Seems like a quiet weekend on Balloon Juice. What’s everyone up to?
I bought 3 azaleas this week in Michigan. They were really hard to find in Champaign this year, so I was thrilled to find them here. One was done blooming, but here are the other two.
The pink one is called a “rose azalea”, I guess because each flower looks like a baby rose that hasn’t opened yet, but then it opens as an azalea.
Totally open thread. Don’t feel like you have to talk about flowers and gardens just because I mentioned them and shared a couple of photos. :-)
Central Planning
Dr. Michael Hfuhruhurr: There it is, darling. Your new home. The House of Hfuhruhurr.
Dolores: What are those assholes doing on the porch? [Talking about the gardeners]
Dr. Michael Hfuhruhurr: Those aren’t assholes. It’s pronounced “azaleas”.
Czar Chasm
The rains promised us this weekend have still not arrived yet, so I’m installing the window A/C units for the entire house. It’s great that we haven’t needed them this year, so far, compared to past Mays: In 2012, it hit 100 on Memorial Day! Next week looks hot by Thursday, so in they go!
Czar Chasm
@Central Planning: We have a love/hate relationship with the anzaleas around the house. On one hand, they make Spring gorgeous, and they provide birds habitat. On the other, they seem to be a source of tick bites during May and June.
Phein63
Beautiful day at Prairie Gardens: 82 degrees but no humidity. Wife spent $200 on flowers and herbs, should keep her busy through tomorrow. Didn’t see any azaleas, but wasn’t looking for them either. Plenty of cone flowers and bee balm.
Ceci n est pas mon nym
Wife is on a retreat. Rattling around, walking the dog, going out for coffee & meals, trying to alternate doing useful things with snoozing on the sofa with dog.
I give myself an A for only buying one meal out per day (coffee & brownie doesn’t count) and for actually accomplishing a couple things.
Joey Maloney
4-day weekend here. I spent it trying to learn a Django Reinhardt solo, transposed for the mandolin. I got about 3/4 of it.
Alison Rose
I was hoping for a Newcastle win to close out an amazing season, especially since we would’ve had it if not for a damn own goal. Alas. But a point at Stamford Bridge isn’t a terrible thing, I suppose, and we finished in 4th place and get to look forward to the Champions League.
Villago Delenda Est
Come Tuesday, all hell will break loose when the fascism caucus starts throwing conniptions over OHJB’s pantsing of Qevin.
frosty
Doing nothing so far. Contemplating a trip to the local nursery for tomatoes, peppers, etc. and putting in the vegetable garden before it gets too late in the summer… gee, just typing that is enough to get me out of the recliner. See youse later!
Miss Bianca
I’m lounging around, mostly. Just got back from a walk with the doggoes. Thinking about plugging into a Youtube yoga video and doing some stretching. Mostly I’m avoiding going anywhere in the car, which would include, sadly, visiting my horse on this beautiful Sunday, because it means an hour’s drive there and back.
Got to work on getting my neighbor’s place horse-ready…at least for summers.
patrick II
@Watergirl.
I haven’t been around much and missed you last “I need a TV series” post, plus I don’t know if you have Apple. But, if you have Apple and have not already watched “Silo”, let me recommend it. It stars Rebecca Ferguson (Tom Cruise’s girlfriend and MI6 agent in the last couple of MI movies) as a citizen of an underground silo with about 10,000 other people who do not know why they are there or pretty much anything before the “revolution” which happened aboujt 150 years before the silo’s present time. Rebecca is going against the authorities and is determined to find out where they came from. Good writing, good cast, good mystery.
rikyrah
Background
This poster’s neighbor, Ms. Francis, cleaned out her closet and gave her a bunch of outfits…
They were fly!
So, the commenters asked if we could meet this fly Senior Citizen.
When I tell you…we all know someone like Ms. Francis…we grew up with one in our lives…in our family.. or the neighborhood…or the church…
Ms. Francis was THAT ONE
AND, as much as I love the clothes…
It’s her hair that GIVES ME LIFE 👏🏾
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRoe5pnp/?t=1
raven
Packing up for Beaufort. We’re only going for two nights so I’m taking minimal fishing gear. Even thought Garden Girl is now Air BnB Superhost we are still learning how it works on the other end. A $125 per night turns into $275 per night when you ad a second person and a doggie!
