SpokEasy

Author name: CAL

Comet

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Comet isn\’t only one of Santa\’s reindeer. There\’s a comet out there now! I wish I could see Leonard; but it\’s very unlikely that I can. I don\’t have a telescope or binoculars; and on top of that, the weather hasn\’t been conducive to star-gazing. Many mornings we\’ve had fog; and that can blot out things that are only a few yards away. Forget about seeing the sky when it\’s foggy! Saturday morning I did manage to glimpse the full moon through the fog, but that was fleeting; and probably a fluke. Beginning sometime Friday afternoon, out weather turned overcast; and Saturday evening some areas had a T-storm warning. Right here, not much happened, unless it rained late at night; but it wasn\’t helpful for comet-watching. From what I\’ve read, Leonard is rather faint. Which reminds me, I was very disappointed in the 1986 visit from Halley\’s. Halley\’s made a spectacular showing in 1910; and much of my life I looked forward to seeing it when it returned. When it did, it didn\’t make anything like its previous show. In fact, I didn\’t get to see it at all! Yesterday it was chilly and gloomy; and the wind was very bothersome. The weather should improve by the weekend; so Comet and the other reindeer should have a good trip.

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BBH

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BBH BBH, as I affectionately call it, is for you if chemical cleaners bother you; or if you want environmentally-friendlier ways to clean; or if you or a loved one suffers from multiple chemical sensitivities. I myself am sensitive to “fragrances” and the fumes of commercial cleaning materials; and BBH has many ways to avoid such things in the home. Baking soda and vinegar are easy to find; and while some essential oils are expensive, they’re generally not used in large amounts. This book even includes instructions for making your own soap! I did it for several years; and then the people in the unit adjacent to mine had a child. I certainly didn’t need a curious youngster nearby when was mixing the lye solution (which I did outdoors!); so I moved on from soap-making. I sure do miss that home-made soap, though. It was better than any soap I ever found in a store; and incidentally, it made nice gifts! The book also discusses skin (face) and whole body care; house care; and outdoor problems such as pest control. Sometimes I wish I could try making milk paint! In my opinion, Better Basics is worth adding to any book collection.

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Winter Blahs?

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I\’ve got the Winter blahs, I think. We\’re finally getting a taste of Winter. The temperature this morning was about 55; and while it isn\’t cold enough for warming packs, the sudden change makes it seem plenty cold. I don\’t know whether that\’s why I felt so tired this morning; but I wound up cutting my proposed 40 miles to a mere 19 miles. Cold weather saps my energy to begin with. The sky was overcast; and all that gray didn\’t help me to feel any peppier. Add to that problems with the wind. I was wearing a skull cap; but my head was still hurting from the cold. Eventually I realized that my helmet was fastened a bit too snugly. There was a pressure point that became increasingly painful; and I finally had to stop and take my helmet off for a moment to get some relief. It looks like the weather will be cold for at least a few more days; and tomorrow more rain is likely. Oh, these Winter blahs! At least tomorrow\’s rain is likely to be in the afternoon, so I should be able to get to Winn Dixie in the morning; and then go for a ride on the levee. After all, I need to make up for today\’s lack of mileage! It looks like my Winter blahs will be short-lived. Christmas Day\’s predicted high is near 79 degrees! Of course, after that comes January; and January through March often sees our coldest weather. Remedies How can I keep those Winter blahs at bay? Riding can help, of course, as long as I dress properly; and if I want to cozy up at home, I can fix some hot chocolate. Other remedies are The Nutcracker, with its delightful music; a good book; or some tea. Winter blahs don\’t have to rule the day!

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What Next?

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What next? Where do we go from here? Many people are asking that now; and that\’s easy to understand. What next with all this COVID business? First it was COVID-19; then the delta variant; and now it’s omicron! Will it never end? I don’t know what’s going to happen about work. Back to remote work? If it’s going to come to that, I hope my employer offers a buyout. What next with my cycling? Is it overly ambitious to aim for 5000 miles during 2022? I don’t think I’ll make it this year; but I’m pretty close. I’m kept busy wondering what the weather will do next. It’s been too warm for December; yesterday it was cloudy all day; and rain is in the forecast. I hope the rain is over before tomorrow! 6:30 am It\’s full-moon time; and I got up early for a short, esasy spin on the road bike. The forecast predicted clouds and dense fog; but I hoped the atmosphere would clear just enough for me to see the moon. As soon as I stepped outside, I saw how foggy it was; and I figured that I\’d never see the moon through all that. But since I had gotten ready to ride, I decided to go riding anyway. To my surprise, I did see the moon. It looked very faint through the mist; but there it was! Then, in another minute or so, clouds moved over it. The hourly forecast says, rain and T-storms beginning about noon; so I should be able to get to the salvage store and back before the weather turns bad. Which reminds me, I need to pump up the tires on that trailer. 11:00 am I made it to the salvage store and back; and was surprised at how hot I got! It was still foggy during the trip; and here and there I could see big clouds through the fog. What next, a T-storm? Actually, it\’s quite possible later today. The high temperature will be close to 80 degrees; but some T-storms ought to cool thins off. By tomorrow morning it will be down to 55! It\’s crazy. Today I skipped making a grab bag. The bins didn\’t have much in them to begin with; and what was there, wasn\’t anything I really wanted. I got some canned goods, and found a couple of FitCrunch bars. Of course I got some goodies to have for Christmas. I need some things from the drug store, so I\’d better get that done before it starts to rain! 12:15 pm Back from the store. The sun is dodging in and out of the clouds; and now that my errands are finished, I don\’t care if it rains. People who must be out and about, of course, do care! So what next? I can try to get my heart rate zones into my new Garmin; and enjoy some YouTubes; and this evening I have to get the laundry done. Then tomorrow, the weekly long ride. I hope it doesn\’t get too cold; and especially I hope the wind isn\’t too strong!

