Just a Few of the Things I Have Learned the Hard Way

This list grows daily... so far some of the best things I have learned so far are:

Any time the removal of a hot pie from the oven is attempted one-handed, the pie WILL end up face down, in the bottom of the oven.

Never try and spray paint primer on a garage door when it is windy outside.

Never try and spray paint primer on a garage door when it is windy outside and you don’t have a face mask on.

If, having tried to spray paint primer on a garage door when it is windy outside, while not wearing a face mask, don’t be surprised to find out that you will blow primer coloured snot into your tissue. (YUK)

Never try to disassemble an aluminum garden-shed while wearing flip-flops.

If you happen to try to disassemble an aluminum garden-shed while wearing flip-flops, the band-aids are ALWAYS upstairs.

Toes bleed WAY more than you think they will.

Watching Mike Holmes on Homes can lead to all sorts of mischief in the home.

Never assume that the house keys are in the car.

If having NOT verified the location of the house keys before driving off to play with your dog, borrowing a ladder to break into your own home at 7 in the morning can be problematic.

With love across the waters,

Step *ouch* Step *ouch* Step *ouch*

Ok... so maybe in my falling with my bike this afternoon, I did more damage than I thought... left foot is unpleasantly sore... 

I spent about an hour at the Relay for Life tonight and Step *ouch* Step *ouch* Step *ouch* was how I was making my way around the track tonight.

Hm.

I wonder how it will feel tomorrow...?

With love across the waters,

The Kid in Me

After a really lazy start to my day (I stayed in my robe and read on the sofa until almost noon) I decided that another bike ride was in order.  Knowing that my bike was about due for a quick “tune up” (which consisted of mysterious things being done to the brakes and, I think, the tires) I called Black’s Cycle and asked what the protocol for this tune up would be.

I *love* these guys!

I was told that the tune up would take about ten minutes and that I could bring it in any time.  When I asked how today was looking I was told today would be a great day for bringing the bike in because they were a little slow on the builds and repairs.

This in mind, I decided to have the bike tuned before I hit the trails.  I loaded Jasmine into the car and then put the bike rack and bike onto the car.  THEN I went back into the house and got my credit card - not needed for the tune up, but I figured that just in case I saw something I needed (like a pair of riding gloves or maybe a knap-sack with a bladder insert?) I could purchase it and take it out right away.

So, finished at Black’s (with my new gloves AND knap sack with bladder insert in hand) I headed back up to Seal Bay Park.  Just as I hit the turn off to Larch Road – where I typically park the car – the skies started to open and rain started to pour down.

Oh well!  If I relapse, I relapse, right?

Today’s ride was loads of fun – the rain had loaded the branches down and the puddles up.  Initially I started with trying to dodge these things, and then I decided that it was WAY more fun to just blast through it all. I rode the same route I did yesterday and this time I decided that I would try to ride directly over the gimungoous root. My plan was to speed up.  While in theory this may have worked for someone with more experience and better control, it just made my wipe-out more entertaining.

Yup – 41 years old, and have now, officially, had my very first bike accident.

I’m just glad that there wasn’t anyone around to see how spectacularly uncoordinated I really am.  I had to do some strange wiggling around in order to get into a position that would actually allow me to get up off of the ground (Ok, actually it was mud) and into a standing position, but nothing was really hurt.  I have a couple of places that will be sporting some lovely bruising in a few more hours, but all in all, it was a successful ride.

By the time I was finished, Jasmine and I were totally soaking wet.  I have also, now, at 41 years old, decided that there actually IS an acceptable situation in which track pants can be stripped off in a public location.  I loaded Jasmine into the car and decided that if I got into the car as I was, my seat would get soaked AND dirty. Thank God for the bike-shorts under my track pants, because I stripped those babies (the track pants, not the bike shorts) off and got into my car as was!

Home, showered, dried off, and hot cup of coffee now in me, I am thinking that I may need to get a cape.  There’s something about riding my bicycle that makes me think I should be wearing a cape. Probably the fact that it makes me feel like a little kid.  Plus, really, it would just be cool to actually have a cape. 

Maybe I’ll see if my friend Linden can sew me one.

With love across the waters,

Getting Better… slowly

I started my vacation on June 5^th, got sick on June 13^th, back to work on June 20^th today is now June 23^rd.  I’m still fighting off the remnants of the cold – mostly the cough and shortness of breath – but for the most part I’m closer to feeling like normal again.

I am still tired way too quickly.  Life doesn’t really allow for the tiredness though.  There is still a high-energy dog to walk (twice) daily, as well as all of the regular stuff that needs doing – laundry, housekeeping duties and work, to mention a few.

Today, though still coughing fairly heavily, I took Jasmine for a longer walk than I have been able to manage for the last couple of weeks. It was really nothing special – only about 5 KM, and most definitely at a slower pace. I was feeling fairly OK afterwards - yes, there was loads of coughing (no deer in sight – I imagine I scared them all away!) but needing to get Jasmine out for her second walk of the day, I decided that, darn-it-all; I really wanted to ride my bike again.

It was awesome.  Yes, I was STILL coughing almost constantly, but it was still wonderful to be able to get on a bicycle and just R I D E. 

I took her up to Seal Bay Park and rode along the mountain bike trails – this was my first time trying to ride here – and it was great fun!  I am starting to see how people become addicted to mountain bike riding on trails.

We did the 7+ KM loop that I had been walking before deer nesting season closed the trails to off-leash dogs.  I opted to actually ride in the opposite direction I normally walk it in so that I could avoid having to try to ride up a rooty-rocky-twisty-bendy-uphill trail.  Instead, I got to ride DOWN it and OH MY GOODNESS it was so much fun!

We had some rain today – and I do mean RAIN – a couple of brilliant summer down-pours – and so there were even puddles on the trails – which I blasted through and ended up wearing a lot of mud from.

Home and changed into clean and dry clothing, I am really hopeful this cough will be gone soon! I am thinking that, while the daylight hours allow, I will try for a long walk and a bike ride as many days as is going to be possible.  All of it can be up at Seal Bay Park, as far as I’m concerned – it’s gorgeous up there!

With love across the waters,