I can stand up on the pedals again

And sometimes I can swing my leg thru when I get on the bike, rather than awkwardly climbing on. Although sometimes I take pleasure because I think it’s a fake out – I look clumsy getting on but once I’m up I’m more graceful – so maybe the cars’ll stay outta my way.

So life is good – sorta. I’m sitting here inside on a crazy hot Wednesday afternoon and I’ve been on hold with Social Security for 36 minutes and 46 seconds, trying to check the status of my Medicare Part B application. As far as I can tell I need to submit a copy of my medicare card to WI Employee Trust Funds to get me & Mark shifted over to our Group Health/Medicare insurance. We both have part A, but just applied for Part B. It’s a very mysterious process. Reader, I gave up at 39 minutes.

Earlier in the week, I ran into a fellow retiree from my department – she went the year before I did – and I mentioned how tricky it is with all the paperwork, worrying if you’ve done something wrong … and said I guess it’s what we have to do after 50+ years of working, to get paid for not working; she replied, “after 50+ years of working and not getting paid [much]. She’s also a female librarian and we’ve never made the big bucks.

I definitely have been feeling like I’m back when I’m on my bike. In the morning that hot Wednesday I took my Giant for a ride through the Arb. It’d been asking when we were going to do that, this was my first time through the Arb all summer due to the knee. The Giant was saying, “what’s up, you only take me to the grocery store. I wanna visit the turkeys.” And I’m sure it knew I’d been looking at other bikes. We saw probably a dozen turkeys and a fawn. So I think it felt better. I felt great. And sweaty because it was already hot at 7:00AM. And see below for my new bike.

Later Wednesday, we went to pick up my new bike, a Liv.

 

Mark got me the new helmet – it’s a Thousand. It pulls out a few hairs every time I take it off, but I just discovered the brim keeps my glasses dry in the rain, and I am sure it is actually protecting me, unlike my shitty old Bell. Which I guess is the point.

It took me awhile to decide what bike I wanted.

First I rode a Liv Flourish, and it felt really normal, like my Giant, but I realized I didn’t want to straight replace the Giant. Instead I wanted something with more speeds, like my joy riding bike, a Trek that was always a bit too big for me. And Mark really thought I should get disc brakes.

But I felt like it was just a bit too small. So settled on the Alight, small instead of extra small, and Eucalyptus green instead of purple. Just right. And rode it home Wednesday, in 100°.

Mark’s putting the rack on it for me – we made sure my panniers would fit. Now I have to decide if I want to get a matchy pannier for the new bike, or this year’s pattern which will clash but it’s very pretty.

Besides bike purchase and extreme heat, this is another 2-day Jasper week.

Here’s Jasper’s 9-month picture, that was Saturday then in the stroller last Friday, and finally this past Tuesday:

And this Friday is happening right now.

And in food news (and other news) of the week:

 

On Tuesday night after my day with jasper, I met Terese at a bookshop on Monroe Street, Mystery To Me, where she was doing a book talk for the new DCFM cookbook. Kind of a book talk anyways – it was set up as a conversation with Terese and a younger woman chef, Annemarie Maitri, who owns Bloom Bakeshop and just opened Lalande. Sort of a “you paved the way for us, Terese”, kind of thing. The next day Terese said it was fun, although she wasn’t sure she liked talking about herself so much. I made a cold cucumber soup and a dip, Muhammara, from the book, to be passed out as samples at the event. It was a lot of fun. I met Terese at Ovens of Brittany East in like 1984, and we’ve cooked together a lot since then. I got to tell a few Ovens stories too.

I made a quick crust pizza for CSA.

 

Last but not least, today Mark took Pia to Mickie’s for a welcome to Wisconsin, Friday brekkie.