Part of being a good cook is not only knowing how to cook well but also what to do with leftovers, and this is just as important–I think–whether you are cooking in a home kitchen or a commercial one. Two meals I cooked today are good examples. Pictured above is a closeup of chile con carne I made for the staff at work with leftover pieces of cooked prime rib…more like a chili con prima carne. It was delicious…the rib was already cooked and tender–mostly end pieces I had leftover from a dinner I served a few nights ago–so I diced them and added them to a pot of chili I was making.
Below is a picture of a simple frittata or torta di pasta I made for dinner tonight (click here for previous posts on frittata–or frittati–with more explicit pictures and recipes). This is such a simple and delicious dish, and it’s also an easy one to make for myself when I’m home alone because it’s ready in minutes. I had a small portion of pasta and vegetables aglio e olio leftover from dinner last night (click here to see how to make aglio e olio like a pro) but it wasn’t enough for a full portion…so I mixed it with a couple raw eggs and some grated Parmesan and put it in the oven (after I seared it on the stove top). By the time I fed my dogs, checked email, and washed a few dishes it was ready. With a pear and a glass of wine it made for a quick but complete and delicious dinner. Sometimes–I really think–leftovers are not only as good, but actually better than the original recipe.
Chilicon Pollo (o Carne)
Yield:3 quarts
3tablespoons olive oil
4chicken breasts, diced
1onion, diced
2ribs celery, diced
2carrots, diced
1red pepper, diced
3cloves garlic, minced
2jalapeño pepper, minced
2tablespoons chili powder
1tablespoon cumin
2tablespoons cinnamon
1tablespoon paprika
1tablespoon oregano
1tablespoon sugar
2teaspoons salt
1teaspoon black pepper
2cups diced tomatoes
4cups chicken broth
1cup tomato puree
2teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1-1/2cups cooked black beans
Heatthe oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over high heat, then add the dicedchicken breast and brown it. Remove the chicken and set aside. Addthe onion, celery, carrots, and red pepper; sauté about 5 minutes.Add the garlic and jalapeño; sauté 2 minutes. Lower the heat tomedium and add the chicken back to the pot. Stir in the chili powder,cumin, cinnamon, paprika, oregano, sugar, salt, and pepper. Stir andcook for 2-3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, broth, puree, and hot peppersauce. Bring to a boil then lower to simmer. Stir in the beans andcook for 30 minutes. Stir often to avoid scorching.
The above picture is Pilgrim-St. Luke’s UCC, the church of which I am a member. I love taking pictures of old Buffalo buildings–especially churches–but that’s not what this post is about. It’s about what I was thinking as I pedaled to church this morning.
It was a beautiful autumn morning…couldn’t have been any nicer; you can see this in the above photo. The church is about 2 miles/3.2km from my house and it takes just a few minutes to get there. I pedal there nearly every Sunday, and some evenings during the week; rain or shine, snow or not, year round. This simple trip can be used as an example for my everyday travels.
Over the past years–decade–I’ve consciously molded my life so that nearly everything I need on a daily basis is within walking/biking distance. I’ve always enjoyed walking and biking over car travel–even in my early to mid-twenties when I was a suburbanite and accepted the car as a necessity–but now it’s a conscious decision. I live less than a mile/kilometer from where I work, the health club where I swim is about a mile/1.6km away, my son’s mom is 1 mile/1.6km, grocery stores are (depending on which I go to) either 3/4 of a mile/1.2km or 2 miles/3.2km. In fact, the neighborhood in which I live–Allentown–is considered a “walker’s paradise” by walkscore. And this is what I was thinking about as I pedaled to church earlier today on a brilliantly sunny autumn morning.
But I’m getting off topic–something I tend to do–because the above info is more about how easy it is to use a bike for everyday transport, but not really about why I choose to do it when I can afford a car. And this brings me to my next mini-topic…my car, or more specifically, my truck.
