Bike days

When I was eight, I waited until there was no traffic and crossed Madison Avenue, building up speed on my bike to shoot down Lincoln, the road diagonal from my house. At a certain point I'd take my feet off the pedals and hold them out in front of me, coasting down the quiet Penndel streets under a canopy of trees, hair flying out behind me. Warm air went rushing by with an undercurrent of chill common to early June. Almost twilight, almost time to go home. One last ride around the big triangle that was my okay to ride alone ground.

Some point between there and when I got a 10-speed in junior high, bike riding lost its luster for me. I never rode a bike in high school or college.

I remember being in Key West for my Dad's 50th birthday, renting bikes with MFD and my brother. I had to re-learn how to have balance. I felt a little fear in my stomach. It's just like riding a bike never quite rang true for me, as you might guess. Falling seemed to be a bigger deal as I approached 30. MFD and Stephen were far ahead, MFD circling back around looking at me with concern and also a little how can you be so unsure of yourself on a bike?

That Key West trip was 10 years ago, and in those 10 years, I never got on a bike again until this spring when I took my new beach cruiser out for a cautious loop at the shore. I'm possibly more afraid of falling now than ever, and more unsure of my balance on the bike. Still, I envision myself recapturing the comfort I felt on a bike when I was young. Will it happen? I don't know. But I'm aiming for it.

Even though I've been on a bike twice in the past 20 years, when the weather starts to get warmer, I still think bike days are here again.

What thoughts does warmer weather usher in for you?

My go-to chicken marinade for the grill

Some recipes are a delight for the eyes and the imagination, bursting off the page in a photo that's so good you feel like you could eat it. This recipe is not one of them. We can't only share the sexy recipes, you know. We need the utility players just as much.

I have no idea where I found this marinade, somewhere on the Interwebs I'm sure. But now I'll know where to find it. Right here under the recipe tab.

Ingredients
1 cup ketchup (I use Simply Heinz and do not consider non-Heinz ketchup ketchup at all)
Half cup soy sauce
Virgorous shakes of Worcestershire (new unit of measurement! Honestly, I put probably 2 TBS in)
3-4 TBS rice wine vinegar (white wine vinegar if I'm out of that)
3 TBS dijon mustard
heaping tablespoon of garlic
kosher salt or Himalayan pink salt
Pepper

I approximate these amounts, as you may have guessed.

Directions
Put them all in a big old bowl, whisk vigorously, and submerge your chicken for 2-8 hours. I like to leave it in there for a long time, and overall I prefer to use chicken thighs on the grill.

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Haikuesday

Chicken or the egg?

The stupid age old question.

Just cook both well.

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What's your go-to marinade?

Wishing my fabulous Gail a fabulous 40th today.

TWTW - the one by the numbers

120 minutes of relaxation, including massage, hand treatment, and cold stone face massage. It was like levitating in a state of nirvana for two hours. 

Two books - one finished, one started and finished

One trip to Panera, where I very rarely go; followed by one trip to Target, where I always go

Five dollars for an abundance of flowers from Produce Junction

Eleventy hours spent outside

489 photos taken of dogs - average amount on a weekend

One easy way out taken - I jumped the gun putting the spring/summer quilt on because I didn't want to face changing the duvet cover

39 minutes recording The Armchair Librarians with Jana

45 minutes setting up blog shit for the week

One crazy feminist lounge wear sighting

10 fingers painted...sometimes I choose the polish based on what is quick dry

Four dishes prepared for weekly food prep - a Tasty meatball hoagie casserole for weekend eats; egg muffins with leftover taco meat, gouda cheese, and green onions for breakfasts; power breakfast muffins for the freezer; spaghetti squash buffalo chicken for lunches...that was my first time making avocado mayo and it was a breeze. 

Three things on the grill on Sunday: chicken thighs in my preferred marinade, potato packets, grilled veggies; dinner eaten outside followed by reading outside. 

One million things still in disarray in the basement...four large pieces of furniture removed by 1-800-GOT-JUNK, over 100 books put in the giveaway pile, two bookcases moved into the back basement room...to see how the two rooms used to look, click here. That post is completely out of date, but the before photos from the basement stand. I'll do proper before and afters when I'm finished, which at this rate will be in the year 2089.

Nine hours of sleep both Friday and Saturday nights

Four loads of laundry, each load run through the dryer at least twice because that's on the fritz

Two runnings of the dishwasher

Four events I did not attend in order to get my shit together, center myself, and restore my balance this weekend

Sometimes I feel the need to slow it way down and mostly block out the noise. This was one of those weekends. It's good for the soul.

Taxes are due today. In case anyone possibly forgot.

Linking up with Biana at B Loved Boston for Weekending &

In Our House

post idea from Shannon at Brass Honey

We take the back cushions off the couches when we lay on them.

There is never a time when the quad laundry sorter is empty.

We're more spiritual than religious, yet there is a Buddha in every room and one of us is a Catholic.

Two people spread clothes across four bedrooms.

We are on opposing sides in the thermostat wars.

If the door and windows can be open, they're open.

We subscribe to the treat yo'self philosophy.

The dining room table is a dumping ground.

There has never been and will never be any ketchup in the house that is not made by Heinz.

The sheets get changed at least once a week.

We don't have any booze, beer, or wine.

There's stuff hung on every wall and precious few of those walls are white.

Only one of us puts dishes in the dishwasher regularly, and that is not MFD.

We laugh a lot.

Most days a human cleans up a dog mess inside.

We never run out of coffee.

MFD's contributions...

The kitchen will be finished "soon."

The dogs lay with Steph and then me when Steph isn't present.

The front bow window installed by the previous owners might as well be made of cheesecloth.

When Steph wakes up, don't try to engage. Eyes down and act busy. She may just pass you by without further orders...  (This cracked me up. It's the truth)

And in your house? 

 Inspired by this post from Shannon at Brass Honey.

Thursday Thoughts on things

1.  The bastard squirrels have eaten too many of my bulbs. Lori is going to re-plant spring bulbs for me in the fall. The few that remain are crutching along. I've been planning my front flower bed this past week.

2. I've had Like the Weather by 10,000 Maniacs in my head all week, specifically because every day this week I've walked out of my house in inappropriate attire and refused to go back in for a heavier jacket. I feel a shiver in my bones just thinking about the weather. It's like the 1990s up in here.

3. Pedicure today. I'm in need.

4. Every April, MFD likes to play the guess how much we owe in taxes game. I do not like to play this game, but I humor him. This year something went terribly awry during said game and his typo had me thinking we owed the federal government $110,000. Never mind that there's no way that could possibly be, I was not thinking clearly and I believed it. He was out with clients and didn't get my frantic WTF texts so basically I nearly died and within minutes had planned to sell everything I own and move into a van down by the river. He had a hoot of a laugh when he got back to me, as has everyone else who has heard this story since Tuesday.

5. Jana and I are super jazzed that Show Us Your Books had 55 posts link up this month, including ours. What a fucking fantastic community of readers. When people ask for book recommendations, I'm just going to send them to this link and say if you can't find one here, I don't know what to tell you. Thank you and good day. I SAID GOOD DAY. Anyhoo Jana and I met up for lunch on Wednesday and even though she drug two old books I lent her with her, I left them in the booth with the romantic notion that someone in need of a book might happen upon them.

6. Happy National Library Week!

7. Jana also bought me this Urban Decay Sheer Revolution lipstick, which I love a) for the name and b) for the color.

8. I cancelled my plans this weekend because I need to slow my roll and re-charge in a major way. I will always say no to things in order to say yes to my sanity.

9. I've been watching Rectify. Have you guys seen it?

10. E-card of the week: