Sausalito, Salad and Resolutions

Jerry and I started out the new year with a short ride. We had not been on the tandem in weeks, so we thought we'd take it easy and not do too many miles. We have thought this in past weeks, but somehow managed not to suit up and hit the road.

Today was different. Neither of us had to talk the other into it, despite drinking wine and staying up past our bedtime last night. We celebrated the new year with our friends Sha and Lora. Sha makes delicious Persian food, and we have taken to celebrating "east coast" new year's with them. Although last night we were having such a good time talking we celebrated east and west coast: unusual for us. We had some really good red wines and the evening, which started at 6 pm, flew by.

Jerry and I did not leap out of bed this morning. We lolled for close to an hour, finally getting up around 9:30. After breakfast and reading part of the New York Times, we donned our Lycra and headed out.

While it was warmer at home, it still wasn't terribly cold and we started out with a tail wind, so we sped down the road. In Sausalito we stopped at a cafe for lunch.

I decided with the new year I was going to make one, and only one resolution: to eat better. Mark Bittman had an article recently about eating vegetarian, or even vegan, two out of three meals. I think this is a fine idea and while I won't commit to doing this every day, I am going to make an effort to do it more often.

Lunch today was a bagel, lox and cream cheese, so definitely not vegan or even vegetarian, but my peanut butter and jelly on whole wheat for breakfast was vegan, and since this is movie night, dinner will be popcorn. So two out of three: done.

Also at lunch we had a Mediterranean salad: full of artichokes, olives, delicious grape tomatoes and a few pieces of fresh mozzarella.

The other thing I plan to do, though I refuse to "resolve" to do it, is lose 10 to 15 pounds. I have really packed it on this fall, and am at the heaviest I have been in more than 10 years. I am going to go back to Weight Watchers this week.

I am also going to start getting a weekly veggie box from a farm in Petaluma. From week to week I won't know what will be in it, but I think that will keep my cooking creative and fresh. I look forward to finding and creating new recipes with the week's bounty.

While not wanting to wish my life away, I couldn't wait for 2011 to end. For both Jerry and me, it was not a great year. We are determined to make 2012 better, and we know that won't happen by itself. We will work to make our life more fun, more meaningful and more joyous.

Colds, Cookies and No CoMotion

Didn't realize how long it had been since I have blogged. I guess that's partly because we have not been riding.
The last time Jerry and I rode was the World AIDS Day Ride sponsored by the Positive Pedalers. I did the media for the event and we had a great turnout of TV and radio. But I have to say I didn't like this year's route. It was stop sign after stop sign so the ride took much longer than anticipated. It's only a 31 mile ride (for the 31 years of the pandemic) but our average speed was less than 10 mph. I was also starting to get a cold so it made the ride even less fun.

The cold kind of inched up on me and didn't really blossom until the middle of the following week, and then it took hold and didn't want to let go. So no riding the following weekend. As I started to get better, it was Jerry's turn. He is finally getting over it; at least that is what it sounds like on the phone. He has been away all week and was supposed to return tonight but his trip has been extended by another day.

But since I recovered I have spent a good amount of time in the kitchen. I made my annual batch of peppermint bark, which I sell as a fundraiser for my AIDS Lifecycle ride. I made around 12 pounds this year. After the peppermint bark came the endless parade of cookies.

I started with my standard: biscotti. This year I made spicy nut, which is my favorite, followed by cranberry pistachio. Bowing to Jerry, then came toffee bars, which are his favorite. I love making those because I can't eat them. They have chocolate in them, which gives me a migraine. Chocolate may be my favorite ingredient for just that reason. I can enjoy the baking without worry about gaining weight.

And speaking of gaining weight, I'm closing in on a new holiday record. Since October I've gained close to 10 pounds. No kidding. January will see a lot of popcorn and soup.

