Well…after having a pretty good run for a few weeks, bike troubles reared their ugly heads this morning and it took me hours to get them sorted out…first the front wheel started to make a grinding sound and I had to think of the last time I greased the bearings and couldn’t remember doing it at all so I may not have done this wheel…when I tore it apart I screwed it up so badly that I actually put the wheel from the black bike on it so I could get the second ride in…but when I got back, I took another swing at it…cleaned the bearing races and counted the bearings so I knew I had all of them…and when I got it cleaned, I could see that I was putting the bearings in wrong and not seating them in the races as I should have…so I fixed that, greased them with the moly grease I use and put it back together and replaced it on the bike where it spins perfectly and I’ll ride with no problems tomorrow…I did work on the front fender that has been giving me fits by coming loose and rubbing on the tire so I cleaned it up and put some 3M double sided tape on it along with some loctite that I found in the garage that Tom gave me years and years ago and it still flowed so I hope that works…Oh, one last thing, I never open the envelopes that I get from my mortgage bank since they are just updates but yesterday I did…and found I only owe about 36 grand on my house and that means I have at least 120 grand in equity…and that isn’t bad 5 years from being broke…more later…

Well…damn, up before 5 again and all of the gains I made in sleeping seem to be out the window and that sucks…and it appears that the new med is starting to cause the pain the doctor said it would and I hurt everywhere…oh, well…at least I won’t die of a heart attack or stroke…I did make a batch of pickles with the new spices and I’m afraid I don’t like it so I’m out 20 bucks and that sucks, too…I did get started straightening this place out yesterday and I’ll continue that today…the flies were not as bad yesterday and I’m hoping that is done today so I can get the kitchen windows cleaned of all the bug spray…it’s going to be hot the next week or so with it peaking at 92 on my birthday next week so I’ll be sweating but I don’t mind that…the fans can go up 3 more speeds and I even have two more I haven’t even used yet…and the water at the beach has gotten almost too warm for my taste but swimming still cools me off so I’ll keep that up…not sure what I’m going to do today other than ride the bike…thinking of making some potato soup but that would have to be for lunch before it gets too hot to cook…no beach today since I don’t go out there on the weekends with how busy it is…I may wash the bike since it is getting really grungy even with spraying it off yesterday…I did lube the chain after it started to make the swishing sound it makes when it’s dry…but it’s going to need a complete cleaning soon with the wire brush and dish soap to get rid of the built up crud in the idler wheels on the shifter…more later…

Well…I almost forgot to come here for this one and I’m not sure why…I did finish a book and start a new one this afternoon but that still leaves time to do other things…the day started busy as usual…got the two rides in and then decided to mow the lawn since it was looking shabby even though it’s not growing much without any rain out here for a week..then I went to the beach at 9:45 after I got all my work done and got a nice swim in…the water was pretty warm and no waves so it was a little boring but didn’t beat the hell out of me so that was a good thing…I did make a quart of pickles with the pickling spices I got today but I’m not sure about them….sure hope they have bite like the old spices did but they smelled great so maybe just a little cayenne if they’re not spicy enough…the flies were not as bad here today but there were hundreds of them at the beach and I hope the pattern keeps up that after 2 days they are gone again…okay, want to watch some HOD….

Well…damn, running late this morning and I’m not sure when I’m going to get out on the bike…still need to do the weight work and have a bagel…just poured the first cup of coffee and need to pour it down to get going…it was fight the flies day yesterday and I had at least a hundred of them in the kitchen windows that I had to kill…that happens at least once a year here but it’s still annoying…going to have to vacuum the windows to get the damn carcasses out and then wash the windows to get the bug spray off them…more work that I don’t want to do…oh, well…took the first of the statins yesterday and don’t hurt yet but that is supposed to be coming…not going to worry about it, though, and just get on with life…I do have a headache this morning but I think that’s from allergies that have gotten really bad with the goldenrod and ragweed starting to bloom along the trail…don’t have a lot to do today so I may hit the beach for a bit this morning and then start cleaning this place up…the new pickling spices are supposed to be here today and I think I’ll use them to make more pickles…going to start to measure how much spice I put in the jars instead of just winging it so I can have a repeatable recipe and don’t waste the spices…I did buy the new living room table yesterday and it’s hard for me to spend 53 bucks even though it’s cash back money that was just sitting there…more later…

Well…after getting 3eve3rything done way too early today, I was sitting here looking at the cobbled together coffee table I’ve been using and it hit me that I have enough cash back on my capital one card to buy one with no cash out of my pocket…and I thought why the hell not? What am I waiting for using a plastic tub and a top I got probably 50 years ago? So I ordered one that has lots of storage in it with a partial top that rises up that you can use as a laptop stand…oh, I talked about that this morning, didn’t I? I also bought some pickling spices that got great reviews but were not cheap at 19 bucks for a pound…but I paid 13 bucks for 10 ounces a couple of years ago so it didn’t seem like a bad deal…and I’ll get probably 15 quarts out of it…I’ll get the spices tomorrow and the table on my birthday…happy birthday to me! I did get the crestor for my cholesterol this morning and it only cost me 2 bucks out of pocket for a month’s worth so that not a bad deal…so now I have about 3 bucks a month going out for medication and have joined the 3 medication club.;..ick…oh, well…would rather do that than have a stroke or heart attack…okay, haven’t had much to eat today so I’m going to make a sandwich…I did make chicken stir fry today but that doesn’t have a lot of calories in it…

