Story originally printed in the Vernon Broadcaster or online at www.vernonbroadcaster.com
Published - Friday, May 09, 2008
Outsider: Participants shake off chill at community bike ride
I tip my cap to the 140-some brave souls who donned their winter gloves and hats and participated in Saturday’s Viroqua Community Bike Ride.
Arriving about 20 minutes before the start, the turnout seemed sparse, but people must have just been trying to stay warm until the last minute, because by the time the ride began, there was a good crowd assembled at the starting point across from Bluedog Cycles.
After watching the start, and then making a quick pop in at a very cold opening to the Viroqua Farmers Market, I drove up to the bike ride’s break station at Village Market. There people had a drink of water or piece of fruit before continuing on their way. I saw lots of rosy red cheeks.
Success in these events is measured in participation and the Viroqua Community Bike Ride was certainly a success, especially considering the weather. Kudos!
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The most perplexing thing about the extended cold weather is that it has not been conducive to the growth of morchella, or my beloved morel mushrooms.
By this time in any of the past five years, I’ve usually picked up a mess or two. I haven’t even been out to disturb the mud this year. I figure you need at least two days with sunshine, humidity and 70- degree temperatures to make the morels pop. We’ve only come close to that just now.
There seemed to be so much promise for the morels this year, since the early heavy snow last fall was supposed to be good for maintaining fungus spores on the surface of the ground. Now, with Mother’s Day arriving — prime morel season — the entire local mushroom harvest appears to be teetering on a razor’s edge.
Meanwhile, I just saw a news report from Sparland, Ill., that showed 12 pounds of morels were found in a residential neighborhood where they had never been found before.
Yet another sign of the impending apocalypse?
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Derek and I rode on the the “Iron Man” bandwagon, Saturday, visiting Vernon Square to watch the ninth movie ever to open with a $100 million weekend.
I’ve got to admit, I’ve always had a soft spot in my non-plasma electric heart for the rust-free renegade crusader.
I thought Robert Downey Jr. brought fun to the Tony Stark/Iron Man role. And I’ve got to admit, Gwyneth Paltrow makes any movie better. Yet, another feature making the movie interesting was Jeff Bridges playing a creepy villain.
Iron Man is a popcorn movie, but it had a balance of laughs and action. It was a joy ride film and on a rainy, windy, cold day — those can be the best.
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I’ve really been amazed at all of the television pundits who’ve unfairly criticized Miley Cyrus.
First they put on the screen the now infamous Annie Leibovitz photo of Miley’s bare back. Then they scream, “Look at this! Look at this! This is horrible! Look at this picture! Look! Look! Look!”
Everyone who has broadcast this photo and then denounced it in any way should be publicly flogged. It’s another reminder that 95 percent of all those offering opinions on television are complete boneheads.
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At least the first three letters in his last name seem appropriate.
Milwaukee Brewers’ closer Eric “Gag” Gagne blew his fifth save of the young baseball season, Sunday. It was unbelievably pathetic to watch as Gag loaded the bases with a couple raggedy hits and a walk and then he walked in the tying run in for the Houston Astros. The Brew Crew eventually lost the game 8-6 in 12 innings.
I think every time I’ve tuned into a Brewer game this season, Gag has blown a save. I’ve got to stop watching.
Gag was given a one-year $10 million contract from Milwaukee in the off season. I’ve got to tip my hat to him. As the Steve Miller Band sings “Go on, take the money and run!”
Right now with Gag’s 6.14 ERA, skipper Ned Yost needs to cut his losses and bring in somebody else — anybody else — to help the Brewers close out these games.
The “W’s” don’t seem to mean much now, but they tend to mean more in September.
You can email Matt Johnson at matt.johnson@lee.net
All stories copyright 2006 Vernon Broadcaster and other attributed sources.