But, in the meantime, I'm not going to worry about it. I also made a three-ginger cookie. The recipe called for fresh, ground and crystallized ginger. They were good, though I expected more of a zing with that combo. May up the fresh ginger a tad the next time I make them. I finished the baking season with brown butter shortbread topped with fleur de sel. Just from reading the recipe I knew I'd enjoy them, and I was not disappointed.

The neighbors in my cul de sac each got bags of goodies but I still have far too many sweets left in the house. I will come up with more ways of getting rid of them: I did manage to snag the FedEx guys and gave them some goodies; I'll keep an eye out for the mail carrier.

With Jerry being away most of the last two weeks the holiday season has been less than jolly, and in reality, I'm looking forward to it being over. We have some great travel plans in line for winter, and while I don't want to wish my life away, the sooner this year is over, the happier I will be.

Fairfax, the Petalon and Three Wheels

Nothing much really to report on the food scene. I made a very nice polenta, tomato sauce and mozzarella casserole the other night. No big deal, but good and lots of leftovers.

But more on the cycling front.
What cyclist doesn't want to be out there, pretending to be Levi or George... riding like the wind down the middle of a road, leading the Pelaton? Well, me for one. I'm happy stoking the tandem, making good time, but riding politely and safely.

Maybe it's from all of my AIDS Lifecycle training. Jerry and I stop at stop signs and red lights. We signal; we call out "on your left," and if there is a car coming and someone shouts out "Car Back," we get out of the road.

Yesterday we rode out to Fairfax, which involves climbing Camino Alto and riding down Shady Lane, home of 1,000 stop signs. First, while riding over Camino Alto, we were passed my a passel of FKV-- Full Kit Vermin, as we like to call them. A bunch of guys and gals all kitted out, riding like they were in the aforementioned Tour de France. Three across and really not giving a hoot about anything else. They passed us closely without letting us know they were coming. And they rode down the middle of the road. When I heard a car coming I shouted out "Car back," to let them know. Most of the cyclists heeded the call and moved over. One guy, though, figured he needed to take the lane. After all, he was going at least 7mph up the hill. Or maybe 8. Who knows. But he wasn't giving an inch.

Why do I care so much? Because it makes it bad for the rest of us. I was so hoping there was a patrol car on Shady Lane yesterday to catch these cyclists running stop signs. Cars almost seem shocked when Jerry and I stop. But we are a vehicle on the road. And we want to be able to keep riding on the road. And we want more bike lanes. And we want to be treated respectfully.

Sometimes I feel I'm the Andy Rooney of cycling. First it was helmets; now it's road etiquette. What will I complain about next?

But instead of complaining, I want to talk about my new toy. As most of my friends know, I crashed on my single a couple of years back, and I've been really afraid to ride, except the back of the tandem. So last weekend, Jerry and I went and looked at a used TerraTrike-- a tadpole recumbent. It fit me fine and I liked riding it. So Jerry went to the bank to get money and I went home to get a helmet. Fortunately, the guy selling it was less than a mile from home, so I rode it home. It was fun, and it definitely will give my quads a good workout.

I bought a lock and a cyclometer, so look out San Rafael Trader Joe's, here I come!

Mill Valley, Helmets and Ice Cream

I have a thing about helmets. Or, I should say, wearing a helmet properly. It stems from the crash I had a couple of years ago. I don't remember what happened before I work up at Marin General. I know I wasn't going very fast, but I sustained a pretty serious injury. Aside from a concussion, I had a very nasty gash above my eyebrow, and damaged the fourth cranial nerve, which left me seeing double. I had to wear prism glasses for six months.

If my helmet had been on properly I may have avoided all of my injuries. But the strap was loose and it was sitting too far back on my head. Thus the gash, and a more serious head injury than I would have sustained.

To this day, I am afraid to ride my single bike. I'm slowly working on it and hope to get back on the single. At some point. But not quite yet. I'm happy on the back of the tandem.

Today was the AIDS Lifecycle Kickoff ride. Jerry and I opted to do the shorter Mill Valley ride. We had ridden Tiburon Loop twice in a row recently, plus we wanted to sleep a little later.

