Schiz & the Ceiling Fan Heist

Whatever the ceiling fan blows off the table should be hers, right? Nope. But she was so sure!!!!

FYI - I traded it for an itty-bitty piece of chicken. She's probably thinking, "Wow...groceries really have gone up!"

Inman Cream Puffs & Bicycle Miles

WOW!!!! Ok...my last post I told you that I thought Carol was secretly training me. Well, I'm pretty sure that's true. Mileage this week has been:

Tuesday, August 23 - 24.02 miles

Wednesday, August 24 - 26.08 miles

Thursday, August 25 - 38.02 miles

Today - Thursday - we rode to Inman, Kansas, a little town north of Hutchinson. Seemed like every road we took had been recently redone and was smooth as glass. Winds were almost non-existent and only one dog came out. He was a Border Collie that had either learned the hard way or was well-trained to stay off the asphalt. He ran the ditch and was waaaaay ahead of us. When he reached the end of his property line he just stopped and looked like, "Oh...I can't go there" and everything just shut down. He turned and walked back toward his home. No problem.

But here's why we rode to Inman. (Just click on that photo to make your mouth water!)

I'm ready to go again in two weeks when they make these again. DELICIOUS!!!!!!

Marilu, one of my Monday morning coffee buddies, and Carol's husband, Bill joined us at Inman. Bill on a motorcycle and Marilu in a van. I think a good time was had by all!!! :)

Wonderful ride...awesome morning!! 38 miles, home by 11:00 am, and still lickin' my chops over those cream puffs!!!

Count your blessings...they are SO plentiful!!!

Wha's Happenin'

Someone told me they missed reading my blog...because I haven't posted anything for awhile. I responded that my life is truly that boring and with all the HOT Kansas temperatures I haven't been doing anything.

But...just so I don't lose my huge (ha ha ha ha) audience, I thought I should post something here today.

My friend Carol and I have been meeting at 7 a.m. (originally 6:45) to bicycle ride. That means waking up / getting up before daylight. I don't like that part, but I'm sure enjoying riding with Carol again. I'm beginning to wonder if she has a plan however...seems to me that I wind up riding a little more each day.

I usually ride only part of Carol's ride. She usually goes on to Inman or Buhler or Yoder or Burrton or somewhere. However, I've been going a little further with her each day. I said I was going to have to "just put on my big girl panties" and do a "real" ride with her someday soon.

So far here's what I've done:
August 9 - Tuesday: 13 miles (after nearly a full month with no riding)
August 11 - Thursday: 17.10 miles
August 12 - Friday: 7.27 miles...of which 4 were EXTREMELY wet
August 14 - Sunday: 17.04 miles
August 17 - Wednesday: 19.05 miles
August 18 - Thursday: 22.18 miles
August 19 - Friday (today): 23.48 miles

See...I think she's silently training me!!!! And I'm likin' it!!!!!!! In fact, when she told me of a restaurant in a nearby (20 miles) town that every other Thursday has cream puffs, I agreed to ride there with her. Coming next Thursday...and those cream puffs better be spectacular....that's a 40 mile or better round trip. And yes, I know....even 40 miles on a bicycle won't wear off those calories! (Whew...talk about "big girl panties")

I said a long, long time ago that I don't diet well. "Diet" to me indicates that I'm to think about food constantly....so I do, and in doing so, I eat more because absolutely everything looks and sounds better to me. The only way that actually works for me is to exercise. So........no diet, more exercise!

Ok...that's about all I've been doing. Coffee one day a week with a few friends, bicycle ride several days a week, and this weekend (well, Thurs, Fri, Sat & Sun) I'm babysitting my neighbor's little dog. She's a Lhasa Apso/Maltese cross...looks like a panda bear. The cutest, sweetest, giggly-est little thing you've ever seen...about 8 months old. Oh sure...Schiz doesn't like her, of course. Maybe in a year or so...when she's older.

Count your blessings...it's a great world!

P.S. Just thought I should add for any newcomers: I USED to be a distance rider...I've ridden a lot of days over 40 miles...but not this year. My longest day ever was 106 miles, but these days I'm usually around 20 to 25 miles, with an occasional 30 miler.

Grumpy From Heat

Wish this was my original thought...but I heard it elsewhere:

It's not the heat, it's the stupidity!

Leg Cramps and Day Trip (Now Amended!!)

Weird title, huh? Well...I'm trying to get the attention of those people who have leg cramps.

Being a bicycle rider for many years, occasionally I get leg cramps....usually after a ride or after too much standing on my feet for several hours. Recently a good friend who has done a LOT of riding (3 times transcontinental plus many many other distance rides) said she thought she'd found a "sure cure" for leg cramps. I've been trying it and it seems to work.

Last Thursday my sister from Joplin was here and we decided to go to Manhattan (about 140 miles) to see two of my cousins. One of them mentioned that she'd been having terrible leg cramps in the night...up sometimes 10 or 12 times per night. I mentioned the "cure" and my sister confirmed that's what she's used for a long time too.

