Why there is no bicycling today

Aside from the facts that it probably wasn't quite warm enough (ice would form in an outdoor water bottle) and that it has now started to snow, that is.

I was out walking. It was grey (did I mention the snow?). We had only a very small amount of snow overnight on December 1. It was still present on the lawns but anyplace with asphalt that the sun could reach had banished the snow. About 99 percent of the pavement where I walked was completely clear and plenty adequate for bicycling.

I had been clinging gingerly to the idea that I might get in some miles in December but these things stopped me.It is an inner ring suburb, lots of mature trees, including very large evergreens. Every one of those things casts a shadow on its north side (away from the faint globe that is the December sun) and in that shadow there is now an ice patch.

It was tricky maintaining balance while walking through those things. On two wheels the briefest loss of balance means down you go. I haven't fallen off my bicycle this year and a December ride is insufficient motivation to get me to try to ride across large patches of ice.

Did I mention that it is now snowing?