Lifestyle Blogs (2,470)

Well, that was an interesting morning. It started off at 6:30 am with me having to wear my 'good' pale pink hoodie to go bike riding as I'd forgotten to put my grey one in the dryer. Okay, I'm not planning to get down on my belly for photos, but, if I do, I'll just take my hoodie off. No problem.

I decided to take the route a lady had told me about the other day, which is probably about 15-20km (8-10 mi). I start out going west from my house, along the edge of some fields lined with Douglas Fir trees next to a stream.

The first part of the trail can be followed in a loop back to my house, or on a country road next to the slough. I chose the slough, checking to see if there were any beavers or wood ducks visible. Nothing this morning. Carrying on past the home where I'd taken photos of the flowers the other day and down a dirt road towards the river.

Once at the river's edge, I could see where I could go left, but going right under the bridge seemed questionable as to how well travelled the path was. Deciding I could always turn around, I rode down a small hill with grass growing sparsely through the packed gravel.

A slight curve, hidden by bushes and trees revealed a well worn path towards the bridge. Riding through this tunnel of foliage, the fragrance of the cherry trees mingled with the scent of freshly mown grass. Breathing deeply of the cool morning air, everything seemed so fresh.

Near the bridge, a weathered bench made from 2x4's and small tree trunks overlooks the river, a fire pit just off to the right of the bench. Riding under the bridge, I came out where I usually park my car and walk down to the river bed to take photos.

I won't be doing that for awhile, as there's no riverbed there anymore. With the warmer temperatures and beautiful weather this week, spring thaw has begun and the river has risen, covering the entire area where I would sit.

Along the dirt road, barbed wire fencing protects the lush hay fields, grasses bent with the wind. On the river side, tall, blooming cherry trees mixed with sundry deciduous trees follow the arc of the road, their white blossoms backlit by the rising sun.

Stopping numerous times to take photos, pulling unseen blackberry vines away from my butt, I was enthralled with the play of light and shadow. I don't know how well the photos will come out, as the wind was significant, the flowers bobbing in it's gusts.

As I took photos further down the lane, despite having my bike on it's kickstand and 'checking' it before taking photos, the wind was enough to unbalance it and blow it over. Damn! Righting it, and moving it into a more secure position, the darn thing fell over again. Good thing I have my lenses in lots of padding. My old camera in my basket fell out both times though, but I don't think it was enough of a jolt to do any damage.

Finishing the photos, I righted my bike again and realized my bike chain had come off in the last fall. Believe it or not, I have never had to replace a bike chain onto a bike. My first thought was 'sh*t! guess I'll be walking home.' And my next thought was, nuts to that, I'm still quite far from home, I can do this.

It took me quite some time, with a LOT of grease on my fingers, to finally get the chain back on my bike. Wiping some of it off with dirt and nearby leaves, I headed towards home. There are a few noises that were not there before, so I'll take a look at it later today, as I may have to put some WD40 on some areas.

Of course, despite being extra careful, I got some grease and dirt on my 'good' pink hoodie, but I'm sure I'll be able to get that out with some Dawn dish soap and soaking. I feel pretty good that I replaced the bike chain, and although it's not a big deal, it is if you've never done it before.

There's a first for everything, I guess. lol. I still had a glorious morning, despite the minor setback!

If a woman you are in a relationship mentions something she is not particularly okay with, chisel that in stone and listen to her. That might very well be the thing she leaves you for in the future.

When is it when a man is to know for sure if a woman has interest in him...rather than just thinking she might?

this world is so fill of fake a*ss people i am beginning to pinch myself to see if i bleed or if i am made of plastic ..

now i know why so many fake nasty a*ss men and women are on this site ,,
not saying real good ones are not among the multitude. why cant they allow the real men and women who have balls and brain to step up on the podium ?..

just saying

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So I saw this bulky black leather sofa cheapcheapCHEAP at a charity shop a few months back and bought it because I need furniture and it was just the job and at worst, at absolute worst, the zman said he'd buy it off me if I couldn't find a spot for it. It IS nice, and it WAS a bargain, so I stuck it in the van and took it home.

