Best Mother's Day... Ever!

I've been a mom for 16 years now, which means a rollercoaster of Mother's Day experiences. One forgotten, one horribly over the top to make up for the forgotten, a few obviously almost forgotten, and many spent taking care of someone else's mother.

This year goes down as my idea of the perfect Mother's Day.

I was shooed out of the house late morning with my bicycle, after presentation of kid-made cards & art projects. Came home to a basket of folded laundry, two freshly scrubbed dogs, and dinner being pulled off the grill.

It was a beautiful sunny day. A bit windy on the way out, but that just made for a good workout for the first half of the ride, and a super speedy return trip.

Just me, audiobook version of "The Restaurant At The End Of The Universe", and miles of lovely trail.

Are you from Denmark?

That's what the very nice older man in the car next to me asked at the red light (Roswell & Johnson Ferry) this morning. He also wanted to know where I bought the bike (REI), what the style of bike was called, since he only knew Mountain & Road.

It's a L-O-N-G light, so he had time to chat about the weather here in the South, and to let me know how heavy traffic is in Sandy Springs, and to ask about how difficult it is to get around with cargo, and what kind of time it takes. I really don't think it occurred to him that I could possibly be a local, since nobody from here is crazy enough to ride a bike in the busy suburbs, unless it's exercise, or because you have to.

I'm taking the original question as a compliment to my cycling chic for the day. Khaki skirt, dark blue babydoll top, silver helmet and...


Still no agreement from kids on a name, but the new bicycle does handle a load of groceries quite nicely. I think I need to add a front basket. Maybe wicker.

The Duchess is dead. Well... sort of.

In addition to the last minute craziness with school prep - Yea for Monday the 10th! - there's been minor crisis which has demanded a bit of attention.

Duchess, my vintage Raleigh 10 speed, was run over by a car.

It was in the carport, at less than 5 mph, and I wasn't on it at the time.

My helpers (note the lowercase h) pulled the bikes out of the truck after Saturday's ride. They failed to lock my bicycle up with the rest of the stable, choosing instead to leave it propped against the side wall of the house. Next day, somebody (who shall remain nameless) was pulling into - or out of, never really got the whole story - the carport on a milkshake run with children, and...


Car snagged front wheel, put a lovely S-curve into the rim. (It's hard to show in a photo, since the fender bent with it partway, leaving it looking less warped than it is.) On a more recent bike... not that big a deal. But, as I've learned since Sunday, rims are no longer made with the same number of spokes, so the LBS will need to build the old sturmey archer hub into a new rim, and replace all the spokes, plus extras for the extra holes. $120-150, which isn't really all that bad. But...

There's the question of what's next. Completely mismatched rims will likely bug me, so I'll have to get the rear wheel rebuilt... but what happens when the ancient rear cogs are added to a new wheel? And, the crank has about a year or two left in it, tops. When the crank goes, that is also likely to mean most everything attached to it will need to be replaced, just so it all works together.

This means Duchess has gone from a useful bike which also happens to be a slow DIY project, into a full-blown PROJECT. I'm still scrubbing off the rust, tinkering with the mechanism in the bell, polishing chrome and conditioning the Brooks saddle, but won't be riding her again for a while.

Seeing as how school starts next week, and my schedule opens back up for 90% of daily commute and errands being done on two wheels, the lack of a city bike is a problem. After some browsing on Craigslist for a suitable replacement, ended up going to REI for a 2008 Raleigh Roadster Step Through. It allows for an upright position, is perfectly suited for riding around my 5 mile radius... in street clothes. I can have a generator hub and light installed when the days are shorter. REI installed the rack for me, so I'll be able to pop on the panniers Monday morning for my bank / library / coffee / grocery trip.

Went for a short inaugural ride Wednesday evening. Gotta say, it was kind of nice, not having to guess where the lever needed to be for a gear shift, or figuring out exactly how much pressure to put on the brakes (varies by humidity level... I swear). This is going to be a fun bike to ride, but I do miss Duchess.

