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Going Teutonic

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Going Teutonic I’m going Teutonic again! Cooking up Kooky Kookaburra; and listening to the Kookaburra song, immediately had me making up a parody. My brain refused to let it go at that. The leaven soon went to work, as the old saying goes, trying to create a version in German! It’s taken more than two weeks, but I think I’ve got it: Kookaburra wohnt in der alten Eiche, Jagt die kleine Fische in dem tiefen Teiche; Singt! Kookaburra; Singt! Kookaburra; Singet schön für mich! I hope I’m not unwittingly pirating somebody else’s version. In English, it means: Kookburra lives in the old oak tree, [And] hunts the little fish in the deep pond; Sing! Kookaburra; Sing! Kookaburra; Sing beautifully for me! To be honest, I suppose most people would not find this bird’s call “beautiful”. I’m sure Wagner would have had no use for that voice. It sounds to me more like monkeys than a bird. I’m afraid I must cut this post short. Going Teutonic sometimes short-circuits my brain.

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Weighty Matters Never Cease

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Weighty matters never cease, do they? Many of us, cyclist or not,  are constantly concerned about the numbers we see on that scale. Racing cyclists in training have to keep an eye on making weight. Today I rode over to the salvage store, dragging the trailer along. On the way to the store, I had a headwind of 8-9 mph, making the going feel pretty tough. I got to thinking about how much that trailer weighs. After I was back home, I did the weigh-with-it/weigh-without-it test. That trailer is a 20-pounder! No wonder I feel so slow when I\’m pulling it, on top of pedaling a bike that probably weighs 35 pounds or so. Payoff came on the way back home from the store when, for a change, I had a TAILwind. Clouds were starting to build up, and the sun was dodging in and out; but rain seems to be a way off yet. Curiosity can get the better of me when I\’m in the salvage store. I found a liquid seasoning called Maggi Jugo®; a 3.38 oz bottle for 66¢. I got some to try. The grab-bag bins let me get plenty (read: too many!) candy bars and other snacks. I found colby cheese, a one-pound block for $2.56. Carrots, 50¢ a pound! I got cheap hot dogs to use in tikka masala; and bologna to use in sandwiches. Which reminds me, I have to go wash some dishes. I also must cook brown rice, then wash the pot so I can make the hot dog tikka masala. If weighty matters never cease, neither does kitchen duty!  

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Early Hours

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Early hours don\’t always work. Especially when you got to bed an hour late the night before! This morning again, I fell back asleep. It was already 6:00 when I finally woke up. Too late to go out on the road bike? No, and yes. No, because I could have gone riding and still have been back home in time to clock in for work. Yes, because I wanted to take advantage of the 7:00 am to 8:00 am Senior Hour at Whole Foods. They have it Wednesdays and Fridays. I\’m old enough to qualify for that, or at any rate I think I am. Nobody has asked to see an ID so far. There were a few things I wanted that I don\’t remember seeing at other stores; and the plan for tomorrow morning is a salvage store run. By the time I\’m home from that, it will be at least 10:00, and getting beastly hot. The heat index is forecast to climb as high as 106! So this morning I got my fragrance-free shampoo. I bought some almonds from the bulk bins; two tubes of Nuun tablets; a couple of Clif Bars; and bananas. I could put everything but the bananas in my bike trunk. I brought along a pannier especially for those bananas. Here\’s why. One time I let some bananas ride home from the store in the bike trunk. The poor fruits got badly bruised, thanks to some rough riding over the rough streets around here. I\’m not going to transport \”nanners\” that way again if I can avoid it! That\’s one errand out of the way, before the weekend properly began. Whole Foods\’ early hours gave me a head start.

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Slovenia

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Slovenia Coastal Slovenia, with its Mediterranean climate, is suitable for cycling year-round. Summers are dry; Winters are mild and wet. Elsewhere, Slovenia has varied topography and climate zones. Away from the coast, you’ll find continental or alpine climates. Whatever the climate region, you can choose from among many types of tours: uphill or downhill; flat or hilly; long or short. Spacalova Pot sounds like a nice warm-up; not quite 7.5 miles. There’s a little climbing involved, but the course profile looks like it isn’t very steep. Beautiful Istria? The adjective would attract most anybody; but get your climbing legs ready. This one-day, 72-mile tour means almost 4000 feet of climbs; and one look at the course profile tells me that the grades are far from gentle.     MTB enthusiasts might enjoy the Sorgenti del Rio Bianco. This 24.25 mile hilly course tops out at nearly 3000 feet. It sounds like this one is a bit off the beaten path. Great for nature lovers! As usual, be prepared for the weather. Remember those wet winters! Take rain gear with you. An average winter climate that’s at the freezing point is more than “cool” to me; it’s — well — freezing! Be sure to pack cold-weather gear, too. Slovenia sounds like a beautiful place to go for a cycling tour. Although a small country, it has very diverse topography: mountains; flatlands; and coast. There’s sure to be a cycling tour to suit everyone! 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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Kosovo

