The half-bowl wash out.

As the trial enters woods again, Route 6 is to the left and houses on the right. At one point, right above a gas station, there is a huge half-bowl wash out that has been there ever since I first rode this trail. It takes up half the path. If a rider doesn’t know it’s there, or forgets, they likely will end up at the bottom…in pain. I can’t understand why this hasn’t ever been fixed!

The new bridge. Finally!

Finally, as I live and breath, there is THE BRIDGE…6 miles from where I started…just as I thought. It’s nothing spectacular, but, just riding over it is a rush. It’s plenty wide enough. The riding surface is slightly humped for some reason…maybe water run-off. The sides are open, though screen covered. The drip edge of the roof has the wonderful gutters the HAD to be put on, that caused so much arguing, and so much DELAY!  So…over I go.

I am standing at the 13 mi. marker, having gone 6.7 miles. The surface of the trail is so bad I have to turn around and head back. A couple passed me riding with skinny street tires on their bikes. Good luck to them! I hope they know how to change a flat. My cell phone, chain lube and pepper spray in the side pockets my handlebar bag are jumping around so much, I have to stop and put everything inside the bag before I litter the trail with my belongings.

After a 6.7-mile uphill ride back to my car, I finished with 13.47 miles total. You won’t have to remind me to not ride this section again until the trail surface is improved.

Around the Block in 1:22:54

I took a bike ride around the block this morning. In addition to enjoying some exercise and beautiful weather, I was on a mission…southern peaches, west coast Bing cherries, and broccoli crowns at Geissler’s super market. All on sale, of course.

From there I headed over the bridge to Windsor Locks and the canal bike path. Once on the path I was alert for suicidal chipmunks…and there were quite a few that safely darted across my path. There used to be a lot of rabbits, but I think the coyotes got ‘em all.

I took some pictures of the eagle nest (see above). It seems to be intact, but for some reason the nest failed. I don’t know if it was the eggs that failed to hatch or the babies failed to survive. If I find out, I'll post it.

As I was taking the pictures, I heard a train coming and I knew it was a freight by the way it started slowing down right after the engine cleared Windsor Locks. (The tracks run along the west side of the canal before they cross the river into Enfield.) I raced lickety split (if you can call 15 mph likety split) to the trestle where I could watch the cars. This freight had to be a mile or more long!

Once the train was gone I continued my ride until I met a couple looking at something out on the river with binoculars. Then I heard what they had been watching. It had to be one very large fish jumping and splashing down. I didn’t see it, but it had to be either a very large bass, or, more likely a catfish. I’ve seen huge catfish trapped in backwaters after floods. Apparently we grow them very big here in Connecticut!

Almost to the end, and I spot a bug trap in a tree. (see picture above) Mosquitoes I assume. A man walking by said it had been there for a couple years. Really? How come I hadn’t seen it before? Huh.


(Note: I have since learned that these are emerald ash borer traps.)

At the Suffield end of the canal, the path takes a left, over the canal, and continues with a sharp right up a short hill into the parking lot area. Today I rode up the hill without stalling out and falling over. Remember the guy on Laugh In? He rode that little trike across the stage and would tip over? He always got a laugh. I didn’t!  What happened was I started from a dead stop…in high gears…and it was up a hill for Pete’s sake. It was the first time I’ve fallen with the bike (or with anything for that matter) since I started bike riding as an adult. When I was a kid I remember scraping the tarred roads more than once. The black and blue marks will disappear eventually…it’s only been a week.

Once back up onto Route 5, I headed for the farm store to buy my farm-fresh cherry yogurt before going home.

Ah, home. And thus ended my 13.5 mile ride around the block with panniers full of fruits, veggies and yogurt. No need to take the car.

Grandmother of the Bride!

My granddaughter, Jessica, is getting married August 4^th to Matt (who we all love!). Amid all the excitement there is angst…and I’m not talking about what the bride is going through. I’m talking about me.

I do not own any fancy clothes. I never was a social butterfly and in retirement I cast off all my work clothes (which consisted of dresses, skirts and dress pants). Now I have good jeans, not so good jeans, and workout tights.

I hate shopping

Because I need to be dressed properly for the wedding (and rehearsal dinner) I actually went into the malls in search of… I put my foot down at wearing a dress, so it was an elegant pantsuit that I was looking for. I found a jacket and top in taupe with design and sparkly stuff on them. Brought them home and began the search for pants to match/complement. Ended with three pair of pants along with a pair of shoes and clutch. They hung on the closet door (along with the jacket and top) for about a week. Returned everything…EVERYTHING…and started all over.

I finally settled on a Wedgwood blue jacket and top with sparkly things (same style as the taupe set). Even though I vowed I would not wear black, the only pants that pair with the tops…are black chiffon. I bit the bullet. This is a late afternoon wedding, so it should be fine. Also found silver shoes with sparkly stones all over them. I still need a silver clutch bag, but I may be able to borrow one.

So far, so good. Now, how about the rehearsal dinner? I bought two articles of clothing and returned both of them (sound familiar?). Finally pieced together a summery outfit with contrasting accessories. I’m being vague, because I’m keeping this outfit as a surprise. If any of my family reads this, that alone should make them quiver! (OMG, what IS she going to wear?)

As a nice touch, I’m wearing a pendant for the dinner and a necklace for the wedding that belonged to my late mother. It will be nice thinking that my mom is there and sharing in the joy.