Hopefully, the new bike will gain a personality as I ride more. The kidlets are debating names right now, and once they've settled on something, that'll help. After convincing one child that "Silver Surfer" is not an option, here's the list of finalists:

Artemis
Annabeth Chase (daughter of Athena in Percy Jackson & The Olympians book series)
Persephone

On a happier note, the green hybrid (Peppermint Patty) which was my very first bike as a new adult rider is going to a new home. A family friend has need of a starter bike, and I hope mine will do for her what it did for me.

I love the smell of kudzu in the morning

Saturday's ride was beset by annoying issues. All fixable, but requiring valuable ride time. Flat tire, a pain in the butt to change on ye olde duchess (no quick release there). Adjustments for the normal stretching of the brand new shifter cables... and one incident of a chain being stuck fast between cog & frame. That last one was completely my fault, as I was a total idiot and moved the rear shift lever for a front shift... wait! Go back, and reverse that. The levers don't click into place with each gear (think trombone slide valve, as opposed to an instrument with keys) so I'm used to guesswork. It was a definite 'Doh! moment when, instead of hearing the rear cog shift up smoothly, my chain dropped off the front.

Not to make it sound like a ride from hell, there were many good points. The company was good, and patient with my constant drops. The sun was shining. And, filling the air with the smell reminiscent of pitchers of grape kool-aid and popsicles from childhood...

The kudzu is blooming! Who cares if it's blazing hot and the air is thick with humidity... I love August riding.

Stopped by Tijuana Joe's Cantina on the way home, to satisfy the craving for salty food and icy beverages.

Definitely hit the spot.

After reading Jett's ride report from his Saturday intown ride this morning, I'm going to take a page from his refueling tips. Think next week's post ride meal will be paella. Never really thought about it from a recovery meal standpoint - or as he put it "reloading the sweatguns"

Tire Troubles

That ride to store on the just-out-of-the-shop bike?

Beautiful ride on the way to Trader Joes. Flowers, dried apples, cinnamon pita chips, brie... yes, I did stretch a bit to create a "must have" shopping list.

On the way back, I was edged to the right of the white line by a cell-phone talking driver in an SUV. The bike lanes are useless on Johnson Ferry. White line, six inches of asphalt, then an uneven joint to the six inches of concrete & curb. No way to get around a smashed beer bottle, and not enough time to stop.

Front tire made it through in one piece. The back tire was slashed open and instantly flattened. Had to walk the last third of a mile home.

Sigh.

On a silver lining note, I guess The Duchess will be getting those whitewall tires this weekend, and I'll be getting more practice at switching out tubes, tires and putting everything back together. Think I'll be looking at heavier duty tires this time around, too.

Bike Love!

Picked The Duchess up from the bike shop today. With the right cables & housing installed, all 10 gears are available and shifting smoothly. The fellows even managed to soak the bolt on the seat post free, so I can adjust the saddle height.

Yea!

Am so excited, I'm scanning through my reasonably well-stocked pantry, looking for an excuse to ride to Trader Joes this evening after the rush hour traffic has died down. Surely there must be something I need for breakfast tomorrow.

If not, there's always dog treats, a bouquet of flowers and a couple bottles of Three Philosophers or Project Happiness White.

Must. Ride. Today.

Heading to Alabama

All packed up, and ready to strap the trunk bag onto Bloo's temporary rack. Taking the Silver Comet all the Way to Alabama, 60+ miles. Two tubes, levers, pump/CO2, bare bones tools and a rag. Peanut butter pretzel sandwiches, banana chips, and an emergency GU. It's supposed to be close to 90, so I've two bottles of water, with spare drink in the trunk. There's places to stop along the trail, but I'd rather not chance running out, my first big outing. Have the sunscreen and chapstick...just need to check the charge on the phone, and I'm ready to go.

