Almost springtime, Mid-Wisconsin
Sound of birdsong, swiftly-melting snowpack
Life is new here, waking up the trees
Calling to the cyclists, "Ride! You will not freeze!"
Bumpy roads, take me home
To the place I belong
Mid-Wisconsin, cycling blogger
Take me home, bumpy roads
All my longing centers on her
Vintage road bike, sleeping through the winter
Crochet turtle hanging from the bars
Lord, I get so tired of travelling in cars
All my longing centers on her
Vintage road bike, sleeping through the winter
Crochet turtle hanging from the bars
Lord, I get so tired of travelling in cars
Bumpy roads, take me home
To the place I belong
Mid-Wisconsin, cycling blogger
Take me home, bumpy roads
The sun is warm, and the wind is soft upon me
Water flows and gurgles through the fields by my side
Winter's long and grey, but on such a bright March day
I will ride, I will ride
Bumpy roads, take me home
To the place I belong
Mid-Wisconsin, cycling blogger
Take me home, bumpy roads
Take me home, bumpy roads
Take me home, down bumpy roads
(A fond parody of Take Me Home, Country Roads by Bill Danoff, John Denver, and Taffy Nivert Danoff)
~
Last Thursday we had half a warm day, which Tallulah and I celebrated with a ride.
A few days of rain combined with above-freezing temps was causing a very accelerated snowmelt and plenty of local flooding:
Water literally poured out of sloping fields, filling the ditches, rushing under (and in some places over) the roads:
Not all the snow had melted. There were still plenty of piles like this to be seen:
Marshy areas had turned into lakes:
No fear of trespassers here:
(Look at the red-twig dogwood in the background. So beautiful!)
Songbirds filled the air with gladness:
And we heard sandhill cranes!
Tallulah and I were so happy to be back on the road, we couldn't help singing too. Here's a wobbly (and somewhat breathless) recording of us working on the lyric to our Country Roads adaptation / parody:
(Tallulah's voice was drowned out by the wind, but the birds in the background can be heard clearly. Go figure.)
By Thursday night, temperatures were back in the low 30s. I took another short ride on Saturday, and nearly froze my ears off in the 25F wind chill (no photos of that ride, I'm afraid, as I had left my camera at work).
Now the temps are creeping slowly upwards again, which means more rides to come. I can hardly wait.
Happy Almost Spring!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Love, love, love your video and song. You just Rock! You live in such a lovely area of our awesome country. I always enjoy it when you take us along on your adventures. Today was truly an extra special treat. ((hugs))
ReplyDeleteAw, thanks, Vicki! The little bit in the video is mostly marsh, but everything looks great under a bright spring sky. :)
DeleteLove your adaptation. If John had written about Georgia roads it would have more about golden pollen on everything.
ReplyDeleteThanks Janet! It is indeed an adaptation, and a fond one at that. (I felt I needed to sprinkle the word "parody" around in case anyone was concerned about copyright issues.) It was fun to read about the origins of the original song. I was a big fan of John Denver back in the day (still am), also of the Starland Vocal Band, of which Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert were members.
DeletePollen, eh? Spring must have already arrived in Georgia!
Love your John Denver rendition. We just watched a great documentary about him on AXS channel. My hubby is dying to get out on his bike!
ReplyDeleteThanks Kathy! I hope Fireman has gotten a few rides in by now. I'm up to 4 rides for March. Woo hoo!
DeleteWhat a fabulous video of your song and the scenery and even the sound of the breeze. It's neat that we got to meet in real life at the CGOA show in Portland! Be careful you don't get swept up in a flood, my friend. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Teresa! It was great to meet you and Gracie. I don't suppose you'll be at the Manchester event this year....
DeleteThe floods have (mostly) receded in our neighbourhood, but area rivers are still very high. In general I think we're doing better than poor Nebraska.
May your roads never be too bumpy.
ReplyDeleteI hope so too! Unfortunately the whole freeze/thaw cycle means our roads never stay smooth for long. This time of year is the worst for potholes and bulges.
DeleteSo enjoyed your ride and song in harmony with the wind and scenery ready for the warmth of Spring. I hope the flooding does not damage more and abates soon. My niece and her family on a farm near Omaha, NE, were able to move their animals to higher ground on their farm, and had a bit of water briefly in their basement. They had to take some detours on their way to the airport this week but feel so concerned in the wake of the major destruction around them. Our first day of Spring was warm and encouraging here near Portland, OR and I shared some photos of some flowers in my garden in my last post. Thanks for posting, Sue. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Gracie. We're very well off compared with Nebraska - so sad to see the devastation there. I'm glad your niece and her family didn't have any worse damage, and that their animals are safe.
DeleteEnjoy those flowers!
Spring in Wisconsin is always beautiful with a bit of turmoil thrown in. Enjoy the warming days when they appear before it freezes again.
ReplyDeleteHa, so true! Thanks Mere. I'm enjoying them as much as I can. :)
DeleteOh my! This looks so cold!!! But also promising spring. I find even the smallest hints of spring up lifting. Did you ever see a studio Ghibli movie called "Whisper of the Heart"? It is so good. The girl in the movie has her own version of this song too.
ReplyDeleteI find I'm getting greedy for more hints of spring. I'm ready to see flowers!
DeleteI hadn't heard of that movie; it sounds interesting. Thanks for the recommendation!
Awesome post.Thanks for sharing.This is so nice.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to get to a real internet connection so I can hear your version of the song! How neat that both of us have parodied the same song! I'll have to go dig mine out now! Thank you for the memories!
ReplyDelete