Well…just got the new hats from amazon and I do have to say they are pretty nice…they fit well and the little slider clasp to adjust the size is made out of brass so it won’t rust when I get it soaked from sweat…I still don’t know how the heck they can sell a 100% cotton, washable hat for 3 bucks each but I’m glad I found them…how durable are they going to be? Who knows? But at 3 bucks, I can afford to use them a while and toss them when they fall apart…the riding hat I’m replacing has been in use for close to 20 years and it just gave up to age and my acid based sweat and has been repaired multiple times so it will be nice to have a new hat to go out on the bike so I don’t look like a homeless guy…and the last time I washed it by hand, it started to just fall apart and the iron on patching for it would have cost more than 3 bucks so it’s time to retire it…I did go out to the beach today but the water and air were pretty cold so I didn’t stay long…it was 50 degrees when I went out for the 1st ride…almost put long pants on but I just couldn’t do it…after I got back here from the 2nd ride, I watered the lawn again and now I’m cooking for dinner…some chicken thighs and mashed potatoes to use up the old potatoes that had gotten a little soft and sprouted…so now it reading time for the next half hour as the chicken cooks…

Well…damn, it’s only 50 degrees out there so that means I’ll have to stall getting on the bike until about 7am and that is going to be hard with how much I just need to get going on the morning…and the AQI is down to about 40 so no air problems today…and I didn’t get out of bed til after 5:30 so I’m running late anyway…so now the question is do I wear long pants on the bike or not? I put the fleeces away in the closet with the hot weather we were having and it looks like I’ll be dragging one out today…still waiting for my new hats to arrive that are supposed to be here between 4 and 8 am so the cold may keep me here until they do come…I did water the lawn yesterday and may do it again today to waste some more money…at least the lawn wasn’t crunching after I was done…I did get some chicken thighs and breasts yesterday and I think I’ll cook some thighs today along with some mashed potatoes to use with everything and to get a start on using the new 10 pounds of potatoes…and I think some potato soup would be a good idea to use the celery that is stating to wilt in the fridge…so, I need to get on the weight work right after I have a bagel and get the day started…more later….

Well…as I was sitting here last night, a huge weather change happened and the humidity just disappeared along with the smoke and we had a nice breeze blowing through here that lowered the temp down to a low of 56…and it barely got up over 70 today and I’ll take that after the heat of the last week…after the rides and grocery run today, I decided to bite the bullet and start watering the lawn to see if I can salvage anything from it…that should cost me at least 100 bucks if I keep it up but I guess it’s worth it if the lawn doesn’t completely die…my acidic sweat just cut through my last riding hat that I bought 25 years ago so I bought 6 more from amazon today for 18 bucks…they are washed cotton and machine washable and come in subtle colors that will work great for riding hats…and for 3 bucks each, you can’t beat it…and they are scheduled to be delivered between 4 and 8 am tomorrow morning so I may be able to use one on the rides…skipped the beach today since it was only 67 degrees when I normally go out and that is too cold for me…so, I’ll give it a try tomorrow since I don’t have the grocery run to do…now I need to figure out what to do with the potatoes I got at Meijers at a buck for 5 pounds… and the thighs for 1.49 a pound…also bought chicken breast at aldis so the freezer will be filled again…okay, time to read again…

Well…running a bit late this morning and need to get moving right now to get on the bike and get 2 rides in before the grocery run…the weather broke last night and the AQI is down to 23 so the air is clear and it’s all the way down to 56…it was nice sitting here last night with the humidity gone and a nice breeze blowing through the house…even had to close the place up to keep some heat in it…didn’t have enough leftover coffee this morning so I just made another pot to get me through the morning and I’ll be wired soon…I hope…need to eat a bagel here in a minute since I didn’t eat a lot yesterday and I need some fuel…not sure how hard I’ll go on the bike today but I’ll have to move along to gt the rides in before 8am…figured out why my hands have been hurting so much on the bike…the riding gloves I’ve been using have a long cinch that has been pinching the nerves in my wrists so I changed over to an old pair of shorter ones and that has helped a lot…go figure…more later…

Well…after the past week of dangerous smoke out here, finally it broke today and after mid morning the AQI was under 70 all day and I could breathe again without smelling smoke or having a mask on…and I got to go back out to the beach this morning and had a ton of fun playing in the 6 foot waves that beat the heck out of me but I couldn’t stop laughing…but I do need to stop thinking that going to the beach is a task to be accomplished and not a time to relax…have been adhering to a schedule when I go out there that needs to go away…they did come and replace the gas meter today and I had a nice youngster named Troy who did the whole thing in about 20 minutes and I found that yes, my water heater does have a pilot that re lit for me and checked out the furnace to make sure it didn’t have one…so pretty painless but when he called to tell me he was here, I was out at the beach and had to do a full 24th gear sprint all the way back so he wouldn’t leave…but it all worked out and now that’s the last thing I need to do until Italy…yay!

