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Away We Go
Apr. 18th, 2020 10:06 am I have been threatening for a long time now to acquire and learn to ride a bicycle. So yesterday, with Fox's input on bike choice and his blessing, I did precisely that. Well, I bought the bike but haven't quite got the knack of riding yet.
I know being an adult who doesn't know how to ride puts me in a pretty small minority, and though it's a non-essential skill it's still something that's always kind of bugged me. So when I started thinking it might be cool do complete a triathalon - a sprint distance obviously, since I'm not exactly ready to head to Kona - I decided I was going to at some point learn to ride a bike, even if it killed me. Which is a possibility.
I spent a lot of time yesterday out here on our road trying to learn. This section's made of sand and asphalt millings, so it's "smoothly bumpy," and while not as smooth as a paved lot, it's also not as rutted out, bumpy, and treacherous as the all-sand sections. So I started out just pushing myself with my feet, then got the hang of gliding with my feet up. I now mostly remember to use the brake instead of my feet and only fell once. However, I was also using a lot of muscles in new ways and those body parts finally started to complain very loudly about this mistreatment. Eventually soreness and fatigue won out and I packed it in for the night. I really wanted to get up and try again this morning despite being stiff and achy when I got up because I felt like it had almost clicked! But it's a rainy day so no bike, no lawn mowing. Meh.
Fox says it took him close to a week to learn to ride well, and that he thinks I'm doing good. He's been really encouraging, which I appreciate. And he also learned on the brick-paved street where he lived, so he's familiar with the difficulties of an uneven surface.
There obviously hasn't been anything else going on this week. All the rain has made some of my wildflowers start blooming, I got another seed tray started after swamping the last one, and for whatever reason there have been a lot of snakes. Last week we started seeing a young Pygmy Rattler hanging around the front deck, then yesterday I spotted a Florida Cottonmouth on the road near here. We're starting to spread some repellent around where we walk. I don't mind snakes, but with the venomous kinds it's a little different. I'd prefer they go do their snake business elsewhere.
My basil plants are getting large enough for me to make basil lime noodles, and there's a Thai basil that came up in the compost. I can't remember if I tried to plant one last year or if this is just a volunteer. I might have bought a sack of Thai basil at the Asian grocery and a flower spike developed into a plant. Speaking of which, Jax Oriental Market took over the gyro shop and liquor store next to it, and has really spread out. The aisles are nice and wide, and there's a big food service/restaurant supply area on one side, and a much bigger produce section. I was able to find the Golden Spoon Brand of udon Fox and I like, as well as stocking up on some things that are weirdly lacking in Middleburg. (Soy sauce? How the heck am I supposed to get through an apocalypse without soy sauce?) I bought a big bag of baby bok choy, which in the past I've been able to very reliably re-grow from the root ends, so we'll eat on those several times. They had white birch mushrooms, garlic chives that I use in place of ramps, and pure red miso. The miso I bought online recently when it arrived turned out to awase, which is a blend of red and white. The pure red miso is a stronger flavor and good for stews and braises. There's a nabe I like with tofu that I'll be making with this stuff. It also normally has ground pork in it, but I find it's excellent with beluga lentils.
I know being an adult who doesn't know how to ride puts me in a pretty small minority, and though it's a non-essential skill it's still something that's always kind of bugged me. So when I started thinking it might be cool do complete a triathalon - a sprint distance obviously, since I'm not exactly ready to head to Kona - I decided I was going to at some point learn to ride a bike, even if it killed me. Which is a possibility.
I spent a lot of time yesterday out here on our road trying to learn. This section's made of sand and asphalt millings, so it's "smoothly bumpy," and while not as smooth as a paved lot, it's also not as rutted out, bumpy, and treacherous as the all-sand sections. So I started out just pushing myself with my feet, then got the hang of gliding with my feet up. I now mostly remember to use the brake instead of my feet and only fell once. However, I was also using a lot of muscles in new ways and those body parts finally started to complain very loudly about this mistreatment. Eventually soreness and fatigue won out and I packed it in for the night. I really wanted to get up and try again this morning despite being stiff and achy when I got up because I felt like it had almost clicked! But it's a rainy day so no bike, no lawn mowing. Meh.
Fox says it took him close to a week to learn to ride well, and that he thinks I'm doing good. He's been really encouraging, which I appreciate. And he also learned on the brick-paved street where he lived, so he's familiar with the difficulties of an uneven surface.
There obviously hasn't been anything else going on this week. All the rain has made some of my wildflowers start blooming, I got another seed tray started after swamping the last one, and for whatever reason there have been a lot of snakes. Last week we started seeing a young Pygmy Rattler hanging around the front deck, then yesterday I spotted a Florida Cottonmouth on the road near here. We're starting to spread some repellent around where we walk. I don't mind snakes, but with the venomous kinds it's a little different. I'd prefer they go do their snake business elsewhere.
My basil plants are getting large enough for me to make basil lime noodles, and there's a Thai basil that came up in the compost. I can't remember if I tried to plant one last year or if this is just a volunteer. I might have bought a sack of Thai basil at the Asian grocery and a flower spike developed into a plant. Speaking of which, Jax Oriental Market took over the gyro shop and liquor store next to it, and has really spread out. The aisles are nice and wide, and there's a big food service/restaurant supply area on one side, and a much bigger produce section. I was able to find the Golden Spoon Brand of udon Fox and I like, as well as stocking up on some things that are weirdly lacking in Middleburg. (Soy sauce? How the heck am I supposed to get through an apocalypse without soy sauce?) I bought a big bag of baby bok choy, which in the past I've been able to very reliably re-grow from the root ends, so we'll eat on those several times. They had white birch mushrooms, garlic chives that I use in place of ramps, and pure red miso. The miso I bought online recently when it arrived turned out to awase, which is a blend of red and white. The pure red miso is a stronger flavor and good for stews and braises. There's a nabe I like with tofu that I'll be making with this stuff. It also normally has ground pork in it, but I find it's excellent with beluga lentils.