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Kosovo Kosovo sounds, to me, like an exotic place; perhaps because I barely know the country’s name. And after reading this, I’m not sure I could withstand a bicycle tour there. A number of routes are rated “expert”. These require very good fitness; and quite a lot of climbing is involved. Luckily there are some routes that are less demanding. This Gjakova-Prizren ride looks fairly flat. Or browse this list to find a tour suited to your ambitions and abilities. There are many cycling routes available; so there’s likely to be one that’s right for you. Let me see. The Rugova Valley route, among the hilly ones, includes about 3428 feet of climbing. That means means some rather thin air at the top; thin for someone accustomed to sea level, at least. I’d want a hypoxic mask if I were to train for that! Although I didn’t find a note as to grade, the route profile that is provided makes it look quite steep. I’m not sure that even a triple crankset would let me make those grades. I’d be sure to flunk, big time. I think I’ll pass on that; and focus on the flat routes. Gazivod, maybe. Its 63 km means only a bit over 39 miles; a distance that I know I can manage. As always for group rides, I’m concerned about the pace. Would I be able to go fast enough for long enough to hang with the others? Let’s talk a bit about the weather you might expect to encounter. First, the temperatures. July in particular can bring high heat. Be sure to keep properly hydrated; and remember that you aren’t racing up Mont Ventoux! Kosovo gets some 270 days of sunshine per year. Even so, pack some rain gear; you never know. From café culture to gorgeous mountains, this small country has plenty to see and do. 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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A Matter of Degree?

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A matter of degree? Sure! Neowise sounds like a newly-minted PhD. I have to remind myself that it\’s a comet. As soon as I read about this comet, I hoped I would be able to see it. Alas, my efforts bore no fruit. The first day I tried was Wednesday, July 15. My alarm clock didn\’t sound, and it was already past 5:30 when I got up. There was far too much daylight to make comet-gazing possible. The next morning I tried again. Unfortunately I didn\’t remember exactly where in the sky to look for the comet. What looking I could do between force intervals had me eyeing the wrong part of the sky. Friday, I thought I remembered reading something about looking close to Venus just before daylight. Still no luck. I checked online again. It said to look near the Big Dipper just past sunset. I tried it; again no success. Saturday at noon, the forecast for the evening said it would be mostly clear. Even so, I decided to skip the comet-chasing. My legs were tired, and I had a long ride planned for Sunday. The forecast for that Sunday night was a stormy one; but then I read online that Neowise will be visible until mid-August. That gave me some hope. Perhaps I\’ll get to see the comet, after all? Sunday, July 19 it was cloudy much of the day. Monday night I decided it would be wise to skip it; I had oral surgery scheduled for the next morning. \”Wise\”, eh? Remember that PhD. It\’s a matter of degree.

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Helmet Head

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Helmet Head Helmet head isn’t only about a bad hair day. Other problems can crop up as well. For instance, an itchy head. That’s been bothering me a lot lately. I’ve no doubt that the cause is a sweaty head. Many a day the temperature at 5 am is already in the low 80s. Even a well-ventilated helmet doesn’t keep my head from becoming hot and sweaty. I wear the thing, though; better a sweaty head than a concussion or a skull fracture! One night last week, before getting in the shower, I mixed up a rinse: 2 tablespoons of organic apple cider vinegar in a pint of warm water. I put the lid on the jar so the solution wouldn’t get diluted, and took it into the shower with me. After shampooing and rinsing my hair, I poured the vinegar solution over my head; rubbed it in a little; and rinsed it out. It seemed to help relieve the itchiness a bit, so maybe I should do it more often. Not that I truly enjoy it; vinegar doesn’t smell so good. In cold weather, use of a helmet liner keeps my hair smoother; but that, of course, is not my real reason for wearing one. My head is very sensitive to cold. If I didn’t have that helmet liner, rides on cold days would be absolutely miserable. Helmet head isn’t a big deal to me. My helmet-crumpled hair brushes out easily. I’m lucky in that respect; my hair is fine and soft. If it were thick, I might have more trouble. I also wonder whether avoidance of helmet head is why so many pro cyclists have such short hair!

