The Dog Days of Summer…

Today is hot in Western New York…there’s no two ways around it. Close to 90F / 32C and very humid. The weather forecast is for much of the same for the next week. I had off work today–which is unusual for a Saturday–and for that I am thankful. The last thing I want to do is face a stove on a day like this…but I’ll get plenty of chances to do just that in the coming weeks. At any rate, I’ve made the personal commitment not to complain about the heat (which I and many tend to do) because the opposite of this is the dead of winter. I love the winter but the heat and humidity is much easier to deal with in my opinion, especially as I get older. Click here to see some posts on winter. It seems so far away when I look at those pictures but at the same time very recent…I can still feel the bite of the wind on my face as I pedal into it (opposed to the sweat on my back this time of year). The post that I really found interesting, and a juxtapostion to today’s weather, was this one…-8f / -22C (yikes, that’s harsh). I had yard work to do today; I chose not to. I had planned a long-ish ride to do errands; I didn’t. Instead I stayed around the house most of the day with fans on…read some, and then finished an article. This evening when the sun was low I went for a walk, snapped a few photos (and stopped in an air conditioned bar for a glass of wine) mainly to enjoy such a beautiful and somewhat thick summer’s evening. I hope to remember this evening this coming January when the temperatures dip into the negative.

Things That Can Be Carried On A Bike (#332-334)

#332 (top)…4lbs of raw whole wheat honey-oatmeal bread dough (in a plastic bucket) and a canvas bag containing various items.

#333 (middle)…5lbs of stone ground whole wheat flour (in a plastic bucket), 2 loaves of freshly baked honey-oatmeal bread and a canvas bag containing various items (in a plastic box).

#334 (bottom)…A gym bag full of wet clothes and 3 liters of red wine.
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Things That Can Be Carried On A Bike (#332-334)

#332 (top)…4lbs of raw whole wheat honey-oatmeal bread dough (in a plastic bucket) and a canvas bag containing various items.

#333 (middle)…5lbs of stone ground whole wheat flour (in a plastic bucket), 2 loaves of freshly baked honey-oatmeal bread and a canvas bag containing various items (in a plastic box).

#334 (bottom)…A gym bag full of wet clothes and 3 liters of red wine.
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Five Quotes (and a short video) from Seth Godin

“Here’s the truth you have to wrestle with: the reason that art (writing, engaging, leading, all of it) is valuable is precisely why I can’t tell you how to do it. If there were a map, there’d be no art, because art is the act of navigating without a map. Don’t you hate that? I love that there’s no map.”

“Art isn’t only a painting. Art is anything that’s creative, passionate, and personal. And great art resonates with the viewer, not only with the creator.
“Your art is what you do when no one can tell you exactly how to do it. Your art is the act of taking personal responsibility, challenging the status quo, and changing people.”

 “Perhaps your challenge isn’t finding a better project or a better boss. Perhaps you need to get in touch with what it means to feel passionate. People with passion look for ways to make things happen.”

“The secret to being wrong isn’t to avoid being wrong! The secret is being willing to be wrong. The secret is realizing that wrong isn’t fatal.” 

Click here to see Seth’s bio, click here to go to his web site, and click here to go to hi blog.

Five Quotes (and a short video) from Seth Godin

“Here’s the truth you have to wrestle with: the reason that art (writing, engaging, leading, all of it) is valuable is precisely why I can’t tell you how to do it. If there were a map, there’d be no art, because art is the act of navigating without a map. Don’t you hate that? I love that there’s no map.”

“Art isn’t only a painting. Art is anything that’s creative, passionate, and personal. And great art resonates with the viewer, not only with the creator.
“Your art is what you do when no one can tell you exactly how to do it. Your art is the act of taking personal responsibility, challenging the status quo, and changing people.”

 “Perhaps your challenge isn’t finding a better project or a better boss. Perhaps you need to get in touch with what it means to feel passionate. People with passion look for ways to make things happen.”

“The secret to being wrong isn’t to avoid being wrong! The secret is being willing to be wrong. The secret is realizing that wrong isn’t fatal.” 

Click here to see Seth’s bio, click here to go to his web site, and click here to go to hi blog.

Things That Can Be Carried On A Bike (#331)

2 cans of dog food…sort of an emergency, I ran out. I know it’s not much to be carrying on a Mundo, but when you are owned by two very large dogs that are trapped in small dog’s bodies this is a very serious matter. Click here to see who’s eating it.

Five Bikes on a Bike

Five bikes on a bike…sounds like there’s a pun here somewhere. Anyhow, this is a photo from virtual friend and fellow Mundo rider James, in Yokohama, Japan. He operates a bike rental business there and uses his Mundo to transport bikes. He posted this pic on his blog and I thought I’d re-post it. I’ve carried two bikes on my Mundo but never five…pretty cool. Thanks James! Click here to go to his blog.

