SpokEasy

SpokEasy

Author name: CAL

Cycling enthusiast; classical music lover; experimenter in the kitchen!

Do Not Shake

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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!  

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New Phase

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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!  

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One for Two

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

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!

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Quite a Bundle

BACK ISSUES, equipment /

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

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Progress Notes

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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?  

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Always Be True

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment /

Always Be True? Always be true with the TS-4.2 Truing Stand! This item, from Park Tool, lets you true your bicycle’s wheels yourself. It can accommodate wheels up to 29 inches, even with the tire still on. This includes fat tires! TS-4.2 is professional grade; sturdy; and versatile. It earns a 4.6-star rating from consumers. With this piece of equipment, you can be sure that your wheels are, well, always be true. Many times I wish I could do more towards the maintenance and repair of my own bikes. I often wish I could get into long-distance cycling in a big way; and being able to tend to my bicycles’ wheels would be a major asset! So would knowing how to take care of other repairs. Unfortunately, I barely know how to change a tube; and arthritis in my hands is no help. $479.95

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Taxing

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TAXING! Hard rides aren’t the only taxing thing in life. It’s that taxing time of year! I’m trying to get my IRS form done; but there are one or two things I still need to get. And just wait till next year! I worked one week this year before I retired; and that might mean filling out TWO forms. I’m not looking forward to it. You could say that our weather is taxing; it’s far too warm for February. This afternoon, in fact, it reached 79 degrees. A weather-breeder, you say? It looks that way. T-storms are in the forecast for tomorrow night; and then back down to 54 degrees. That’s more seasonable. I’m sure some folks are concerned that our weather portends another active hurricane season. I don’t think about it all day; but it’s nagging at the edge of my mind. If I were to relocate, getting out of the immediate reach of hurricanes would be my Number One reason. Tomorrow morning I have occupational therapy; and I hope to make it back home before the rain begins. It’s likely to be foggy in the morning; so I’ll wear reflective ankle bands when I go out to catch the streetcar. And I’ll take the poncho, in case the the rain doesn’t wait until night. Always worries about the weather. It’s taxing!    

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CamelBak Mule

BACK ISSUES, equipment /

CamelBak Mule This CamelBak Mule hydration system is great for long rides; hikes; and other outdoor activities. It can hold up to 100 oz (~3 liters) of fluid; and its pockets can hold your cell phone; snacks; and other small items. The chest strap is adjustable to most users; and the harness is of breathable material. Channel down the CamelBak Mule’s back helps keep your own back a bit cooler! Comes in several colors: $100.01 (black) $97.99 (Gibralter navy) $109.15 (kelp/black) $86.48 (racing red/black) I’m still recuperating from hand surgery; so I haven’t been able to use one of these for almost a month. When I can finally do so again, I hope it won’t be heavy enough to fell a mule!    

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Road to Recovery

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Road to Recovery I wish my road to recovery could be at lightspeed. Unfortunately I have to take my time. Yesterday I had occupational therapy again. The therapist seems pleased with how things are going; and has added some gentle squeezing exercises to my regimen. She even gave me an old tennis ball to use. I still have to find ways to do many things one-handed, though. Yesterday afternoon I wanted to open a small can of mixed vegetables, to heat in some squashed sauce. It was a pull-top  can — should be easy, right? Wrong! The pull ring broke off; and I had to figure out a way to get that can open. I didn’t want to keep it for later in case the seal was broken. If my left hand weren’t out of commission, the can opener would have done fine; but that hand can’t bear the hard gripping needed to operate a [manual] can-opener. I had to use the tool right-handed to pry open a small slot at the edge of the can’s lid. Then I fetched a heavy screwdriver; washed it; and wiggled the shaft tip into the slot. Finally I was able to pry off that lid. Along the way, I had to use my left fist (to keep stress off my thumb) to brace the can. Even that is probably more than I ought to have done. The road to recovery is long and slow, and it’s hard to be patient; but I don’t want to ruin things! Today I didn’t go ride a WattBike®. Such pedaling tends to make the inside of my left knee hurt; so maybe it’s better that I don’t do it daily. I suspect that part of the problem is, I have to use clip-in pedals like platform pedals. I hope I can get in a pedaling session tomorrow. But when it comes to meal prep, I sure miss being able to use a pepper mill!  

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soggy rodent

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Soggy Rodent? I think we had a soggy rodent this morning. After all, it’s Groundhog Day; and our weather isn’t conducive to shadow-viewing. We had fog in the morning; with a  humidity level of 100%! Hence my opinion about a soggy rodent. The sky has remained overcast; and there’s a 50% chance of rain. There’s an even higher chance of rain overnight; with patchy fog. It’s going to get cooler again; so it looks like our groundhog’s forecast missed fire. All the same, I wish I could go out for a real ride. My hand is getting better; but I still can’t use it for gripping activities. Thus no holding on to handlebars, much less pulling hand brakes. For the same reason, real cooking is still beyond me. I’d love to have brown rice with refried beans; but if I don’t have any pull-top cans of refried beans, that’s out for the time being. Of course I could go to a Mexican restaurant; but I’ve made enough splurges for the time being. This gloomy weather makes me want to do nothing; and I’m sitting around far too much. My brain doesn’t have much energy, either. As I write this, it’s 57 degrees; and still misty. But maybe getting myself out there for a good walk is just what I need. Here’s my question: does fog block UV rays?

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