SpokEasy

SpokEasy

Author name: CAL

Trimmings

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Turkey isn\’t the only thing to get trimmings. The Tree gets its share of trimmings, too! Lights help brighten things up. The twinkly kind weren\’t around yet when I was young. We had the kind of bulbs that were night-light size, and in different colors: red, green, blue, orange, white. Speaking of night lights, when we kids were small someone gave us a Donald Duck night-light. We declared that it had to go on the Christmas tree; and we had that light until I was grown up. We still put it on the Tree even after it stopped working. When I was about six, Christmas trees made of aluminum were popular. People who had that kind of tree sometimes had a small floodlight that they could aim at the tree. This thing had a turning plate with four sections of different colors; so that the tree had a different colored light shining on it about every five seconds. Putting lights on a metallic tree was a big no-no, as there was the risk of creating an electrified booby trap for anybody who touched it. We had some very old ornaments that my mother had bought way back when, I think during the Depression and WWII years. One was shaped like a viol. For some reason I was especially fond of that one. There was one made of glass-like material, shaped like a bird, with fiberglass filaments for a short tail. And one, a small trumpet, could actually blow! There were ball-shaped ones with a small \”dent\” in one side. Oh, and a lot more. Then there are ornaments in shapes other than spheres: snowmen, reindeer, snowflakes — pretty much anything you want. Tinsel makes a nice finishing touch. Let your imagination run wild, trim up the Tree, and enjoy!      

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Iditabike

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Iditabike Iditabike is an event for the hardiest. Ride 100 kilometers (62 miles) over snow in Alaska? And in February? A scene like this one makes me wonder what it would really be like to ride through the snow on a fat-tired bicycle. I’ll never know, I suppose, unless I moved well away from Southeast Louisiana; but I guess it takes a lot of energy to push through the snow. Especially a heavy, wet snow. If a short ride on a snowy day takes extra care and planning for most folks, what must it be like to participate in Iditabike? Imagine riding over snow; in temperatures that can get far below freezing. One of my cycling books mentions the race; and tells of it being a “clear night”.  Yes, it looks as if Iditabike doesn’t stop for a little thing like darkness. I wonder, do the riders get to see the auroras? I think  would be beautiful to ride under those Northern Lights — if I could stand the cold. I’ll bet my thoughts would turn to hot chocolate, if I were out there. And a warm room, with a cozy chair and a blanket to snuggle into. And a good book to read! But daydreaming could be perilous on the Iditabike trail; possibly fatal. Maybe my imagination is running away with me; but I suppose Iditabike riders would need to stay alert to wildlife. I would not like to be struggling to ride through snow with a kodiak bear chasing me. From what I know about bear encounters, it’s best to avoid bears if possible. Part of that is making some kind of sound so you don’t surprise the bear. Jingle bells, jingle bells🎶… 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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Aero Bars

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Aero bars at first sounded to me like something to eat on the bike. Before long I knew what they are. Shown at left are plain handlebars; but adding aero bars can let a rider be more aerodynamic. I know aero bars when I see them; but that\’s the extent of my knowledge. I\’ve read enough about them to know that they\’re not a good idea in group rides. Check out this. There\’s also this contrasting point of view. So, which is it? To have my hands way out in front while riding seems scary to me. Would I be able to move my hands quickly enough if I should need to make a sudden stop? Don\’t those bars exaggerate steering? There\’s that bit about \”aeros\” being tricky to handle in a crosswind. My regular handlebars are bad enough when a gusty crosswind is buffeting me. Edible aeros would be more to  my liking. Trust me for that! I don\’t need to be as aerodynamic as aeros would allow, anyhow; so I\’ll skip them. Regular handlebars are good enough for me.