Not sure I'll be able to make the ride all the way back, seeing as how this is my first over 50 ride. We have it timed so that I can meet back up with the family in Cedartown this afternoon. They're going to a movie and out for a short hike, then we'll all grab BBQ (or Mexican) on the way back home. If I'm feeling great, will start early morning next time, and do the whole thing out & back.

So excited. There's super views once you get into the rural areas. Tunnels, big trestles, rivers, and all the things you'd expect with an old passenger train line. At least that's what I've heard. Today I'll find out!

(More) Bike to Work Week

Atlanta Bicycle Coalition's Bike Week and Bike to Work Day information.

I wonder if I can sign the pledge. Not biking to work or school, but will be pedaling around on errands again Thursday...

Bike To Wherever Week

It's Bike to Work Week. I'm not going to be riding to a shiny office building this week, but I am cycling on my regular errands. Today, The Duchess and I had quite the outing.

1. Bank - Deposit - at the Drive-up window, of course
2. Little Thai - Lunch date - Basil Noodles & Roti
3. Vegetable Stand - Obvious reasons
4. Fleet Feet Sports - Small water bottle/strap, but ended up getting a Nike skirt and singlet, too.
5. Little European Bakery - Bread & 3 Beehive cookies for kidlets
6. Trader Joes - Regular groceries, including milk, 5-lb bag of flour, wine & flowers

It was a wonderful 2 hours. Beautiful sunshine, spring breezes, and not even a hint of stiffness in the rear wheel. Can't wait for Thursdays trip. The panniers are marvelous. Instead of being limited to the one front basket, here's everything The Duchess carried home:



Including today's 4.5 mile loopy route, this week's mileage so far:

Sunday -
Whole Foods - 3.9 (would normally be five, but there was the frozen wheel & rescue)
"Date" Ride - 21.5 (leisurely pace)

Monday -
"Hooray! It's Not Raining" Ride - 17.26 (16.6 mph)
"Oops - Supposed to be Running" - 2.3 (9:24/mile)

Tuesday -
Errands for the Day - 4.57 (lots of stops)
*Hill Run (when the teenager/babysitter gets home) - 3.7 miles

Total (so far) - 57.79 miles

It'll slow down after today, as there's Field Day, TAG End-of year Party, 4th/5th Guitar Concert, 8th Grade Dance, International Festival, all between Wednesday and Friday, followed by After-Dance Cleanup at the middle school on Saturday morning. Now that I think about it, the grocery budget is likely to be out of whack this week too, as one child volunteered me to fix fried rice for the TAG party and Swedish meatballs for the International Festival, though I haven't heard a confirmation from the teacher on that second batch of food yet.

Love The Duchess...

...but boy, oh boy, is she aptly named. Not only is she the grand old dame of my bicycles, she is high maintenance, at least for now. Was on the way home from Whole Foods, with a grocery bag in each pannier, and my rear wheel got very stiff going up a hill. At first, thought I'd slipped out of gears, which is understandable when the gear shifters are like trombone slides. (You have to find the right spot for each gear; there's no set notch with numbers like on newer bikes.) It was the rear wheel coming to a slow, grinding halt. Had to call a for a rescue. Ugh.

I am learning more about bicycles than I ever though I'd need to know. Something tells me learning the differences between freewheels and cassettes (Duchess = freewheel) is just the beginning. Thanks to Sheldon Brown, the Bicycling Guide to Bicycle Maintenance & Repair - which may become a most read book in this house, given the number of bikes - and other internet sources, I have the information for dismantling the freewheel and putting in a new one, if that's necessary. But, I also found out how to flush out the grime and drip a middleweight oil into the space between the center and the cogs. So far, that seems to have done the trick, but I'll know for sure after today's run to bank, bakery & store.