Alison Rose
@Villago Delenda Est:
………Old hippie Joe Biden? Oval headed Joe Biden? Oddly handsome Joe Biden?
JoyceH
I haven’t done a thing yet today. But last night I streamed two movies. Oddly enough, I was rather proud of that! Thing is, I’ve been trying to find stuff to stream and the things I tried just didn’t catch my attention. I was beginning to be afraid that I was developing some sort of attention span disorder, but now think the stuff I was sampling just wasn’t that good. Anyhoo – I watched Call Jane and Jumanji Welcome To The Jungle, both on Hulu, both recommended. I think I’m going to have to spring for 3.99 on Prime to watch Jumanji The Next Level.
Suzanne
I got a little azalea, too. From Trader Joe’s. I’m not sure if I should take it out of its pot. I do t really have a specific spot in mind for planting it.
I cleaned up my own garden this morning. The first spring that we were in this house, I planted four hydrangeas, two with kind of wide, soft green leaves, and two with narrower, shiny leaves. Both of them have thrived, and they both bloomed like crazy last year. I didn’t prune them last year. This year at the beginning of spring, I deadheaded them, because I heard that I should. So now the ones with the wider leaves are about to have huge flowers, and the ones with the narrower leaves look like there are no blooms at all — but the plants themselves look healthy and amazing. One of them is under the bird feeder and is covered in birdshit. I don’t know what I did wrong. Maybe I shouldn’t have deadheaded them.
Villago Delenda Est
@Alison Rose: Old Handsome Joe Biden. It’s a Wonketteism.
bbleh
@Villago Delenda Est: I love it. Une Wonquetisme.
Meanwhile, rhododendron blooms are taking over the world here. There is a wall of them about 10 feet high and 25 feet long next to the patio. If they ever get organized, we’re doomed.
Alison Rose
@Villago Delenda Est: Ahh okay. Haven’t read Wonkette in forever.
JoyceH
New subject – are there any bikers on the thread? I mentioned in an earlier thread that I was getting out my old bike and trying to get going with it. One of the things that was perplexing me was how much harder that I remember it is to just get my foot over to the other side of the bike. But last night I looked down at my feet and realized that walking shoes (AKA ‘sneakers’) have gotten a lot bigger and clunkier since I was a kid flying all over town in my Keds. So I’ve been looking on Amazon for biking shoes. This is a whole new technology! They’re definitely slimmer and more maneuverable than walking shoes, but these things come with cleats! Do I need the cleats?
Juju
I admire those who do gardening. I hate being in the sun for long periods of time and I don’t have a green thumb. I did plant an azalea once 30 years ago, and it still blooms, but seems rather small for a 30 year old plant. Everything else I’ve planted has died. The azalea was the last thing I planted. I figured I’d go out with a win.
jackmac
I’m installing a pair of 12 x 40 inch planters in front of my house today and thinking of azaleas.
I haven’t seriously looked for flowers yet, but stocks are ample at my local Home Depot as well as Jewel-Osco (not — UGH — Wal-Mart). So I’m optimistic that I’ll find something that will flourish.
My first choice, though, are Vincas. I had bountiful hanging Vincas last year, but haven’t been able to locate those yet.
bbleh
@JoyceH: if it’s been out of use for a while, get it serviced, and think about replacing the chain &/or the cassette, entire derailleur, etc. if they’re worn. It’ll be night and day.
Ken
@Villago Delenda Est: Not “Our Hero”? I think that works better.
Joy in FL
@patrick II: I also really like Silo. I like the characters and plot and setting so much that I’m thinking about reading the books it’s based on,
I bought the Kindle version of Beacon 23, by the author of the Silo books, Hugh Howey. I’m liking it so far.
WaterGirl
@Czar Chasm: oh, ugh! ticks. shudder.
Joy in FL
I love azaleas. I planted them right away in the small back yard of my previous house. I enjoyed them for 19 years. I regret that I didn’t plant some where I live now. It’s not too late, but I am now really unmotivated about yard work in Florida’s heat.
Yours are beautiful.
WaterGirl
@Phein63: I know Prairie Gardens as a local store and garden center. Is Prairie Gardens where you live? Or are you located in Champaign?
WaterGirl
@patrick II: Sounds interesting. But is it depressing?