Five Bikes on a Bike

Five bikes on a bike…sounds like there’s a pun here somewhere. Anyhow, this is a photo from virtual friend and fellow Mundo rider James, in Yokohama, Japan. He operates a bike rental business there and uses his Mundo to transport bikes. He posted this pic on his blog and I thought I’d re-post it. I’ve carried two bikes on my Mundo but never five…pretty cool. Thanks James! Click here to go to his blog.

A Salad Worth Fighting For

The above photo is the first (mostly) complete meal I’ve made from my front-yard garden this season. I say mostly complete because not everything in it was from the garden. Being early in the season (and the fact that I got a late start), the garden has a small amount of a lot of different vegetables that are ready. But lettuce right now is the most abundant, unfortunately the tomatoes are still green. Besides the lettuce, I was also able to pick a couple florets of broccoli, some green beans, 1 teeny cucumber, a miniscule sweet pepper, green onions, and a bunch of herbs. I also added (not from the garden) a sliced apple, some cheese, and a few whole wheat croutons. I tossed the salad with a simple vinaigrette and ate it on my front porch just a few feet from where most everything grew. The salad was delicious and the ingredients were still warm from the sun. But while I ate I couldn’t help but think of Julie Bass of Oak Park, Michigan. I don’t know Ms. Bass, nor have I been to Oak Park; what I was thinking about specifically was the newspaper stories that have been circulating the Internet regarding her front-yard vegetable garden. I first came across the story here, but here is another version . It is, apparently, illegal to grow vegetables in your front lawn in Oak Park (click here to go to a blog regarding this story and issue); it has, in fact, only been a couple years since it is deemed “suitable” to do the same in Buffalo, the city from which I type these words. I remember hearing of a couple gardeners a few years back getting fined and forced to remove their vegetables from their front yards. With Julie Bass it’s even worse…she may be arrested and face 93 days in jail. What? Have you ever heard of such an asinine thing? In an age when eating local is a very serious issue, this is what is determined. What’s more, if you look at the pictures of her garden it is neat and orderly (far neater than my garden)…it is far from an eye sore. With all the publicity this has generated my hunch is that the “charges” will be dropped or lessened. And I don’t know what Ms. Bass’ plans are but if it were me I would stand my ground (yes I am aware of the overt pun) and choose the jail time and refuse to dig up my vegetables. And this is what I thought about as I ate and enjoyed my salad as I gazed out at my teeny patch of dirt where they are still growing. As aforementioned, the salad was delicious, really delicious. Maybe it was where I was eating or what I was thinking about–maybe it was simply that I was sitting in the shade on a hot and sunny day on the last day of my vacation–but I also thought that this salad was most definitely worth fighting for.

Below are a few pictures I took this afternoon (click it for a larger view). To see a garden plan of what I grew last year, and how much can be grown in such a small area, click here. When I was a kid my mom, who came of age during WWII, referred to vegetable gardens as Victory Gardens. For a variety of reasons this term seems as appropriate today as it did then. Click here to see images regarding Victory Gardens. Click here to go home.

A Salad Worth Fighting For

The above photo is the first (mostly) complete meal I’ve made from my front-yard garden this season. I say mostly complete because not everything in it was from the garden. Being early in the season (and the fact that I got a late start), the garden has a small amount of a lot of different vegetables that are ready. But lettuce right now is the most abundant, unfortunately the tomatoes are still green. Besides the lettuce, I was also able to pick a couple florets of broccoli, some green beans, 1 teeny cucumber, a miniscule sweet pepper, green onions, and a bunch of herbs. I also added (not from the garden) a sliced apple, some cheese, and a few whole wheat croutons. I tossed the salad with a simple vinaigrette and ate it on my front porch just a few feet from where most everything grew. The salad was delicious and the ingredients were still warm from the sun. But while I ate I couldn’t help but think of Julie Bass of Oak Park, Michigan. I don’t know Ms. Bass, nor have I been to Oak Park; what I was thinking about specifically was the newspaper stories that have been circulating the Internet regarding her front-yard vegetable garden. I first came across the story here, but here is another version . It is, apparently, illegal to grow vegetables in your front lawn in Oak Park (click here to go to a blog regarding this story and issue); it has, in fact, only been a couple years since it is deemed “suitable” to do the same in Buffalo, the city from which I type these words. I remember hearing of a couple gardeners a few years back getting fined and forced to remove their vegetables from their front yards. With Julie Bass it’s even worse…she may be arrested and face 93 days in jail. What? Have you ever heard of such an asinine thing? In an age when eating local is a very serious issue, this is what is determined. What’s more, if you look at the pictures of her garden it is neat and orderly (far neater than my garden)…it is far from an eye sore. With all the publicity this has generated my hunch is that the “charges” will be dropped or lessened. And I don’t know what Ms. Bass’ plans are but if it were me I would stand my ground (yes I am aware of the overt pun) and choose the jail time and refuse to dig up my vegetables. And this is what I thought about as I ate and enjoyed my salad as I gazed out at my teeny patch of dirt where they are still growing. As aforementioned, the salad was delicious, really delicious. Maybe it was where I was eating or what I was thinking about–maybe it was simply that I was sitting in the shade on a hot and sunny day on the last day of my vacation–but I also thought that this salad was most definitely worth fighting for.

