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A New Cycle

I\’m beginning a new cycle in my kitchen. Over the last few weeks, I finally used up a lot of the stuff that had been cramming my freezer; and yesterday, I began more cooking projects. Here we go again! I kicked off the new cycle with Bald Eagle. I was much surprised when I sighted an eagle, and it was singing! My father would have loved that. After I packed away the Bald Eagle, I made a use-it-up type of dish. For quite some time I\’ve had two cans of yams (sweet potatoes) and a can of spinach hanging around; takes from the salvage store. I need to weed out my supply of canned goods, and the yam-mash got rid of three cans. The yams and spinach weren\’t the only things that needed using up. I had part of a cauliflower and part of a red onion that were getting old. Ergo here is the recipe: two 15 oz cans yams, drained and rinsed (an attempt to get rid of some of the sugar) 15 oz can chopped spinach, well drained 1 cup chopped cauliflower (1/2\” pieces) 1/2 cup chopped celery scant cup chopped red onion freshly grated nutmeg; freshly ground white pepper; and salt to taste. Put the yams, cauliflower, and celery in a 2 quart pot with water just to cover. Bring to a boil, and turn heat down to simmer. Cook for 5 minutes. Drain and mash. Stir in nutmeg, pepper, and salt. Add the spinach and onion. Makes ~4 3/4 cups. Per 1 cup serving: 168 calories; 39 grams carbs. Now, what can I make next? After I finish up the hummus, eat the half-avocado, etc.

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Not One Iota

\”Not one iota\” typically means, \”not the slightest\”. It\’s different when a storm of that name is heading your way. Under such circumstances nobody can afford to be indifferent. Tropical Storm Iota is expected to strengthen further before making landfall next Monday. Unfortunately it looks like it\’s aiming for Nicaragua and Honduras; as if they haven\’t had more than enough already! Today keeps feeling like Sunday. For this weekend, I decided to do my long ride on Saturday. but I didn\’t go out as far as I had planned. When I stopped to reapply sunblock, I checked my food supply; and it looked like I might not have enough. As it turned out, I probably did have sufficient fuel with me; but why risk bonking? The wind was a nuisance on the way home, as usual. An added aggravation was having to take a detour to get home, thanks to a train that was just sitting there. That detour means riding over very rough street surfaces! I decided to get Chinese take-out for lunch, and chose the General Tso\’s Chicken combination plate. I like the lunch combination plates because they aren\’t as big as the dinner combos. Even then, it\’s too much for one meal; but that\’s OK. In effect, I\’m getting lunch and supper for the price of one meal. Can\’t beat that, right? After lunch and dishwashing, I went to work on my latest Hoppin\’ John variation: Bald Eagle Black Field; or Bald Eagle for short. I was very surprised this morning when I heard something from a bald eagle that wasn\’t a screech. So now I\’m pretty tired. Maybe I\’ll be lazy and let laundry wait until tomorrow. After all, I\’m on vacation, so switching my schedule around won\’t matter — not one iota!

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Buzzwords

Buzzwords are all around us. Sometimes, I admit, they\’re as annoying as a mosquito buzzing around my ear. On the other hand, such lingo has its place. So, how about come cycling buzzwords? Athena? It\’s lucky my weight doesn\’t fall into that category, or I\’d be in a LOT of trouble. But even if it did, it wouldn\’t have to mean I couldn\’t ride. See also Clydesdale. Bibs aren\’t only for infants. These shorts with built-in suspenders have some advantages, such as no waist band digging into your middle when you\’re riding on the drops. Bonk? We don\’t want to go there, so we must keep ourselves fueled during long rides. Ride food alone can set anybody\’s head to whirling, thinking of RXBars, GU-Gel, and so on. One step at a time! Try one new food or drink per long ride; or better yet, test new foods when you\’re not riding. Hammer sounds like something from a carpenter\’s toolkit. If you love pedaling hard and fast in the hard gears, you\’re hammering. But don\’t use a hammer on your frame! LSD doesn\’t necessarily mean street drugs. Long Steady Distance riding helps develop aerobic endurance. Those are just a few of the terms that get tossed about by cyclists. I suppose a non-cyclist, or a newbie rider, would quickly feel punch-drunk when surrounded by all this lingo. Fear not, you\’ll catch on. After all, they were all newbies once!

