Microcurrents

It's been an up and down day.
The morning was fine, and I wore my leopard print pumps which always puts me in a good mood.
About halfway through my ride though, a  cab cut into the bike lane right into me- I was more or less even with his passenger door, and he was driving about the same speed as I was (I wasn't coming up along his side- he'd pulled up next to me) and I could see him starting to veer over.  I'm ringing my bell, and yelling,  and I stop as he's about 9" over the line and jump to the curb. I yell at him something like "what the hell are you doing"  and he shrugs, as if endangering my life was no big deal.  The thing that really pissed me off was the exiting passenger says in a scornful tone- "Get over it-  you were in his blind spot"
First of all, if I were in a "blind spot" it was because he had just passed me on his way into the bike lane.  Secondly, last time I checked, when you change lanes you have to check your blind spots for traffic.  I'm afraid I was beyond coherent argument at that point,  yelled an unladylike epithet, and biked off shaking.

A block or two later, I realize that the nut holding my front fender stay to the dropout had gone missing, and the stay was flapping in the wind.  I thought I had a 5mm nut in my bag (what, don't you?)  but I must have dumped it out by mistake.

Unfortunately that puts me at 0 for 2 on fenders.   The back one went on Monday- cracked straight across.  The rear one is now in 3 pieces- the first joint is under a hastily crimped on fender bridge which has been holding unsteadily for 3 months now.  Since I was in a hurry (of course) when it broke,  I hobbled the rest of the way to my destination, fender listing and lurching.  When i got done with my meeting, I figured out a way to wedge it between parts of the rack. It's stable for now, but it's not going to do me a lot of good in the rain.  Talk about a funky fender line!

I keep deferring maintenance on Robert, thinking I'm about to take him apart and rebuild him.  Other than chain lube and a wash a month ago he's had no real attention.  Frustrating to feel like I'm on a broken down beater when everyone is out on their fresh spring rides!

On the other hand- I got the Albatross bars that I ordered from Rivendell, sooner than expected-  On the way home I had Albatrosses (Albatrossi?)  coming and going!

It was reasonably chilly this morning, but by this evening it was very warm- even hot! (81 degrees!)
One of the things I love about riding in the evening is the microcurrents of air- pockets of cold when you go past a garage entrance-  moist coolness when you pass a flower bed, followed by heat radiating from a stone wall,  and the metallic smell of hot manhole covers.  A wave of hyacinth's pungency, followed shortly after by manure from the horse carriages.     I really enjoyed my ride home in the warm twilight, and saw probably 50 other riders.  After months of feeling like the only one (crazy enough to be) on the road,  it's nice to have some company,  even if it results in the occasional traffic jam.

Stopping to smell the flowers

My Daffodils are finally blooming!
It seems like they're the last on the block, because my yard has only a northern exposure,  but at long last, and for a short few days, I have bright yellow blooms to begin my day!

On my ride in (at mid-day because of an early meeting that required a car) Robert  just had to stop and admire this fantastic grove of cherry trees.

I wore my favorite blue and white flowered dress (I liked it so much that I bought two!)

Even the tiny little sucker sprouts are blooming

How lucky I am to be able to bike on a day like today!

popovers!

Oh the weather was delightful this weekend!
I did more basking and spring cleaning than riding, but am looking forward to riding all week with lovely weather forecast all week!

For a special Easter treat we had popovers-Somehow they seem festive disproportionate to either their complexity or their indulgence-  it's just fun to turn a half a cup of pancake batter into a inflated balloon of pastry!  Crunchy on the outside, tender on the inside- delicious with home-made fig jam.
The recipe is dead simple
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1 tbs melted butter
1/2 tsp salt
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Whisk the ingredients together until they're very smooth (can be done by hand, but a food processor is easier)  Grease muffin cups or a popover pan, and divide evenly among the cups.
Bake at 400 for 30-35 min. (start checking at 25) or until golden brown.
Enjoy with butter and preserves immediately!

