I set my alarm for 6:15 a.m. and I think that’s as early as I want to get up. I’ve been enjoying the early mornings…seeing the campground come alive. Joe’s usually heading up to the clubhouse by the time I get outside and unlike me, he’s fully dressed. A surprising number of campers pull out of here early…something we’ve never been able to do because we can’t load the bikes until the trailer is moved forward. And people are out early walking their dogs with plastic bags on their hands. I just sit in my corner, taking it all in. But seriously, 6:15 is my limit.
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I peek out the window before I actually go
outside, just to see if any birds are on the feeders yet. None before I went out,
none when I opened the door, but as soon as my foot came off the step onto the
ground, hummers were in the yard. It was 6:25. The sparrows were flitting
around in the bushes, sometimes sitting at the edge of the yard, like a kid on
Christmas morning. I wonder what holds them back. Anyway, a sparrow was on the
suet at 6:29 and others were on the ground immediately after. Sunrise was 6:35 a.m. I have no idea what to
do with this information, but I feel like observing the birds is a good enough reason
to get up early.
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There is a
rooster in the neighborhood across the road that’s always crowing…as in every 5
to 10 seconds, he’s busting out another wake-up call. This seemingly goes on
all day long; it’s just part of the background noise around here. I don’t pay
any particular attention to it.
But this morning, I took the time to really listen
and realized something that should have been obvious all along: there’s more
than one rooster. Not only did I hear different ‘voices’, but they were coming
from different distances away and at one point, the crowing overlapped. So more
than one rooster…the joke’s on me.
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I haven’t been
out on the Honda much lately because just the thought of putting jeans on in
this heat makes me sweat. The e-bike is a passable substitute for all the
things I like about the experience of riding a motorcycle…being up close and
personal with the weather (cold, heat, rain, sun. etc.), smelling all the
smells (good and bad) and the thrill of the open road. Okay, so an e-bike
doesn’t have quite the same thrill of the open road that a motorcycle has, but
it’s the same principle.
Kim had a zoom
meeting this morning for church purposes; I took a ride to give him some peace
and quiet. And I have to say that as much as I enjoy riding the e-bike, riding a
motorcycle gives me the best kind of joy. There’s just something magical about
being on a bike with the wind in my hair…metaphorically speaking on that one
because I always wear a helmet.
The Honda is
growing on me, even though I still haven’t put the gas tank to the test. No gas
gauge, just a light that comes on when the fuel is low, although I’ve never
seen the light because the few times I’ve ridden on my own, the first stop is a
gas station. I like how it handles in a curve and when it’s in neutral, I can
easily push it backwards and even up a slight incline with no problem. And the
thought and work that Joe put into the windshield/fork deflectors to mitigate
the wind problem has made a world of difference. Downsizing was a good call, although
I have to be honest, I do miss listening to music, the seat on Zeus and the
roomy saddlebags. But whatever…for the type of riding I’ll be doing, I can deal
with it. I decided that when I can’t handle the Honda anymore, I’m going to get
a scooter. Maybe a 125cc, like the one Kim rode in Greece. I intend to be that
Gramma who’s still riding a no-pedal, two-wheeler with a motor at 80 years old.
I have a vision in my head. 🙂
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I’ve been
thinking about names for the Honda; came up with a few but haven’t settled on
one yet.. The woman I bought it from called it Black Betty but that doesn’t
work for me. I have a name that appeals to me but I’m just not sure. Don’t know
why I’m hesitating; if I get the name wrong, I suppose I could always change
it.
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On Hwy 87 today,
I could see a dust devil up ahead, dancing across a field approaching my side
of the road. Wouldn’t ya know, it decided to cross the road right as I got to
it. Riding through swirling dirt is like getting hit with needles. Thankfully
it was a short-lived experience.
Sitting outside tonight we saw two Inca Doves
practicing allopreening or grooming each other. This display was much less violent than
what I saw yesterday with the Collared Doves. Kim expected to see bird sex (or
bird porn as he called it), but I told him that allopreening wasn’t just for
courtship purposes; even after mating, they continue to do it to strengthen
their bond. Sort of like married people having a date night.
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Tonight I made Fry
Bread in the air fryer. I did have a backup meal plan in case the Fry Bread made
a better frisbee than a taco base, but it turned out pretty good. I’m going to
tweak the recipe a bit next time, but I was impressed. I didn’t get a thumbs up
or down from Kim. Did it taste exactly like
the Fry Bread that’s deep fried? No, but the difference is not worth the time
and effort of deep frying and cleaning up afterwards.
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We were going to
take an e-bike ride after supper; Kim didn’t even make it 100 feet before he realized
his back tire was flat. What?! How? Didn’t we put that Flat-out stuff in the
tires? I found a small cactus ‘tack’ in the tire; however, Kim is doubtful
it was long enough to puncture the tube. No matter what the cause, the bike
wasn’t going anywhere in that condition. Used a compressor to air it back up
and before it got to the correct PSI, the tube blew. Sounded like a gunshot.
So, Kim’s bike
is out of commission until a new tube is put on. Because the back sprocket and
bike motor are involved, he was unsure how to go about replacing the tube, but
that’s what YouTube videos are for.
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Kim had to wait
for clouds to move on, but he was able to get some more data of the Dolphin
Head Nebula. By the time it’s done tonight he should have about 10 hours of
imaging to process.
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