I’ve mentioned multiple times on this blog–so many times that I am getting tired of hearing myself state it–that I am not car-free but I am car-lite. I own a 12-year-old Ford Ranger that I don’t use very often. I use it more in the harsh winter months than I do other times, but still not that often (I plan on being car-free in two years…but by that time we all may be car-free, at least the gas/petrol powered type). Anyhow, the reason I mention this is that this is the first reason I choose to ride a bike; not the first on my personal list but it may be one to convince a non-biker to start riding a bike: Money! Yesterday I put $20USD/$14.43EUR in gas/petrol in my truck for only the second time in the past 3 months! Riding a bike saves me money, and it could you too…did I draw you in yet? I hope so, but this still is not a main reason that I choose to ride a bike.
Simply said, I mostly choose to ride a bike because I really enjoy it. That’s it. I enjoy how it feels to have the wind on my face, summer or winter, rain or shine. I like that I create my own motion, that I am both the motor and the cargo. Yes, riding a bike is “green,” and this is the reason most people think I do it (or they think I can’t afford a car), but to me this is more of a result of my riding rather than a reason that I do it. When I’m on a bike I feel I am an active participant in my surroundings/environment.
If you’ve been to this blog before you know that a person can carry anything they need on a bike. This is another one of my favorite reasons…I get a sense of accomplishment when when I carry things on my bike(s)…but mostly I just think it’s fun.
Being an active participant in my surroundings, pedaling and coasting, I get to see things and easily stop and take pictures if I like (below are a few examples of what I saw today; click here for a few more). And riding a bike also offers me the best parking spaces…when I go to the health club (where many people drive cars to ride a stationary bike) I can pull straight up to the front door while others wait in their cars for parking spaces. This may sound a bit sarcastic, and I don’t mean it to be, but it is true. And I haven’t mentioned the physical benefits of riding a bike…because they are obvious and need no mention. OK, I’ll just say this, some mornings when I am tired and the wind is blowing against me (isn’t it always when you are tired?) the short jaunt to work not only wakes me up but gives me a mini-aerobic workout.
I could go on and on (as could any cyclist) but I won’t. I’ll just say that to me there is nothing like standing on the pedals with the wind to my back and silently coasting down a quiet city street at night…it really does make me feel alive.
But I guess the real reason I choose to drag bikes up and down my front porch everyday and straddle my creaky middle-aged body on them is this…there is no reason I shouldn’t. Riding a bike to me is transportation, but it’s also joy and empowerment.
The video below I’ve posted a few times in the past but not in a while. I love what it has to say. It could be me narrating it, but it’s not (and yes, like he, I sometimes spread my arms out like airplane wings). If you’ve not seen it yet I hope you spend the 59 seconds to watch it. In the meantime, straddle a bike and ride…you won’t regret it.
The above picture is Pilgrim-St. Luke’s UCC, the church of which I am a member. I love taking pictures of old Buffalo buildings–especially churches–but that’s not what this post is about. It’s about what I was thinking as I pedaled to church this morning.
It was a beautiful autumn morning…couldn’t have been any nicer; you can see this in the above photo. The church is about 2 miles/3.2km from my house and it takes just a few minutes to get there. I pedal there nearly every Sunday, and some evenings during the week; rain or shine, snow or not, year round. This simple trip can be used as an example for my everyday travels.
Over the past years–decade–I’ve consciously molded my life so that nearly everything I need on a daily basis is within walking/biking distance. I’ve always enjoyed walking and biking over car travel–even in my early to mid-twenties when I was a suburbanite and accepted the car as a necessity–but now it’s a conscious decision. I live less than a mile/kilometer from where I work, the health club where I swim is about a mile/1.6km away, my son’s mom is 1 mile/1.6km, grocery stores are (depending on which I go to) either 3/4 of a mile/1.2km or 2 miles/3.2km. In fact, the neighborhood in which I live–Allentown–is considered a “walker’s paradise” by walkscore. And this is what I was thinking about as I pedaled to church earlier today on a brilliantly sunny autumn morning.