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Long Day

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To paraphrase the song, \’Twas a long day, my friend; I thought \’twould never end\”. The last work day before vacation usually is like that. It didn\’t help that I didn\’t carry a lunch with me, and ate junk all day. I\’ve been feeling tired, anyway. It was a relief to come home! As so often happens, I\’ve got a nervous eye on the weather. We got a little rain today; and the forecast for tomorrow morning is 40% chance of T-storms. That doesn\’t look so good for the trip to the salvage store; and it won\’t help with moon-viewing, either. Tomorrow is the last full moon of this year, and I\’d love to see it. I checked an hourly forecast; and it says, mostly cloudy at 5:00 am. I can drag myself out of bed early and hope for the best; sometimes the clouds part just long enough for me to see the moon. I won\’t have to do a full-scale morning ride; but it will be a few extra miles for Winter Wheelers. With Christmas just a week from tomorrow, some of us are doing last-minute gift shopping. Got a prospective triathlete on your list? I never was good at swimming; and I\’m none too keen on running. I can\’t cycle fast enough to be competitive; so triathlons certainly aren\’t for me. It looks like Sunday will be OK for my long ride — mostly cloudy, but rain isn\’t expected. I wish I could get in that century ride, but I simply do not feel adequately prepared. By the way, that would really be a long day!

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Shall We Gather?

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Shall we gather for the holidays — or not? I know many people have been chafing under the COVID restrictions; and are eager to meet with friends and loved ones again. But just when it looked like things might be settling down, omicron reared its ugly head. COVID sure is a beast; in fact, it\’s like the mythological Hydra. Where\’s Heracles when we need him? For many years, I’ve spend Xmas Day with the family that lived down the street from us when we kids were growing up. Last year COVID-19 held sway, and now the omicron variant is running rampant; so, shall we gather? I think it would be wiser not to, even though I\’d love to see everybody again. As long as COVID continues, I\’m not comfortable in a crowd; even when I\’m masked. We can\’t count on being able to hold the gathering outdoors. It\’s been very warm for December — too warm, in fact — but who knows when the weather will suddenly turn cold? Or, it might be pouring that day. I also have a new concern in the health department. To make it short, it looks like I might have rheumatoid arthritis. If I do have it, I don\’t need to risk getting omicron! At work, the first murmurs about a return to remote work have emerged. I\’ve been half-expecting it for a long time. The catch is, doing my job from home might not be possible. It involves physical handling of print books; and since I don\’t have a car, somebody else would have to transport those books between my home and my workplace. It\’s a good thing I\’m taking vacation next week; and don\’t return to work until January 4, 2022. That gives me some time to weigh my options.

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The Road Less Traveled

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Is the road less traveled a better place to ride? That depends on many factors. As far as I\’m concerned, cobblestones are definitely the road less traveled. In fact, for me cobbles are the road not to be traveled! I have no desire to try them. Just look at that surface! Those interstices look wide enough to catch my front wheel; and then, over the handlebars I\’d go! I guess the road less traveled is safer where motor traffic is concerned. The fewer vehicles there are, the less chance we have of getting hit by a car; and there are fewer exhaust fumes that we have to inhale. When I did Bike MS in 2013, we were riding alongside a highway. Fortunately there was a wide shoulder we could use; but even so, having steady traffic almost at my elbow isn\’t to my liking. This traffic included several huge flat-bed trucks loaded with pine logs! The downside to the road less traveled is that you can be far from help in an emergency. Sure, most of us have cell phones; but if you\’re a long way from home, will somebody be able to come and get you? When I got that flat tire Sunday, there was no direct route via the roads between home and my location. Guess why it\’s so important to know how to change a tube? And I\’m just talking about rides that don\’t take you more than 25 miles from home. Some people do bicycle tours that take them to roads far less traveled; or even to places where roads don\’t exist! I don\’t have that kind of gumption; and if I did, I\’m not sure it would be wise to try it. Not when I\’m working to keep prediabetes at bay! Roads Most Traveled If we’re going to talk about the road less traveled, we might as well give a nod to the roads most traveled. For me, it’s the bike path on the levee. Over the years, I’ve almost worn a groove in that path! There are usually other riders out; so I\’m not entirely alone. Bicycle commuters have their roads most traveled; and probably have alternate routes as well. Sometimes I can\’t take my preferred route to work because a train is blocking the way. When that\’s the case, I have to go by the road less traveled (less traveled by me on a bicycle, that is); and that means riding alongside of traffic. I don\’t enjoy doing it any too much; which is why I usually go by the longer route. I like getting in a few extra miles, anyway. Which do you prefer: the road less traveled; or the roads most traveled?