The Duchess

This was the hardest tire/tube replacement I've done. Not that I've done more than four or five, but these two were the toughest. The whitewall was cracking and falling from the tire as I worked. The tire bead had completely adhered to the rim of the wheel. There was very little flexibility, and it was tempting to grab a pair of heavy duty shears from the tool chest and cut the @#$!%!!! thing off. Tire levers, pinched fingers and I have no idea how many minutes later, here's one of the tires, along with tube and something which used to be rim tape:



After several hours with wire brushes, oil, degreaser, brasso, bronze wool and rags, both wheels were back on the bike, sporting black 27 x 1-1/4 tires. (I learned while buying the tires the 1-1/4 is important. Even though you'd think 1.25 is the same thing, it's not. I took the fellow at his word, but... really?)

Headed over to the LBS to get a safety inspection before riding. Was given the all clear for commuting, along with a short list of items I should have done before going on any really long rides, and a suggestion I stay out of the lowest gear. At least until the rear derailleur's been adjusted.

General consensus in the shop was that the frame is in great shape, it's amazing the original lights are both working, and that for the $175 put into it so far, it's a heck of a deal. I'm happy with this, as the rust removal, polishing and mini-overhauls will be going on for a while. Plan to put the bicycle maintenance and repair book to good use, and do as much as possible myself.

Back home, I handed my traveling companions over to Dad, strapped on the panniers, and headed to the bakery, then to Trader Joe's. Bike rides beautifully. It sounds a bit rattly on the bumpy bits of pavement, but I really don't feel it. The seat is comfortable, the weight balances so much better over the rear wheel than the front, and... well, it's just so much FUN to ride. The upright position made my jaunt in tan skirt quite easy.

Was a fairly light load today, while getting the feel of the new bike, but doesn't she look great?

Nutmeg? Cinnamon?

She's mine. I'll have the fellows at my LBS take a look at her and make the list of what I can do and what I'll need their help with. Will see if I can pick up replacement tires tomorrow but, other than that, I think I can ride it as-is, while I'm scrubbing off the little bits of surface rust and doing the other work.

This style bike rides completely different from my hybrid. Even though I thought I was sitting up straight on the store trips, it's only in comparison to the road bike. On this, I'm sitting up completely straight, and looking at head on.

If B2 (the official bike maintenance helper) and I have the new tires on, I'll be riding the riverside paths with some combination of children this weekend. Super excited. Will need to pack a snack basket for a mini-picnic, wear a skirt... and maybe a hat. (Not to be confused with ballcap.)

Just need a name. Since I have Peppermint Patty (hybrid - minty green), and Blooregard Q Kazoo - Bloo for short - the kids' name for my blue Bianchi road bike, I think a color related name is in order. The color is a rich coffee, but Nutmeg leads to "Meg", and Cinnamon is the name of the princess in one of the bedtime stories my daughter thinks she's outgrown.

On a tangent... with eight bikes for five people, plus two trail-a-bikes, storage is now officially an issue.

Love is in the air...

My mind keeps wandering to bikes. Must be a Spring Fever kind of a thing. Found this on Craigslist for $150. I'm a bit smitten. Sure, she's not perfect, but maybe she's the one. (Well, the intown commuting one, at least.) Can't help but wonder if I could handle most of the cleanup & repairs myself. Replacing tires (dryrot), chain, general cleaning and touch up... I think I could do that. (And adding a chain guard, so I wouldn't have to roll up pantlegs.)

Waiting for an email back, though since it's a woman's bike labeled "vintage" the week before Mother's Day, I don't expect it to still be around.

Two-wheeled grocery challenge

Did the majority of the shopping by bike (Patty the hybrid) this week, as planned. Am hoping to do the same this week, depending on the severe weather which may be on the horizon. Shouldn't be a problem, as long as I time everything right. The stores aren't far from home, so even if I get caught out in a downpour, it won't be for more than 10-15 minutes.

Have two photos from the week. First, Tuesday's cargo from a trip to both Trader Joe's and the bakery:


And, Thursday, which was another combined trip:

I think it's time to get one of those handy racks and basket or panniers for the rear, if I want to keep doing this. The balance on the trip back home felt a bit... wobbly. I weighed the grocery bag & backpack, to see how much weight I had added to the front basket. Total weight of shopping bag & backpack was 28.7 pounds, which shouldn't have been too bad, until I realized 26 of those pounds were resting on the handlebars. That's probably not the best idea.

