Labor Day

First of all I hope you all are having or had a great Labor Day.

It was a very nice day here.  As normal I got up early and did my morning thing.  That included having my pre-ride breakfast of a bagel with cream cheese, a banana and milk with instant breakfast.  Yesterday was basically the same but I also had to take my once per month Actonel.  The steroids I have been taking have a nasty side effect of thinning bones.  In any event after eating I was off for a ride.  The past three days have been very windy.  The winds blow 20 to 30 miles per hour from the north.  Even over night they have been howling.  The past couple of days I have started my ride going north.  That gives me a tail wind returning home.  My routes in that direction are limited so I decided to go a different route and different direction today. 

When I got home I had my other breakfast of a bowl of Cream of Rice. 

There is one very nice thing about a north wind, it is dry.  Typically our wind is from the south.  That means it blows in off the Gulf of Mexico and brings a lot of humidity.  However, when the wind is from the north it is blowing in from the plains and is dry.  Right now, almost 1 PM, the humidity is 37% and the dew point is 55F.  The bulb temperature is 84F.  That is very nice.  If the wind was from the south the dew point would be in the 70s which is very sticky.  With the nice weather I decided I would do some outside work.  First I had to work on my bike.  The rear brake was not working correctly.  It would not fully release after use.  This would cause the brake to drag and increase the work it took to ride.  At first I tried cleaning and lubricating the cables.  That did not fix the problem and I thought I may have to replace the brake.  When I removed it I discovered it just needed cleaning and an adjustment.  That done, it works fine.  I do not have a bike stand so I just use my bike rack.

 

That allows me to use the trunk cover as a work bench.

 

Then I decide to vacuum the inside of the car and clean the windows.  The other day driving to work I had to drive east looking directly into the rising sun.  I learned my windows really needed to be cleaned.  So I did that.  I could not wash the car itself as we are under water ration due to the drought. 

 

After that I came inside and took a shower and got ready for lunch.  Elizabeth made a delicious fall meal.  I really do not think of meals as seasonal but she said pork roast, sweet potatoes and beets is a fall meal.  I also had homemade biscuits with homemade spiced apple pear butter.  It was all very good.  Elizabeth works so hard on meals.  I am so grateful for all she does to help me stay healthy.  We did have one unpleasant surprise.  I was drinking some vitamin water as it is good to replenish electrolytes.  Elizabeth was looking at the label and this particular flavor had caffeine in it.  I try to avoid caffeine as some studies say it contributes to inflammation.

This afternoon I plan to take it easy.  Maybe read a bit and take a nap.