Thread Drift

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Well here it is almost midnight and I just checked in TE and fiind all these sweet birthday wishes....thank you all, so nice of you!

This morning I was taken to a lovely breakfast in town by my wonderful DH.
Then I worked my 2 hour shift at the food pantry (didn't want to make them have to reschedule). DH gave me a beautiful little porcelain rice bowl from Japan, with brown meditative spiral designs...very tranquil, a lovely shape and small size... I can use it for my steamed greens, rice, tea, whatever. I had bought the exact same bowl for my girlfriend's birthday 2 weeks ago and had confided to DH that I wish I had gotten one for myself too, but had resisted. So he knew i loved it it and he got another identical one, on the sly, for me.

It was a GORGEOUS day- so rare this Spring! So when I got home from the pantry i gardened- hoed and planted several new rows of Japanese onions, radicchio, lettuces, more radish.
Then one of our friends who owns a pastry shop in town came by the house and brought me a totally unexpected birthday cake! Chocolate mousse, and LOOK how incredibly beautifuL!

Then I found my little native solitary bees were hatching and mating on my kitchen porch, so I took some photos HERE of them mating : I even got a 'money shot'. lol!

Picked fresh spinach from the garden and grated last winter's stored carrots and had goat chevre for a great dinner salad- helped offset the huge serving of choc.mousse cake.

All in all, a great birthday!
Thanks again you guys.

Oak- I'm very sorry about your friend Larry.

[Kitsune06]

'nuther day @ clinicals today. Went well. I'm happy. Got home and the cats insisted I take a nap with them. I couldn't disappoint, so we all piled onto the bed.

Finally got my front fender all situated. Putting full coverage fenders on suspension forks is a little more difficult than it ought to be. Wanted to go for a ride today but having not slept so great last night, I didn't really have it in me to go out. Maybe tomorrow?

Nice pics, Lisa!

[Xrayted]

Oh gawd I'm tired. I went in pretty early yesterday at work, we got killed, and then I was on-call last night. So of course, we had a late night surgery that they needed me for. I got out of there at 2:45am. That was one lonnnnnng day. 16hrs total. I'm actually sore today. All over. I feel like I got beat up a bit around the edges.

Oh, please call me soon and tell me you got the hiring freeze lifted for my job. I need a break from the carnage.

It's Friday!!! And I'm not on-call or doing OT today. The cats have been taking turns nesting in my lap all morning as I sit at the desk clicking away. I wish one of them would start making bread on my thighs though. They could use a nice gentle massage.

[spokewench]

So, Sorry ((Oak)) - It is hard to lose a friend.

Wow, What a birthday cake! I've been on a diet lately and I'm dying for more food about now. Stop showing all that nummy stuff!

[Kitsune06]

X makes me feel like a wimp. I did my 8 as a student today and I feel sore, but probably because I'm new and green. Took a nap with the kitties, then biked to the bank and to the store for therapeutic beer and cider. Tonight calls for a pint of Pyramid Haywire and beef 'n bean burritos. mmmmmmmm

[Pax]

I was awake from midnight to 3am last night, I worked all day on minimal sleep, came home and put a new tube in my front tire, mowed the grass, let a friends doggy out for a game of catch, cleaned up said doggies pile of barf, made dinner, then settled in for some wine. All in all a great day!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I hope you guys all catch up on your sleep! Sleep deprivation is so yucky.

I had breakfast early today on my way through town, then on to the supermarket run. Did some laundry with towels and throw rugs, mopped here and there, then finished a patent job of some remote control unit drawings.
I made a big spinach salad from the garden for dinner, then i did some online stuff and lastly practiced a Callabrian tarantella on my tagelharpa. A nice Friday.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Oh, and...

One of the nice things about getting older is figuring out it's perfectly ok to say 'no' to a friend, in a nice way of course.
This morning a good friend of mine asked if she could borrow one of my two bikes for a day or two to ride it around town and decide if she wanted to get a bike. She hasn't ridden since she was in college a couple decades ago.

I'm usually ok with lending things...clothes, books, tools, CDs, money, even my car....but not my musical instruments, and not my bikes. They are the best things i own, or will ever own, and i take super care to keep them protected from damage. My custom Luna is especially irreplaceable.
No sooner had her request left her mouth when I gently said "No, I'm sorry, i can't." She looked slightly taken aback. She'll live.

It wouldn't have worked anyway- she would have found my bikes too tall, she wouldn't have had the faintest clue how to work the brifters, and there are hills here that require shifting no matter where you go. Scary for her, highly risky for my bike. Whenever my friend gets in a fender bender (which is at least once a year), she says with a toss of her hand "Well it's just a car!". To me, my car is also 'just a car'. But my bikes are not 'just a bike' to me.

But i had the perfect suggestion!- I just told her she should go to the local sports/bike shop and ask them to put her on some bikes to ride around the road there -for free- they would be all too happy to let her try a bunch and adjust seats for her, show her how to shift on a hybrid, falling all over themselves to help her out!

I know you women here on TD would understand.
When I was 25 or 30 this request would have caused a big internal battle for me. Now ...not so much. lol!

[Pax]

...

I know you women here on TD would understand.
When I was 25 or 30 this request would have caused a big internal battle for me. Now ...not so much. lol!

Absolutely. And agreed about the internal struggle, it gets easier and easier to speak our minds as we age, I'm digging it.

[Crankin]

I never would let anyone ride my bikes, except maybe another friend who is a cyclist. But, why would someone like that want to ride my bike?
Being older is freeing, isn't it?

[kelownagirl]

BSG - I wouldn't lend anyone my bike either.

I'm doing another long ride tomorrow and it looks like it's gonna be windy. Again. That means it'll take me an extra 45 minutes to ride the course. Boo.

[Pax]

Switched out my front tube and adjusted my hub yesterday, then we took off on a leisurely pedal to the coffee shop and sat outside to enjoy the sunshine. Followed up with dinner with friends last night... good day!

[Kitsune06]

We pedaled to breakfast yesterday in the sunshine... I have to go in to school for positioning practice before the midterm, and I'm debating whether or not I want to ride in. I have the route planned but I'm not 100% sure I'm ready for some of those hills.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

If it helps any, I will say that I'm never 100% sure I'm ready for hills.
Probably best to just go for it.

Pax- that sounds like a lovely day!!

[Pax]

I can't really wrap my head around this whole "hill" thing you all speak of, are they like highway overpasses???