Laughing All the Way

I don't know why, but I laughed the entire time Jerry and I were on the trike. We only rode a couple of blocks, but there is something about it that just made me laugh. Maybe I can't believe we're actually doing it. I'm so happy.

Our friends George and Nancy came over. George and Jerry finished putting the trike together then Jerry and I took it out for a spin. But something was wrong with the way the chain was on and Jerry had to pedal backwards to go forward. That was part of what made me laugh. We came back, George fixed it, then the two of them took it out for a spin. Then Jerry and Nancy. Nancy couldn't reach the pedals, so Jerry chaufeurred her.

George and Nancy know their tandems, and they were pretty impressed with this one. It was lighter and it handled better than they thought it would. Their endorsement meant a lot.

After we finished playing with the trike we came in for dinner. The appetizer was barely touched-- a feta cheese dip. I blend feta with some yogurt and garlic, a splash of olive oil, then I pulse in some sun dried tomatoes.

Dinner was a layered dish of polenta, sauteed chicken sausage with onion, garlic and mushrooms, and topped with fresh mozzarella. I made a dressing for the salad with some good dijon mustard, not very aged balsamic, some basil, rice vinegar and some apple cider vinegar.

We taste tested the coffee cake for dessert. All was good.

Tomorrow, we ride.

A Big Crate and More Coffee Cake

I didn't hear the door bell ring, or the knocking, but thank goodness I heard the phone. Jerry called to tell me to open the garage. The delivery person had his number, so he called him when no one answered. Gotta have that doorbell, or my hearing, checked.

With a great deal of difficulty, the guy put the huge wooden crate on the lift and lowered it to the street. He pushed it into the garage. I ripped off one end of the plywood, and there it was. In two pieces and odds and ends tied down. But there it was.

When Jerry got home I crawled in the crate and unclipped the ties holding it down. We ripped off the other end of the plywood and slid out the two pieces. Without too much difficulty, we threaded the two pieces together.

It is not 11 feet long, as Jerry had claimed, but it IS long. We both took turns sitting in it, and yes, I will admit, it's comfy.

We took some photos and had some beans and rice I had cooked, and some coffee cake. I changed the recipe I had used just a few days ago. I added more cinnamon, less white sugar, more brown sugar, and I made it in a half sheet pan. It worked well and it's good.

Jerry is in the garage fiddling with the bike. Knowing him, he is getting the chain on without taking the bike apart-- probably splitting the chain to get it on.

I cannot wait to ride it.

No Trike and Cheap Indian Food

Well, it's Wednesday and still no trike. I'm home, and I keep waiting for a truck to pull up to unload the behemoth that will take us down the coast to LA. Jerry and I are getting quite impatient about its arrival. When, when, when.

Jerry saw his orthopaedist this week who took out the stitches and gave him some very gentle exercises to do. He's still in the sling 24 hours a day,though he got to remove the bolster that sat between his sore ribs and his arm, so he's a bit more comfortable. He can also take it off when he drives, which he's just been allowed to do, so my chauffeur duties have ended.

This past weekend, as we were out in our car and saw some ALC cyclists on their way to China Camp, our pain and longing to be with them was almost palpable. I cannot wait to get back on a tandem-- any tandem. Some day, after I train again with Lorri Lee Lown of Velo Girls, I might even long to get back on a single bike.

I have cooked next to nothing, except for baking a couple of loaves of bread this week. Last night I was queen of the microwave. I recently got a boxed set of Indian food at Trader Joe's. It had rice, Dal and a peas and potato dish. I threw in some chicken and it really was not bad. It was good one-handed food for Jerry, so for the first time in a while, we had an actual dinner.

I'm still obsessing about Jon Pon. I'm not worried-- I just keep running recipe ideas through my head. I'm really looking forward to it. It's such a great weekend. Once it's over, though, I'll start obsessing about the ride, and that will involve some worry. But I keep reminding myself, we'll try as hard as we can, and that's what it's all about.

Encouragement and Coffee Cake

It's hard for Jerry and me to keep our spirits up, but we certainly are trying. Not being able to ride in this beautiful weather is taking its toll,but today we are going to the beach for a barbecue with friends. I've got a coffee cake cooling on a rack downstairs. Making it was a bit of a comedy of errors. It's a new recipe, and I had gone out specifically to get buttermilk for it. So I was sure all was a go.

But first I couldn't find oil. It did finally turn up in the garage, where a lot of my larger-container items live. But then, where was the baking powder? I always have baking powder. What baker doesn't have baking powder.
Fortunately, I am taking care of Satchmo, our neighbor's cat, so I had the keys to their house. I went over, fed Satch, and borrowed a teaspoon of baking powder. Baking emergency averted.

