Brewed Beverage of Choice: A Chalice of Maredsous 8 Abbey Style Belgian Brown
Yesterday morning I woke up to a bitter, Eastern-like, winter cold and some snow, but I decided to ride my bike to work anyway. My brewery is out in the west hills where the elevation is a bit higher and the weather is cooler. As many of my friends can attest because I whine about it so much, I love the snow. My favourite statement is, ‘Portland would be so much better if, in the winter, the temperature dropped 10 degrees and it snowed.’ So you can imagine my delight to see the light fluffy stuff as I got off the train.
There was another cyclist with me…one of those hipster cyclists who don’t wear helmets and ride ‘fixies.’ He crossed over the snowy-icy road and upon reaching the other side toppled over. Instead of picking up his bike and getting back on, thus showing up the weather, he walked the rest of the way to work. Just witnessing this ‘accident’ made me wary of getting on the bike to get to work, but the weather was too cold so I hopped on and rode cautiously.
So riding down 231st, I was pondering what I saw, what I had just read - I am reading a book on a Japanese Tanka writer who suffered with tuberculosis for seven years but kept on writing despite his illness - and a tanka about my delight of the weather. As I turned onto Evergreen, I hit an icy patch and went down where I jammed my index finger as I tried to break my fall. If I would have fallen like a snowboarder like I usually do, I would have slid into traffic. So obviously I will take a swollen finger over that. But unlike the other cyclist, I picked myself up, got back on my bike and rode the rest of the way to work. It is not that I am trying to conquer the weather, to show it up by riding on. My response is one of respect, one of ‘I am sorry I let my mind wander off when it should be more focused.’
Typing has become somewhat painful with the use of only 9 of my 10 fingers (8 fingers and 2 thumbs for you smartasses out there.) I will leave you with two tankas written when I got to the brewery. Enjoy!
Prost!
the confucian brewer
#1
This morning a cyclist
had succumbed to the icy road.
Though not injured, his ego
bruised, with the bike he walked
the rest of the way to work.
#2
With November snow falling,
I find the warmth of the brewhouse
most enticing,
yet the scene through its windows
more inviting.