SpokEasy

May 2020

Boxing Day

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Boxing Day? Today? A little out of season, aren\’t I? Actually, it\’s been sort of the reverse of last Thanksgiving\’s Can Can. Instead of taking stuff out of cans, I was putting things into plastic food boxes (or jars). Almost immediately after trying out the Hoppin\’ John recipe, I began to dream up variations. \”HJ\” uses black-eyed peas. I thought of lentils, black beans, and so on. I just finished making Variation #1, using field peas. I\’ve dubbed it Br\’er Joe, after my field pea-loving brother; and you might say that the prep spanned the entire day. During morning break, I started the brown rice cooking. When it was done, I let it cool, and put in a plastic box and stored it in the fridge until I was ready to use it. At lunch time, I sorted the field peas and put them to soak. During afternoon break I chopped the celery and put it in a box to keep in the fridge until it was needed. That\’s box number two! After I clocked out for the day, I rode to the nearby grocery store to get the orange bell pepper and red onion. Back home, I started the field peas cooking. While they were simmering, I got the onion, cheese, and bell pepper ready. I didn\’t need either the whole onion, or the whole bell pepper. What I didn\’t use went into jars to keep in the fridge. The field peas were done just about the time I finished prepping the other stuff. I ate a cupful of Br\’er Joe for supper; and now I have to store the rest. It\’s really boxing day, you might say.

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Mix It Up

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Mix it up, the training advice goes. Don\’t always ride at the same intensity level, lest you become \”a one-speed wonder\”. Even when your weekly training schedule includes a variety of speeds and intensities, it\’s better if you don\’t always do: off on Monday; force work on Tuesday; easy on Wednesday, and so on. Mix it up, and keep your body guessing. \”Surprises\” help it to get stronger. So that\’s what I\’m aiming for in the training schedule that I drew up for Tour de Cure. Yes, I know. TdC will be virtual this year. And I keep forgetting to check and see whether my Garmin can download ride data to my Mac.  I sure hope it can; I don\’t want to have to buy a new one. Even though TdC won\’t be \”live\”, I don\’t see that as a reason not continue training up. I\’ve wanted for years to increase my cruising pace, anyway. TdC training should help with that. Another mix it up: food, on and off the bike. Always using the same thing for ride long-food gets most monotonous, and kills the appetite. That isn\’t good when you\’re out pedaling for several hours, and need the fuel. I\’ve tried Clif Bloks; Kind Bars; Quest Bars. I\’ve tried rice cakes à la Feed Zone Portables. I\’ve always enjoyed trying out different on-bike foods. Some seem to be more sustaining than others. Take Combos, for example; I like them, but when I\’m on a long ride they lack \”oomph\”. For off-bike food, I vary it, too.  Here\’s an example: I\’ve been a brown rice aficionado for many, many years. After my diagnosis of pre-diabetes I ate it so much that, after three months, I realized I needed a break from it. I fixed boxed mac n cheese (with tuna and some peas stirred in) for supper. It made enough that I could eat it for breakfast and lunch the next day! So go ahead and mix it up. Variety is the spice of life, they say.

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Mountain State

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Mountain State This blog/page may contain affiliate links. “We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.” The Mountain State of West Virginia is home to a number  Rails-to-Trails routes. It seems rather a contradiction to have nearly-flat Rails-to-Trails paths in the MOUNTAIN State, doesn’t it? Greenbrier River Trail follows the river of its name, passing through several state parks and state forests. The small towns along the way offer opportunities to stop for a rest and refueling. North Bend Rail Trail is for aficionados of bridges and tunnels. Its 72 miles include 13 tunnels and 36 bridges! You’ll find services about every 10 miles. The Caperton Trail is more urban. You’ll be near storefronts, restaurants, and city parks. If you want your legs to get a real workout, try the Deckers Creek Trail. Uphill from Morgantown, past hardwood forests. Follow the Allegheny Highlands Trail for some terrific views. Ride over asphalt, gravel, and dirt. You might want a mountain bike for this trail! The capital city of Charleston is also one of the USA’s cycling capitals. For an intense ride, try the Kenna Loop. Its rolling hills will give you almost 2000 feet of climbing. My legs ache just thinking about it! The out-and-back Paint Creek Route includes its share of climbing, too. Not many refueling opportunities are available along this route. Be sure you don’t forget that Camel-Bak, and bring adequate food. Aside from cycling, the Mountain State offers many interesting places to visit. You can find opportunities for hiking, horseback riding, whitewater rafting, and much more. Never a dull moment, right? ABOUT ME I began this website primarily as a way to present the story of how I accomplished a century ride on an adult tricycle. Other riders of adult trikes might want to know whether it’s possible. It sure is! You can read all about it in My Story. I live in New Orleans; and  retired in January 2023. More time for cycling! Website designed by Cecile Levert © This website is the property of its author. DISCLAIMER I am not a cycling coach; nor a health professional. This site is based on my own experiences, opinions, etc. If you need help, please consult the appropriate professional.   FRESH FROM MY JOURNAL Quantum Leap December 12, 2023 Afternoon Ride? December 11, 2023 Think Ten Times! December 9, 2023 Going Farther Afield December 8, 2023 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Queue Up

