Random Thoughts On Cooking, Bike Riding, and The Sacred Journey of Everyday Life
This is a continuation of a previous post. I love the new color, it is more me; I feel more comfortable on the bike now. I still have not ridden it much…disassembled and reassembled it today to paint it, and now it’s pouring rain. I did find it interesting removing the front and rear wheels; the front has a drum brake and the rear has a coaster brake and internal 3-speed hub (had to Google a tutorial for the latter). Anyhow, more on the bike after I’ve ridden it more.
Yep…loving this bike so far but not the color (more on why I purchased this color below). I’ve been in the market for a somewhat inexpensive bike to replace my winter bike (aka…the Mule; aka…my home built cargo bike). This is not to replace the Mundo (which is still my favorite bike); it’s just that some days–many days–I don’t need 7ft of bike to ride to-and-from work, the health club, or the store for a few items…but I still want a bike to carry stuff. I’ve looked at the above bike many times (on the website, not in person) and have also thought of the Africa Bike 3 (that’s one of the reasons for my visit to Toronto last week). What I would really like, but is way out of my price range, is a Batavus Personal Delivery Bike, but the Torker Cargo-T–pictured above–is actually based on the Batavus Bike (albeit an economy version). So here is the reason for the bright green color (it is so very green, isn’t it?)…after checking the Torker website recently I found they no longer had the Cargo-T listed, turns out they stopped making this particular model…but they still had a few of last year’s models in the warehouse. So after contacting Torker, and then my local bike shop, I was able to get a deal on one of last year’s bikes at nearly $150 discount…but this was the only color they had left (not a surprise…it’s only two colors available were this neon green and grey). But seeing how I like all my bikes black–either purchased that way or painted by me–the next time you’ll see a post of this bike it will likely be black…two cans of matte black paint were the first things I carried home today. Anyhow, as I had to work a double shift today I only had a chance to test ride it for a few miles but I really liked it. And I find it interesting in that in all of the positive reviews I’ve read (haven’t found any negative) a lot of people describe this bike as like riding like a tank or comment on how heavy it is. It is heavy (steel frame), but after riding a Mundo for the past few years this bike seems sort of…well, small. Will this bike replace my Yuba Mundo…not a chance. But do I like it…most definitely yes. I’ll post more on my views of it after I ride it more, but in the meantime if you are interested in reading a well-written review of this bike click here (it’s a review of the 2009 version; they didn’t make a 2010 that I know of).
Today was another day of summer in Western New York even though we are only a few days into spring. It was 80F/27C…odd for this time of year. Everything is coming up early. Despite the unsettling early arrival of the warm temps I’d be fibbing if I said I wasn’t enjoying it (though I’d also be fibbing if I said I wasn’t concerned on many levels). Anyhow, here’s a few pics of what I saw today.
A new coffee maker, 3L of red wine, two bags of dog food, sundries, cleaning supplies, and a weeks worth of groceries.
Fifty years and two days ago Bob Dylan’s first LP was released. I find this amazing…five decades and he still influences new audiences. When that album came out I was not quite five months old, and some twenty years later I became a fan of his music. Now, after the span of more years my son is a fan of his music. His music has influenced generations…and likely will in the future.To read a Rolling Stone article about the album’s release, click here.
“I don’t think the human mind can comprehend the past and the future. They are both just illusions that can manipulate you into thinking there’s some kind of change.”
“He not busy being born is busy dying.”
“I like America, just as everybody else does. I love America, I gotta say that. But America will be judged.”
“People seldom do what they believe in. They do what is convenient, then repent.”
“What’s money? A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do.”
To read more of the Five Quotes series, click here.
10lbs/4.5kg whole wheat flour, 1 gal/3.78L virgin olive oil, and a canvas bag containing a book, a camera, a Bible, a calendar, and a few pencils.
In the event you haven’t seen this floating around the Internet for the past couple weeks I thought I’d post it. When I saw it it made me smile and it still does. But I also find it appropriate because I just ordered another bike. Another, you may ask? My response…Hey, I’ve pared the fleet down to four, only three of which I use. But I did make the personal commitment that if I bring another bike in the house one has to exit…so yes, my loyal and trusty winter bike (aka, the Mule) is going up for sale. If you are in the Western New York / Southern Ontario region and are looking for a good solid–albeit basic–bike that can carry you and your stuff through every weather element, contact me. Anyhow, I’ve been seeking a simple but hefty (and inexpensive) cargo bike–a smaller version of the Mundo–for daily rides, and I think I found one. I love the Mundo but find I don’t always need 7ft of bike when I’m only carrying myself and a gym bag or other small item. Anyhow, more on this later in the week. I’ll post pictures. And yes…a new bike does make me happy.
“Mama turns the left-overs into hash, I’m doin’ alright for country trash.”
Country Trash, by Johnny Cash.
As most likely know, this past Saturday was St. Patrick’s Day (yesterday was the parade here in Buffalo) and one of the traditional foods eaten is the boiled dinner or corned beef (to read an article with history and recipes I wrote on this subject last year, click here). And invariably you have leftover corned beef…well one of the best ways to utilize these is to turn it into hash (from the French, haché, meaning chopped). I enjoy corned beef but I really love it when it is made into hash. Okay, so this is not the most healthy food there is but it sure is delicious…I served it as staff lunch today with fried eggs (yum!). Anyhow, here’s how I made it.