Another Scott
@JoyceH: I don’t know the current technology and terminology…
About 20 years ago I got bike shoes and special pedals for my bike. E.g. Pedals, Cleats at Nashbar.com. The shoes clip into the pedals, so you get the benefit of efficient power transfer while raising your leg. Works well! (The pedals have a flat side for use with regular shoes, but without the power-up benefits.)
But you have to train yourself to have it be second nature to move your heel away from your bike to unsnap the shoe from the pedal. I fell over once because I was approaching a stop sign and couldn’t get my foot released before I stopped. :-/
If you’re just getting started again, I would say maybe go for something simple and less complicated, like maybe a strapless toe clip – haven’t tried it myself.
As I say, I haven’t kept up with this stuff (and I too need to get back on my bike one of these days!).
HTH a little. Good luck!
Cheers,
Scott.
Amir Khalid
@Alison Rose:
My guys closed out 22/23, a season to forget by Liverpool’s Klopp-era standard, by drawing 4-4 at Southampton. So we’re playing Europa League football next season. There were times when I feared it would be worse.
Geminid
@Juju: If you decide to get back in the fray, planting a rosemary in a 12″ clay pot might yield a good result. They don’t need much attention, maybe a little lime.
Benw
I’m at my first ever Yankees game at Yankee Stadium. Yanks are shellacking the Padres. The Yankees fans with me got to see their first ever Aaron Judge homer so they are happy!
Alison Rose
@Amir Khalid: I saw that result! I was kinda shocked by that, as were the Southampton fans, I’ll bet.
I have a friend who’s a Leeds fan and he is a bit morose at the moment.
Phein63
@WaterGirl: Urbana
I have known the Wandell’s for going on 30 years, but usually shop out at Country Arbors. Wife’s got a bum knee and couldn’t walk as much, so PG it was.
CarolPW
@JoyceH: When I decided to start riding a bike again in my early 50s (and commuting to work on it) I got a Bianchi similar to this one. Couldn’t race on it but it was a great city bike.
Phein63
@patrick II: Saw the ad for this and immediately thought of “A Boy And His Dog.” Too bad Harlan Ellison isn’t around to work on this, too.
Frankensteinbeck
@rikyrah:
It’s the poster herself who I like. I love people with that kind of energy and ability to find joy.
Although Ms. Francis has hella hair, you’re right.
trollhattan
Things are unusually green for Mem Day weekend–more typically we get a killer heatwave by mid-May that scorches the joint. 76 today? Yes, please, a nice break from the drought.
Betty Cracker
@JoyceH: Bicycle or motorcycle?
@raven: Fantastic seafood in that town!
Geminid
@raven: My friend Joan rents out an AirBnb apartment attached to her house. It’s a college town, and she raises her rate and makes out like a bandit on graduation weekend. She’s booked two years in advance.
JoyceH
@CarolPW: I got a one speed Schwinn, as close as I could get to the bike I had as a kid. Ages ago I got a used three speed at a yard sale and could never get the hang of it.
JoyceH
@Betty Cracker: Oh, bicycle! Though the image of myself as a Harley babe offers me plenty of amusement.
trollhattan
Oh yes BTDT and more than once.
If I may piggyback–it’s important to keep pedal releases clean and lubed, and pick the appropriate tension (they’re adjustable). Also check that cleats are likewise clean and cranked down tight–if they loosen and rotate they will NOT release when you need them.
When new, practice getting clipped in, taking off from a stop. Few things worse than blindly stabbing at the pedal with your foot in the middle of an intersection while cars are approaching.
If you’re like me with multiple bikes, not every shoe-pedal combination works equally well, even though I’ve gone all-SPD system after rotating among Look, Shimano, Richey (too many shoes!) Some combos are like a Swiss watch, others are persnickety.
Even with all that it is worth the fuss to convert. ETA recommend going with rubber sole mountain shoes and SPD system pedals. Road shoes are for the most part hard to walk on because they have rigid soles and the cleat is on the surface, not recessed.
boatboy_srq
Checking in after crawling under a rock, from beautiful if chilly Canterbury, Kent, UK. Been wandering the countryside for a week. Soon-to-be deckhand_srq had passport issues and isn’t along, so I am taking pics for both of us. Back to the grind and snarkery next week.
raven
@Geminid: We have our newly renovated rental next door and it’s been booked a great deal. We’ll do great during football even though the Dawgs home schedule totally sucks this year.