Then the alterations kept getting delayed and delayed and it has been sitting under cover on the terrace for months

Then I had to sell the van because the MOT was about to expire

And NOW finally I have rooms ready for the sofa. Which is TOO BIG TO GO THROUGH THE DOORS. And without the van it can't go up the mountain to the mountain man because paying for delivery will double the price and stop it being cheapcheapcheap

So that's 80 euros I don't have to throw around, thrown around and down the drain.



Your worst impulse buy? (I've noticed when I do one of these 'I was a dummy make me feel better by telling me you were too' blogs no-one else ever made a mistake ever.) Hmm.

Recently, there's been a huge turf war here in BC in regards to the Kinder Morgan pipeline that they want to put through BC to fill oil tankers to ship to China to be refined then back to us.

Firstly, I have no idea why we don't build our own refineries and employ people in our own country, other than they can get it done cheaper overseas without the environmental impact. Secondly, it's bizarre to think that we're going to stop using oil when we use it for absolutely everything, including to run the factories to make those environmentally friendly products.

What do people think is going to take the place of heating homes? I've had electric furnaces, and my bills have been absolutely horrendous in the winter, trying to keep a place warm, and that includes my recent condo. I'm now in a house with natural gas heating, and both my heat and electric bills are minimal. I absolutely, unequivocally have no desire to go back to electric heat.

Also, the way people talk about electricity taking over for gas, how is that going to happen when there's already a drain on the amount of electric power used, and people don't want any more hydro-electric dams put in place to feed the growing demand and population?

Electric cars are a fantastic idea, provided you don't have to travel any great distances, or through mountain passes, or in the winter. Everyone knows that cold drains batteries, so how is that going to work when you're stuck on the Coquihalla Highway in winter due to an accident, and the cold drains your battery? Or you can't make it through the passes because your car doesn't have enough juice to make the whole trip. Or you have to overnight somewhere, an added expense to make it to a destination that you previously made in one day.

I'm all for finding alternative means of energy, but so far, nothing is as reasonable as natural gas for heating homes. I have zero intention of ever having to use electricity again to heat my house. Until electric cars have the 'guts' and staying power that my current gas engine has, I'll stick with my gas engine. Anyone that thinks the current rechargers for cars are going to remain free is living in lala land. We don't fill our tanks for free, or heat our homes for free, and the hydro companies are not going to continue to provide free charges for your car indefinitely. There will be a fee to recharge your car sooner or later, and my guess will be sooner.

When, and if, in my lifetime, that alternative energy is as efficient as what I enjoy currently, then I'll gladly change. Electricity isn't it. So at this time, put the damn pipeline in, because absolutely everything we do, eat, and wear, relies on oil either in the manufacture of it, or in getting it to us.

All these protesters that are protesting the pipeline. I wonder how they travelled? Where and how their clothes and shoes were made and of what? What heats their homes? How their groceries got to them? How their groceries were manufactured?

Yup, I could go on. But you get the point.

I've played games in the past and people have played games with me . Game recognize game

A couple of years ago I attended a workshop on travel writing, which then segued into a group meeting to write a book with each member contributing a chapter, with the group leader being a well-known travel author. The subject was to be the Pacific Northwest, which was perfect for me as I cycle some of the rail trails in Washington State.

The previous year I had gone to the Iron Horse trail to ride it, but found out at the Snoqualmie Tunnel at the top, one needed a light in order to go through it. The tunnel is 2.5 miles long and gives one sensory deprivation it's so dark. No, I wasn't attempting that without a light.

With the book as motivation, I phoned the Washington Parks Board to find out if the tunnel was open, as they have humongous wooden doors that they close the tunnel off for the winter. I was advised that yes, the tunnel was just opened on May 2. Great! I phoned around to find out if anyone had a shuttle service they could drop me off at the top of the mountain. A local bike rental company was more than accommodating.