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Heads Up

Just a heads up: I\’ll soon be at work on this web site again! Next week I\’ll be on vacation, the perfect time for such a task. My vacations always seem to turn into working vacations! The main thing will be restructuring the Slides. So if things look weird, or error messages crop up, that\’s probably why. Now I\’ve got to go do some off-bike exercises, then get to bed. Tomorrow is a work day!

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Perestroika?

\”Perestroika\” is a term I remember from the former Soviet Union under Gorbachev. Its meaning was given as \”new beginning\”. That\’s certainly me when I\’ve blown my diet big time the previous evening. Perestroika as in try, try again. I don\’t know what was going on, but last night I totally lost control. I devoured as much candy in a few hours as I had in the previous week; and maybe more. Possibly I was plain old hungry without realizing it. Could it have been stress? Yesterday morning I had to go downtown for a doctor\’s appointment; and after that, I had to go to work. That wore me out. On days when I don\’t work from home, I have much less time for preparing and eating breakfast. On top of that, I have to drag along lunch and snacks. I never seem to be sure exactly how much food I need to bring with me; and if what I bring isn\’t enough, I end up eating junk food. On the other hand, I don\’t want to bring too much, and end up throwing it away. We as cyclists also seem to be making new beginnings, over and over. If a big event is on the calendar, we work out a training plan: what aspect of my riding most needs improvement? Pace? Climbing? And we take it from there. When the calendar is chock-full of events, after one event is past, it\’s time to recover a while; and then begin working towards the next thing. I\’m glad that I don\’t have that kind of stress. My primary reason for cycling is the pleasure in movement. But when Tour de Cure is over? Start something new!

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Gloom & Doom

Doom & gloom seems to be all we hear about lately. It\’s no wonder some of us are freaking out big time. The latest outbreaks of COVID-19 are the first doom & gloom that will occur to most of us. Cases are increasing just about everywhere in the United States, and I\’d say that plenty of folks are very worried about that. Probably I should be more concerned than I am. Not that I go to restaurants, theaters, and the like; but I do still go to stores. I work on a college camps, and a considerable increase in COVID-19 cases among the students was just reported. For a long time I\’ve had the feeling of waiting for the other shoe to drop, and have been half-expecting another shut-down, similar to the one in March. Maybe this outbreak will be the tipping point. I\’m getting pessimistic about Tour de Cure. After months of working to improve my force, I\’ve been missing too much riding. Too often, I oversleep and either must cut my ride short; or even miss it entirely. All this food logging is a bit of a drag, and meal planning/prep does take time. Not to mention cleaning up afterwards. The fatigue factor means I\’m more likely to fall off the wagon during evenings, and turn to sweets. Hurricane season has been wild this year. It seems like it will never end, and that\’s another stressor. At present it seems that we in N.O. can stop worrying about Eta; but there\’s a new system in the Caribbean that might develop into something. I\’d better go clean up the kitchen, and set up the hybrid in the trainer. I\’ll get in at least a little pedaling. Tomorrow I work from home, so it won\’t hurt if I don\’t get back from riding until 7:00. All the same, I hope I don\’t oversleep again!

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Safecracking

Safecracking seems easy sometimes. I can\’t help thinking about it when I start to open a pull-top can; and the pull-ring breaks off before I\’ve even started pulling the top away from the can. It happed to me recently as I was preparing a meal. What to do? I was hungry! First, I tried using the can opener. It didn\’t very work well. A few sections of the can\’s lid did get opened, but it wasn\’t enough. I tried wiggling the handles of various utensils through those openings, using them as levers to pry up the lid. Still not much luck. I finally had to go to my tool box and fetch the pliers. Even with the pliers I wasn\’t able to completely separate the lid from the can. The Jaws of Life would have come in handy, or at least a crowbar. And all that work just to get some black beans to eat! No wonder safecracking seems so easy. Is that why the Pirates of Penzance considered switching to \”burglaree\”?

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Listen!

