Met-RX Variety MET-Rx Variety is the latest addition to the SpokEasy shop. This package lets you try three delicious flavors: Vanilla Caramel Churro; Super Cookie Crunch; and Crispy Apple Pie. Each bar packs in 30 or more grams of protein; and supplies zinc; vitamin A; and vitamin C. They make great ride food; and serve as a light meal, too! Total of one dozen bars. $44.99
Mask Up Y’all! Mask up, y’all! Yes, I know. Mardi Gras is over; but as far as I know, the threat of COVID is not. I think it makes sense to continue using masks while out and about. I’m not alone in that thinking. Every day I still see people wearing masks; and I’m especially glad to have one when a little kid in the store is coughing all over the place! These face coverings are useful if you are sensitive to fragrances; tobacco smoke; and the many other fumes that are almost impossible to avoid. I keep several with me at all times. Sure, I get tired of wearing the things; and they feel rather smothery in hot weather. But that’s better than getting sick; or choking on “smelly stuff”. So mask up, y’all!
Double Dip? I did a sort of double dip for lunch today; although not with ice cream. After all, I ate ice cream yesterday! My appetite for refried beans was coming to the surface; and I didn’t have any in pop-top cans. So, on the way home from occupational therapy, I detoured to the drug store to see what I could find. The store had bean dip; and I got a can of that. It works well as a spread on bread; and I put some ranch dressing on top of it. The dressing didn’t quite make it double dip; but it was close enough. I hope I don’t have to regret going to the store. At the checkout, the customer ahead of me had a child in tow (about 3-4 years old, I guess); and the kid was coughing like crazy. The parent wasn’t covering up the kid’s cough, either; nor telling the child to do so. I was wearing a mask; but if I get a cold or worse in the next day or two, I’ll know why! It’s a good thing I have a supply of Vitamin C left from my hand surgery. I’m going to take extra for a few days, until I’m sure I didn’t catch a cold; and I’ll be so glad when I can ride again! Regular vigorous exercise seems to be good for my immune system!
Confused! Our weather seems very confused. It’s not yet the end of February; but yesterday afternoon I had to turn on the air conditioner! Yesterday in the morning I had occupational therapy; and that meant walking about a mile from streetcar stop to the clinic. Even at 8:00 am, it was already getting warm. On the upside, day before yesterday was Mardi Gras; and I was able to collect some “throws” without the hassle of noise and crowds. My hand is doing OK; but I think I need to back off a little. Apparently I did a bit too much for a few days, because the hand is a tad swollen. But oh, how hard it is to keep that hand out of action! Considering the unusual warmth, I’m surprised that T-storms aren’t in the forecast. This morning there was a dense fog advisory, though; and the forecast predicts a high of 82 degrees! A wearable AC would be useful; I could leave that window unit off and save on the power bill. This crazy weather has us all confused. How should I dress today? Is it going to turn cold again? When; and how much colder? I’ve heard people complain about this capricious weather often, saying you never know how to dress; and that it’s no wonder people get sick. I’m debating whether to go work on aWattBike® now; or wait for afternoon. I badly need the exercise; but at the moment I feel lazy.
Got Wet Boots? Got wet boots? This DX Boot Dryer might be exactly what you need. DX Boot Dryer can handle up to four items at a time; and dries them in an hour or two. Takes care of gloves and stocking caps, too! More than once, during rainy spells, I’ve wished I had one of these. When I get home with sopping wet shoes, the best I can do is stuff them with wadded newspaper; and change the paper every few hours. Even then, the shoes are still damp the next day. I remember my brother-in-law had one of these when he worked for USPS. He had a delivery route; and of course was out in all kinds of weather. So if you’ve got wet boots, this appliance can save you the discomfort of going out again in damp footwear.
Do Not Shake Do Not Shake is good advice for a hand not fully recovered from surgery. Yesterday I was shaking water off of my hands, or something; and it did something weird to my left wrist, close to my scar. This morning I woke with the hand more swollen again; and the range of motion in the thumb is reduced. What a drag! But I did the exercises that the occupational therapist gave me; and I still have the cold pack that was given to me right after surgery. Now and then I ice the hand for 10 minutes. I hope it’s better soon! Since I can’t ride yet, I placed an online order with Whole Foods. I’ve noticed that I can’t carry bananas for any distance without bruising them badly; and a half-gallon of almond milk quickly becomes very heavy, even when both of my hands are sound. It’s months since I’ve had frozen blueberries; and I got a bag of them. They’re great mixed with rolled oats; yogurt; and some nuts. I also got sourdough bread and baby carrots. It will be good when I can scrub and clean regular carrots again, because they’re cheaper! I hope my hand is able to shake that carton of almond milk, though. I forgot all about that when I placed my order; and Do Not Shake doesn’t apply to nut milks. Quite the contrary, in fact. They need to be shaken well! I’m still binge-watching YouTubes, because I can’t use my hand as much as I’d like. It’s chilly, too; and that makes it hard for me to move from in front of the heater. I guess I’m a delicate flower!