Well…have 15 minutes before I need t get on the bike to get the rides in before the rain starts at 8am or so and I really want to get both rides in before that so I need to get moving by 6am…a little out of synch this morning with doing the weight work before this just to make sure I don’t forget to do it since I don’t want to go flabby afterall the work I’ve put in…don’t have enough time to have a bagel before the rides but I think I’ll have time after them and before I go out to pick up the new prescription…and that makes me officially feel old with now 3 medications I have to take every day…feel okay this morning and the coffee is going down fast so I’ll be on the bike in 11 minutes…I did figure out that I have a fine adjustment for the front shifter on the bike after riding it for 6 years and I really hope it will allow me to get it working right without adjusting the cable at the shifter…I guess I’ll see when I get out here in a minute…out of leftovers so I need to cook today and that will be a chicken stir fry for lunch and maybe an omelet for later…I may buy a new coffee table since I have 150 bucks in cash back on my capital one card and the one I’m looking at only costs about 50 bucks…and then I can retire the makeshift one I made out of a plastic tub and an old top that I got 40 years ago….and the new one has lots of storage and even has an articulated arm for a laptop so that may be cool…I know it’s cheap but that’s me too…more later…

Well…just darn worn out again today and this time I’m sure it’s from not eating enough so I tried to fix that today and we’ll see how it worked tomorrow…I did get the loose heat shield on the cat fixed with a clamp today and it got rid of the annoying rattling that should last until I tear it off…I did get out to the beach today but forgot my phone so I had no clue how long I’d been out there but I guess I really do know what time it is…when I got back here around 11:45 just like normal…I don’t think I’m going to go after the owner of the rental and screw him…it’s just not right and it sure isn’t me…at least not the me I want to be so I guess I’ll just suck it up and stop fixating on those assholes…need to clear that crap out of my head if I want to feel good and that’s a good place to start…so now it’s back to reading…

Well…that sucked…tried to have a cocktail to celebrate my good health last night and it just wasn’t any fun so maybe I’m over it completely? Seems that way and I’m okay with that…emby lost all my channels this morning so I’ll spend hours trying to get them back later but I have things to get done before I can do that…it’s going to rain tonight and tomorrow so that means I need to mow the lawn today and that means no beach today…I am going to try to get two rides in before I do the grocery run and that means I need to get out by 6am or as soon as it gets light…and that is in 15 minutes or so and that is just not enough time to get enough coffee down me to fuel it so I’ll be gulping fast…still need to plan meals for the rest of the week but there is lots of stuff in the freezer and I may just wing i for a couple of days…there is the old standby of pasta and I have pounds of it dry…and if I make a pound it will last the rest of the week…maybe some potato soup tomorrow if it’s going to rain? Might only need to mow the front of the yard since the rest of the lawn is not growing much with how dry it’s been…yeah, I know…it rained Sunday and I rode in it but it never seems like enough rain to keep my lawn from going crunchy and dying…more later…

Well…had the checkup this morning and it was better than expected…when I got there they took my BP and it was under 130 which is so unusual when it is normally over 150 when I get there… and my weight is under 170 for the first time since I was young and the no drinking and starving seems to be working…every other test was okay with nothing raising any red flags…except my cholesterol which we have been tracking since I moved out here and the doctor recommended that we try the lowest dose statin and see if that will be enough to prevent a heart attack or stroke…and my doctor said to “keep doing what you’re doing” and said my health is better than 99% of his patients…whether or not I believe that, I don’t know but it does feel good that the work I’m doing is helping…so I’m going to enjoy that a bit this afternoon and do some reading…beach was nice but the water appears to be ready to turn over and get cold again…oh, well…

Well…didn’t sleep for crap last night and I’m having coffee to help even though I’ve got my checkup at 9am this morning…not sure how much coffee effects my BP but I really don’t care…getting the rides in this morning are even worse for it but I’m not skipping them either…skipped the US world cup match last night and is it bad that I feel good they lost 4-1? I don’t think so but I’ll do one about that later…my sonicare toothbrush almost didn’t turn off after I used it this morning and I’m glad I have another one coming today…the switch started to collapse a couple of weeks ago and I knew it was only a bit of time before it failed…and I don’t feel bad about getting 4 years out of it for 20 bucks…not sure what I’m going to do today but it looks like a run out to the beach after the checkup but I need to hit aldis for some cukes to make some more pickles that I have figured out…and it’s pretty cheap…only a buck and a half for a quart jar? That’s pretty good and it only takes about 10 minutes to make them…and I found that the long English cukes hold up the best to pickling leaving them crunchy and not mushy like regular cukes…and I can see aldis from my doctor’s office so it’s no big trip…not much to do today…just the doctor, the beach, and figuring out what the meals will be later in the week…and some reading this afternoon….more later….