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SpokEasy

July 2026

Just Call Me Sloth

Leave a Comment / BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors /

Just Call Me Sloth 🦥 Today’s Featured Product! 🎇 SRAM S600 Crankset New!! Olyra Fruit Bars Variety For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! Just call me sloth. I was tired again today; and it makes me feel like, well, a sloth. For one thing, I had fasting blood work this morning; and I was hungry before I walked over to the clinic. It’s not easy to hike a mile or so when my stomach has already begun to growl; and I want to eat! It was 9:00 by the time I got home; and by that hour, I’m reluctant to go out on the bike, because it’s been so hot. The heat index was already 98 degrees! Within the next hour, the wind increased to 14 mph. I can get in some miles tomorrow, when I ride to the salvage store. Meanwhile, just call me sloth! Or would some chocolate perk me up?  Eye on the Weekend 🔭 Of course I’ve got my eye on the weekend. Tomorrow is supposed to be mostly sunny; but Sunday there’s a 40% chance of  T-storms; mostly before early afternoon. That doesn’t look so good for a long ride; especially not in the morning. It’s the old waiting game again. I wish I could be sure whether or not it will be storming at 7:00 am; because if the weather will be bad, I won’t set my alarm clock! 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.” ABOUT ME © 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 ✍🏻 Facebook Twitter Youtube INTERPRETER Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as Cecile Levert. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ

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So Sew

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So Sew 🧵 Today’s Featured Product! 💥 Organic Chimichurri   New!! Swedish Candy Viral Mix   For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! I want a new blouse — so sew! That is, if I can get my sewing machine going. It’s sat unused for ages; and now it’s very stiff. I’ve oiled it; and I’m letting it sit for a while so the lube can penetrate. But not chain lube! That might ruin the machine. Maybe tomorrow I can get it going; and tell myself, so sew.   Not a New Jersey 👕 I can make a blouse; but not new jersey. How can I find the fabric that jerseys require? I wouldn’t be at all surprised to find that I need a special type of needle; and regular sewing thread, I’m sure, would saw right through jersey fabric. Wouldn’t it be fun if I could hook that sewing machine to my bicycle, and sew by pedal-power? It would be rather like the treadle-powered sewing machines that people had before electricity was common in ordinary households. I could turn a fan on myself and get some exercise indoors, while the heat indices remain over 100 degrees! It got hot enough when I rode this morning, and was home by about nine o’clock! 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.” ABOUT ME © 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 ✍🏻 Facebook Twitter Youtube INTERPRETER

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Nature Photographer Wannabe

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Nature Photographer Wannabe 🐞 Today’s Featured Product! 🌝 Luna Bar Chocolate Cupcake   New!! Skout French Toast For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! I seem to be a nature photographer wannabe. I’ve often wished I could get a really good shot of the full moon over the river; and this morning I tried it, using my cell phone. The result, shown above, was about what I expected. I don’t think I’d recognize the moon for what it is, if I didn’t know it was the moon. I’m not sure that streak of light on the water is actual moonlight; it didn’t have that appearance when I looked at it! In addition, all the light pollution detracts from the view of the moon. To get a really good picture, I’d probably need special light filters; plus a lens that will show the moon’s size. I don’t want to spend the money required for such equipment; so I guess I’ll have to remain a nature photographer wannabe! Relentless Nature 🐊 We’ve sure got relentless Nature. The heat has been intense and persistent; so riding can be pretty hard! I try to start by 7:00 at latest when I want to put in 20 miles. This afternoon there was a lot of cloud cover; and that takes the edge off the heat. There’s a chance of T-storms in the next few days; and I hope they time themselves around my rides! But I for sure won’t be trying to photograph the lightning!     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.” ABOUT ME © 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 ✍🏻 Facebook Twitter Youtube INTERPRETER Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as Cecile Levert. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ