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In a Hurry

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In a hurry is pretty much the story of my life. I started trying to run as soon as I had found my own feet; or so my mother always told me. On the days when I want to ride easy, it\’s very hard for me to pedal slowly. I might be in an easy gear; but my legs are still cranking away at over 80 rpm. Even my inventions in the world of food can be in a hurry. Yesterday I created Gallopin\’ Garbanzos! Not that this is exactly a \”fast\” dish; all the elements need to be prepared. Brown rice needs 30-45 minutes to cook. Pre-soaked and frozen garbanzos, I found, took only 20-30 minutes to cook \”al dente\” once the pot had come to a boil. I had to grate carrot and cheese; and chop onion and bell pepper. I don\’t dare try to do that chopping in a hurry; I\’m liable to end up with chopped fingers if I do! Today, for a change, I\’m not hurrying. I was worn out and slept late; and it\’s rainy, too. When I\’m on tenterhooks about the weather for days, it\’s actually a relief when bad weather comes! There won\’t be much of a weather window today when I could ride; but maybe after a while I\’ll don the poncho and ride the hybrid to the grocery store. When I went there during lunch break last Friday, I was in too much of a hurry to look for everything that I wanted.

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Like the Tortoise

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I\’m like the tortoise. I got a slow start yesterday morning. It was already 5:45 when I got up! Gee, what a slacker I am! I decided to skip the ride, and do other things. I was a bit nervous about the weather. There was a tropical storm out in the Gulf (it\’s now a hurricane), and the forecast was for possible T-storms and heavy rain. It was another day of work-from-home. By lunchtime, I was getting restless. I wanted a few things for some cooking projects, so I rode the hybrid to the grocery store less than a mile away. Wouldn\’t you know, that is when it rained quite hard. When clock-out finally came at 4:30 pm, I plunged into cooking. Thinking about my hot dog concoctions got my mind onto trying something similar, but using cauliflower. After all, I had the cauliflower in the fridge, and it needed to be used up. Chopping cauliflower, I must admit, is a messy job. The vegetable crumbles all over the place! I used a 28 oz can of tomatoes; I had to chop the tomatoes, too. Earlier in the day I had chopped the onion and celery; now I chopped some yellow bell pepper, and minced three cloves of garlic. Once I tried to stir it all up in a pot, I saw that there wasn\’t enough liquid. I added a 15 oz can of tomato sauce to the mix; plus some white pepper, dry chimichurri, and salt. The name of my new invention: Chimiflower! When the chimiflower was finished cooking, I went out for a short ride on the road bike. I\’m glad I did. I didn\’t know what the weather might be doing today; and besides, I\’m still like the tortoise. I got off to a slow start again!  

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AM I?

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Am I? Or am I not? A narcissist, that is. Narcissism is a hot topic these days. Only yesterday I read something about it in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic; and it made me wonder. The article said something about hoarding goods such as toilet paper and food; and refusing to obey wear-a-mask mandates. Supposedly these behaviors are \”narcissistic\”. OK, let\’s get at it. When I first began to hear about the virus having cropped up in the USA; and reports of that notorious toilet paper \”flying off the shelves\”, I decided I\’d better lay in a supply. Further speculation that we might have to remain indoors for months prompted me to buy more toilet paper whenever I could; and Ivory Soap®, too. You know: Just In Case. Does that mean I\’m narcissistic, or merely a sensible person who looks ahead? And food! I\’ve built up quite a supply of canned goods, thanks to my trips to the salvage store. Am I a narcissist because I don\’t go running around giving it to people? I don\’t think so. If a hurricane threatens, I don\’t want to have to make a frantic trip to the store, hoping there will be SOMEthing left on the shelves. Incidentally, there\’s a tropical depression out there in the Gulf of Mexico right now. We might get some rough weather, or even tropical storm conditions; although coastal Texas looks like it will take the main brunt of it. And masks! I wear one when I go into a store; or have to see a doctor; need to use public transit; or am going about on foot. On the bicycle it\’s different. A mask is too smothery during strenuous exercise! Does such thinking mean I\’m a narcissist? Am I narcissistic because I continue to ride at all? I don\’t know. I\’m just glad it\’s Friday.      

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