First, I ‘d like to say hello and thank you to all the new subscribers to “Marie’s Meanderings.” Yesterday, I received an email from Word Press saying that my “Remarkably Bright Creatures” movie review was chosen to be freshly pressed. This increased exposure almost tripled my views, and I’ve been busy responding to comments and offering reciprocal views of visitor sites.

In my 13 years of blogging, this is a first. Although Word Press did post one of my stories on Pinterest years ago, and it continues to receive lots of views even today.

This (delightfully) unexpected work when I’d normally be languishing in retirement has (ironically) thrown off my blog posting plans. I was going to write about my maiden voyages on my new ebike. Perhaps I’ll go into more depth about that later, but the condensed version is that I have mixed feelings. In some ways, the ebike makes biking too easy. I wish it had a lower assist setting — something between 0 and 1 (it goes up to 5). But, in other ways, I love the new bike because it makes pedaling up steep hills (of which there are many in Duluth) a breeze.

Long-distance cycling maniac Russ likes it because he doesn’t have to worry about me keeping up with him. Now, if only there were electronic cross-country skis he could use, I wouldn’t need to wait for him and we’d be equal! 🙂

I’ve been testing the bike on the paved Munger Trail and the gravel DWP Trail outside of town. It’s performed well on both. It’s trillium season, and the white and pink flowers are blooming in huge swaths in the forests along both trails. I stopped long enough to snap this image with my phone.

It’s wonderful to be recognized for my blog, which is a labor of love. I think every blogger deserves this, and I hope your turn comes around soon.