Lapassionara
@Suzanne: have you given the hydrangeas any food? I don’t think cutting off the dead blooms would affect them. I typically feed my hydrangeas, except for my oak leaf hydrangeas which don’t seem to need any care at all.
steppy
steppy and mrs have been at DelFest in Cumberland MD this weekend. Bluegrass, funk, jamgrass etc., etc., all courtesy of Del McCoury. It all makes a boy grateful for the breaths I draw, especially on a weekend as glorious as this. Del Yeah!!
JMG
Am at my son’s Brooklyn home seeing my grandson for the first time. His name is George, he’s very little but looks like a regular infant at three weeks old. Alice and I are spending the long weekend helping the two exhausted parents do things for which a car is needed (big grocery shop, trip to hardware store, etc.) and doing chores that allow them more crashing time on those rare daytime occasions George sleeps in for a few hours. We’re cooking meals for them, as I think they’d be all takeout or forget meals completely. They are pretty zonked. I remember that phase all too well.
CarolPW
@JoyceH: It was the step-thru part that appealed to me both for what I wore to work and how limber I was. It’s so flat around here I rarely shifted, and mine was like an automatic shift – you stopped pedaling, moved the lever on the dial on the handlebar, and started pedaling again
raven
A car flipped at Indy and, even though the wheels are now tethered, it came of and flew over the fence and somehow missed the crowd. The race is blacked out in Indy because it’s not sold out.
Baud
@JMG:
Awesome. Congrats, grandpa.
Baud
@raven:
A jackal is there. Narya, I think.
Kayla Rudbek
@JoyceH: you would only need the cleats if you’re using clipless pedals. I have a pair of bike shoes from Pearl Izumi that are flat like the old Keds.
edit: I think that I bought them at Sierra Trading Post so they were cheaper than the regular price
Brachiator
@JMG:
Congratulations!!
raven
@Baud: It’s pretty lucky that it missed the crowd. It landed on a car and it looks pretty smashed.
SFBayAreaGal
@rikyrah: I love her hair. I also love that the dress has pockets.
trollhattan
@Suzanne: IIUC one trims only the branches containing old flowers and leaves the others alone, because they will be the ones bearing flowers next year. That’s how I handle my sole hydrangea and it’s just now starting to bloom, and has tons of buds (wet winter def helped).
Geminid
@raven: I hadn’t thought of Georgia football. Charlottesville gets a few extra visitors on game days, but it’s not the same. Neither is *The Festival of the Book* (although locals are very proud of it).
lowtechcyclist
@JoyceH:
If I’m on my bike, I’m wearing cutoffs, a t-shirt, and the same sneakers I’d wear around the yard, so no great advice here.
zhena gogolia
@SFBayAreaGal: WHY DON’T ALL DRESSES HAVE POCKETS G-DDAMMIT
NotMax
Had ordered several items from Amazon last week, among them a 40 ounce jar of a condiment I like to have around (next to impossible to find even a halfway decent brand here).
Package arrived Saturday (by happenstance finished up the last of a previous jar Friday), the jar swaddled top to bottom in bubble wrap*. Said to myself, “Self, That’s a lot of bubble wrap!” Strictly out of curiosity as to how much there was, deftly slit the wrapping where it had been taped together and managed to unroll it in one continuous sheet. Measured nearly a foot wide and 5½ feet long.
*not complaining mind you, I admire the care with which it was sent.
frosty
@JoyceH: If you’re planning on riding long distances or lots of uphill, the cleats would help. Do you need them? Not really. Do you need bike shoes? Not if you can find some smaller sneaks. I typically ride short trips with Merrell light hikers and don’t have any problem.
Some unasked for advice: I took my 30-year old Schwinn CrissCross to the local bike shop to see what it needed before a long tour. She said, “Hmm, chain, cassette, shifters, tires and tubes. We can do all that.”
What she should have said is “How long have you had this bike?” I would have said. “I bought it in a pawn shop for $140 twenty-eight years ago.” Then she should have said “You got your money’s worth. Buy a new bike, they’re much better now.”
ETA Let’s keep it simple: If you don’t need bike shorts for the kind of riding you’re doing, you don’t need cleats.