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Queue up, as they say in Britain. Or \”stand snake\”, the way they do in Germany. However you want to say it, we always hope that standing in line won\’t take up too much time. Even so, sometimes I wish my blog queue were longer. I\’ll suddenly notice that I have posts lined up for only another day or two. Then I\’ll be frantically busy composing more blogs. This is particularly trying at those times when I can\’t seem to think of anything to write about! It\’s not only playwrights who suffer from writer\’s block. By the way, how do cyclists queue up? Form a pace line? The difference is that, when people queue up, they\’re generally standing still; or at least, moving slowly. When I\’m out riding, a pace line can whiz past me at breathtaking speed. That\’s not what I call standing still! Waiting in line has been a different ball game the last two months or so. In stores, I see spots marked on the floor where customers are asked to stand while waiting to get to check-out. I guess we\’ll soon be seeing something similar for restaurants that are offering only take-out. If I want to get some take-out, I\’d better wear sunblock in case I\’m \”standing snake\” for more than 10 minutes. I love Chinese food, but not enough to get sunburned for it. Some stores, I heard, were even having customers wait in line outside, with only a certain number of them allowed in at one time. I suppose we\’ll have to get used to the idea: queue up!    

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On the Adriatic

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On the Adriatic This blog/page may contain affiliate links. “We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.” Planning a ride on the Adriatic? How about Croatia? A pedal-powered tour along the coast of Dalmatia  offers beautiful views of the sea. There are over 200 sunny days per year. Enjoy fresh seafood; combine bicycling with island-hopping; or explore Dubrovnik. Incidentally, the Dalmatian city of Split is the birthplace of the composer Franz von Suppé. Beautiful Galatea, anyone? For mountain lovers, there are cycling tours in the Dinaric Alps; these, however, require expert fitness level. This mountain range rises to almost 9000 feet in some places, and is one of the most rugged ranges in Europe. If I were crazy enough to try riding there, I might want to get myself an ebike! I can’t say how easy it would be to find English speakers in Croatia. Apparently your chances depend on which region of the country you visit. On top of that, could you find someone familiar with cycling lingo? If your budget is tight; or if you simply enjoy the challenge of penny-pinching, here are some ideas you could try. Go during the off-season; choose accommodations wisely, etcetera. On the whole, Croatia is safe to visit. Try the cuisine. Most important of all, have a good time while pedaling on the Adriatic.

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Off Day

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An off day is not the same thing as a day off. The latter indicates, or at least implies, deliberate planning. The latter — well, it happens to all of us sometimes. We haven\’t planned the day off; but we\’re tired; would rather keep on sleeping; and just aren\’t in the mood for a ride. Like me today.  At 7 am it was overcast. According to the forecast, T-storms were possible from 10 am. That rather worried me. I decided to ride over to the park, and do some laps. Before I had completed the first circuit, it seemed to be getting darker; so I decided to head back home. By the time I got there, the sun was coming out! It\’s very annoying when I make the wrong call like that. It was already in the upper 70s early this morning, so I wore a cycling jersey for the first time this year. I was surprised at how cool my arms felt. We can thank the wind for that. The wind, in fact, is one of the reasons I chose to ride in the park. I didn\’t feel like fighting it for miles on the way home. So here I am, with a couple of extra hours. What shall I do with them? Cooking is out; after making the junk soup yesterday, the freezer is crammed again. There are always blogs to be composed, but sometimes my brain wears out and says, No More. No need to panic, though. We all have an off day sometimes.  

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Trashy

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I got trashy again today, and made another \”junk soup\”. Sometimes that\’s the best way to use up odds and ends. For previous cooking projects, I had used dried black beans, and dried pinto beans; two cups of each. That left me with a half-cup or so of each kind of bean. I had put them all in one bag to save myself a bit of clutter. I wanted to use them up, so last night I put them to soak. This morning I drained them, and then put them in the freezer. Several hours later, I went to work to make the soup. I put the soaked and frozen beans in a pot with some water. Last time I visited the salvage store, I found a small can of matzo balls in chicken broth. I opened the can and added the broth to the pot; I put the matzo balls aside to eat later. While the stuff in the pot was heating up, I chopped celery and red onion and dumped them in. When I made Hoppin\’ John, I had the liquid left over from a 15 ounce can of tomatoes. I froze it for the next soup, and early this morning I took it out to thaw. Into the pot  it went. Then I let the beans, onion, and celery cook while I sliced two small carrots, and diced two small potatoes. I had canned peas in the fridge, and measured out a half cup for the soup. I also had some cooked brown rice in the freezer; another  item for the soup pot. I wanted a variety of veggies in this soup, so I opened cans of sweet corn and green beans. What I didn\’t put in the soup went into the freezer for a future soup pot. Earlier this week I opened a can of Taco Complete, and needed to use up what was left; most of it went into the soup. I don\’t know how good this jumble tastes; I haven\’t tried it yet. I\’m going to freeze most or all of it for later. Even if it isn\’t terrific, I\’ve never laid claim to being a gourmet cook. Besides, trashy cooking can be a lot of fun.