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Festive Sweets

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Festive sweets? I love sweets any time! At about age nine, I became interested in cooking and baking. More specifically, I wanted to make candy; and bake cookies! There was the sugar cookie recipe my mother had always used. I remember helping to make those cookies long before I was old enough to try my own hand in the kitchen. I tried making ginger snaps; pinwheel cookies; and more. It’s many years since I’ve been able to bake cookies; but I think I remember the sugar cookie recipe. It goes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees (Fahrenheit) Cream 1 cup sugar with 1/2 cup shortening. Add two eggs; mix well. Stir in 1 tsp vanilla extract. Set aside. Sift together 2 cups flour, 1 tsp baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt (reduce or omit salt if desired). Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. On floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes. Put them on greased cookie sheets, about 1/2 inch apart. Bake 12-15 minutes, or until light golden brown. Loosen the cookies from the sheet as soon as they\’re baked. Allow cookies to cool completely before frosting them. *************************************** When I was about 13 or 14, I learned this frosting recipe: 1 lb powdered (i.e. confectioner’s) sugar1/3 cup shortening1/3 cup evaporated milk (regular milk is OK if you don’t have this)Flavoring(s) (vanilla, butter flavoring, etc.) as desired; about 3/4 tsp total Put all ingredients in a bowl large enough to allow the beaters of an electric mixer to operate. Mix well. Add colorings, if desired. This frosting is great on cookies and cakes. Enjoy your festive sweets; at holiday time, or any time!

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We\’ve Got It Easy!

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We\’ve got it easy. Yes, really! We all know what a pain it is just to get ready for the weekly long ride. There are jumbled heaps of stuff everywhere, like a pile of Scrabble tiles; and we have to prep our ride food. What, then, is it like to get ready for a bicycle tour of several weeks? What do I need to take? How much can I take? Can I be ready for whatever weather I\’m likely to encounter? Unless I\’m very lucky, it\’s unlikely that I won\’t get rained on at least once; and I need to be prepared for layering. If I didn\’t have whatever clothing and equipment I needed for such a tour, I\’d have to borrow or buy them. That means visiting stores; and browsing web sites and catalogs.  What a nuisance that is; not to mention that it\’s expensive! But we\’re lucky to have such resources nowadays. I have to remind myself to be glad that I\’m not Thor Heyerdahl, getting ready for his Kon-Tiki expedition. In his book about the raft trip, Heyerdahl describes the difficulties in obtaining the balsa logs needed; and finding a secure place to build the raft. He tells how, come sailing day, there were heaps of supplies on the raft that still needed to be stowed away. Once at sea, he and his five companions had a very difficult time steering the raft. In 1947, nobody was around who could tell them how to do it. Kon-Tiki is worth reading, even if you\’re going on a bicycle trip; and not a trans-Pacific journey by raft. If nothing else, we\’ll see that we\’ve got it easy!

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Tis the Season

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Tis the season! Yes, Christmas is coming. Many folks have already finished decorating; but I haven\’t even started. There\’s no room in my abode for a Christmas tree, unless I put my bicycles outside [oh, horrors]! I couldn\’t enjoy a tree if I had one, because it\’s too cold in that room to stay in there for long. When I was a kid, we always had a real tree; and didn\’t put it up until after supper on December 23. We put the angel on top; and strung on the lights. After breakfast on Christmas Eve, we finished trimming the tree. That way, our tree was something new on Christmas Day; and, to my mind, was really a Christmas Tree. On January 6, we took the Tree down; and Santa Claus had always forgotten some kind of goodies under the \”skirt\”. That was fun! So, with all that said, what can anybody get for the special cyclist in his or her life? There are plenty of things out there. And what would I want? Oh, where shall I begin? I would love some thermal cycling socks.  My heaviest gloves are several years old and showing signs of wear. I could go on and on! Tis the season when you start wishing for additions to your cycling wardrobe; and ones that you didn\’t have to pay for!    

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Seeing Eye

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Ever hear of a seeing eye cyclist? Some lucky folks have \”eagle eyes\”; but others, alas, have serious visual impairments. Does that mean that they must miss out on the pleasure of cycling? Not at all. There are programs that can pair a sighted cyclist with one who can\’t see well enough to ride independently; and get them on a tandem. For the person with the visual impairment, I guess it\’s a little like working with a seeing eye dog; only the guide is another person. And it\’s on wheels. I once read a quote by Helen Keller, in which she indicated that she enjoyed riding on a tandem bicycle. I expect it would take a while for someone who can\’t see to get used to such riding; even with a sighted person just ahead taking care of steering; looking out for obstacles; and so on. I suppose that both riders would need plenty of patience and practice. I know I would. I\’m glad to know that the visually impaired can have a way to enjoy riding a bicycle. For those interested, I hope you can find such a program in your area; and then, may you find your wings!

