madness, I turned on my radio, and relied on my usual 80’s musical therapy. That didn’t seem to do the trick, because they were playing really crappy music, well at least crappier than normal 80’s music. Even James Brown’s “Living in America” didn’t do anything for me. Tomorrow morning will be different music-wise, as I plan on some good ol’ rock n’ roll to help me get “in the racing mood.” It’s nice to have some sort of soundtrack in my head that’s conducive to mountain bike racing. I’ve had some weird shit in my head for past races, that’s for sure.


Last night was “game night” in my house, so there was no cycling whatsoever. We play the usual board games like Clue, Life, Uno, etc. I enjoy game night, as it’s a nice break from all of the monotony of daily life. I wasn’t planning on riding anyway, since I’m letting my body taper off to be in prime racing form. I’ll find out tomorrow if this is the proper strategy. Tonight will be a night full of preparation for my first endurance race. I have to pack up all of my crap minus the bike and the beer (that goes in tomorrow morning), and I already have a feeling that I will forget something important (like the beer.) Water bottles, the tent, helmet, shoes, and gloves are the basic items I’ll pack, along with some other things that aren’t really worth mentioning (did I mention beer?). I no longer doubt my ability to race and finish a 12 hour event, but I am unsure if my preparations are sufficient. We shall see, I guess.


So, tomorrow is the big day, yay! Team Suffering is about as ready as an inexperienced team can be. We are on uncharted territory, and I kind of like it. In a world full of schedules, timeframes, and deadlines, it feels good to embrace a little chaos. There must be something wrong with me. When the race starts tomorrow, I hope to channel all of this confusion into some spectacular riding. The goal is to finish, and that seems doable. We are competitors however, so I can see us all putting in a huge effort for a podium finish. Now all we need are some cheerleaders in our pit area.


"Goooooooooooo Team Suffering!"

Full race report next week if I am alive when it’s over.

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Thursday, October 8, 2009

This and That



No, this isn’t me, not even close. However I did do some more “training” last night. I say “training” because again, I’m not counting mileage or using a heart rate monitor. I’m just maintaining my fitness and brushing up on my technical skills. Anyway, I brought Goose with me to work yesterday, and I was ready for some post-workday riding. After work rides these days have usually been reserved for roadie action. Well, it wasn’t a usual day. With the Tree Shaker approaching with a quickness, I had to get in some night riding.

I arrived at North Mecklenburg Park at around 5:45, and prepared to ride. North Meck, as we call it for short, is a fun little 3.5 mile trail in Huntersville, NC, just a little north of Charlotte. It’s not an overly difficult trail, but slightly challenging, especially at night. I haven’t ridden in the dark in a long time, so it would be a good place to reintroduce myself to riding with lights on a trail. I did a few laps before dark, and before you know it, it was time to turn on the lights. I tried to control my speed and use caution, but I was pumped up from the cool fall air. I rode a little faster than I should have, but there were no crashes. I did have a few minor mishaps, mostly from clipping trees with my shoulders because I couldn’t judge the shadows very well. The course for the Tree Shaker is way more difficult, so I will need to be on my toes. I did gain a lot of confidence from my ride last night, so now I’m not really concerned about racing a lap or two in the dark. I hope my teammates will be okay. I don’t think either one of them has been able to get out at night yet, so the race will be a trial by fire, so to speak. We should all be fine, especially since we will be pretty worn out by the time the night laps come around. Great fun is in our future, along with plenty of suffering.

Speaking of suffering, there hasn’t been much team news to report. We are officially signed up to do this race, so there is no turning back now. We should have all of our needed supplies ready for Saturday morning, so no worries there. I toyed with the thought of making some kind of signage for our tent, but I don’t want to invest any money, and I really don’t have the time. I even thought about some kind of logo to use. Lunchbox found something for me, and I considered using it. We will need to be tough and almost superhuman, since this is the first time any of us has attempted a race of this magnitude. When it’s all over, we will probably need to be carried out of there. Here is a possible logo for Team Suffering.



Lunchbox can find stuff on the internets too.

Yesterday you were all introduced to Beans, our newest family member. I am happy to report that she is still happy, and we are all happy about her being happy. That just makes everyone happy. Aren’t you happy? Beans thanks you for being happy for her happiness. See you tomorrow for another installment of crap and nonsense (and happiness.)

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Wednesday, October 7, 2009

New Addition to the Family


"Can we keep her?"

No, the Stork didn’t pay us a visit. I’m talking about a new animal added to our herd. I came home from work last Friday, and I saw Lunchbox, Little Miss Sunshine, and a bunch of kids in my driveway. I didn’t think much of it as I parked on the street. As I walked up, I saw everyone gathered around a little kitty. Apparently, this little thing had followed Lunchbox to our house. She was basically a spine with fur, and she couldn’t even meow. I guess she was pretty sick. We gave her food and milk, and lots of attention. Since we already have two dogs and three cats, we wondered if we could keep her. We decided to keep food outside for her and visit with her when she comes around. It was obvious that she didn’t belong to someone, since she was near starvation.


As each hour passed since initially finding her, we all grew more and more attached. She eventually started meowing and also purring, which I took as a sign that she is getting better. She really seemed to enjoy people and all of the attention we gave her. Little Miss Sunshine said that she would take the little kitty to the kitty doctor for shots and other proper veterinary care, as long as she is still around after work on Monday. LMS called the vet, and they had an opening. When she got home, kitty was nowhere to be found. After a little searching, our new fuzzy friend was located again. She was placed in the cat carrier, and off to the vet they went. Well, after about $200 later, we have a new family member. She had an ear infection, and there is the possibility that she may be pregnant. We’re waiting on the test results for that one. They estimated her to be around 9 months, although she was small for her age. Well yeah, I’m sure she was since no one decided to feed and take proper care of her. Lunchbox decided to name her Green Bean, but we’ve just been calling her Beans.



Now little Beans lives in our garage. It’s temporary until we slowly integrate her into the zoo we currently inhabit. I came home from work yesterday, and Lunchbox had the little thing in his room, and she just sat there and watched him play. She did however mistake the corner of his room for a litter box at one point. She hung out in there for a while, and then it was back to the garage. She’s never alone in there for long though, because we are always checking in on her. Last night after dinner, I brought her out of the garage again, and she sat on the couch with me for a bit. She never moved, and she just seemed happy to have someone to take care of her. I’m happy we saved this little kitty. Welcome to your new home, Beans.

You see, it doesn't always have to be about mountain biking. More on that tomorrow anyway.

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