Shana
I don’t think I knew you’re in Champaign. I went to UofI many years ago and now our younger daughter is in law school there although we haven’t lived in Illinois for over 30 years. But it was the highest rated school that offered her money (full tuition) so that’s where she is. Except she’s in Chicago for a summer job. We helped her move into her summer sublet so were in town for a day last week. Boy that town has changed since 1982. I still mourn for Mable’s.
raven
@Geminid: It’s insane here.
frosty
@JoyceH: Okay, you don’t need cassette, derailleurs, or shifters. For a one-speed bike like that you don’t need new pedals and cleats. Go shoe shopping instead!
ETA: See #44. If you’re getting bike shoes, get the mountain bike ones with recessed cleats. That’s what I got since I figured I’d end up doing some walking up hills.
SFBayAreaGal
Visiting my sister and husband. It’s a cool Memorial weekend here in the Sacramento area. Brings back memories of cool Memorial weekends at Clear Lake many years ago.
For those that like dark chocolate, mint, pretzel combination, I highly recommend the Girl Scout Thin Mints pretzels. Comes in a sealable bag. You can find them at Costco.
Shana
@zhena gogolia: There’s an online place called eShakti that customizes clothes, mostly dresses, and they all have pockets. Relatively inexpensive although they are made in, and come from, India I believe.
Steeplejack
@NotMax:
Forty ounces of anything would make a big mess.
SFBayAreaGal
@zhena gogolia: I hear you. I love pockets in pants, dresses, blouses, and zip up sweatshirts.
frosty
@steppy: Del is great. He and two sons played a couple of songs at my son’s HS graduation, since his kids were also graduates from there.
I sat there telling everyone in my family “Holy cow! That’s Del McCoury!!” They all looked puzzled and said “Who is Del McCoury?”
patrick II
@Watergirl
No. Just interesting
Dorothy A. Winsor
@JMG: Have a great time being gramps and gramma.
mvr
Installing brick pathways on sand between our vegetable garden beds. Our yard is now most of the way past the mudfield look resulting from a basement replacement on our 107 year old house.
bbleh
@trollhattan: @JoyceH: I never considered cleats, was always very nervous even with just toe clips, but I rode exclusively in cities, and sh!t happens when there’s that many cars, and people, and potholes, and …
JoyceH
@frosty: My current ambition is just to tool around my neighborhood, probably avoiding the hills. If I get better at it, I might get more ambitious, but frankly goal one is getting to where I can bike circles in my driveway.
NotMax
@patrick II
“The cake is a lie.”
(Someone had to say it.)
Dorothy A. Winsor
@raven: This is video from inside the car that flipped
BellyCat
@JoyceH: Often overlooked tip (so to speak) for circles and tight slow-speed turns on a bike: lightly drag your rear brake. Works a treat!
steppy
@frosty: Holy cow!! How awesome is that! I hope ol’ Del had a huge grin going the whole time.
KayInMD (formerly Kay (not the front-pager))
@rikyrah: The SHOES!!! I’ve always been partial to red shoes, tho I haven’t had a pair in a few years. But those pink high heels with the bow in the BACK! just take my breath away!
prostratedragon
Armstrong and Ellington: “Azaleas”.
Ivan X
We’re in Paris for the first time in close to a decade. It’s nice here.
raven
@steppy: Is Ronnie playing with him?
mvr
@JoyceH: I’m with the no cleats folks posting above, given that you are starting out riding again and a bit unsure of yourself. In fact I have never used cleats though I did generally used toe clips. And though I don’t often bike anymore I did a lot of bicycle touring when I was young. I’d also recommend against clips at this stage until you feel comfortable on the bike. Even when you don’t strap yourself into them too tightly to get out, getting out is another thing to remember when you stop.
As (I think it was) Frosty said, just get comfortable light shoes that aren’t bulky.
Hope that is helpful advice.
Leto
@JoyceH: then avoid cleats. Just get some comfy shoes, tuck the shoe laces in, and putz around the neighborhood.
Jim, Foolish Literlist
I hate clips. When Biden fell on his bike that time (IIRC) it was because he couldn’t get his feet out of the clips in time. Same thing happened to me when I was in my 30s
JMG
@Baud:
@Brachiator:
@Dorothy A. Winsor: Thank you all for your congratulations. Naturally I am very very happy, but at three weeks, George is so little, there isn’t much interaction. Little tyke is still focusing hard with his eight-inch vision to imprint his Mom and Dad on his growing little brain. Why, I can’t even tell if he throws righty or lefty yet so I can know whether to purchase him a catcher’s mitt or first baseman’s glove for a present (joke).
