Happy Hanukwanzmas

Wherever you are, and whatever you hold sacrad, heres wishing you and yours the very best
Blessings Bright and Deep

Giving Pets as Gifts

The Boy has been clamoring for a rabbit for months, since shortly after our senior house bunny passed away early this spring. I wanted to give us all time to mourn, and to learn from our mistakes with the first bunny, so I resisted getting a new rabbit right away. Things got busy over the summer, I was swamped with school this passed fall, and now here we are in 'gift giving season', and he is still clamoring for a bunny. He does not know it yet, but he is getting one.

Having worked in the past as a veterinary assistant, I have seen all the pitfalls and disasters that come of surprising someone with a pet they did not choose, and of receiving a pet during the chaos of the holidaze. I have taken a number of precautions to make sure that The Boy gets exactly the bunny he wants, and that the transition is smooth for everyone involved. We were aided in doing so by the wealth of information available on our local Humane Society's web site, some of which I have posted below

Our local Humane Society is up to it's proverbial eyeballs with cast-off bunnies, and the products of unplanned bunny pregnancies, giving us a wide variety to choose from, and following their recommendation, I will be taking the Boy in to select his own best friend. I have also purchased every concievable thing the rabbit might need in it's first weeks with us, from food and bedding to toys, and put them into a giant new rabbit hutch purchased to create a wrappable "starter kit". You gotta have something to go under the tree, and this ensures that everything will be in place for our new arrival, and we can focus on getting to know our new family member.

Knowing that many other families are planning to add pets to their families this season, I thought I would post the tips our Humane Society had on their site below, in the hopes that these adoptions will be happy and successful, and bring all of you joy for years to come

"It's Christmas morning and your child was expecting a large box with a puppy jumping out of it. You resisted the temptation to bring a new pup into the home on this hustle and bustle morning and opted instead for a box full of puppy toys and supplies and a gift certificate from the Oregon Humane Society toward the adoption of a new pet. Your child and you then spend quality time together after the holiday looking at all the animals available for adoption at the Oregon Humane Society's shelter. The choice was obvious to your youngster - the 1½-year-old yellow lab mix with freckles on his nose. This might not have been your choice however. Good thing you purchased the gift certificate from the Oregon Humane Society to use towards the adoption of this new bundle of joy. It was better to wait a day or two to make the perfect selection of a pet than rush into a decision. Don't worry about whether you'll find the right one; you will. There are 150 homeless pets looking for loving families everyday at the Oregon Humane Society - from mutts to purebreds, large and small, young and old - you'll find your new best friend at The Humane Society."

Bike Friday, December 29th ~and FOREVER!!

Join the Bike Friday events in Toronto (if you are there), Join us on the Hawthorne Bridge, bright and early, for piping hot coffee, yummy pastries, and good company on your morning commute (if you are here in Portland) Join us around the Nation and around the world as we make a world of difference

Reflecting on Reverence

Solstice was great this year, the Solstice was the highlight of the season for me, notwithstanding the fact that I had to leave the festivities friends earlier than I would have liked to take a grumpy little boy home [my son, not a date]. It was real, and magical and everything that the over-commercialized, co-opted by corporations, commerce-driven holidaze have stopped being. Christmas was never about Christ for me (no offense to anybody, thats just not where I was at) but now the little tin god we are worshiping is commerce. Thats not ok.
For me, the holidays were always about community and connection, they were about reflecting and reconnecting, drawing closer to the people and ideals that we truly value. I miss that.

Leave it to the Canadians to come up with a delightful alternative
www.buynothingchristmas.org
and a new carol to go with it
http://www.peaceworks.ca/jklo.mp3
I hope to immigrate to Canada some day, in the mean time I am taking copious notes on the shape I want my observances, rituals; as well as my life, to take to take, and taking comfort in a blogging community that includes the likes of Tuco, Cycleing Dave, Joe, MinusCar
Zilla, and others. It is good to know that we are not alone in these dark days.

Learning to lead

We had a lovelt Solstice ride last night, my first ever attempt to lead an organized ride and I learned a lot along the way. There were a few bumps, the map did not match the lay of the land in some critical places, but everyone was cheerful and up for the adventure --and luckily a few folks knew the neighborhood better than the map makers. The main thing was we all had a good ride and a good time, I met some wonderful people ~perhaps one in particular? and at the end there was a yule fire warm drinks and friendly people to greet us. Cant beat that
I am already planning my next group ride!

In the mean time, heres a couple little songs for the season, from the folks at BikePortland


O Come all ye cyclists
(To the tune of o come all ye faithful)

O Come all ye cyclists,
joyful and triumphant
O come ye, o come ye by bicycle

Come and behold them
See what fun they’re having
O come let us stop driving
O come let us start riding
O come let us start riding
Our bi~cy~cles!