But I’m getting off topic–something I tend to do–because the above info is more about how easy it is to use a bike for everyday transport, but not really about why I choose to do it when I can afford a car. And this brings me to my next mini-topic…my car, or more specifically, my truck.
I’ve mentioned multiple times on this blog–so many times that I am getting tired of hearing myself state it–that I am not car-free but I am car-lite. I own a 12-year-old Ford Ranger that I don’t use very often. I use it more in the harsh winter months than I do other times, but still not that often (I plan on being car-free in two years…but by that time we all may be car-free, at least the gas/petrol powered type). Anyhow, the reason I mention this is that this is the first reason I choose to ride a bike; not the first on my personal list but it may be one to convince a non-biker to start riding a bike: Money! Yesterday I put $20USD/$14.43EUR in gas/petrol in my truck for only the second time in the past 3 months! Riding a bike saves me money, and it could you too…did I draw you in yet? I hope so, but this still is not a main reason that I choose to ride a bike.
Simply said, I mostly choose to ride a bike because I really enjoy it. That’s it. I enjoy how it feels to have the wind on my face, summer or winter, rain or shine. I like that I create my own motion, that I am both the motor and the cargo. Yes, riding a bike is “green,” and this is the reason most people think I do it (or they think I can’t afford a car), but to me this is more of a result of my riding rather than a reason that I do it. When I’m on a bike I feel I am an active participant in my surroundings/environment.
If you’ve been to this blog before you know that a person can carry anything they need on a bike. This is another one of my favorite reasons…I get a sense of accomplishment when when I carry things on my bike(s)…but mostly I just think it’s fun.
Being an active participant in my surroundings, pedaling and coasting, I get to see things and easily stop and take pictures if I like (below are a few examples of what I saw today; click here for a few more). And riding a bike also offers me the best parking spaces…when I go to the health club (where many people drive cars to ride a stationary bike) I can pull straight up to the front door while others wait in their cars for parking spaces. This may sound a bit sarcastic, and I don’t mean it to be, but it is true. And I haven’t mentioned the physical benefits of riding a bike…because they are obvious and need no mention. OK, I’ll just say this, some mornings when I am tired and the wind is blowing against me (isn’t it always when you are tired?) the short jaunt to work not only wakes me up but gives me a mini-aerobic workout.
I could go on and on (as could any cyclist) but I won’t. I’ll just say that to me there is nothing like standing on the pedals with the wind to my back and silently coasting down a quiet city street at night…it really does make me feel alive.
But I guess the real reason I choose to drag bikes up and down my front porch everyday and straddle my creaky middle-aged body on them is this…there is no reason I shouldn’t. Riding a bike to me is transportation, but it’s also joy and empowerment.
The video below I’ve posted a few times in the past but not in a while. I love what it has to say. It could be me narrating it, but it’s not (and yes, like he, I sometimes spread my arms out like airplane wings). If you’ve not seen it yet I hope you spend the 59 seconds to watch it. In the meantime, straddle a bike and ride…you won’t regret it.
“Take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt; put them in a storage jar and use them to make bread for yourself.” —Ezekiel 4:9 (NIV)
This is one of my favorite breads..it is not too difficult to make and it is super-nutritious. I’ve posted on this bread and variations of it in the past (click here, here, and here), and this is a revised version of those recipes. In this recipe I use 100% whole wheat flour (which I did in this recipe as well), but what is really different–and while this may seem insignificant, it is really not–is that I reduced the amount of liquid in the biga (pre-ferment) from 1 cup to 1/2 cup. This makes a somewhat dry starter but it keeps the subsequent dough from being too wet (which was a concern I’ve heard voiced by readers and bakers who tried the recipe). Another thing is that I added a few tablespoons of vital wheat gluten. Because whole wheat flour has less gluten than white flour, and the high concentration of grains, I felt this bread would benefit from a bit of added gluten…and it worked great. I had intended on offering metric measurements for this recipe for readers/bakers outside the US (purchased a digital scale recently), but alas time got away from me. I’ll do it in the future. Anyhow, if you enjoy baking, or even if you have never baked bread but want to, I hope you try this recipe…it is not as difficult as it may seem at first, but it is really delicious.