During warm ups I was a bit horrified at what I saw. Helmets, many helmets worn improperly. I even had Russ, one of the Cycle Reps adjust the helmet of a Training Ride Leader. These people are supposed to be our role models and I saw at least three of them with their helmets not adjusted properly.

I saw a couple of young kids wearing helmets, but their straps were either not fasted or WAY too loose.

Maybe I'm a little obsessive about this, but I can't help but think of what happened to me, and how it changed my life for the not better. And I know not all that many people read my blog, but if you do, and if you are a cyclist, please please please make sure your helmet is forward and secure.
Okay. I'm done now.

The ride today was quite pleasant. I opted for shorts and I was perfectly comfortable. Jerry and I usually do the kick off ride as our annual ride across the Golden Gate Bridge. We hate riding across the Golden Gate Bridge. Too many tourists on rental bikes, tight turns and crowded sidewalks. We usually pick up rides north of the bridge, but since today was a "special" occasion, we opted to start in the city with everyone. And since we needed a couple of things at Sports Basement, which was where the ride started, we figured we'd brave the bridge.

The other things we braved were the hills that lead to the north side of the bridge. By picking up rides further north in Sausalito, we avoid those hills. But they really were not as bad as I expected today. We were slow, but we spun right up them. My new knee is behaving well and as long as I don't stress it too hard, I'm fine.

On the way to Mill Valley a rider ahead of us got a flat, and he was not prepared. I'm guessing he was a newbie, so Jerry and I stopped and Jerry gave the guy a lesson in tube changing 101. Jerry's a good teacher and the guy was a quick study, and the tube was changed and pumped up in no time. Then we made our way to Mill Valley, hung out a little while and headed back to Sports Basement.

Sports Basement had lunch for us accompanied by an assortments of sodas and beers. I snagged a fizzy lemonade and was a happy girl.

We arrived back home still kind of hungry, but managed to last until 5 before we made chicken blts. While I don't eat beef, pork has recently started playing a larger part in my diet. The bacon was uncured, so we avoided nitrates, and it was applewood smoked. And it was good.

After the sandwich I swung into my evening routine of ice cream. It is not a good evening routine, and when this container is gone, I really should refrain from buying more. But two of my passions are coffee and ice cream, and I really don't want to give up either. And tonight, I had both. First, a cup of coffee with my sandwich, and then Breyer's vanilla with King Arthur espresso powder sprinkled on top.

Jerry and I say we could either get a Calfee $20,000 tandem or each lose ten pounds. If I keep buying ice cream I will never lose weight, and the Calfee tandem is a wee bit out of our price range.

It may be time for me to make a return visit to Weight Watchers. But I'll wait until I'm finished this container of Breyers.

Tiburon Loop and eggs over easy with a side of Hank

Jerry and I were back on the tandem today, this time, to ride around Tiburon Loop. It's a really beautiful ride with a lot of rollers. There is one significant climb near the beginning of the ride, and I felt that I was ready for Camino Alto.
We were, in fact, more than ready. We went up Camino Alto a little faster than usual, and it felt just fine. The rest of the ride was delightful, cruising through sun and shade until we got to downtown Tiburon, where we decided it was time for lunch.

There are a couple of places where cyclists usually congregate for snacks or lunch, and we chose neither. Instead, we went to a small place where I usually get a cappucino to go when we are on group rides. This time, though, we checked in for brunch. Jerry had a quesadilla, and I had eggs over easy, sourdough toast and lots of coffee. After brunch, we got back on the tandem to finish the ride.

Riding is a great time to think, and mostly, my mind was filled with thoughts of Hank. Hank was a short, squat tabby that had, as Jerry put it, sneaked in the back door of our emotions six years ago. A rescue group had posted on Craigslist that a foster home was needed immediately for a cat at the Berkeley Animal Shelter who was due to be put down the next day. We had recently lost two cats in rapid succession-- one being my soulmate,Fernando, and another who arrived ill and left us far too soon. So I thought, what the heck; I can save this cat's life until he finds a permanent home.