Ooh! The sun just came out. Time to make my shopping list and get pedaling. We're expecting thunderstorms this afternoon, and again tomorrow.

Two-wheeled grocery challenge

This week and next, I'm taking a slightly different path on the grocery challenge. Not only will I still be trying to lowering the average weekly shopping bills (currently @ $153 for five people), I'll also be doing as much grocery shopping as possible by bike. I haven't picked out and installed a rack on the rear of the bike yet, so will be limited to what I can carry between front basket and backpack. It's not actually all that limiting, as you can see by this photo from last Thursday:



With Publix, Kroger, Whole Foods, Trader Joes, a bakery, and the pet food store all within 2.5 miles of the house, there's really not many reasons to get in the car, now that the weather is so nice. (Ooh! That reminds me - it's almost time for the two fruit & veggie stands to re-open for the summer. Yea!)

There will be a couple of exceptions. This Monday, I swung by the store on my way home from the middle school media center and picked up a gallon of milk while getting a container of fruit salad for lunch. Thunderstorms are out, too. I don't mind riding in a gentle rain, but darker skies, distracting flashes and heavy downpour just doesn't feel terribly safe. I'm not worried about being struck by lightning. It's the cars. Atlanta drivers go a bit... nutty when it rains.

The early shopping this week has gone pretty well. Both trips were TJs/Bakery combos. Felt a little odd carrying the bag from the bakery into TJs with me, but the only question I got was the clerk asking me which bakery I'd gone to, because the ciabatta looked wonderful.

Finally, for the last few days' Things People Yell Out The Window:

Where's your helmet?
This one didn't bug me, as I should be wearing my helmet. I smiled, took it out of the basket and put it back on. I'd just taken it off to adjust my ponytail at the red light.

.......OOR!
I didn't catch the first part, so am not certain they were berating me for being poor. It's possible they were asking if I was a member of the world's oldest profession. I could have asked the young men (late teens/early 20s) when I passed them at the next intersection, but was too busy trying to avoid the bare foot dangling out of the passenger window of the SUV. Yeah, they were classy. Gotta love the suburbs. If you're on a bike while wearing street clothes, you're a bum.

The tortoise and the hare

Patty (my commuter/hybrid) isn't exactly a tortoise, but she is slow-ish and green. So, for the sake of the goofy race our family held on Sunday afternoon, we'll call her The Tortoise. The role of The Hare will be played by the old Mercedes sedan.

It was a lovely day, and I like doing the shopping by bike on lovely days. But we needed a few things which are not terribly compatible with my current cargo set up (front basket). A gallon of milk and mega pack of trashbags and 20 lb bag of dog food were beyond me.

As I sat with the list, trying to figure out how I could divide it up for only what was needed immediately, to make the short list for a bike trip to Trader Joes, I heard

"If you don't want to go to the store, I can go for you."

"It's not that I don't want to go. I just don't want to take the car."

"So, don't take the car."

"But we need some big stuff. And Publix has some stockup type things on sale. And we're out of coffee. So I have to go to more than one store."

"So give me that list. I'll take the kids, and you go to Trader Joes."

"Really?"

"No. I'm lying. Give me the list. We'll be back in no time."

After a skeptical glance - I don't think he's been in the store with all the kids before - a light bulb pops up above my head.

"Wanna race?"

"Sure."

I gave him the list for one store, arranged by aisle. Scribbled my list on an index card, grabbed a light jacket and hopped on the bike, as everyone else climbed into the car.

Falling cherry blossom petals, clusters of wisteria, bright sunshine, blooming dogwoods, tire tracks in the yellow pollen - such a beautiful Spring ride.