To learn more about my views of this bread, with more explicit directions and pictures, click here.
Whole Wheat EzekielBread
Makes 2 or 3 loaves
12cups water 2 tablespoons white beans 2 tablespoons redbeans
Boil the grains in the water inlogical succession according to cooking times: first the white andred beans (about 60 minutes), when they are soft add the, speltberries, lentils, and barley (about 30 minutes); lastly, add themillet and bulgar (about 10 minutes). The key is that after eachaddition the previous grain must be soft enough so that when all ofthe grains are in the pot they will all be equally soft; undercookedgrains (especially the beans) can really ruin this bread. And as thegrains cook add more water to the pot as necessary because thecooking liquid, which is full of nutrients, will become part of therecipe (keeping a lid on the pot will slow it’s evaporation). Afterthe grains are cooked allow them to cool in the liquid to roomtemperature, refrigerating if necessary. After the grains are cooleddrain them, squeezing them with your hands or the back of a spoon,reserving the cooking liquid.
Placetwo bowls side-by-side; one will hold the pre-ferment, the otherautolyse. In one bowl combine the cooked and drained grains with ½cup of the cooking liquid, 2 cups whole wheat flour, and 2 teaspoonsinstant yeast. Stir it just until combined then cover it with plasticwrap. In the other bowl combine 4 cups whole wheat flour, 3tablespoons vital wheat gluten, and 2 cups cooking liquid; stir itjust until combined then cover it with plastic wrap (take care not toget yeast into this bowl). Allow the bowls to rest at roomtemperature for about an hour, during which time the preferment willbegin it’s job multiplying yeast and fermenting flour, and theautolyse will soak liquid, swelling the gluten.
Afteran hour or so, combine the ingredients from both bowls into the bowlof an upright mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the honey, oliveoil, salt, and 3 teaspoons of yeast (add the yeast and salt onopposite sides of the bowl. Knead the dough on medium speed for about8 minutes. Place the dough in a lightly oiled container, cover itloosely, and allow to ferment for 1-2 hours, or until doubled inbulk. Deflate the dough and allow it to ferment an additional 30minutes.
Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface andcut it into 2 or 3 pieces. Shape into loaves and place into lightlyoiled pans. Loosely cover the loaves with plastic wrap and allow toferment for 30-60 minutes, or until double in size and when gentlytouched with a fingertip an indentation remains.
Bake thebreads for about 30-40 minutes, adding steam to the oven a few times(either with ice cubes or a spray bottle) and rotating the breadsevery ten minutes. The breads are done when they are dark brown andsound hollow when tapped upon. Remove the breads from their pans andallow them to cook on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes beforeslicing.
“Take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt; put them in a storage jar and use them to make bread for yourself.” —Ezekiel 4:9 (NIV)
This is one of my favorite breads..it is not too difficult to make and it is super-nutritious. I’ve posted on this bread and variations of it in the past (click here, here, and here), and this is a revised version of those recipes. In this recipe I use 100% whole wheat flour (which I did in this recipe as well), but what is really different–and while this may seem insignificant, it is really not–is that I reduced the amount of liquid in the biga (pre-ferment) from 1 cup to 1/2 cup. This makes a somewhat dry starter but it keeps the subsequent dough from being too wet (which was a concern I’ve heard voiced by readers and bakers who tried the recipe). Another thing is that I added a few tablespoons of vital wheat gluten. Because whole wheat flour has less gluten than white flour, and the high concentration of grains, I felt this bread would benefit from a bit of added gluten…and it worked great. I had intended on offering metric measurements for this recipe for readers/bakers outside the US (purchased a digital scale recently), but alas time got away from me. I’ll do it in the future. Anyhow, if you enjoy baking, or even if you have never baked bread but want to, I hope you try this recipe…it is not as difficult as it may seem at first, but it is really delicious.