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Fine Kettle of Fish?

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\”A fine kettle of fish\” seems an apt description of the current situation. Everything is in a mess: people losing jobs; the economy doesn\’t look good; social distancing; quarantining. I\’m one of the lucky ones who can still go out and ride, as long as I don\’t ride too close to anybody else. I\’d be in a fine kettle of fish if I couldn\’t ride! By now I would have lost a lot of the strength and conditioning that I\’ve developed over 10.5 years. \”Kettle\” reminds me of the kettlebell weight. I got a small one last June, intending to add some new exercises to my off-bike work. Then, when I got so busy with a major editing job on this site, it fell by the wayside. Now I\’m trying to work it back in. Last night, I used it in a leg-abduction exercise. For several years, I\’ve been doing that move while resting a 5-pound weight on the working thigh. Now I\’m trying it with the kettlebell, which weighs 7.5 pounds. I sure can feel the difference! Yesterday\’s ride seemed like a fine kettle of fish when I was homeward-bound. Perhaps you\’ve guessed it already: a headwind! It was blowing at 14-15 mph before I finished the ride. The clouds looked rather stormy, too, and at one point I thought I smelled rain. I\’m glad it didn\’t start raining; I was still about three miles from home. I might have been in another kettle of fish if it had rained while I was riding home from the supermarket this morning. I\’m not sure why I worry about bread ; loaves of bread are all bagged in plastic, and there was the plastic bag from the checkout as well. The canister of oatmeal I had bought was far more vulnerable! If it had gotten wet, I suppose I could have dried/toasted it in a low-temperature oven, but I\’m lazy. Oh, and as to fish — no, I didn\’t buy fish today.

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Time for Flex Time

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Today it was time for flex time! Yes, working from home has an advantage or two. Last night the forecast was for T-storms; some possibly severe. And in fact, some online messages from co-workers  mentioned that there was a lot of lightning last night. Amazingly, I slept through it all. I know I did, because one of those colleagues lives just a few blocks away from me. Anyway, at 4:45 am it was raining, and there was some lightning. If I had had to go to regular work, I might have braved a ride anyway. But here was the perfect opportunity to give flex time a try. After having some breakfast, I clocked in at the unearthly early hour of 5:45 am. I took my morning break at about the time that I normally clock in. \”Lunchtime\” was at 9:00 am; a departmental zoom meeting was scheduled for 10:00-11:00. I figured I would get too hungry if I waited until after the meeting to eat. Getting through the last hour of work seemed quite a strain; maybe because neither my brain nor my body is used to a schedule like today\’s. I clocked out for the day at 2:15 pm. Then it was ride time at last. The sky was still mostly overcast, and the clouds had a somewhat stormy look. I\’m glad it didn\’t rain, but the wind made the homeward-bound leg of my ride pretty tough. After I was home I checked a weather site; the wind had been 14-15 mph before my ride was finished. I\’m glad I don\’t have to follow a schedule like today\’s on a daily basis. But it\’s good to know that I can, when it\’s time for flex time.

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Catching Extra Zs

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Catching extra Zs happens. You know the scenario: you shut off the alarm clock, and next thing you know it\’s two hours later! It happened to me this morning. Some morning lark I am, huh? I could have gone for a short, easy ride if I had hurried. Short and easy was the plan for today, anyway. But I didn\’t feel like rushing around. I decided to skip the ride, fix breakfast, and work on this blog. For breakfast, I mixed a cupful of cooked brown rice with a half-cup of Taco Complete, and heated it on the stove. I chopped up a half-ounce of Monterrey Jack cheese and stirred it in. A tablespoon of green taco sauce went on top. I don\’t care who declares that Tacos Aren\’t for Breakfast! After all, some people have steak and eggs for breakfast. Why should taco filling be different? Catching extra Zs felt good, and I think I needed it. I do hope, though, that I\’ll be able to ride tomorrow morning. It looks like the weather might not be cooperative. Maybe I can take a quick run to the drug store at lunch time today. It will let me get outdoors and moving. It\’s past 7:00 now, and I have to be thinking of getting ready to start work; so I\’d better cut this short. Incidentally, working from home has this advantage: I can hear the birds singing!  

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