Geminid
@raven: Short term rentals can be a real moneymaker. Joan says she makes better money renting out 40% of her house* now than she did working full-time as a carpenter or as a painting contactor. It helps that Charlottesvile is a prime tourist destination.
Joan likes to travel, so the key to making the rental work was finding a good cleaner to take care of the change-over between rentals. That takes two hours- changing sheets, cleaning, restocking the coffee maker, etc. Joan does it when she’s home, and she’s found someone who will reliably do the change-over when she’s away. Boris is an East European immigrant who lives a couple blocks over, and cleaning is his business.
*Joan’s house was originally a couple of two story wood framed houses built in the 1890s. In the 1920s, someone moved one and attached it to the other with a 14″ by 14′ foot room connecting the two. Joan bought it in the 1980s. More recently, she had the unit closest to the street gutted and made into a nice two-story rental unit. It’s in the Belmont neighborhood, half a mile from downtown Charlottesville.
kalakal
@Alison Rose:
I’ve been a Leeds fan for 50 years, we’re used to it.
Geminid
@mvr: Paving is a lot of fun if you don’t do too much at once. It’s a very satisfying and useful activity.
realbtl
Love
del McCoury for his ventures into non-traditional songs. Vincent Black Shadow.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7uyG6RrBDE
Steeplejack
My do-nothing holiday weekend continues pleasantly. Stayed up way too late last night, slept in a bit this morning and have mostly putzed around since then. Watched Everton narrowly avoid relegation on the final day of the Premier League season. They were last relegated in 1951, so it would have been a catastrophe!
I did put on the tactical gear to run a quick errand, and I caught a faint whiff of rain in the air. But so far no actual rain has appeared. It’s cloudy and 73°—quite pleasant. Might have a bit of a lie-down to set me up for the evening.
BellyCat
@trollhattan: SPD mountain bike rider here and echo all your thoughts.
To add a few more:
1. There is one main function for cleats: to pull on the upstroke for more power (such as steep climbs).
2. They obviously also help keep one’s foot attached on very bumpy terrain (as well as not banging one’s shin with aggressive teeth from regular pedals — both of which are central attractions for me)
3. Tension level is critical and most people WAY over-tighten and can’t get their foot out when wanted/needed. So, how to set the proper tension? Start at lightest tension and pedal a steep climb, increasing tension until one’s foot does not pop out when lifting with rear pedal. (IIRC, I think my pedals are at the lowest tension and work great for easy release.)
Shimano does make a beginner transition pedal for those wishing to explore SPD. It has a plastic platform and cleat. After one is comfortable, the plastic platform is removable.
(Toe-clips are a both a PITA and a good way to break bones if things go sideways with your foot trapped.)
kalakal
Those azaleas are lovely.
Been wimbling about the garden most of the day. Lot of maintenance, clearing needed doing, now I have the basic all clear vis-a-vis wasps I can actually get on with it. Am enjoying, need to do some paths and hard edging to give it some definition. Can’t make up my mind on the edging, don’t want it super formal, everything is very curvy but this being Fl stone is super expensive. Any suggestions as to manufactured hard edging? ie how ‘real’ does fake stone look?
Sure Lurkalot
@Another Scott: @JoyceH:
I absolutely do not recommend bike shoes/pedals or toe clips (both methods to keep your foot on the pedal and give you the ability to pull as well as push) to anyone who hasn’t ridden a bike recently. There’s plenty to get adapted to without having your feet attached to the pedals. I’d say most recreational riders don’t bother with either. Finally, bike shoes are expensive and not comfortable, not good if you’re riding to an event or store and just want to tool around.
I’ve moved to Power Grips (simple straps which attach to your or their brand pedal) which I highly recommend once you have a comfort level being on your bike. They are easy enough to install and I’ve had the same set for many years now. No special shoes or cages that scrape the ground. http://www.powergrips.com
cope
@Dorothy A. Winsor: Pretty cool customer, undoing his restraining straps while the car is still sliding along throwing up sparks.
steppy
@raven: Yes indeed. The band with Ronnie and Rob played the other night and again today at 7:45. The Travelin’ McCourys were last night.
steppy
@realbtl: I enjoy bluegrassification of a whole bunch of songs. 1952 Vincent Black Lightning is an amazing adaptation of an amazing song.