Robert goes to the game

Through the generosity of a friend with season tickets,  the Scientist and I went to a Celtics game last night.  (they lost in overtime- it was tough, but a good game- Houston is a scrappy team)
Since it's near my office, I just stayed a bit late and went directly there.  The Scientist was going to meet me there by bike, but it didn't work out and he ended up parking a long way away and walking there.

I've found that biking to a game (Celtics or Red Sox) is by far the best way to get there.  Both of the stadia for these teams are famously in the middle of the city, where there is no parking, and even though they run extra trains when the game gets out, the T is always a zoo afterwards.  Driving is a nightmare- you either pay $$$ to park nearby and inch along in a traffic jam before and after, or you pay$ and walk a long way before and after.

It's great after the game to unlock steps from the exit door and zip along past stopped cars.  The Scientist and I left the Garden at the same time, and we got home at almost exactly the same time (he passed me a block before we got home, but he had to hunt for a place to park, while I could roll up to the front door).

This makes me think about the "third leg" (or is it third rail) of bicycling promotion- auto parking!

People always talk about the chicken and the egg of biking-  if we get more people biking, they'll increase safety by making drivers aware and demand more infrastructure, vs if we build more infrastructure for bikes, people will be safer and more people will ride.  The Third Way so to speak,  is to make parking and driving a car a pain in the a$$.  The reason so many people bike to my office is that there's no place to park, and biking is more flexible and convenient than the T.    In Boston and other dense cities, it's often easier to get around by bike, partly because of traffic, and partly because "there's nowhere to park".  Most places (even a lot of the suburbs)  are dense enough that you do most of your everyday errands within 2 miles of your house, which makes biking ideal. 

Unfortunately taking parking away is a sure way to incense drivers.  Its tough to take a fantastic "free" amenity (as in people don't have to pay the external costs of parking and roads) and make life "harder" in order to make bicycling more appealing.    I know that once there's a robust bike culture it's easier as I see that in Portland OR,  there's a big movement to turn car parking spots into on-street bike "corrals". While it would be great if we could encourage denser development so that every place would be like Boston- I'm not going to hold my breath.

Bare Legged!

This morning had all the sunny brightness that yesterday lacked.
I rode out without tights for the first time in months.  My legs were pale, and my toes were a bit chilly by the end of the ride, but it felt so springlike!

I went out for a walk at lunch, and promptly got blisters on both heels from wearing sandals for the first time this spring.


Saw this bike parked next to the river- maybe its all the green things sprouting and budding, but the wheel color really caught my eye (the green railing behind didn't hurt)  I kind of wish the frame was as purple as the handlebars and cranks,  but that would be a LOT of color

It's supposed to be lovely all weekend-hooray!

Ride, interrupted

I left the office, and turned onto my normal path home, only to find it barricaded after a couple of blocks.
I became a pedestrian and started weaving my way through a rapidly thickening crowd.  About half way along the closed section of  road, I realized that it was closed for a presidential motorcade!
I stopped for a couple of minutes, watching a woman in a jacket emblazoned "U.S. Postal Service Police"  opening up mailboxes (presumably checking them for bombs).  A K9 unit went past, tails and ears up.
The motorcade arrived, but all I saw of it were flashing lights at a distance as it headed into a garage.  Sorry, pictures didn't come out.

The rest of the ride home was mostly uneventful.  The only exception was when I pulled up at a red light in the bike lane next to an SUV whose driver suddenly decided she wanted to be going the other way.   Rather than proceeding through the intersection and finding a place to turn around, she decided to do a U turn right there at the intersection.  She backed up,a bit started to turn into the opposite lane,  started to back up (into me!)  at this point I yelled, and she looked behind her (at me) surprised that anyone would be there!  I scooted out of harm's way and she finished her (very awkward) maneuver.  The woman waiting to turn in and I exchanged eyerolls and shrugs.