To learn more about my views of this bread, with more explicit directions and pictures, click here.
Whole Wheat EzekielBread
Makes 2 or 3 loaves
12cups water 2 tablespoons white beans 2 tablespoons redbeans
Boil the grains in the water inlogical succession according to cooking times: first the white andred beans (about 60 minutes), when they are soft add the, speltberries, lentils, and barley (about 30 minutes); lastly, add themillet and bulgar (about 10 minutes). The key is that after eachaddition the previous grain must be soft enough so that when all ofthe grains are in the pot they will all be equally soft; undercookedgrains (especially the beans) can really ruin this bread. And as thegrains cook add more water to the pot as necessary because thecooking liquid, which is full of nutrients, will become part of therecipe (keeping a lid on the pot will slow it’s evaporation). Afterthe grains are cooked allow them to cool in the liquid to roomtemperature, refrigerating if necessary. After the grains are cooleddrain them, squeezing them with your hands or the back of a spoon,reserving the cooking liquid.
Placetwo bowls side-by-side; one will hold the pre-ferment, the otherautolyse. In one bowl combine the cooked and drained grains with ½cup of the cooking liquid, 2 cups whole wheat flour, and 2 teaspoonsinstant yeast. Stir it just until combined then cover it with plasticwrap. In the other bowl combine 4 cups whole wheat flour, 3tablespoons vital wheat gluten, and 2 cups cooking liquid; stir itjust until combined then cover it with plastic wrap (take care not toget yeast into this bowl). Allow the bowls to rest at roomtemperature for about an hour, during which time the preferment willbegin it’s job multiplying yeast and fermenting flour, and theautolyse will soak liquid, swelling the gluten.
Afteran hour or so, combine the ingredients from both bowls into the bowlof an upright mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the honey, oliveoil, salt, and 3 teaspoons of yeast (add the yeast and salt onopposite sides of the bowl. Knead the dough on medium speed for about8 minutes. Place the dough in a lightly oiled container, cover itloosely, and allow to ferment for 1-2 hours, or until doubled inbulk. Deflate the dough and allow it to ferment an additional 30minutes.
Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface andcut it into 2 or 3 pieces. Shape into loaves and place into lightlyoiled pans. Loosely cover the loaves with plastic wrap and allow toferment for 30-60 minutes, or until double in size and when gentlytouched with a fingertip an indentation remains.
Bake thebreads for about 30-40 minutes, adding steam to the oven a few times(either with ice cubes or a spray bottle) and rotating the breadsevery ten minutes. The breads are done when they are dark brown andsound hollow when tapped upon. Remove the breads from their pans andallow them to cook on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes beforeslicing.
