A taste of all weather for those of us who are active outdoors

I woke up Tuesday wondering if I didn't have some kind of mild bug.  I had almost a sore throat, and my energy level seemed low.  Still, I found the energy to start the rudiments of a new gym routine (a couple of sets of dips and bent-over rows) and go down to the river to paddle for 60 minutes.  There was a strong south wind blowing and I kept the intensity moderate.

Tuesday was a freakishly warm day, with a Fahrenheit high in the mid 80s.  Though I generally like a day in the 80s, I don't think I like it in April.  I really don't like the idea of turning on the central air conditioning in my house in April.

Of course, in April you can count on some weather volatility.  Yesterday another big storm system moved in that brought violent weather to places like southeast Missouri and Louisville, Kentucky.  Here in Memphis it was mostly just a lot of rain.  The electricity went off in my neighborhood for five or six hours last night, but I don't know what could have caused that.  I ended up going to bed a half hour earlier than I'd planned, because when there's no light to read by and no Internet access, what is there to do but sleep?

Now, today, it's cooler: I don't think it got much over 50 degrees all day.  This morning it was in the high 40s, and I had to layer up a little more to paddle.  And as it turned out, the rain wasn't gone yet.  I paddled in intermittent light showers, and then the rainfall intensified as I was returning to the dock.  I got pretty soaked putting my boat away and walking back up to the parking lot.

The extended forecast shows high temperatures mostly in the 70s, and that's about what I expect in April.  There are several days in the 80s, however.  I just hope we can have a nice spring before the sultry heat of summer settles in.

Meanwhile, my M.R.I. is scheduled for tomorrow, pending insurance company approval.  So far nobody has called to tell me the cretins have decided to reject the claim, so my fingers are crossed that we can get this done and move me a step closer to finding some true relief from my discomforts.

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