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Busy Season

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Busy Season 🌀 Today’s Featured Product! 🌟 Suertree Photochromatic Cycling Glasses New!! Amazing Cycling Facts for Kids For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! It’s a busy season for Pacific hurricanes, that’s certain. Their roster has already reached “G”; and I’m glad we’re not in the path of Hurricane Genevieve. I’m glad I don’t have to have a busy season for riding. I can adjust my rides to how I feel; and fuel in accordance with this. Yes, I do need to push myself into some hard efforts one or two rides per week; but I’m not trying to train up for racing! And am I glad I don’t have to worry about making weight! Perceptions 🥹 Were my perceptions off this morning?  I had a headwind on the way out; and it helped to think that I’d have a tailwind on the way back home. For about three miles, I did. But after that, it seemed that the wind kept switching so that it was in my face. When I checked today’s weather history, it showed a West wind; so I guess my perceptions had gone awry. Or was I simply getting tired? The forecast predicts a West wind again tomorrow; and possible T-storms beginning Thursday afternoon. It looks like this pattern will  hold through the weekend. Not fun! 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.” ABOUT ME © 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 ✍🏻 Facebook Twitter Youtube INTERPRETER Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as Cecile Levert. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ

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Who Needs a Grill?

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Who Needs a Grill? 🍳 Today’s Featured Product! 🎆 Kraft Slow-Simmered BBQ    New!! adidas Five Ten Freerider For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! Who needs a grill in their personal space now? The heat index this afternoon is 106 degrees; and that’s already more than hot enough! I’d rather be eating pickle ice pops than sizzling meat. It’s gotten so that I’d rather cook with the microwave than turn on the stove; but some things need stovetop use. As for baking in a conventional oven — that’s going to generate far too much heat! Who needs a grill in addition to all that? Broken Record 💿 I sound like a broken record here — ride early! Especially if you don’t have a shady trail to follow! Does the Natchez Trace qualify? It’s gotten so that I use my Camel-Bak for the ride to the salvage store. Even for that short ride, plain water doesn’t seem to suffice when the weather is so hot; and I want electrolyte drink as well as water.  That means I need to use a bottle for the electrolyte drink; and with only two bottle cages, I have to do something else if I’m to bring along enough water! Wednesday night and Thursday, we might have T-storms; and that might cool us off a few degrees. But it will still be hot. 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.” ABOUT ME © 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 ✍🏻 Facebook Twitter Youtube INTERPRETER Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as Cecile Levert. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ

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Three Week Blink

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Three Week Blink 👁️ Today’s Featured Product! 💥 HaoHakka X-Large Duffle   New!! Eurobike X1 For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! I just did a three week blink, I think. You know how they say, blink and you’ll miss it? I’ve hardly paid any attention to the Tour de France; and now it’s almost over! While I enjoy looking at the TdF pics, I still haven’t been able to get interested in participating in racing; and it’s more fun to ride without the pressure that comes with racing. Serious racing means a lot of travel, too; and I don’t have the finances for that. I’ll gladly remain a  homebody-type cyclist, even if I do a three week blink now and then! Four Day Broil 🥵 We’ve got a four-day broil coming. The heat index tomorrow and Monday might touch 109 degrees! The hottest part of the Summer is yet to come; and it makes me think, if only a three week blink would let us bypass it! That means more early rides, which is rather hard on me. I’m no longer accustomed to rising at 4:30am! But I want to finish my rides before the heat gets too intense; and if I want to ride 20 miles, it’s better if I get moving by 6:30! 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.” ABOUT ME © 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 ✍🏻 Facebook Twitter Youtube INTERPRETER Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as Cecile Levert. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ

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Product Comparison

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Product Comparison ⚖️ Today’s Featured Product! 👍 Kryptonite Incite XR New!! Mongoose Argus Trail For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! Let’s get into some product comparison here: wearable fan versus cooling rag. I got to juggle exactly those two choices in recent days. With the prospect of a possible power outage, I charged up the fan. The fan helps to cool me; but I don’t enjoy the sound of it so close to my ears. And of course the fan can run for only so long. The cooling rag doesn’t have to be charged up; and it’s much easier to pack along if I don’t need it right away. It looks like product comparison doesn’t need to go very far! Choose One 1️⃣ I’ll certainly need to choose one for the upcoming days; and no, I don’t mean the protein bars. The long-range forecast shows a lot of heat from tomorrow through next Tuesday; and I’m going to need a way to beat that heat. How did people manage in the days before wearable fans; air conditioning; and cool rags? Not that I need to ask.They built their daily lives around it; and in addition, they were accustomed to it. Thinking about it makes me realize how spoiled I am. I can grab that cool rag any time; and drape it around the back of my neck when I need to go out in the heat. Which reminds me, I wonder how RAGBRAI is going? 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.” ABOUT ME © 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 ✍🏻 Facebook Twitter Youtube INTERPRETER Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as Cecile Levert. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ

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Much Ado about Nothing?