Below are a few pictures I took this afternoon (click it for a larger view). To see a garden plan of what I grew last year, and how much can be grown in such a small area, click here. When I was a kid my mom, who came of age during WWII, referred to vegetable gardens as Victory Gardens. For a variety of reasons this term seems as appropriate today as it did then. Click here to see images regarding Victory Gardens. Click here to go home.

Home Built Cargo Bikes

As you can imagine I am always intrigued when I see other people being resourceful and carrying things on their bikes, especially when they are home-built. The above photos are of Ed and Eva. I’ve seen Ed riding around the neighborhood for a log time and today was riding past him as he waited outside a pet store. Uncharacteristically of myself, I stopped and asked him if I could take his picture. Without hesitation (or even asking me why I wanted to take his picture) he leaned against his bike and struck a pose. After taking the photo I explained that I write this blog and would like to show how he carried things one his bike. Ed has a board screwed to the back of an ordinary rear rack, creating a stable surface for a large container and other items. When I asked him if he carried all this stuff for work or pleasure he said simply, “I carry everything I need.” About a half hour later I saw Eva at a corner and asked her if I could take her photo (geeze, I am getting bold) and surprisingly she agreed right away but seemed a little skeptical. It turns out she is a friend of Ed’s. After asking questions about the Mundo and if I built it (everyone seems to think that I built it…I wish) she said that her carrying method was sort of old fashioned, “just a box and a bucket hooked onto the bike,” she told me. Awesome. And to Ed and Eva, if you are reading this I want to say thanks again for taking the time to talk to me and allowing me to take your photos. These are great examples of people using bikes for more than just getting from point A to point B. Bikes of any kind can carry most everything you need. (Click the photo for a larger view.)

Home Built Cargo Bikes

As you can imagine I am always intrigued when I see other people being resourceful and carrying things on their bikes, especially when they are home-built. The above photos are of Ed and Eva. I’ve seen Ed riding around the neighborhood for a log time and today was riding past him as he waited outside a pet store. Uncharacteristically of myself, I stopped and asked him if I could take his picture. Without hesitation (or even asking me why I wanted to take his picture) he leaned against his bike and struck a pose. After taking the photo I explained that I write this blog and would like to show how he carried things one his bike. Ed has a board screwed to the back of an ordinary rear rack, creating a stable surface for a large container and other items. When I asked him if he carried all this stuff for work or pleasure he said simply, “I carry everything I need.” About a half hour later I saw Eva at a corner and asked her if I could take her photo (geeze, I am getting bold) and surprisingly she agreed right away but seemed a little skeptical. It turns out she is a friend of Ed’s. After asking questions about the Mundo and if I built it (everyone seems to think that I built it…I wish) she said that her carrying method was sort of old fashioned, “just a box and a bucket hooked onto the bike,” she told me. Awesome. And to Ed and Eva, if you are reading this I want to say thanks again for taking the time to talk to me and allowing me to take your photos. These are great examples of people using bikes for more than just getting from point A to point B. Bikes of any kind can carry most everything you need. (Click the photo for a larger view.)

Yarn Bomb Explosion

I’ve posted on yarn bombing a couple times previously and how it has been appearing in Buffalo in recent months (click here and here to see those posts). I do not knit; I don’t know how. But I can only imagine the amount of time that goes into even the smallest “bomb.” I appreciate it for that but mostly for its color and how it beautifies the urban landscape. Anyhow, this past week I was in the lovely city of Seattle with my son and when we came upon Pioneer Square it was a veritable explosion of color. Every tree and many other surfaces were wrapped in colorful yard. Stunning. Beautiful. You can see the size of some of these “bombs” below…much to his chagrin, I made my son lean against a tree to show the size of it. Click either photo for a larger view. Click here to read more about yarn bombing. Click here to see more pictures (not mine) of yarn bombs.

Yarn Bomb Explosion

I’ve posted on yarn bombing a couple times previously and how it has been appearing in Buffalo in recent months (click here and here to see those posts). I do not knit; I don’t know how. But I can only imagine the amount of time that goes into even the smallest “bomb.” I appreciate it for that but mostly for its color and how it beautifies the urban landscape. Anyhow, this past week I was in the lovely city of Seattle with my son and when we came upon Pioneer Square it was a veritable explosion of color. Every tree and many other surfaces were wrapped in colorful yard. Stunning. Beautiful. You can see the size of some of these “bombs” below…much to his chagrin, I made my son lean against a tree to show the size of it. Click either photo for a larger view. Click here to read more about yarn bombing. Click here to see more pictures (not mine) of yarn bombs.