I went over to Berkeley and the cat they called "Big Guy" climbed into my lap and just kind of stared at me. He was cute and pretty compliant. A worker at the shelter told me that he had some medical problems-- chronic upper respiratory conditions and he had had to have a tooth pulled. He had just been neutered as well. He had been found wandering the streets of Emeryville and he looked pretty much like a street cat. His ears were shredded and he had a couple of scars. But he sure didn't act like a street cat, at least not at that moment.

Jerry had his doubts about bringing another cat into the house so soon, but then he met the cat I named Hank. We initially thought we should isolate him so he could get used to the house as well as used to Jamie, our geriatric calico. But he'd have none of it. He was ready to join the family, so we followed his lead.

I will never forget that first evening. I was sitting on the couch,eating a bowl of beans and rice and he was acting very interested. I thought, okay, I'll show him. I gave him a piece of broccoli. He ate it. So then, I gave him a black bean, and he ate that as well. The street cat in him did show itself, particularly when Jerry and I were having dinner. Hank loved chicken and he would try to bat it out of our hands or off our fork.

Hank came with one more health problem: he had squamous cell carcinoma on his nose, probably from his time living outdoors. It was then that we figured he was pretty much unadoptable and he was going to be part of our family. He had surgery, he was put on pills for his wheezing and itchiness, and that was that.

We have no idea how old Hank was when he came to live with us. Our vet estimated 10, but that's an easy number. He mostly cuddled, ate and slept. He was an incredibly good sleeper and spent all night in our bed with his head on one of our pillows, stretched out between us. When we weren't home, Jerry and I played the game, Where do you think Hank is sleeping now?

When we went out of town, our neighbor Vicki would come over to feed Jamie and Hank, and she absolutely fell in love with Hank. Unfortunately, Jamie, although 19, still has the heart of a feral and doesn't let too many people get close to her. She would come out to say hi to Vicki, but that was about it. On the other hand, Hank would plop himself on the couch with her, and they'd watch Judge Judy together. Vicki told me it was his favorite show.

But a few months ago, our normally stocky cat suddenly didn't look so beefy, so we took him to the vet. She was alarmed at his weight loss and ordered some tests, including an ultrasound. A mass was spotted on his pancreas and surgery was performed. It was a lot for that now little guy.

But he did survive the surgery and came home, with an unclear diagnosis. Maybe pancreatic cancer, and, after some more bloodwork, a definite diagnosis of pancreatic insufficiency. We mixed enzymes into his food but it burned his mouth so we got creative. I stuffed capsules with the enzyme and shoved them down his throat every time he ate, which was around five times a day. If he wanted to eat, we fed him as much as he wanted of high-quality canned food. You can imagine Jamie was in heaven over this, because we fed her at least a little every time we fed Hank,

But as Jamie got plumper, Hank continued to lose weight. For a while he maintained, but then his bones were so visible through his skin. He began eating less and less. Even baby food stopped tempting him, and we knew his time was limited.

We spent as much time as we could with him, and then we knew. We waited for Vicki to come home so she could say goodbye, and then we drove to the emergency vet. They had been so kind when it was time to say goodbye to Fernando, we felt comfortable with our decision to take him there. We wrapped him in a towel and drove the few minutes to the offices.

Just as they had been with Fernando, they were understanding. They put an IV in his back leg so we could continue to hold him. They administered a sedative, and then the medicine to make his heart stop.

They asked if we wanted to stay and hold him for a while but we said no. We knew he was gone and we had spent the days before saying goodbye. We told him how much we loved him and we understood he needed to leave us. We didn't like it, but we understood.