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Get Cooking!

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With Christmas approaching only too fast, it\’s time to get cooking; and I\’m thinking about goodies. What kind of goodies? Chocolates? Or cookies; or muffins? If you\’re looking for something new to serve for breakfast, check out The Complete Tightwad Gazette, on page 466: \”Create a Breakfast Muffin\”. I enjoyed experimenting with the recipe. I made quadruple batches, using a large pot as a mixing bowl; and I\’d bake the batter in two lasagna pans. Because I wasn\’t baking the muffin batter in muffin pans, I called these \”unmuffins\”. I would cut the baked \”cakes\” and let them finish cooling before freezing them. I could really get cooking! As I went along, I wrote down my inventions. Here\’s the Buckwheat-Buttermilk version (a double batch): Preheat oven to 400 degrees (Fahrenheit) 2 cups whole wheat flour                   2 cups buckwheat flour              2-2/3 tsp cream of tartar + 1-1/3 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt (optional)  1 cup sugar 2 \”soy eggs\” (or regular eggs)* 1/2 cup instant non-fat milk powder  + water to make 2 cups (or regular milk, if you desire) 2 Tbsp white vinegar 2 tsp vanilla extract 1/4 canola oil (use another oil, if desired) Add vinegar to milk; and let sit about 10 minutes, while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. In a large bowl, combine flours, cream of tartar, baking soda, sugar, and salt. Make a well in the dry ingredients. Add milk, eggs, vanilla, and oil. Stir quickly to moisten all dry ingredients. If batter seems too thick, quickly add about 1/4 cup of water. Pour into greased and lightly floured pans, and bake 15-20 minutes. Enjoy!*A soy egg is 1 heaping Tbsp of soy flour and 1 Tbsp of water, well mixed.        

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Don\’t Horse Around

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Don\’t horse around, when horses are around! Any bicycle rider who uses off-road paths is apt to be sharing the space with, not only other cyclists; but with runners; walkers; and — equestrians. I don\’t often encounter equestrians while out on my bicycle, but now and then there are a few; and it\’s important to be very careful around horses. If I know only one thing about those animals, it\’s that they spook easily. I, for one, would not want to be responsible for scaring one and having the rider get thrown. That\’s one of the reasons I have a bell on each of my bicycles. If I see a horseback rider ahead, I can ring the bell and call out, \”Bicycle!\” well before I get too close. The rider can move aside, or even stop and turn the horse so that I won\’t be coming up behind it. Anything moving behind a horse scares the animal big time, which is why cart horses wear blinders behind their eyes. Then I slow down until I\’m well away from horse and rider. Sure, taking those precautions means I lose a little time; but it doesn\’t hurt to be careful. I could lose a lot more time if I don\’t give warning, and the horse panics. That\’s why I say, Don\’t horse around.

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Planning Ahead

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It\’s time for planning ahead! Now that we\’re into the final month of 2018, maybe it\’s not too early to start thinking about those New Year\’s resolutions. A common one: start exercising; or, exercise more. Bicycling, of course, is a great way to get exercise, and to get outdoors; to see new things; and to firm up those muscles. Not to mention burning off some calories! Weather, I admit, can be a problem at this time of year. Not everyone who rides bicycles lives where snow; ice; slush; and so on, aren\’t a problem. That brings us to indoor cycling. I don\’t enjoy pedaling with my bicycle hooked into a trainer; but there are days when it seems to be the only way I can let my legs get some action. My CycleOps Fluid 2 is a no-frills indoor \”ride\”. It has an annoying way of making the whole place shake and rattle when I really push the pedals, which I fear is annoying to the neighbors. Of course there are other options. Some of them look very sophisticated to me! If I had the room to set it up, one of these ride simulators might make indoor pedaling less tedious. There are rollers, aka \”a treadmill for a bike\”. I used to have a set; and I never became very comfortable on them. Maybe I\’ll try them again some day. The frame for rollers can be adjusted to the length of a bicycle\’s wheelbase. For example, my road bike\’s wheelbase is three inches shorter than that of my hybrid. I\’m sure there are other ways to \”ride\” indoors if the weather makes riding outdoors impossible, and the New Year\’s resolution is: Get out and Ride! Planning ahead can help you to be all set for it.  

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