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In the mid 2,000nds, I operated a bike shop for a few years. Why it only lasted a few years is another sad tale for another day. Anyway, not long after I opened, an older retired gentleman began dropping in with great regularity. Every time he showed up, he was riding a different bike. One day I asked him how many bikes he had. He thought for a moment and said, "I don't really know. Guess I'll have to go home and count them". Shortly thereafter, be started selling some of them off, as he no longer felt comfortable riding drop bar road bikes, and had me alter some of his remaining bikes with raised handlebars and internal gearhubs. I think I renovated about five bikes for him in this way. I ended up offering him a part time job in the store which worked out great for both of us, and we have remained friends ever since. He continued to ride his bikes until a few years ago, when at the age of 80, he underwent heart valve surgery. He rode a little after he recovered from the surgery, but his strength never really returned, and now he is experiencing respiratory issues. He is now 83, and has come to terms with the fact that his cycling days are done. He had sold or given away all his bikes except his two favorites, which were among the bikes that I rebuilt for him back in the day. Anyway, he called me up this week and told me he wants me to have the bikes. I was blown away. One of them is a Rocky Mountain Metro hybrid, the other is a Colnago Mountain bike. Yes, Colnago did make mountain bikes for a brief period, and the original components, which I replaced with a Shimano Alfine gear hub were the Campy mountain bike group, also offered for only a brief period about the same time. The frames are a bit on the small side for me, but I can work with that. I'm just honored that he would entrust his bikes to me, but sad that his cycling days are done.

He got one

For that I would have to have a first favorite team.

Some posts are always worth a belly laugh.

It rained a good part of yesterday and it's supposed to rain pretty much all day today. It's so freaking rare in SoCal I thought I'd share a picture of what it looks like!

So, as you may or may not know, I am trying to eat clean and cut down on sugar, carbs, etc. Over Thanksgiving, I did a good job of avoiding the desert table. I did have 4 cookies over the course of the day. Wojsharr makes a great pecan pie and my youngest son baked a chocolate pie. The pecan pie did not get touched so my wife put it in the freezer. Recently, my wife was complaining that no one had touched her pie! So I try to do the right thing and eat clean and healthy and she gets upset because no one, not even her, ate her pecan pie!

My place is 450 sq ft. I have more than enough space. You make it work. Living with less is pretty nice. I don't feel like I'm missing anything.

FIFY

We need a participation award

I used to. It was so convenient and fit my laziness profile perfectly. But when I went on my low fat diet about a decade ago, I gave it all up, even Chinese takeout, which I used to believe was superior to all other forms of human nourishment. Every once in a great while, I would still stop at Arby's and have a turkey club sandwich and onion rings (my favorite) just for old time sake, but I don't even do that anymore. It was sort of like an addiction. Once I kicked the habit, I really didn't crave it anymore. When I am out and about these days and I drive past a past-favorite fast food place, I still think about stopping in and getting a burger or some such, but then I think of all the better stuff I already have waiting for me at home, and the evil thoughts disappear.

Aresenal

Free public transport for all "Free" lol.

Before my mom had her stroke she was always giving us way too much food and would complain if you didn't eat it. I'd always say I had a big lunch nibble on a little and pack it to go. I'd take what I wanted and dumped the rest. That way I wasn't over eating and mom was happy. So cut yourself a slice of pie, dump it down the garbage disposal and do you both a favor!

Feed the pie to the doggie when Wojsharr is out of the house and take credit. Tell her is was delicious and, oh, the doggie needs to go to the vet.

Location has benefits. I live at the base of a mountain range. The trailhead is one block away. We have three ski resorts in the county. More wildlife than you can imagine. Currently there are about 1000 elk on the edge of town. That will swell to about 8-9k in the next month or so. And views like this.

That would make the monthter 36.5 days long and there would be 10 of them.