Did the shopping. Got a little distracted in the dried fruit and nuts section. Couldn't find dates for granola, though I did find something new to me. Sweet apricot kernels, called "poor man's almonds" on the package. (Pretty good, even if I'm not quite over the feeling that I'm eating almonds which have maybe gone a bit off.) Sorted through the packs of strawberries for the freshest. Spent a few extra minutes perusing the flowers, to get the right color combo of daisies and lilies, with lilies which were just starting to open. As I waited in line, I realized I might be having too much fun. Didn't want to lose the race. (Nah. Didn't care. Was thoroughly enjoying the time.)

Rode home at my normal leisurely pace, sniffing the flowers at both traffic lights. Got to the driveway... nobody was there. Snapped photos, and sent with a "hah!" message to the competition. (Thought they'd appreciate knowing I'd taken their parking space in the carport.) They didn't get home for about 15-20 minutes. Something about long red lights, parking lots and shopping carts? I'd have paid attention, but was too busy doing a victory lap around the kitchen with the bouquet, showing off my already put away groceries.

Tortoise:
2.5 miles @ 8-10 mph. Two bags & bouquet. 32 minutes, total.


Hare:
1.5 miles @ 25-35 mph. Three bags. 51 minutes, total


No. I didn't actually win anything for being first. Will have to plan better next time we pull a silly challenge out of thin air.

Patty's new "shoes"

The tires on my commuter were shot. This weekend, B2 helped me swap out the tires and clean the chain, while DD was off on a play-date. B2 had a great time with the tire levers, and did a good job working the old tire off the rim. The tires were so much easier to work with than road tires we could probably have managed without the levers, but he wanted to play with the tools. The tube was as old as the tire, so I was going to replace anyway - no worrying about lever punctures.

After the tires were on, we cleaned up the chain and re-oiled. B2 was very helpful with shifting gears and testing brakes, to make sure I put them back together before we rode down to the park for a quick spin. No long rides, just in case something went wrong. Nothing did, and I think I'm really going to like the smoother ride of the City Ride tires. Might drop Patty off with the mechanics at the Silver Comet Depot in the next week or two. The chain is rubbing against part of the something-or-other in one particular gear, and that's not something B2 and I can fix. (It has done that for as long as I've owned it, btw - have always just avoided that gear.)

All is well, and I was back on the road today, to pick up food for Peter T. Dog at Red Bandana. We've had him eating Avoderm, but he doesn't seem to like the senior formula, unless we mix it with something else. The something else has been the high protein formula from Trader Joe's. It kind of defeats the purpose of "senior" if we're mixing with regular, so we're going to see if he likes the Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul: Senior Dog Formula. It has glucosamine and chondroitin to keep him happily running, and salmon for his dry skin. If he doesn't care for this, we'll go back to mixing. For the next six months, I know he'll be getting enough exercise to keep off the weight.

As for my little bike mechanic, I offered to pay him for his help, or take him out for a mocha or something. He said no. He just wants the old tires and tubes. I know he wants the tires to make a double ring for jumping cars. The tubes? I have no idea, and am a little scared to ask. This is the same kid who, at the age of four, walked up to me and announced "I'm gonna tell you something you may not even want to know... it is a bad idea to build a powered water fountain in bed, even if you use big cups" Then, he asked me if I could come upstairs... to my room.

Spring!

Woo hoo! First day of Spring!

While picking up replacement tires for the hybrid, I jumped at the chance for a quick ride on the Silver Comet Trail. Absolutely gorgeous day.

On the bridge:

View from the bridge:

20.53 miles, which I'm going to call 20, even though I don't normally round down.
20 miles on March 20th, first day of Spring.
I know, corny. I'm blaming Spring Fever. Or pollen.

Spring cleaning for the bikes

I'm going to brag.
I cleaned my bike.
Not dusting or polishing.
Not handlebar tape replacement.
The messy stuff - I cleaned the chain and gears.

By myself.

Printed instructions from Bicycling.com. Degreaser, old toothbrush (hello kitty), a couple of rags and chain oil.

