Not Going Gently

The line from a poem by Dylan Thomas keeps coming to mind: Do not go gentle into that good night. As the leaves are changing colors and C finished his last race of the season, I know that I have to accept the coming of winter/night. But I'm not going gently, and Mother Nature seems to agree.

This past weekend she put on a glorious show. On Sunday, C and I met with Sarah and J for the Tour de Mystic. We rode our bikes about 20 miles along the coast and through town, enjoying pretty houses, vibrant scenery, and great company. Here are S and J in front of one of the houses:

Here is a view of the river. The leaves are just starting to turn in the distance.

After our ride and lunch, we stopped at Mystic River Yarns, where I could not leave without this:

My favorite colors! I'm wondering if there's something I can knit that will sort of go with this (see below) for next spring. Armwarmers? I used to think cycling jerseys were geeky, but now I want one for when I ride my bike. Girl Power! (The pretty girl image should be taken ironically; the women who wear these jerseys, the Velo Bellas, are serious road and mountain bikers and incredibly strong athletes)!

On Monday, S and J met us to watch C in the Jamestown Classic Race. This is a 40 mile race around the island for men and women cyclists, from beginners to pros. It attracts a huge number of racers and spectators, and there was a lot of energy in the air. It was about 70-75F, almost hot in the sunshine. The race went along the edge of the island, with lots of white sailboats on shimmery blue water, gliding along under the majestic bridge. Newport off in the distance made a magnificent backdrop. The groups of cyclists came past every few minutes with a speed and grace I can't describe...see Sarah's great photo on her blog for one of the groups coming across the finish line (I can't believe I didn't take more photos!! Argh!). Here is one of C in the middle with his friends S and R after the race.

We had a victory lunch at an outdoor restaurant (almost unheard of on Columbus Day in New England!!! Mother Nature really went all out!!!) to celebrate a great first season. I am going to miss the weekend trips to the races and seeing new friends so much, but it is time to rest and recover before they start again next spring. And we'll keep taking leisurely rides for as long as we can.

Another one not going gently:

Charlie is about 13, and though he keeps losing weight, he's as feisty as ever, jumping to the top of our refrigerator to nap on the cabinets above, and refusing to use the stool I put by the counter to help him. He's not going to give in to the idea that he is a sick cat. He had an ultrasound on Tuesday, and thank heaven his digestive system looks OK. The doctors think that his thyroid might be the culprit of the weight loss, so he's going for more bloodwork on Friday (can't you see how thrilled he is?), and I'm hoping that all we'll need to do is add one more pill, Tapazole, to the daily arsenal, and he'll start gaining weight again.

For those of you that made it this far, here is some left and right front knitting progress on the CPH. Beth?  Are you still ahead?

And now, please excuse me. I'm going to "Rage, rage against the dying of the [day]light," and the fall allergies, which have caused an annoying cold and the delay (and probably rambling on) of this post!

Comments

[Diann]

I'm sorry Charlie is still losing weight, but I'm glad his digestive system seems OK. Good luck with the blood work; I hope it is indeed his thyroid or something fixable.

He's a beautiful cat!

[tiennie]

I love seeing your knits and I really love seeing the pictures of the places you go. Hope Charlie will be OK!

[alicekeen]

I always seem to learn something new when I visit here! This time: I would never have thought to knit two of anything on the same needle. I'm just doing a second sleeve and was wishing I'd had two pairs of the same size needles (like when I knit socks) but I didn't need two. Thanks!

Your bike rides really sound immensely enjoyable.

And I really hope the news is good about Charlie. He seems quite a determined cat.

[Sarah]

Charlie looks so sweet! Hopefully Friday will be his last trip to the vet for awhile.

[wendy g]

What a beautiful day for a ride! Hope Charlie is doing well. Our 13 year old kitty had to spend last night at the vets for more bloodwork this morning after fluids and antibiotics.
Love the yarn you bought too!

[hege]

It was a really gorgeous weekend, especially monday. It's so sad that the nice weather and the cheerful colors are disappearing. I try not to think about the next six months of winter (as I see it) here in Southern New England. Hope Charlie does well on Friday, he sounds like a tough little fighter.

[Kendra]

I hope Charlie starts to put on weight soon.

I love the gorgeous picture of the river.

[Beth]

I'm making progress on the hoodie, but I doubt I'm ahead! My sleeves are done and I've started the back.

I love the pictures of Mystic. It looks so very pretty up there.

I hope Charlie gets some conclusive reports at the vet tomorrow.

Time to go knit... :)

[Rebekah]

I'm so sorry Charlies is still losing weight, I hope the vet's visit proves fruitful.

Take care.

[Dana]

Your bike ride sounded wonderful! It just started snowing here so I don't know if bike rides will be possible until spring!

[Esther]

Oh I wish I still lived up north! I miss the autumn/winter so much! Your pictures are just gorgeous - hope your kitty gets better.

[Sydney]

I hope Charlie gets good news from his trip to the vet.

Beautiful pictures! It looks like you had good riding weather.

[Kristen]

You did have great weather for your activities. Mystic has so many attractions, including of course the yarn store. Hang tough, Charlie!