The clock ticks and tocks and nine months have suddenly passed since our retirement. That's just enough time to have had a baby (which we didn't do). Our backpacks from the Manresa Tour are waiting for our next extended adventure which, coincidentally, might just occur in another nine months from now. Michele, in her usual organized fashion, has stowed her backpack in the baggage closet downstairs, whereas mine is conveniently tucked into the corner of our bedroom where it acts as a daily reminder of our great trip and of the next one to come. Michele and I have both returned to work for two days per week. This, of course, cuts into our cross-country skiing time, but because we are working the same to days, we have the other five together to hit the trails. The snow in late Decemeber and early January has provided a good base for cross country skiing, an activity in which I am discovering much pleasure in exercising old forgotten muscles within the peace and quiet of the winter forests.