TriassicSands
Based on what you’ve said and comments from others, I would recommend against cleats for you, at least right away, and probably forever. As Another Scott said, they help going up hills, but they are also more efficient on every rotation. However, they can worsen any crash you have.
Another Scott makes a very good point about getting detached — it takes a fair amount of coordination, immediate response, and being calm in a difficult situation or emergency to get free of the best, most efficient pedals.
Before clipless pedals appeared I rode for years with toe clips and cleats. The I rode for years with high quality Time pedals (clipless pedals — I used others and thought Time were by far the best), but they are quite expensive and if you are just riding recreationally they are probably both unnecessary and more likely to worsen any crash you have, because if you don’t get your feet detached instantly, you will definitely be hitting the road with full force on your legs and hips. I don’t know your age, but that’s an especially bad idea for anyone who is older or has any degree of loss of bone density.
Another Scott’s suggestion is a reasonable one — get toe clips and remove the straps, or you can buy cheap ones without straps. The advantage of having straps is much improved efficiency, though not comparable to cleats, and with the strap removed you can get your feet clear quite easily. Toe clips alone will slightly improve efficiency and be considerably safer. If you aren’t racing or interested in really intensive cycling then cleats are completely unnecessary.
You don’t have to have special soles, but if you are riding long distances a stiff sole is desirable both for efficiency and comfort.
Geminid
@kalakal: Lowe’s has good 4″ tall steel edging in 8 foot lengths, with a durable, baked-on finish in black or green. Each piece comes with 4 stakes that fit through punchouts. The edging is easy to curve. You’d need an angles grinder to cut them but you might not need to, depending on design.
There is also aluminum 1 1/2″ by 1 1/2″ edging available at masonry supply houses. It curves easily, and is good for containing paving work. This edging is secured with 10″ galvanized spikes.
Sister Golden Bear
@zhena gogolia: I blame the patriarchy. Yes, literally.
kalakal
@Geminid: Thanks, I’m going into Lowes tomorrow for a browse, I hadn’t thought of metal. It would certainly fit the situation.
Rachel Bakes
@JoyceH: Both the (new) Jumanji films are favorites for everyone in our house. Such fun:
Rachel Bakes
Bought plants for our yard today-continuing to get natives and try to eliminate the invasives from our property. Saw toxic relatives. Took my son to Special Olympics track where he ran a relay and didn’t pitch the baton over the fence!! (Big progress there)
raven
@steppy: Awesome, I saw him at the Station Inn with “The Sidemen”! The Travelin’s have played here in Athens a good bit!
brantl
@JoyceH: Not unless you have the special pedals, that fit the cleats.
Geminid
@kalakal: This edging is easier to install when the ground is soft, like after a good rain. If it ever rains where you are.
A square spade is also handy for installation. Lowe’s has a nice all-steel “Kobalt” spade that fits the purpose. They’re kind of heavy, but you’d never need to buy another one.
TriassicSands
@brantl:
There are cleats that fit toe clips and toe clips without a strap are probably a good choice for JoyceH, but she doesn’t need cleats at all.
steppy
@raven: Speaking of bluegrassification, Molly Tuttle is playing “White Rabbit” as I type.
mvr
@Geminid: Yes, it looks good. Though not as good as the first time I did the same area. I’m getting older and have too many remaining projects to get too persnickety about the spacing and such.
mvr
@steppy: Have enjoyed this band myself. Vocal harmonies are good and songs by Richard Thompson are very good.
StringOnAStick
@JoyceH: Given that you are saying you’ve had some balance issues, there’s no reason at all to get bike shoes with cleats, period; that would just be dangerous. Every spring I watch riders approach a stop sign, forget how (or are just learning) to get out of their cleats and fall to the ground, hard. Just a comfortable pair of sneakers is fine.
I use the strapless system Just Scott posted a link to up above, and I’ve done 7 day mountain bike hut to hut trips, no problem. I live in a mountain bike Mecca and I’d say half the riders are no longer using cleats, just pedals with sharp bits on the surface and shoes with softer soles so they grip onto them well. The only down side is when you accidentally soon them into your shins, you get more bloodied than with a regular pedal.
Probably the single most important thing to do is to get your bike serviced, especially since it’s been sitting unused so there is a lot of dust mixed in with grease.
WaterGirl
@Shana: I used to go dancing at Mabel’s all time when I was much younger. It was great!
rikyrah
@JMG:
Congratulations👏🏾