@Kzoo made some new friends it appears

Sending you and your family hugs Krazy...some states are better for this kind of care than others...and I'm not sure you are in the right one SOme communities and counties also have more things in place for seniors... The thing I learned with my aunt is...there are no guidelines...and each county is different...let alone each state.... Good Luck

Do I even need to answer this one?

From my former boss who gave me my first management job 30 years ago. I was actually surprised he's still alive, he's gotta be pushing 90 by now. I found his email and shot him a note and he replied back immediately! We're meeting for lunch after the holidays. i haven't seen him in at least 15 years. Looking forward to seeing him.

You know what is really great is that he knows you will really ride and enjoy the bikes that were his. I think so many times that when you give something away, the worst part is when you wonder if that something will get used at all. He sounds like he was a cool guy, sorry to hear that he passed.

My house will undoubtedly increase in value once I'm gone. I wonder what the neighbors would pay?

Honey Crisp, Pink Lady, Fuji. If you see Crimson Crisp, grab 'em! I ran oot of those a while ago and the cheap produce place doesn't have them.

I made an apple crisp to take to the luncheon today. I only had six apples and it looked like it needed more fruit for the size dish I was using so I added a bag of cranberries and increased the amount of brown sugar. It turned out really good. One of the cooks asked for my recipe.

Thanks, my lights just went out when you cut those wires.

For Wilbur For Road Runner

On the drive home tonight

Plain old likes are too pedestrian and boring.

@KrAzY & I went out for wings & beers

Last I heard she was in Australia with Rowan.

What about whips and ball gags? Asking for a friend ( @Redfacedwalrus )

Based on this chart I can afford to live in Mississippi or Arkansas. Yeehaw

This is the last day before the big party for school staff. Womaxx is in full on industrial baking mode. There were 8 dozen cookies last night, 2 9x13 baking dishes of smoked gouda, bacon mac and cheese some snacky stuff and other things. So far this morning I've got one load of dishes put away, another washing in the washer and a bed spread that a cat had the nerve to throw up on. Another load of trash and one of recycle to the buckets outdoors. My people did part of the leaves last night and they're back to finish now. Once they are out of the way it's off to the post office with goodies to go into the mail. There is vacuuming and other cleaning left to go. Breakfast was a Jimmy Dean hash brown w sausage cooked in the microwave and served on a paper plate. Lunch will be some purloined mac and cheese. I'm sure that there will be at least one more emergency trip to the store for some important item. Monday off to the dermatoligist for more liquid nitrogen for womaxx. Tuesday off to the Toyota store for a recall software check on my CV transmission. Wednesday off to my old job to for an alumni reunion that I really don't want to go to but it sometimes turns up a small bit of work. That leaves 7 days to wait to go to the airport to pick up oldest son flying in from Malaysia........ugh, that means prepping a room for him to stay in. He and youngest son do not get along all that well so constant warfare till sometime in January when I have to drive him back to New York to visit former family members and fly out. Retirement is not for the weak. I really don't care all that much for the Christmas season.

As far as my lawn guy goes, it was done before it even started.?

You are serious about wanting coal for Christmas?

I like the idea of 13 months each with four 7-day weeks. That would be 364 days. The extra 1 or 2 days could be the New Years holiday at the beginning of the year. That way the first day of the month would always be a Monday. Just think - your birthday would always fall on the same day of the week! The 13th month should be named Jeromeber.

Nic Petit bedded down with his dogs on the 2016 Iditarod.

I like red ones.. much better tasting then the green ones!

AKA Wheel of Death

Lunch

Good advice. I rarely get knocked down by more than a couple weeks with viruses/colds, but a year ago I was wiped out most of December and January, mainly because I thought I'd just suffer through it, do my normal activities through it, and it would go away. It didn't! Finally, my doctor told me he was going to give me the "Hollywood Star Treatment" and give me everything: antibiotics, sinus meds, etc. etc. including orders to drink a couple hot toddies (tea, honey, rum) every evening and REST. That did the trick - I think the hot toddies were the most effective part!