Saturday, October 19, 2013

Not a Need for Speed ...

... more a need to up the oxygen circulating in my bloodstream!

My "senior's" bike - Trek Pure LowStep.
Figured I'd better take advantage of what I'm paying for.
My city bill has gone from $30-ish when I moved here in 2004, to $50ish
when they added the irrigation system,
to close to $100 now we're paying for covering the canal.
(There's a bond coming on the next election for replacing the police and fire station,
which hopefully doesn't mean I need them for any reason to offset my next city $ jump!)
The day I brought it home (looks green in the glaring sunlight, but it's really "ice blue").
Today it looks darker than it is,
I guess because it's parked in the shade on the new covered canal trailway.
This is the real color.

New trailway building where the canal crosses 1100 N.
Restrooms, a fountain, and a couple of tables on the far south side.
Looking back towards A.F., same spot, I guess that big cylinder provides interest
to kids on boards - there were a few kids there just as I pulled up,
but they were trying to board involving other objects.
 The view towards A.F. opposite where I parked my bike in the shade picture.
There are covered tables here and there.
Next door to where the Lethbridges live in our Mohican ward,
where the canal crossed that road,
there is a kiosk with vending machines.




Friday, October 11, 2013

A Little Domesticity ...

... never hurt anyone.  Much.

My work crazy time is almost over.  And having a day to "myself" was long overdue. Both for my mental health and the health of my home!  And since I get to have more than one (day off), all the better!

Scheduled my 30,000 mile service for today and for the bug man to come.  I never did anything about spiders over the years I've lived here up until my favorite daughter-in-law came for a long visit and I figured she's likely cross paths with one or more including viewing the bodies collecting on the cubbyhole sticky papers.  Have him come in the spring and the fall and though I rarely ever saw any (before), I certain do now!  I think they "know".  Somehow.  Like maybe they were content to lay low before and now they "know" he's likely coming, they're emboldened!

Yesterday I slept in.  Since I haven't turned on the heat yet, I love a random morning I can stay all cozy in my warm bed.  I'm in a kinda contest with a few Facebook neighbors.  The one who started it cheats.  :)  I don't blame her though - she has a baby.  Interesting how we keep those babies all bundled up but the older ones run around on the blue side of skin tinge.  The lowest it's hit is 58 (in the house).  Most mornings it's jump in the tub, then out the door to work, while the sun does it's job.  Tops it gets up to 65. Daddy could easily afford gas radiant heat; me not so much.  Longest I've ever made it in this house is October 22nd, not that I "suffered" that year.  It was just a warm fall.  This year has been a challenge. I spent Conference weekend in the basement where it was warmer.  That was a pleasant discovery!  (My dugout ancestors would be ashamed of my surprise. I have greater empathy for them, during this do without period.  Recently I noted a comment by Chris Fugal, who lived on the corner, and in his old age said, “I have seen many snows and smoke go up the chimneys.” Looking at the weather forecast, making it to 65 will be few and far between.  I'm going to make it to Saturday, then we'll see.  October 11th is my second best, so yeah for the 12th!  And a big Happy Birthday to Hazel, who turns seven tomorrow!

So anyway, in honor of the bug man cometh, I vacuumed all those nooks and crannies yesterday so the spray can lie there undisturbed while it does it's dirty work.  Then I made a peach pie.  (Oven set at 450 does wonders for the chill in the air!)



One of our produce vendors dropped some extras by the office and I'm not alone in the pie-making world this weekend.  (We compared recipes IMing.)  These peaches are from Caldwell, Idaho and the biggest I've ever seen!  Yummy too.  Still have carrots, Big Beefies and orange cherry tomatoes in my garden.  Had to cover them one night, next one coming up will be Tuesday.  Another week and it'll all hit the curb in the garbage can.  Betting it takes several loads though for all those vines.  Already loaded it up once with vines that only had solid green cherry tomatoes (and lots of blossoms!).




The cherry tomatoes have been fun.  Took plates of them all around the district, which resulted in frequent visits to the large bowl on my counter.  Parents enjoyed them too.  Our clerk who works next door at Provo High would stop almost daily for her handful.  The Assistant Superintendent stopped by to see my boss one day and said he grew orange cherry tomatoes as well and his could not be beat.  So after he ate a couple I asked if mine were in the ballpark.  He reluctantly said "almost."  He's also been a regular since.

I do need to clarify before I slip out of bloggerland.  I CAN afford the too expensive boiler heating method....  I just would rather do other things with my money.  Like buy myself a new bike.  Maybe.  Now's when the good sales are, and I need one that doesn't have a bar for me to trip over which I guarantee you would put me on the ground on a regular basis.  Nor can I deal with the leaning over factor which promptly puts my hands to sleep. I'm eyeballing this Trek Low Step and hoping they'll take my old Trek in on a trade:
Not that I'll use it much in the next few months, but I'm looking forward to continued usage of my recumbent exercise bike, until the spring invites me out to play.

Also looking forward to my next several days off, spending Thanksgiving with Scarboroughs!  They've been doing some remodeling and I look forward to seeing the fruits of their labors.






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