More whining about the cold spring

They kept me very busy today at work meaning that I barely had time to check the weather radar. But I am a bicyclist so barely time to check the weather radar mean I only checked it 3 times. At my morning break it was apparent that there was a large storm in southwestern Minnesota which appeared to be moving this way. At noon it hadn't moved and by afternoon break it had started to fall apart. It has reorganized itself but in so doing it has taken a more southern track and has passed to the south of the city. So I got to ride. But as has been the case all along it was about 10 degrees below average temperature and overcast.

It still has not been warm. I rode today in long sleeves and a jacket with leg warmers, and an under helmet skull cap. One of the joys of riding is that it gives me lots of time to think about stuff. One of the joys of keeping a bike log is that it gives me stuff to think about.

Monday will be May 12th, one and two-fifths of the way through the 7 month season, one-fifth of the available riding. Today I got my 32nd ride, one-fifth of the goal. I am short of one-fifth of the miles but average miles per ride will increase over the summer. With my 32nd ride today I actually think I am in pretty good shape for the mileage goals.

But I have not yet ridden in 70 degree temperature. I have ridden in shorts several times but today I backtracked to leg warmers. I have ridden in short sleeves once and one other time I pushed the arm warmers down but today I backtracked to long sleeves and a jacket. I am still wearing the layer underneath the helmet to keep my head warm. I am going to keep whining until the day I am out there in sleeveless jersey with head bare under the helmet and running with sweat.

This is the same tree pictured on May 1 as the first flowers I saw this season.It still hasn't been warm and the first flowers are already leaving, never having seen a warm day.

And then there's this as reported today in the Star Tribune:

"The late, cold spring did more than try the patience of Minnesotans: It killed scores of songbirds in the northern two-thirds of the state.

Since last week, state Department of Natural Resources officials have received many reports of dead swallows, bluebirds, kinglets, sparrows, robins and warblers.

They apparently starved to death because of a lack of insects caused by cold weather and late-April snow. The large-scale bird die-off, which has ebbed now that the weather has warmed, was unusual, officials said.

Snow was the final blow.

The cold spring meant that migrating songbirds found few insects when they arrived. The final blow probably came when a foot or more of snow hit northern Minnesota on April 25 and 26.

The Brainerd area got 6 to 8 inches, North said, but much more fell farther north. Insect-eating birds simply couldn't find food, and starved."

I'll have a little cheese with this whine please.