When I got home, I had a bit of time, so I made Mole' for dinner.  One of the things I miss about Salt Lake City was this fantastic place called the Red Iguana that had something like 6 or 7 moles every night- fantastic.  You could get a little sampler plate with chips to test them all out and pick your favorite.

Most moles take hours and a list of 20+ ingredients.  This one, from Rick Bayless, can be made on a Thursday night (if you have the right ingredients- which I happened to-dried chiles keep for a good long time).

Slice 4 plum tomatoes in half, and put them under the broiler until blackened (about 10 min for my lousy broiler).  Start a skilled heating over low heat and (optional) let the dog out and change into jeans.

Tear up 2 dried ancho chiles, and toast them in a dry skillet, pressing them down while they warm until they get a bit lighter red in color (5-10 min) and you can smell them- better to undercook them than t let them burn. Put the chiles in a bowl with water to cover, and stick them in the microwave for a minute to help them soften (or soak for 30 min).

Slice a half an onion, and chunk 2 cloves of garlic.  Cook over low heat in a bit of oil until translucent.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine, onions and garlic, roasted tomatoes,  1 cup peanuts,  the ancho chiles (but not the soaking water) 2 slices bread, torn in chunks,  2 chipolte chiles in adobo (from a can)  1/2 tsp of cinnamon and 1/2 cup chicken broth. Process into a paste, scraping down the sides as needed.

Heat 3 tsp oil in a saucepan until it shimmers, then turn all the chile paste into it.  This is a step unique to moles (although I've seen similar steps in some indian food)  but you want to "fry the paste"  until it starts to turn a darker red around the edges, stirring with a spatula for 3-5 minutes.

Add 3 cups chicken broth,  1/2 cup red wine,  1 tbs apple cider vinegar  and 1 tsp salt.
Stir until it's well combined, and let it simmer for about 20 min.
At this point, the Scientist was on his way home, so I divided the sauce (about the thickness of gravy)  in half,  put half of it in the pressure cooker, added chicken thighs, and cooked for about 5 minutes once it got to pressure .   The rest will go straight into the freezer for a later meal.  Serve with tortillas and chips (also good over brown rice). YUM!

Composting by Bike

It's been a tough week, between what might have been strep throat and the torrential rain.
But finally, on Thursday- got a chance to ride!  Although I'm lucky to have lots of public transportation options, I feel like my independence is pretty limited by not having the bike.  Sure, I could rent a zipcar or bike in the rain, but there are a lot of daily errands that need to be taken care of, but don't seem urgent enough to take special measures.

I wouldn't quite describe it as a lovely morning, but at least it was dry and warm-ish, if a bit grey, with the hope of sun by lunch.
I wanted to ride in via the bike path for any additional loveliness I might squeeze out of the morning, but because of the non-biking week, the composting really really needed to be emptied, and stopping at Whole foods on the way to work is the easiest way to empty it.

I'm really glad that we have the opportunity to compost- it's been incredible how much it reduced the size of our weekly trash- easily by 50%.  It's tough to have outdoor composting in a dense urban area, and I'm not quite committed enough to do worm composting.   My brother In Denver had curbside comport pickup, but we're not that advanced.  The city of Cambridge does promote commercial composting pickup, and Whole Foods allows people to use their bins for personal compost.
This is not a fun load to carry like a case of wine or a bag of dogfood- it's can be a little stinky and has a tendency to drip compost "tea".

 For this purpose, I have an old re-usable bag, that has a tear in the upper part, but works just fine for carrying icky stuff.   Thanks to a tip from my sister-in-law, I use compostable bin liners that are like really weak plastic bags- they make things a lot less messy.

 Once I've dropped it off, I can fold the bag and slip it on the rear rack where it's downwind of me.  A quick shmear of alcohol cleanser and I'm on my way!
The main downside to this program is that I never get any "finished" compost for use in my garden.  I think it's been offered for pickup at the public works dept, but I always seem to miss it.