Well…crap…didn’t sleep much at all last night and I’m feeling it this morning…just damn worn out and still need to get off my butt and get going…need to get the weight work done and get the first ride in before the dte people come but who knows when that will be…the AQI is still over 130 so I’ll be out in a mask again today and won’t be able to air this place out…again…have a frickin headache that is thumping the left side of my head and I hope that goes away soon…don’t have a lot of hope that I’ll feel better until this damn smoke goes away so I can cool off a bit…still have cleaning to do in the dining room but that will be about all I’m going to do…I did have hope that these idiots will be here and get the work done so I can go to the beach this morning since I haven’t been out there in a week with how bad the air has been…I have a small life now anyway with being retired but these damn fires taking away the two things I like the most has made it even smaller and I’m tired of it…so, I need to get off my butt and get going….more later…

Well…another day of bad air all day with the AQI never getting under 150 so that put me out this morning with a mask again since 150 says it’s hazardous to you health by being out in it…and they even say you should close up your house and put filters on so that’s what I did for the 3rd day in a row…this is getting to be a big pain in the ass and again, I’ve never lived in a time where just going outdoors can harm your health…I did get a bunch of cleaning done today but I’m not done so that will continue tomorrow…didn’t get out to the beach today and won’t tomorrow with dte coming to replace the gas meter…at least I have no pilots to light since everything I have has electronic starters on it…so maybe they’ll be gone soon enough so I can go to the beach if the air is breathable…sure didn’t want to go out there today and wear a mask sitting on the beach…so tomorrow is going to be one of those days where I can’t plan anything but I am going to get a ride in around 6am to start my day…I did cook some chicken today to make wraps for a couple of days but still need to figure out meals for the rest of the week…reading time…

Well…darn…the smoke is still here and in the unhealthy range so I’ll be wearing a mask again on the rides…I did shut the filters off last night since they had been running for 24hours and I think they needed a rest…will probably have to get replacement filters soon…it’s a little cool out here this morning at 58 degrees and I don’t mind that one bit after the high 80’s we’ve had lately…still no damn rain in the forecast and that makes over 3 weeks without a drop…oh, well…at least my car has stayed clean…need to get on the weight work here in a minute so I don’t forget to do it and I really need to eat something before I head out on the bike…was thinking about going to the beach this morning but I don’t think it’s going to be warm enough to swim and there’s no point if I can’t swim…need to clean this place up some today since the gas company is coming to replace the meter and whatever other bullshit they want to do…I am just damn tired of my days being disrupted by this crap…and I have to sit here and wait for them all damn day…I have thawed some chicken to bake today so I’ll have some for wraps and I need to use up the eggs I got for free last week and then start planning for meals later in the week….more later…

Well…damn, the smoke has gotten worse overnight so I had to close this place up and put the filters on again and that just sucks…and the smoke is going to linger for the better part of the week..will be riding in a mask all week…crap…in all of my life there has never been a time where you could get sick just from being outdoors and this might just spur me into getting an air conditioner to make it comfortable in here if I’m going to be trapped by this damn smoke…need to get on the bike before 6am if I’m going to get the 2 rides in before the F1 race at Spa at 8am but that is still going to be cutting it close…still on leftovers for today but then I’ll gave to figure out something for meals for the week but really don’t care right now…probably more chicken and I have some thawing in the fridge…I really do need to clean the kitchen today and get the dining room decluttered and that will be the goal for the day…but right now I need to pour another cup of coffee down and have a bagel before I get on the bike in the dark…more later…

Well…damn, have been smelling smoke again for a few hours and I’m starting to get another sore throat with the AQI over 130 again so I guess I’m going to have to close this place up again and put the filters on…and that sucks with it 85 degrees here…I did get 2 rides in this morning without a mask and I even went downtown to look at the bikes for a while but I am really glad that crap is over today…it hasn’t been as bad as before but it still damn annoying to have the sound of harleys all day long…and now the have just added smoke to the forecast for the next few days…and it sucks that the storms missed us again…hasn’t rained here in almost 2 weeks and my lawn is dead…I did figure out how to fix the front fender on the bike so it won’t come loose anymore and that was a win for zip ties…didn’t do much but ride and read today but i need to start cleaning this place up with the gas company coming Tuesday…ick…okay, need to do my teeth and read some more and figure out what to watch tonight…