Well, I’d guess I should stop being in denial and face facts that the cold weather is on the way. I did my annual ritual of digging up the front yard garden today to make room for a shipment of firewood which is slated for delivery tomorrow; the wood gets dumped in my front yard and my son and I haul and stack it in the back and on the front porch. And I’m always surprised that–despite my lack of weeding–so much grows on it’s own. The above and below pictures are just some of the things I found hiding in my mini garden jungle…I see tomato sauce and sauerkraut in my near future. It’s odd, though, how fast time flies; it seems like summer just started and now I sit typing these words while I warm next to a wood stove. It won’t be long before I’m posting about how cold and snowy it is…
Well, I’d guess I should stop being in denial and face facts that the cold weather is on the way. I did my annual ritual of digging up the front yard garden today to make room for a shipment of firewood which is slated for delivery tomorrow; the wood gets dumped in my front yard and my son and I haul and stack it in the back and on the front porch. And I’m always surprised that–despite my lack of weeding–so much grows on it’s own. The above and below pictures are just some of the things I found hiding in my mini garden jungle…I see tomato sauce and sauerkraut in my near future. It’s odd, though, how fast time flies; it seems like summer just started and now I sit typing these words while I warm next to a wood stove. It won’t be long before I’m posting about how cold and snowy it is…
OK, though I am a bicycle/pedestrian advocate I try not to get too self-righteous because I still do drive a small pickup truck (infrequently…less frequently at times than others), but I couldn’t help myself here. I was pedaling back to work to finish the second half of a split-shift when I came upon the above truck getting ready to fuel up the local gas/petrol station. I think the thing that bothered me was that it was called “King” oil. Anyhow, I saw the driver getting out of the truck and I coasted up to him and asked if I could take a few photos of my bike in front of his truck. He seemed a little surprised and responded, “I don’t give a rat’s ass what you do in front of my truck.” OK, Mr. Happy, I thought to myself, and took a few shots; that’s one of them above. Gas powered vehicles have been popular for what…something like the last 100 years, if that? Just a mere blip on our civilization’s radar. Bikes predate the car and will likely outlast them (at least the gas-powered ones). So I ask you this rhetorical question…how long until the king oil is dethroned, and who is his predecessor, but more importantly…his successor?
OK, though I am a bicycle/pedestrian advocate I try not to get too self-righteous because I still do drive a small pickup truck (infrequently…less frequently at times than others), but I couldn’t help myself here. I was pedaling back to work to finish the second half of a split-shift when I came upon the above truck getting ready to fuel up the local gas/petrol station. I think the thing that bothered me was that it was called “King” oil. Anyhow, I saw the driver getting out of the truck and I coasted up to him and asked if I could take a few photos of my bike in front of his truck. He seemed a little surprised and responded, “I don’t give a rat’s ass what you do in front of my truck.” OK, Mr. Happy, I thought to myself, and took a few shots; that’s one of them above. Gas powered vehicles have been popular for what…something like the last 100 years, if that? Just a mere blip on our civilization’s radar. Bikes predate the car and will likely outlast them (at least the gas-powered ones). So I ask you this rhetorical question…how long until the king oil is dethroned, and who is his predecessor, but more importantly…his successor?
If you are reading this blog I am likely preaching to the choir but I’ll say it again…one of the many benefits of riding a bike is how much you see; you are not simply passing by your surroundings in an enclosed metal climate-controlled shell, you are part of it. And is often the case I carried my camera with me this past week and thought I’d share a bit of what I saw (click any photo for a larger view). The above photo was on my way home last night on Allen Street…it was late-dusk and just a few minutes before the light was gone and that blue hue literally stopped me in mid-pedal. The next set below are a few of the natural environment (I really enjoy being aware of nature in the city). And lastly, the bottom set is in response to the rich history and architectural heritage of our city (the National Trust for Historic Preservation is having their annual conference here this week). Anyhow, after busy days rushing around a hot kitchen I find it relaxing to ride my bike as a vehicle to get from point A to point B, but also to simply ride around and look at things (and take a few pictures along the way).
If you are reading this blog I am likely preaching to the choir but I’ll say it again…one of the many benefits of riding a bike is how much you see; you are not simply passing by your surroundings in an enclosed metal climate-controlled shell, you are part of it. And is often the case I carried my camera with me this past week and thought I’d share a bit of what I saw (click any photo for a larger view). The above photo was on my way home last night on Allen Street…it was late-dusk and just a few minutes before the light was gone and that blue hue literally stopped me in mid-pedal. The next set below are a few of the natural environment (I really enjoy being aware of nature in the city). And lastly, the bottom set is in response to the rich history and architectural heritage of our city (the National Trust for Historic Preservation is having their annual conference here this week). Anyhow, after busy days rushing around a hot kitchen I find it relaxing to ride my bike as a vehicle to get from point A to point B, but also to simply ride around and look at things (and take a few pictures along the way).