New Phase! I’m into a new phase of recovery! Today I had an occupational therapy session. I mentioned that I think my left hand might be letting me do things I shouldn’t do yet; it hurts considerably less than it used to. In fact, I suspect that I’ve been overdoing it, because today the hand feels a little swollen. But the OT says, if it doesn’t hurt, go ahead and do it. Just don’t overdo; and listen to my body. If whatever I’m doing starts to be painful, then stop. This applies to my “recovery exercises” as well as to everything else. Today’s OT session was late in the morning; and before I went home I had lunch at a little cafe that includes calzones in its menu. I didn’t feel like cooking; but tomorrow I’d better get back at it. No cycling yet; and do I ever miss being able to ride to the salvage store! For several years, the trip to the salvage store has been my regular Saturday morning routine; but of course I can’t do it at present. When I can finally ride again, I might need to give myself a few weeks to get back in shape before I do a 10-mile ride; especially one that includes two loaded panniers on the way home! I’m eagerly awaiting the new phase of resuming my cycling activities; and I hope for a full-moon ride soon!
One for Two I’m getting rather weary of this one for two business. That is, making one hand do the work of two. I haven’t used a bicycle since January 9, the day before my hand surgery. Of course I couldn’t pump up my bikes’ tires after the procedure. For at least four days post-surgery, my arm was swollen; and it remained tender for some time after that. Today I did my best to get some air into those tires before they could go totally flat. That meant some rather difficult one-for-two handwork. I had to brace the pump’s nozzle against my left fist to get it fastened to the air valve; and use my right hand and left forearm to do the pumping. That was quite tiring. At times like this, I become acutely aware of just how much I need my thumbs! As it turned out, I couldn’t get the tires aired to the desired psi; but at least I got fairly close. Now, if only I could ride! Alas, that’s at least four or five weeks in the future. One for two, of course, isn’t only about airing up bicycle tires. Although I can use my left hand better now, I still must avoid stressing it much; and that gets tricky. Buttons are difficult; and so is opening even a pull-top can. I have to send my laundry out; and I have to order groceries online. I think that hand got rather too much activity yesterday; and today seems to be heading towards a repeat. It’s time to think more about making one hand do the work of two!
Quite a Bundle You get quite a bundle with the Garmin Rally RK 100 product. The Garmin Edge 830 cyclecomputer can use either the standard, on-the-handlebar mount; or the out-front mount. You can monitor speed; heart rate; and cadence. The RK 100 pedals are easy to switch from bike to bike; and USB cables allow charge-up from a home electric outlet; or in your car. Battery life of 120 hours per charge. Software updates and data uploads are easy with Edge cyclecomputer compatibility. You can upgrade to a dual sensing system at any time. Tether keeps the readout unit from hitting the ground if your grip slips. Cleaning cloth included. This is quite a bundle! Made in Taiwan. $1172.98
Progress Notes Today I have some progress notes. This morning I had another occupational therapy session. My therapist says I’m doing very well. My range of motion is good; but I’m not ready for strengthening exercises yet. I still have some swelling around the surgical site; but that’s to be expected. I went straight from OT to a follow-up with the hand surgeon. He says things are looking good; and in six weeks I might be back on the bike! But what a long six weeks that will be. I see the surgeon again in two months; and at that point I’ll have some more progress notes. Meanwhile I’ll have to keep pedaling a WattBike® a few times a week. I rather wish I had the tool I need to take the SPDs off of my road bike, so I could take them along to use on the WattBike. (Of course that would mean dragging the wrench along with me, too!) But even if I did have the wrench at home, I can’t manage taking those pedals off just now. I’d need one hand to hold the pedal still; and the other to work the tool. I know my left hand isn’t ready for such stress. I can now do minor food chopping; but I need to avoid holding the piece of cheese (or whatever) between thumb and forefinger. I have to make a loose fist; and use that to hold the cheese (onion, etc.) in place. And I can even hold small items, such as a protein bar, in a regular “pinch”. But only for a short time; and only loosely. So I’ve still got far to go; but things are much better than they were two weeks ago. How’s that for progress?