Listen! How often we\’ve heard that command! From our parents, when we were children; and from our schoolteachers. We also need to do it while cycling. Be alert to your surroundings. If you must use a busy street, don\’t daydream; and don\’t use a headset or earbuds. If your ride is more rural, it will be more fun if you can hear the birds singing. Listen to your body, too, they say. I think mine has been trying to tell me something, but I\’m not sure what. The carb-watching doesn\’t seem to be going quite right. I don\’t think I\’m eating quite enough, which could explain why I\’m so tired lately. The nutritionist said something about focusing more on eating complex carbs, and worrying less about how many grams of carbs I\’m getting. I like that idea. For supper last Friday I ate fat-free refried pinto beans with avocado; and it seemed the most satisfying thing I had eaten in days. I think my body is saying, Feed Me! During the last two weeks, I often fall back asleep after my alarm clock goes off. The result is a much shortened ride, or no ride at all. This happens even when I\’ve gone to bed before 10 pm the previous night! My body seems to be saying, Get More Sleep. That\’s much easier said than done. There are many other signals that our body sends. Among them are warnings that we\’re pushing too hard a gear, thus possibly risking knee injury; and the dreaded, vapory feeling that means Feed Me NOW, I\’m Bonking! There are times, no doubt, when we wish our bodies would shut up for a while. But we have to pay attention, or we might pay a high price.

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Granny!

Granny! If “granny” rides a bicycle, there’s a gear just for her! Granny, to be honest, sounds to me first and foremost like a cartoon character. I couldn’t help thinking of her this morning while I was out doing my weekly long ride. I had a strong headwind on the way back home, and had to keep shifting down into my “granny gear“. The wind was blowing at 15 mph, with gusts up to 23 mph. My overall pace was that of a snail; but I was trying not to worry about that. I concentrated on my spin instead. It took me over four hours’ roll time to complete 40.5 miles. I hope wind conditions are more favorable on November 23! I’ll be putting in 62 miles that day. It’s lucky, after all, that TdC as a group ride was sidelined by the COVID-19 pandemic. My pace won’t be nearly as big a concern. Right now I could use a grandma to cook for me. After a long ride I often don’t feel like cooking; and even less do I feel like cleaning up the kitchen afterwards! But what else can I do? I have to eat. After all, I burned 1201 calories during today’s ride. My pre-ride, ride, and post-ride food intake totaled 1474 calories. That left me with quite an empty tank! For lunch I had steamed cauliflower over buckwheat, with cheddar cheese and chopped scallion on top. I must remember that; it was pretty good. There’s half a large green avocado in the fridge: guacamole for supper. Incidentally, I wonder whether my grandmother ever used avocados!   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 I began this website primarily as a way to present the story of how I accomplished a century ride on an adult tricycle. Other riders of adult trikes might want to know whether it’s possible. It sure is! You can read all about it in My Story. I live in New Orleans; and  retired in January 2023. More time for cycling! Website designed by Cecile Levert © 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 ✍? Time Warp? February 14, 2025 Check Your Pockets February 13, 2025 Under-Trained February 12, 2025 Muscle Forgetfulness February 11, 2025 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Worth a Thousand Words

A picture is worth a thousand words, they say. The above image depicts the outcome of today’s trip to the salvage store. I’m glad I took the trailer, because this was one of those times when I see a lot of things that I use often. My “Get It While I Can” instinct could run wild. I stocked up on canned goods: tuna, chicken, refried black beans, and so on. I had hoped to find hummus, which is the main reason I used the trailer. Taking home hummus means hauling along the cooler, and that thing is a space hog. I found the hummus, and got two boxes of it. For the salvage store it was pricy, but hey! It’s hummus! I hope Eta doesn’t decide to pay us a visit, and knock out the power like Zeta did. That outage forced me to discard the hummus supply I had. Today the grab bag bins were well stocked with beef jerky-type snacks. I got the “chew” candy bar to try, and cut it into 8 pieces. I’m carb-watching, after all! Getting that load home wasn’t easy. I had a headwind, and one of the hybrid’s fenders is dragging against the tire; I heard it all the way. It probably made the going harder than it would have been otherwise, and that full trailer seems to increase the fender drag! Unfortunately I don’t have a pic of the fender problem. If I did, I could post it because, you know, a picture is worth a thousand words.

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