The cake smells wonderful. This is a test batch for the Jon Pon ride the first week in May. If it's a success here, I'll make it for breakfast for the ride.

Encouragement came in the form of an email from the owners of a company called Reverse Gear (www.reversegearinc.com). They sell everything to meet the needs of riders of "bent" bikes, as many call recumbents, and they ride a Greenspeed recumbent tandem. I emailed them to ask about their experience with riding their tandem trike all over the world. The email I received was friendly and reassuring. Sure, we won't be the fastest bike on Quadbuster, but we'll make it.

I feel as if we have some wonderful support out there. It feels great.

Three wheels and 11 feet

We did it. In one week, Jerry and I will take delivery on a Greenspeed Tandem Trike. It is 11 feet long and probably weighs as much as we do. But it is the only way we can do the AIDS ride, so that's that. Initially, we will put it on a wind trainer and pedal in our family room. Once Jerry is deemed road ready, we'll take it out. It's exciting and scary. But mostly exciting.

Jerry has been in considerable discomfort but at least most of his pain has subsided. I took him to his office today, and he is working away on a few things, including a neon sign from the Comfort Food Cafe that is on the blink, literally. It's blinking and Jerry can probably fix it.

Leslie, the owner of the cafe is going to lend me large pots for the Jon Pon ride. What a relief that I don't have to buy one. The manager at the ranch where the event is sent me a nasty email about not using any of their stuff, so I won't. Thank goodness I have a friend who owns a well-equipped restaurant.

Not much cooking or baking lately. I think Jerry and I have both been kind of down. We were initially worried we wouldn't be able to do the AIDS ride, now we're worried that it's going to be incredibly difficult. But we will do what we can.

Fundraising has been particularly hard this year. There was an article in today's New York Times that everyone, including those who have jobs, are afraid to spend. I think that's what's happening to me. Most of my friends are still employed, but they don't seem to be coming through with donations. It's the ones, though, you least expect, who do come through. I have a friend who is grossly underemployed, but he made a donation of $10. It meant so much.

Elevators, Steps and Subways

This morning was Jerry's surgery on his clavicle. He slept much better than I did last night. I think that's because I've had more surgeries so I was more nervous.

We got to UCSF and parked in the public garage-- a massive structure that's expensive and gets filled way too quickly. We then took the elevator up and then had to go down a flight of stairs to the ambulatory surgery suite. The orthopods who do joint replacement are down there too. It strikes me as just a tad ironic that it is difficult to get to that floor by elevator. You can do it, but it's difficult.

I stayed with Jerry the two hours until they took him to the OR. I figured I had some time so I went and gave blood. I'm happy to say my iron was high enough-- it isn't always-- and giving the unit was a breeze.

Then I visited with Eleanor, another AIDS Lifecyclist who works at UCSF. Her grandmother recently died and we had a wonderful talk about her grandmother, her spirit, and all that Eleanor has learned from her.

Afterwards, I wasn't hungry, but I was a little light-headed so I thought I'd better get something to eat. UCSF has several choices besides the hospital cafeteria. In Millberry Union, there is a food court with pizza, Chinese, Mexican and something else. There is also an overpriced go through a line and get a pannini restaurant as well.

So what did I choose? I went to the basement to Subway and got a chicken breast sub. I had the server put lettuce, tomato, onion, pepperoncini and salt and pepper on it. I got the foot long, but ate half. It was really good. Maybe I'm lowbrow, but I like the Subway chicken subs. They are simple, unpretentious food. And inexpensive.

I then went back and waited for Jerry to come out of anesthesia. The surgery went very well and Jerry should have a good recovery.

When we got home, I heated up some leftover spaghetti for Jerry and I ate the second half of my sub.

Life, for now, is okay.

Recumbent trikes and Mediterranean Chicken

I think Jerry and I have solved our AIDS Lifecycle problem. We will do the ride on a recumbent tandem, either two-wheeler or trike. We are leaning toward a trike because of its stability-- it would be pretty awful if Jerry landed on his newly plated and screwed shoulder.

Now the task is finding one that won't bankrupt us. We are hoping to track down a used one, but even if we don't, we figure we can sell it after the ride. Unless of course, we fall in love with it, but somehow I think we will want to go back to our Co-motion.

And tonight, I did a trial run of the chicken dish I am going to make for the Jon Pon ride. It's marinated boneless chicken breasts with olives, prunes, capers, red wine vinegar, oregano, garlic and olive oil. I served it with couscous. I need to up the spices-- more red wine vinegar and more garlic. I also need to do something to dress up the couscous. At the very least, parsley. But maybe toasted pine nuts.