I’ve posted on Occupy Buffalo a couple times in the past week (click here and here) but after yesterday and last night I felt the need to mention this again. It’s not that anything significant has happened in the last day or so, it’s just that I am so surprised (and impressed) that people are still at it after the crazy weather we’ve had in the last 48 hours. The winds seemed to have calmed a bit now, but up until the past few hours we have been in the midst of a 2 day windstorm (wind gusts up to 55mph/88kph and sustained winds of 25mph/40kph). And in addition, yesterday it poured and poured and poured. Last night’s low temperature was about 45F/7C) and these people are sleeping in tents. I thought of them as I crawled into my warm and dry bed last night. To be honest, I didn’t expect anyone to stay there…but they did.
I spoke to a few people today, one of them–Michael Mottern–is pictured above. He’s been there for 5 days, he told me. He also mentioned, almost immediately, that he was a Socialist, and that he’s been blogging about Occupy Buffalo for Social Democrats USA. Another thing he told me–and he specifically asked me to mention this–was something that happened last night. It was night time (he didn’t mention how late) when a truck pulled up and the driver got out dressed in a New York State Sheriff uniform. They initially thought there was a problem, but they were wrong…he just stopped by to drop off bottled water and food. He told them that he believed in what they were doing…and so do I.
Before I parted I asked Michael what it was like to sleep in a tent in Niagara Square last night. He paused a minute, then smiled and said plainly…cold and wet. Rock on Occupyers…thanks for having the courage and willpower to do this.
To see a map of the cities in North America that are currently involved in this movement, click here.
I’ve posted on Occupy Buffalo a couple times in the past week (click here and here) but after yesterday and last night I felt the need to mention this again. It’s not that anything significant has happened in the last day or so, it’s just that I am so surprised (and impressed) that people are still at it after the crazy weather we’ve had in the last 48 hours. The winds seemed to have calmed a bit now, but up until the past few hours we have been in the midst of a 2 day windstorm (wind gusts up to 55mph/88kph and sustained winds of 25mph/40kph). And in addition, yesterday it poured and poured and poured. Last night’s low temperature was about 45F/7C) and these people are sleeping in tents. I thought of them as I crawled into my warm and dry bed last night. To be honest, I didn’t expect anyone to stay there…but they did.
I spoke to a few people today, one of them–Michael Mottern–is pictured above. He’s been there for 5 days, he told me. He also mentioned, almost immediately, that he was a Socialist, and that he’s been blogging about Occupy Buffalo for Social Democrats USA. Another thing he told me–and he specifically asked me to mention this–was something that happened last night. It was night time (he didn’t mention how late) when a truck pulled up and the driver got out dressed in a New York State Sheriff uniform. They initially thought there was a problem, but they were wrong…he just stopped by to drop off bottled water and food. He told them that he believed in what they were doing…and so do I.
Before I parted I asked Michael what it was like to sleep in a tent in Niagara Square last night. He paused a minute, then smiled and said plainly…cold and wet. Rock on Occupyers…thanks for having the courage and willpower to do this.
To see a map of the cities in North America that are currently involved in this movement, click here.
This looks really awesome…but mostly fun. I’m not sure how fast it would go but it would probably come in handy in the sometimes harsh winters we see here in Western New York…then I’d really have no reason not to ride even on the snowiest days. It’s made by Lightfoot Cycles; they make many human-powered vehicles, but at about $4000 (US) it’s a bit out of my price range. Anyhow to go directly to the page for this 4-wheeler, click here (sure looks like fun doesn’t it).
This looks really awesome…but mostly fun. I’m not sure how fast it would go but it would probably come in handy in the sometimes harsh winters we see here in Western New York…then I’d really have no reason not to ride even on the snowiest days. It’s made by Lightfoot Cycles; they make many human-powered vehicles, but at about $4000 (US) it’s a bit out of my price range. Anyhow to go directly to the page for this 4-wheeler, click here (sure looks like fun doesn’t it).
Urban Simplicty 