I know he had a wonderful life with us and he loved us very much. We saved him on that day six years ago, and he lived a comfortable happy life with us. I thought about all the things he did, and what we did to him over the past six years. The Santa Outfit, the shower cap. He took all of our "abuse" with good humor, though he wasn't above a bite if we tickled his belly. When we first got him Jerry would have to wear welding gloves to hold him when I trimmed his nails, but that soon gave way to an occasional yowl and the clippers did their job.

People have already asked if we will get another cat. Most likely we will, but not quite yet. We are going out of town next week for a vacation we almost cancelled to stay home with him. We cancelled a trip in August because we didn't want to leave him.

I'll continue to think about him, occasionally think I see him. What I'm waiting for is my first Hank dream. Then I know he is okay, wherever he is.

Pt, Reyes Station and Grilled Cherry Tomatoes

While my knee is not yet where I want it to be, riding last week really agreed with it, so Jerry and I decided it was time to ride again, maybe even a bit further.

I'm not ready for any long climbs, so we took the tandem up to Nicasio, thus avoiding climbing White's Hill. I remember my first time going up White's Hill. We had to stop at least once for me to catch my breath and gain my composure. While my quads are getting stronger every day, I didn't think they were up to that.

We headed out and rode around the reservoir. There are some short climbs and I handled them well. When we reached the turn to Pt. Reyes Station, I thought, why not? So we continued to ride. There are a couple of climbs and again, everything went well.

So at around 10 miles, we pulled into Pt. Reyes Station, took a little break and then got back on the tandem. I diluted my electrolyte drink and stuck the bottle in Jerry's back pocket. I am tired of using a Camelbak and am looking for ways to avoid it. The bottle cages on the tandem are hard for me to reach, so if Jerry's not wearing a jacket, his back pocket works just fine.

Right out of Pt. Reyes Station there is a climb, and my knee started talking to me-- not too loud, but I definitely felt some new twinges in new places. But I figured if I don't push a bit beyond my limits I'll never get anywhere, so I continued to push hard. Coasting down a stretch was a treat, and the next little climb seemed a bit easier.

So altogether, we rode around 20 miles at about 14 mph. Not bad for the second time out. Next weekend maybe we can conquer something a bit steeper and go for some more miles.

After getting home and showering, we headed to our usual haunt, Theresa and Johnny's Comfort Food Cafe. One of the specials was a scramble with roasted garlic, grilled cherry tomatoes, basil and parmesan. It was full of both grilled and raw cherry tomatoes and it was just what I wanted. I had fruit with it and ate a share of Jerry's french fries. After all, I DID ride.

Mill Valley and Felafel

Yesterday I had my first almost real bike ride since my knee replacement surgery. Hard to call it a real ride, because it was only seven miles, but at least it was a ride. Jerry and I set out from Mike's Bikes in Sausalito and rode to Mill Valley. It's mostly trail and very quiet flat streets. It was cloudy and a bit on the chilly side which probably made me pedal faster.

As usual, I was on the back of the tandem. I am still not even close to riding my single, though I am thinking about it. At an after-ride potluck last week I spoke to a rider to ask her about coaching me. She's an ALC training ride leader and my gut tells me she'd be a really good coach, helping me get over my fears as well as helping me focus on the road. While I will never be sure, I think the reason I crashed is because I got distracted and was not focusing on what was in front of me. Being a stoker on a tandem I don't actually see the road, so I'm usually looking off to the side or at the cyclometer. Not good habits for riding a half-bike.

But back to the ride. It was not very strenuous, but felt that for the first time out, I didn't want to overdo it. And my knee was a bit achy later in the day, so I think my instinct on that was good. Maybe a bit longer ride next weekend.

I was going to go to the gym today, but somehow the day got away from me. Jerry and I did go out to lunch at Trio, which is in a strip mall not far from where we live. It's really too bad this place is in the location it is: it deserved to be someplace better. The food is wonderful-- some of the usual stuff, but lots of middle-eastern dishes. I frequently get felafel, and Jerry had a lamb and beef burger. The guys that run the place are young and energetic, and I sincerely hope they can make it work.