Heat a skillet (preferably cast iron) with a glaze of vegetable oil. Add a diced onion and bell pepper. Before the vegetables begin to brown add any corned beef leftovers you have…sliced or diced. Using a heavy spatula, turn and chop the beef in the pan until it’s course. Add diced potato and a little water to the pan. Continue to turn the hash until the water evaporates, the potato is cooked, and the hash begins to cook in it’s own fat. Stir and cook the hash until it is lightly browned but not dry.
Urban Simplicity.
I took the above photo last night as I was walking my dogs…it’s an image of a murder of crows circling about and communicating in their secret crow language (to read a recent post about crows, and what I mean by the aforementioned statement, click here). The below image is of a vine on the outside wall of my place of work. I was feeling a bit stressed this morning as I went to work and saw this…it’s simplicity struck a nerve in me. What, I thought, is real and what is not (or what matters and what doesn’t)…there’s something to think about.
Things on the Bike…a canvas bag containing a laptop computer, another canvas bag containing–among other things–a camera and a couple books, a plastic soda crate containing three loaves of freshly baked sweet potato bread, a dough rising bucket, and five slightly used taper candles.
The recipe below is one that I’ve made plenty of times but is not the exact one which I used for the bread in these pictures (those pictured were made with all whole wheat flour). At any rate, it’s a really good recipe.
Yes…I know. Facebook is one of those love-it or not things that exists in the modern world in which we live. I have had a personal Facebook page for a while and have thought about an Urban Simplicity page for sometime. Anyhow, I just got around to creating it. So if you are inclined to use Facebook and are interested in this blog you can find me at facebook.com/urbansimplicityblog. While the Facebook page may have snippets of this blog it will not mirror it entirely (nor could it). But it may have a few things that this blog won’t…mainly single photos that I don’t feel should take the space here. Anyhow, hope to see you there…
This recipe is the not only the basic recipe I use for all of my whole wheat breads, it is the base of all my whole wheat bread recipes…if you master this recipe the variations from this are nearly limitless. This is also an excellent example of artisan bread being made with only whole wheat flour. I use a few more ingredients in this recipe than in the most basic of them all–four ingredient bread–but I prefer this one. And while the Ezekiel Bread recipe and Brown Rice bread may have more substance to them, they also require more time and a bit more effort…this bread, on the other hand, is simple to make (but not simple in flavor). This recipe is also an excellent example of my theory that bread nearly makes itself…we–the bakers–simply combine the ingredients and guide them along. This can be baked free-form (as pictured in this post) or in loaf pans for a more traditional sandwich bread.
I had mentioned in a previous post that I have been suffering with a nasty cold for the past week; besides working I have basically been hibernating. Last night was the first time I left the house for anything other than necessities of daily living. And while I am on the backside of the illness and still recuperating, today was no different. I had to work this evening (start time at 3:30pm or 15:30) and didn’t leave the house until 3:00. I had known the weather was supposed to be nice today but it was incredible…when I opened the front door it felt like I was coming out of a cocoon or some sort of a cave (my man-cave) after a period of hibernation or metamorphosis. The sun was high and bright and it was so warm I didn’t need a jacket (it was actually cooler in the house than it was outside)…74F/23C. These are crazy warm temperatures for this early of a date. Anyhow, I felt a bit overwhelmed to say the least. Rather than ride a bike the short distance to work today I chose to walk to lengthen the time outside. As I left the house I couldn’t help but notice the flowers in my next door neighbor’s front yard that I don’t remember being there just yesterday. I took out my camera and knelt to take a few photos when the neighbor next to that neighbor came out and saw me. “What’ya doin’ Joe..taking pictures?” I was, I told him. “I have some flowers too,” he said as he pointed to them, “take some of them.” Um, okay…so I did. Anyhow, here’s a few of them. Click any for a larger view.
I’ve posted pictures of crows before but am finding them ever fascinating lately. And tonight–after just recovering from a cold and feeling I needed some air–went for a walk on a foggy evening at dusk and took a few more photos. I’m not sure if I’m just noticing them these last couple years but they seem to have multiplied in our area (or possibly migrated) by multitudes. At dawn and dusk in certain areas of the city they are virtually everywhere..hundreds–thousands–perched on every possible thing or flying from one to another. And caw..cawing to each other in their own special language. What I think is really interesting (and a bit scary) is how smart they are…here’s a little info from the PBS website:
New research has shown that they are among the most intelligent animals on the planet. They use tools as only elephants and chimpanzees do, and recognize 250 distinct calls. One particular talent they have been discovered to possess is the ability to recognize individual human faces and pick them out of a crowd up to two years later – a trick that might make even Hitchcock shiver with fright.
And let me just reiterate one sentence:
One particular talent they have been discovered to possess is the ability to recognize individual human faces and pick them out of a crowd up to two years later.
I’ve been taking pictures of these birds for the last couple of years and only recently learned of their above said intelligence…but have always felt like they are looking back at me. Look at the one above…sort of makes the little hairs on the back of my neck stand up…hopefully they realize I am their friend and not foe.
To read a bit more about them at the PBS site, click here.
Urban Simplicty 