A day later, I loaded up my bike and camera and headed to down the I-9 and the back routes to Snoqualmie, stopping at Snoqualmie Falls on the way. The scenery on those back routes is absolutely stunning and a most enjoyable drive.

The following day, a Wednesday, the bike rental company loaded up my bike and dropped me off at the top of the mountain. Standing in the parking lot, it was a bit overwhelming, knowing I was completely alone, no cars or other people around, the peak of the mountain looming above me and the tunnel before me. Yeah, I was a little scared, but excited too. I knew there was only one way back, and that was to get on my bike and ride.

Fortunately, as I rode towards the tunnel, the parks board had just driven through the tunnel so I knew for a fact there were no bears in there. Approaching it, the last vestiges of snow lay in dirty white piles alongside the gravel trail, and a cold wind assaulted me before the tunnel was even visible, around a curve. From what I understand, even in the summer the tunnel is cold and it's advisable to wear a jacket.

Once in the tunnel, I turned on the bike light I'd purchased specifically for the occasion, a very bright LED light that lit enough area for me to cycle comfortably through the tunnel. My initial trepidation was replaced by the thrill of the journey, and by the time I reached the end of the tunnel, I was relaxed in my surroundings.

Exiting the tunnel, it was more obvious than at the beginning, exactly how much mountain was on top of it, with vistas of the surrounding area and the steep drop offs down the side. A brief break and back on my bike, but only for a short stint before glacier lilies caught my attention. White, pale pink and a deep burgundy colour lined the trails, adding colour to the mossy and forest greens that are prevalent.

My next challenge were the trestles that interrupted the gravel paths. A huge fear of heights had me in a cold sweat at the prospect of riding the first trestle, with the noise of traffic from the I-90 reaching up from a long way below. Riding onto the trestle, all I could focus on was getting across, and as my bike got bogged down in some heavy gravel, determination had me pushing hard to reach the other side.

Once across and my heart slowing to a normal pace, I was relieved that it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The rest of the trestles became easier, to the point where I could actually stop mid-span and take photos. That was a major accomplishment for me, as my fear of heights as plagued me since I was very young.

I will continue the journey in another blog tomorrow, but suffice it to say that I can hardly wait to return to North Bend and ride the trail again. I'll go in June when the weather might be a little better, but it was the best ride I've taken.

An "Underdog" as defined by dictionary.com is,

(1). A person who is expected to lose in a contest or conflict.

(2). A victim of social or political injustice.

Based on the above definition, the earliest literature that depicts an underdog for me is,

(1). Ramayana of Valmiki in the war between King Rama & king Rava.

(2). The second ancient literature that comes to mind is Iliad of Homerus & the battle of Troy, a 10year war won through the Trojan horse.

King Rava steals the wife of prince Ramayana, a victim of already political and/or social injustice.

Prince Paris steals the wife of king Agamemnon.

The similarities in both of this ancient literature are very striking first and foremost on the above.

(3). A third underdog that comes to mind is Odysseus, expected to lose the throne & kingdom by the suitors claiming both his throne & kingdom through placing under pressure his wife to break his loyalty to him & choose one of them as the new King through marriage to her.

(4). The fourth case of underdog that comes to mind is King David in the battle with Goliath.

In all of these cases, the victims of social injustice never expected to win the battle or conflict, have risen up & taken up a battle that was considered lost & won this.

In all of these cases, most may have given up just in the face of adversity & inequality of strength in battle or war taken up.

(1). What lessons can be learned & applied in everyday life and society from the above Kings underdogs(based on the definition of an underdog earlier provided)?.

(2). Have you ever been an underdog, a victim of social or political injustice, in a conflict or contest , expected to lose and in the end, WON?.

(3). What do you think differentiated these kings underdogs from the rest crowd that enabled victory in a war or battle, expected at any point or in general to be lost?.

Looking forwarding to reading answers to any of the above questions.

Note: An underdog can also be a group of people despite the fact that dictionary.com makes reference specifically to a person.

Thank you.