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Much Ado about Nothing? 😩 Today’s Featured Product! 🏆 Kryptonite U-Lock New!! BAR U EAT For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! Yesterday turned out to be much ado about nothing. We hardly got anything from that tropical storm. That’s a good thing; but it’s far too soon to let our guard down. Peak hurricane season is still ahead! The wind, however, is still a brisk 14 mph; with gusts up to 24 mph. Maybe I’ll be lazy and skip the ride, unless the breeze calms down later. Or is this more of much ado about nothing? Lazy? 😴 Or maybe I’m just lazy, and feel like playing possum. I expected it to be pouring this morning, so I didn’t set my alarm clock last night; and didn’t wake up until seven o’clock. That’s about the time I usually start a ride! As it turns out, the weather is clear and sunny. As of 9:15 am, anyway; there’s still a 30% chance of showers. The heat index could reach  105 degrees, too. Riding in those conditions wouldn’t be fun; but we’ll see. I might get too tired of sitting around indoors; and go out anyhow! So I’ll plan for an early ride tomorrow; and throw in some hard efforts. I need the exercise!   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.” ABOUT ME © 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 ✍🏻 Facebook Twitter Youtube INTERPRETER Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as Cecile Levert. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ

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Batten Down the Hatches?

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Batten Down the Hatches? ▩ Today’s Featured Product! 👏🏻 Sport Shake New!! Hurricane Bike Saddle For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store!   Is it time to batten down the hatches? We’ve under tropical storm warning; and I’m relieved that I got home from today’s appointment before bad weather closed in. I’m glad I’m not rushing around trying to get supplies at the eleventh hour! I charged up my cell phone; and am recharging my charger block. I made sure my Arctic Air fan was charged up, too. If we lose power, I’ll need a way to beat the heat! Wait! 🫸 All I can do now is wait. The wind speed is 20+ mph; and unless it’s behind me, I sure won’t be fast! If the wind strengthens, there’ll be the risk of flying objects, whether identified or not. Even tomorrow, wind gusts could reach 30 mph; and I figure will be wiser not to go out if I don’t absolutely have to. Rain is expected, too; in fact, we already got enough precipitation to make the ground wet. So let’s batten down the hatches and wait. But that’s the hardest part — waiting!   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.” ABOUT ME © 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 ✍🏻 Facebook Twitter Youtube INTERPRETER Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as Cecile Levert. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ

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Odd Ride

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Odd Ride 🌀 Today’s Featured Product! ☄️ Keto Bars New!! B.T.R. Nation  For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! Today’s was an odd ride. Not the the route resembled a roller-coaster track; but it was still unusual. I seldom work a visit to Walmart into a ride; but today I needed to. Several weeks ago I bought an item that turned out to be the wrong thing; and I needed to return it. I couldn’t postpone the trip indefinitely; so I finally prodded myself into doing it. Then I headed for the park to ride a few laps. Goodness knows what the weather will be doing tomorrow; and anyway, I have an appointment downtown! Watch! 👀 Part of the reason for an odd ride was, we’re under tropical storm watch. There’s also an extreme heat warning that went into effect at 10:00 am! The heat index is 108 as of 2:00 pm; so I’m glad I’m not out there now. Between a 10:00 am appointment and the prospect of wild weather, I don’t plan to ride tomorrow. Besides, the forecast says the heat index tomorrow could reach 114 degrees! I expect I won’t be back home much before noon, when the day gets really hot; and I want to keep cool! 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.” ABOUT ME © 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 ✍🏻 Facebook Twitter Youtube INTERPRETER Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as Cecile Levert. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ

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