What started off looking like this:



Ended all clean & shiny:

Got everything reassembled, and went for a very pleasant (except for the stinky bradford pears) three lap ride of Columns Drive (2.5 mile road, total of 15 miles). I wasn't quite sure of my work, so wanted to be someplace with marked bike lane, not a lot of traffic, and never more than a comfortable walk to the truck.

Bloo's pedals whirred smoothly. Shifting gears were smoother than on my last ride. It was good. And, now that I know I can do it, I can take over general cleaning/maintenance on the other six (or seven?) bikes in the family. Major tuneups and replacements will still be handled by the bike shop, but I can do this part. Before I start on the hybrid and the kid bikes though, I think it's time to look into a moderately priced stand. My ironing board, covered with beach towel and weighted with tool chest, worked alright for a one time thing, but I can't imagine trying to do all the bikes this way. Especially not the girly bikes.

S.A.D. Bike? Take it out for some retail therapy!

With the shorter days and cold temperatures, does your bike suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.)? I know Blooregard does. Patty, too.

Given my dislike of riding when temps are below 50 on the road bike, there's not much I can do for Bloo. I started running last winter to avoid the wind chill I created for myself on November-February rides over 16 mph. (Yes, I am a pansy.) Bloo is hanging out in the house, waiting for spring. He gets regular concerts from the young pianist in the family, since he's right by the baby grand. But Patty? No winter hibernating for her. She's my commuter/hybrid, so still gets to make the trips to the bank and to the store for groceries. Unfortunately, between temps in the low 40s and the off-and-on messed up knee, even she's been sitting for a week or two at a time.

This morning, I needed to make a quick store trip. Walked out to put my bag in the truck, and noticed Patty. She looked lonely and bored.

The sun was shining. It was over 50 degrees. My knee is feeling much better, now that I've given up tackling hills until healed. Tossed the TJ's bag in the basket, and checked the tires. Pulled on sweater & gloves. Grabbed the backpack, and we were off. Cannot remember a better traffic day on Johnson Ferry. No close calls with SUVs driven by women chatting on cell phones. Waved to a couple of runners, a walker, and a father & son doing yardwork. I just missed the left turn light onto Roswell Road, but didn't care. With the weather so perfect, there was no reason to get cranky over the wait.

Did the shopping. Paid. Packed the groceries myself. The cashiers are always perfectly lovely at Trader Joes, but can't seem to quite understand that when I say it has to fit in one bag, I mean it. Smiled extra sweetly at the folks giving me "the look" when I pulled away from the cart corral with Patty. (If you've ever carried anything other than a childseat on your bike, like a cargo rack or basket, you know "the look".)

The ride home was just as lovely. Not only did I feel so much cheerier for having skipped the drive and worked in some exercise...

...doesn't Patty look so much happier?

Now, as soon as the loaf of Honey Oat & Whole Wheat Bread is finished baking, we'll be packing everyone into the truck for a quick drive over to the Chattahoochee NRA, for a hike. No excuses to stay inside on a day like today.

As for the Retail Therapy, here's the grocery haul:

• Black Beans, 15 oz - .79
• Whole Bean Coffee, Volcano, 12 oz - 6.49
• Chocolate/Vanilla Joe Joe’s - 2.49
• Veggie Tortilla Strips, 12 oz - 2.59
• Sliced Smoked Gouda, 8 oz - 2.99
• Green Beans, Frzn, 24 oz - 2.29
• Whole Milk, 1 qt - 1.19
• Applegate Slcd Turkey, 7 oz - 3.69
• Kayem Sliced Honey Ham, 12 oz - 3.84
• Emp. Kosh Split Chicken Br, (3.99/lb) - 8.50
• Petite Red Potatoes, 1.5 lbs - 2.99
• Sweet Onions, 2 lbs - 2.29
• Total - $42.63In addition to the foodstuff, there's a bottle of laundry detergent, which was carried in the backpack, along with the potatoes and coffee beans.