All this has been very traumatic for me, but, because I started early, it’s all behind me and I can relax.

I expect I will have pictures to share so everyone will be able to see how stunning (sparkly) I was at the wedding. 

Two Done

It is Spring and cleaning must be done! So…clean I do.

Now, I wasn’t always such a June Cleaver. What’s different is how much I love the space I live in, and I want it to be as neat and clean as possible at all times.

Yesterday I thoroughly cleaned the master bedroom…walls were dusted down, woodwork and  windows washed, furniture polished and carpet vacuumed.

Today I tackled the master bath. Bucket in hand I started at the ceiling and worked my way down to the floor. The floor was the last to be done.

Neither room looks any different than before it was scrubbed, but I know it’s been done and I love the smell of lemon oil furniture polish in the bedroom. That alone says clean.

I have grandiose plans to do a room a day…counting the upstairs hallway and stairs and the entryway as rooms. Got a long way to go.

Now, it’s nap time. :)

Soup’s On!

I don’t recall having soup all that much when I was growing up. I vaguely remember using the remains of a roasted chicken for soup, but that’s about it.

So how do I explain my current interest in soup making? I have this need to be creative, and since I haven’t written one poetic word since last August, my creativity has burst forth as soup making. (I have also gotten the itch to sew, but that’s another posting…later.)

How it all got started
One day, early on in this past winter, I was making out my menu for the week and decided I would have Tuna Noodle Casserole on Friday. I would have to buy some cream of mushroom soup, however, since I was out. I have no idea what came over me. Why do I want to BUY soup when it’s so salty and has so many preservatives in it? I can make my own and at least I’ll know what’s in it! Wouldn’t you know, when I went grocery shopping baby bella mushrooms were on sale. Bought them. Good thought, bad choice. Although the soup was good, it was way to earthy for a good tuna noodle dish. I made it anyway and really did enjoy it despite the earthiness. I have since made another batch using white button mushrooms. Between the white ‘shrooms and some culinary suggestions from my daughter, Anne, this batch is way better! Another casserole will follow shortly.

And so began the desire to fill my freezer with soups…to the point where I had to go buy a small upright freezer to contain all the other stuff that no longer fit in my refrigerator freezer.

I have made cream of tomato, broccoli, asparagus and mushroom. All of them are delish, and I believe Anne has made adjustments to all of them…which is a good thing.

Next on my list will be Gramma’s Garbage Soup…boiled chicken bones, meat from said bones, carrots, diced tomatoes, and elbow macaroni or rice depending on my mood. As for the seasonings, well, I’ll have to call Anne and see what she would add. I believe my recipe calls for some Bell's poultry seasoning…not sure where that came from. Then there’s a minestrone recipe a friend gave me…she swears it’s to die for.

Packaging all these soups
About a year ago I bought one of those Food Saver vacuum sealing machines. I love it. All my soups, sauces, and meats get vacuum sealed in meal-sized amounts.

For the soups and sauces, I put an individual serving amount in the special food saver bag and put the unsealed bags in the freezer…standing up so they don’t spill. I love living on the edge! ☺ After it’s frozen then I seal them. Easy!

I freeze ground beef in half-pound amounts, which is perfect for making pasta sauce or two of them make a meatloaf. No guessing. Other meats are frozen the same way. And I also use a digital scale so I know exactly how much each meat package weighs.

All these smaller amounts are because it’s just me. When I have company, it’s easy to grab however many packages of whatever I need and cook away!

Another plus is I can buy in bulk, pay less, and not have to shop as often! Vacuum sealed keep better and longer. WIN! WIN!

Whose Furnace is Backfiring?

Since the last week in January there has been a loud BOOMing sound that I could hear from my condo unit. It sounded like it was coming from my neighbor…someone slamming doors with regularity. The regularity was such that it seemed like someone going out for a smoke and slamming a door.

I finally got an opportunity to talk to my neighbor and she said she had heard nothing. How could that be? As I logged this noise, I saw it was every 20 to 40 minutes…depending on the outside temperature. I knew it was her furnace. Totally frustrated I contacted the management company to come over and listen to the noise. The management rep agreed with me…it was coming from next door and she would get a letter. No one wants to get a letter telling you that all is not well with your unit and there are things you must do…with a time line. I didn’t want to cost her money to fix the furnace, but when you hear a loud noise every 20 to 40 minutes all day every day…

I will shorten the story here. Yesterday afternoon, I went down to the neighbor’s basement to listen to her furnace. (crickets) Nothing. Just the sound of a furnace running.

Later in the evening, my neighbor asked me to call her the next time I heard the noise…which I did. Her furnace was turned off. Hmmm. So I turned my furnace off for an hour. Nothing. Another hour. Nothing. Turned the furnace on and shortly after the heating cycle ended, BOOM! At this point, I stayed in the furnace room to listen and determined that it probably was a backfire.

So today I eat humble pie. I have emailed management explaining to them that it is my problem…not my neighbor…and that the gas company is coming at some point today to fix the furnace so it doesn’t BACKFIRE any more.

I’m happy for my neighbor that she thought of a way to determine whose problem before it cost her any money and more aggravation. I really don’t care that it’s my furnace…I just want the noise to STOP!

NOTE ADDED 4/5/12
The furnace is not backfiring. One of the air ducts is expanding and contracting. Which one? Can't tell. It will have to wait until next heating season...I just can't deal right now.