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Gay Apparel?

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\”Don we now our gay apparel,\” as the carol goes. I guess my new cycling jacket falls under that category. After all, it\’s bright red! Cycling shorts are often black; at any rate, all of mine are. That doesn\’t fall under \”gay apparel\” — \”gay\” here meaning, \”brightly colored\”. But why are cycling shorts so often black? One explanation is that riders can wipe grease and dirt off of their hands without having it show! I\’m more likely to have to wipe sunblock off of my hands; and both shorts and leg warmers are pretty handy for that. Day before yesterday I did have to wipe a lot of dirt off my hands! I had a flat tire, and of course I was miles from home. My hands got plenty dirty; and I wound up with bleeding cuticles on top of it. With Christmas approaching, I suppose many of us are contemplating our gay apparel for the holiday. Furs? Not for me; it\’s likely to be too warm to wear fur; and I don\’t have any, anyway. Except for a little pin that my godmother gave me when I was fourteen. I think it looks like a possum; but it\’s probably supposed to be a mouse. It has a bit of fur on it that\’s supposed to be genuine mink. That\’s enough fur for me! In fact, I have no plans to go anywhere for Christmas. Now we COVID-weary folks have to worry about omicron; and I think I\’m better off not taking chances. Of course I want to go for a good ride; and then I can kick back and be lazy. I don\’t need gay apparel to do that!

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Starting Early

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I\’m starting early with my Christmas celebration. Last Friday I got Chinese take-out for supper; and that was \”Christmas dinner\”. Actually, it made Friday night supper and Saturday breakfast; but that\’s typical for a Chinese combination plate — or, indeed, for any restaurant meal. I\’m starting early with my holiday beverage, too. Yesterday I was at Whole Foods, and got a quart of almond nog. I drank some of it yesterday; and portioned out the rest in small jars to freeze. When December 25 comes, I can have some more of it! Starting early has advantages; and I do a lot of it. I like to get to stores for opening time, so I can beat the crowds. As far as the salvage store goes, I figure the good stuff will go fast; and of course I want to get there early. In hot weather, going early lets me get back home before the worst of the day\’s heat, too. On Sundays, when I plan to put in my biggest ride of the week, starting early means I can finish before noon; and then I can have the rest of the day to blog; take it easy; and so on. Maybe we\’d better not get going on the subject of holiday gift shopping. I, for one, like to get it done before December; and then I have ample time to ship the gifts. Rush shipping at the last minute of course costs more; and in addition there\’s the stress of worrying that the gifts won\’t reach their destination before Christmas. In general, I dislike rushing at the last minute; and that covers a lot of ground: Christmas shopping; getting to work; and going to appointments. Arriving early and having to wait beats frantic rushing any day.

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Falling Flat

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Falling Flat Nobody likes falling flat. It implies failure; and who enjoys failure? Yet it happens, as in flat tires. Today I was out on my long ride. About 16 miles out, my bicycle suddenly seemed to be rolling differently. I thought at first it might be the texture of the surface; but I never noticed that change before. The dreaded thought of “flat tire” began to creep in; and I began to watch my front tire. All seemed OK with it; so I finally stopped to check the rear tire. There it was — a flat! And over 17 miles from home! There was nothing for me to do but go to work changing the tube. I was in a location that would have made it very inconvenient for a neighbor to come get me; and every cyclist needs to know how to change a tube, anyway. We learn by doing! But I hadn’t practiced this operation in years. There I go, falling flat! As an aside, I thought I had tire liners, but I discovered that I don’t; at least, not on the rear tire. I’ve got to get some pronto! It’s a good thing that I knew what I needed to do. Doing it, of course, was another matter. I hauled my extra tube; multi-tool; CO2 cartridges; and nozzle out of my under-saddle pack. Misadventure A misadventure like this is inevitable if you ride enough; but that doesn’t make it any easier! Somewhere I read about practicing tire-changing for a major event; it was either PBP or RAAM, I think. It said, practice changing tires until you can do it in five minutes. I wasn’t timing myself; but it probably took me at least 10 minutes just to get that tire off the rim! Then I had to get the old tube off; and put the new one on. After that, there was the struggle to get the tire back on without wrecking the new tube. It’s a good thing another rider came along. He had some tire levers that worked better than the ones on my multi tool; and he got that tire back on for me. Then I inflated the “new tire” with my CO2 cartridge; and headed home. This misadventure meant I lost considerable time; and also about 10 miles. I decided it was wiser to go straight home, just in case I flatted again. I had to remove my gloves in order to play mechanic; and my hands got chilled. My skin gets very dry in the cold; and my cuticles got banged up and bloody. I’m lucky it wasn’t in the mid-40s and raining! Well, there’s always next Sunday. I just hope I don’t go falling flat again.  

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