Seasonal Thoughts

Do you realize that today is September 21st?? That means that it is just 2 days until it is officially Fall or Autumn, and it also means that Christmas is just around the bend. Yes, just 3 months and 4 days from this moment the 'big day' will be over for all who celebrate that holiday. This also means that if you do celebrate Christmas, it's time to start thinking about Christmas Card lists as well as Gift lists. What will you get for those loved ones on your list?? Here are a few ideas just in case you need some help:
- car parts
- motorcycle accessories (big hint)
- maternity clothes (not for me please)
- scarves, mittens, hats (blah blah blah)
- jewelry
- poinsettia or Christmas Cactus
- iPod, iPad, iWish

If and when I think of more I'll let you know. I don't yet have a clue who I'll buy for or what I'll get them. I usually make my gifts and don't yet know what that could be this year.

Christmas is Coming

Every year at this time I think of the upcoming Christmas season, of whom I should send Christmas Cards to, and whom I should be what gifts for. Unfortunately, I always end up thinking too long and not getting the cards written out so they can be put into the mail. Yes, I think about Christmas, yet I don't want it to actually happen, I'm not a big fan of winter. At this time of year I am still riding my motorcycle and wishing summer would come back so it would be nice warm riding weather for so much longer. Now it is getting chilly and I am forced to think about how I must soon put the trike away and put the truck back on the road... but not until after October 1st as that is the date of the next Santa Toy Run I plan to ride in.

Gardening

My garden didn't do well this year. I think it's because of all the rain we got earlier in the summer and nothing at all was growing right. Out of all the plants I bought or grew from seed, not one vegetable was showing up on the vines or stalks, so I ended up just giving up and not bothering to water it any more. Oh, I wish now I had still gone to that part of the yard to water as there were other things like 3 kinds of mints growing in tires and a few other herbs in pots, but I didn't have anything much in my raised bed gardens. I had wanted for so long to have raised bed gardens so I could grow my own veggies and had no way of building my own, no one to help me, so I brought home some old bathtubs, rocks, soils I purchased and planted my gardens in them. The first year I got a bit to eat, but not much. I think a pedestal bathtub would look really good out there with food in it too, but I've decided that next year it will save me a lot of money to just go to the Farmer's Markets to buy my food rather than wasting all that money on seeds & bedding plants and water just to get nothing but disappointment.

Traveling Thoughts

It's 8:42am as I start to type this post.... I didn't sleep much last night as I am excited to be heading to Omak to spend time with a friend of mine. I've never ridden my trike anywhere near this far before, so this will be a new adventure. From where I live it is about 2 1/2 - 3 hours to the Canada/US border, then likely that much again to Omak. I've driven down there before but don't remember how long it took me to get there, and that was in my truck which is a lot different than riding a trike. Now all that I have on the road is the trike and it is so much easier on gas than the truck, so I'm off and riding. I will stop from time to time and take a break. I think I can ride non-stop for about 2 hours. By that time I will need to stop for gas in the trike and will take advantage of that to rest a bit. Before I go I am putting some padding on my hand grips to hopefully help my hands to not hurt so much. They've been very stiff and sore lately and my doctor suggested I try bigger hand grips, also suggested that vibration could be part of the problem. So for now I am putting water pipe insulation foam things on the existing hand grips to see if that helps and if it does I can buy new grips. This stuff should also help absorb vibration. Guess I'll see if it helps or not. Wish me luck, lol.

Riding Friends

One evening this summer I was visiting friends from my motorcycle group, All Canadian Riders Club, and we were sitting around Shane's outdoor fire pit, talking and visiting not only with people from out club, but also friends of Shane's that aren't in the club. I really love getting to know new people, especially those that ride motorcycles. Since I quit going to church and started riding my own trike I have found a whole different world and that these people are more caring and supportive than the ones that I met through the church I belonged to for many years. When I was riding last year and got hit by a car no one from church came to visit... but some other friends did and riders were among them. Also, when the insurance company finished with my trike I was able to buy it back from them and bring it home.... some of my ACRC friends came with truck, trailer, strong men and brought the wreck home for me so I could use parts from it to build a new trike. Now that's friends.

Leaving for Omak

I am heading to Omak WA today, going down for Stampede Weekend. I didn't go last year though for about 5 or 6 years before that I went all the time. Before I head out I have to make sure all of my animals have loads of food and water, way more than enough for the 3 days I'll be gone. Whenever I go like this I make sure I give them way more than they need.... just in case. I also have a 16 year old young man coming by to play with my dog while I'm gone. I don't want Indaway to be lonely so want someone to come visit him, though he too will have way more food and water than he actually needs for 3 days, and Brock will know where the water hose is to be able to give Indaway fresh water.

Another thing I will do before I go is to get travel health insurance, sort of like getting life insurance with no exam, just in case I get injured or killed riding my motorcycle in the US. Any time one crosses the border from Canada to the US it is a good idea to have travel insurance and though I never have gotten it before I will this time. This is the first time I'm going on my motorcycle and last year I found out just how easy it is to be hit by a car. Now I know that 80% of crashes involving motorcycles involves cars hitting the motorcycle. I don't like those odds and do my best to protect myself.

Men... and Women

I read this somewhere and thought I would share it with you, lol.

---------------------Men---------------------------

--------------are like apples---------------------

----------on trees. The best ones-------------

--------are at the top of the tree.-------------

------Many ladies don't want to reach-------

-----for the good ones because they--------

---are afraid of falling and getting hurt.----

---Instead, they get the rotten apples-----

---from the ground that aren't as good,----

---but easy. So the apples up top think----

---something's wrong with them when in--

----reality they're amazing. They just-------

------have to wait for the right lady to------

------- come along. The one who's-----------

-------------- brave enough to-----------------

------------------climb all-------------------------

------------------the way-------------------------

-----------------to the top------------------------

----------------of the tree.-----------------------

P.S. I know where you can get a ladder??? :)

I think it also works in reverse... Women being the apple at the top of the tree and men being afraid to climb so high.