So...if you have leg cramps, you might want to try this: Mix 2 or 3 teaspoons APPLE CIDER VINEGAR (not the "white" vinegar!) in about 1/3 of a cup of water...add a little honey or molasses or something to cut the taste. Drink it once or twice a day..every day. No more leg cramps. It works! An email (one of several) from my cousin this a.m. urged me to post this on my blog for others who might have the same problem. She said she's been tempted to stop complete strangers on the street to tell them...and she did just that at a local health food store!!! :)
OK....added later.....my cousin tells me she NEEDS 2 TABLESPOONS to keep her leg cramps at bay!!! AND...I also noticed that my "recipe" on the bottle says "2-3 times per day"....whatever works for YOU!

My sister has also used the apple cider vinegar pills...but Webmd says they aren't consistent in a lot of ways. I personally use Bragg's Raw Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar...about $6 a quart here in Hutchinson....however, I don't think it's all that much better than just regular old apple cider vinegar from Walmart for a whole lot less money!



Then....for the rest of the Manhattan day trip. We visited my cousins and I brought home a really neat old boot scraper (I love rusty old iron antique-y stuff!!....not dirty boots!). Then we went out to the cemetary where my parents and a lot of other relatives are buried. Then we went up to Rocky Ford...just north of Manhattan in the Tuttle Creek area. My sister and I were "born" in that area and wanted to go take a look.












We walked down two flights of stairs to see the dam and then back up. I counted the second flight on the way back up. 35 steps. Other flight was at least that...maybe more. Old fat girls were huffin' and a puffin'!!! But it was great!








Later on I-70 we came by a Harley dealership that I'd seen earlier and I pulled over to take the shot. Isn't that cool??? That's just well-groomed shrubbery! Very nice!





Great Day!



Count your blessings...they're plentiful!

More Bunny-News

They're baaaccccckkkkk...... These were taken Sunday early evening....there were two but one left before I got my camera. (Double click for close-ups.)

Tucked in where he thinks no one can see him!!

And...clearly Schiz is oblivious to his whereabouts..

I know....someone needs to sweep the patio. But it's HOT out there!!! 112 degrees here in Hutchinson yesterday!!!!

Another Bunnie Update

7pm and I thought I'd go check on the bunnies. They're GONE!!!! So I went out the front door and started looking. They were under the gas meters which are surrounded by a little wooden fence. Here's 3 of them....but there are 5 total...well, there are 5 that I saw...may be more and I just didn't see them. 2 were in a position where I couldn't get a camera in to take a picture without scaring them all. I think this may be their first outing. I may buy rabbit pellets tomorrow!!!! :)

Bunnie Update

I'm a little concerned about this hussy mother rabbit...seems to me she's sure off galavantin' around all the time. However, she does cover and uncover her babies. BUT...note the greenery in the picture....that's FAKE! It's plastic pieces off of an old artificial fern that was out there this past winter. Surely she could have done better. Maybe it's like we all say: We'll do better when we know better. (Click on photo to see close-up.)

Also...she (I hope) seems to like the grape tomatoes. So far she's eaten 10 of them...and I left 6 more for her this morning.

Also this morning, to top things off, my Rose of Sharon has one bloom. No way am I going to water it..the bunnies are just beneath it. I've watered all around it and just hope enough soaked over that way to keep it damp.

Bunnies!!!!

Several times lately I've seen small bunnies out in the yard. Many times when a group of people are sitting around, the adult rabbits in our neighborhood will get within 3 or 4 feet. Last night I was watering and noticed "an old dead, dried leaf" under my Rose of Sharon bushes. Thought I should pick it up and turned the hose a different direction, when I noticed the "leaf" was moving a little. I watched and saw it was breathing. I knew (hoped) it was a nest of bunnies (and not rats or skunks!) so I left it completely alone. I, great dieter that I am, didn't have any lettuce or carrots, but I did take out 3 little grape tomatoes and put them on the concrete of the patio.

Later in the evening, before dark, I looked out and the mama rabbit was over the nest. She must have been nursing them. I thought the rabbits I had seen in the yard were probably past that stage.

Today I went out to look. She has the babies uncovered. I can see three definitely..maybe more. Clearly they are considerably smaller than the ones I had seen in the yard a few days ago. These are tiny..furry, but tiny.

One of the grape tomatoes is still there but someone/something ate the other two. I took pictures but other than you can see fur, you can't really tell a whole lot yet. For now, they're pretty safe...inside my patio where a dog can't get them...and we don't have any cats around that I've seen.

Watch for the continued saga of the Forest Garden Bunnies!!!

A New Dog Bed

I've already sent pictures of this to most of the people that read my blog, but just have to show the world. A friend of mine had this and their little dog was no longer around, so I bartered with her and brought it home.

I brought it in, told Schiz I had something NEW for her. I brought it upstairs, stuck her pillow in it (it's HER pillow...even though she rarely gets on it...she prefers tile floor to sleep on), patted it and told her it was hers. She immediately crawled right up in it like "No Biggie"....turned a couple of turns, and laid down and yawned.

She may never bother to get in it again, but it was just too cute to let it just sit there in the gal's garage. I just love the little milkbone cutout on the headboard and again on the footboard. If Schiz doesn't sleep in it, I'll probably stack her toys in it...she has a few thousand!

Don't bother telling me she's spoiled...she isn't...she's just special!