Month: January 2021

The Bike Trade-In

Having procured an ebike, it is now time to send my trusty blue bike to a new home. I called my local bike shop, Kenton Cycle Repair, and the following conversation ensued:

  • Me: Hi, this is Patricia Collins and I’m wondering if I can bring my bike in to see what needs to be done and also get an estimate of what I could sell it for?
  • Rich: Are you the owner of that really great GT step-through mountain bike?
  • Me: That’s the one!
  • Rich: Well, I’m sorry to hear you are selling it, but yes bring it in and we will take a look.

Color me amused that my local bike shop owner has matched my bike to my name. I explained why I was selling it and made plans to bring it in.

Here’s this winner, one last time.

When I got there Rich said it was in great shape, which wasn’t a surprise since I had it tuned up in February 2020 and then was laid off, so bike commuting went out the window. He then told me I could probably sell it for more than he was offering but offered me a chunk of store credit that was $25.00 less than I was hoping to sell it for.

I left the bike with Rich, confident he would find it a good home. When I asked him why he liked that bike so much he said that they just don’t build them like this anymore.

It’s been a good decade-plus with the blue bike. We’ve had some solid adventures and I hope the new owner also loves its many charms.

First Day as a Copy Editor

Hey look! I’m a full-time copy editor with benefits and everything! Today is my first day working for MFA. Maul, Foster & Alongi, Inc., provides environmental consulting and a whole host of other things. I’m looking forward to learning the ropes. That’s my new, company-issued laptop behind me. I’ve got a lot of other new things too. There’s going to have to be a room reorganization.

Tern: My New Ride

After years with my fun step-through mountain bike, I have find a new bicycle companion. This is my Tern GSD S10 ebike!

I’m super excited to supplement my bike riding with some pedal assist. While I think the bike itself is kind of ugly, I love how much cargo capacity it has, and that it folds down to be a bit more compact, and can stand upright on its own.

This bike cost me as much as some people pay for a used car, but I hope to use it for years to come.

I Grew This Squash

Thanks to never getting around to getting the soaker hose set up, my one Oregon Sweet Meat squash was very small comparatively. I’d say it is half the size of my 2016 harvest. It was very flavorful, though. That’s the advantage of not watering. If things grow, their flavor tends to be more concentrated than very well watered vegetables.

Habitat for Humanity Building Update

The ground floor unit is finished and they have helpfully left the lights on at night, so I can capture the layout.

The front part of the house is a great room.

Next to that is a porch and a laundry room.

Here’s a bedroom with a closet.

And here’s the second bedroom.

There must be a bathroom in play somewhere, but it’s not on this side of the building.

I wonder if the bathroom is on the other side of the hallway?

I think this is the porch to the unit on the back half of the building?

Clearly, I’m lacking a guided tour, but I’m glad to have at least this view.

Matt’s Fun Date Choice: Lego

It was Matt’s week to choose the date and he came home with a Lego set for us to put together.

I do love the tidy order and step-by-step of a good Lego set.

Here is the finished product.

I also think it’s fun how the astronaut fits in the cockpit, and the satellite folds and fits into the space ship.

Once we were done, we dissembled the whole shebang, repackaged it, and I dropped it off in a Little Free Library so someone else could enjoy it.