Bikes for the World
(to the tune of Joy to the World)

Bikes for the world! The time has come
Let earth receive clean air
Let every heart, beat steadily
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven and heaven and nature sing

Bikes rule the road, with speed and grace
And make our nation free
From oil rigs and corporate greed
So ride your bicycle
So ride your bicycle
So ri~de, your bi~cyc~le!

Happy Solstice

Solstice Blessings

Love ie the most important thing in Life,
So whatever your Religion or Spiritual Path,
Give that to each other at this Turning of the year,
For Love is the Gift you can give when you have nothing else.

For Children and Parents, for Partners and Friends,
And for our beautiful Earth, whose Children we all are,
Love is needed, for Love brings about the successive
Generations with which Life can transcend Time itself.

With the Coming of the Dawn on the Day of the Young Light,
The Reborn Sun returns bringing the Light of the World.
May Its Light Guide you through the Seasons as they Turn,
And may Its Warmth fill your Hearts and Souls with Love.
And may It bring Peace to All Life on our troubled Planet.

To you all, have a happy Solstice and a Merry Yuletide.

Solstice Bike Ride, Thursday, 4pm

Let your light shine, bundle up and join us in cycling into the new solar cycle, leaving from Lents Park Community Garden (SE 88th & Steel) at 4pm for a magical myster tour of SE, with stops for a back yard yule fire, and a toast to the new season.

"I'll tell you everything I've learned, and love is all she said"

I have been cleaning and sorting through my very cluttered home, and my very cluttered life, and I have reached a conclution: I want less.
I want less stuff and more room. More room for friends and a partner and maybe even more children,
I want to laugh more, and love more, bike more, remember more
I want less stuff, less of all the material stuff that clutters our lives and clouds our thinking
Somewhere along the line, when I was still quite young, I got this notion that it was all about making a good living, making money, and that somehow there was something I could do or buy with that money that would make everything great.
It has taken me several decades to figure out, it's not about making money, it's about making a life, it's about making friends and making connections. My son is too young -or perhaps too wise- for this conversation, so I am telling you. Blessings bright and deep

Things You Never Thought You Could Do By Bike, But Actually Can #2

So, sure: trailers, racks and cargo bikes make it easy to pack groceries home, or even haul kids, pets and lumber. But what if you are actually moving out of your house, and need to move all your worldly goods. You need a moving van, right? I mean, you couldnt actually move house by bike . . . could you?

Yup, you could. And this past Wednesday, a bunch of us helped our friend Ernie do exactly that.


Here in Portland we have this thing called Move By Bike, and informal arrangments by which folks who are moving can post details to SHIFT's web site, and, in the tradition of an old time barn raising, cyclist will show up at the appointed hour and get you where you are going

So, Wednesday, under drizzly skies, a cheery group of about 8 cyclists -some of whome had never met Ernie- showed up with all manner of trailers, including the Bikes at Work trailer in the photo (above), and even a Dutch “Bakfiets”(below). We got everything from baskets of kitchen utensils to bed frames and chests of drawers loaded up and moved half a dozen or so miles to his new digs in just a few hours


*first 2 photos by the beautiful and talented Jonathan at BikePortland

Bike Adventure to Seattle

Despite a few bumps in the road (and delays on the tracks) The Boy and I had a good time in Seattle.
I have always loved trains, and I would love to be able to wax poetic about going by train with your bike, but I have to say, our experience was mixed, for example, the Station in Portland insisted we box the bikes (which required partially disassembling them and paying $10 for a bike box that was only slightly stouter than a grocery bag, Seattle allowed us to use the bike racks.
and in speaking with other cyclists who have traveled with their bikes on trains throughout the US, I heard more negative stories than positive one's.

In theory, cycling and train travel complement each other beautifully, and ought to offer a near perfect travel option for families traveling on a budget, as well as cycling enthusiast who want to be able to tour on two wheels. However, not knowing whether, or under what circumstances one might have to box one's bike is a huge deterant to cyclist going by train, at a time when Amtrak is desperate to increase ridership. The solution would seem to be a no-brainier, by catering consistently and respectfully to folks wishing to bring their (fully intact) bikes, Amtrak could greatly increase ridership, improve rider satisfaction and word-of-mouth, while contributing to the reduction of pollution Nationally. It would be a win-win situation, if only they were willing.

In the mean time, here are a few tips:
*Make your bike reservation during the same transaction in which you pay for your tickets. Tell them you want a bike rack.
*There are only 6 racks on each train, so make reservations early
*Racks can accommodate standard sized bikes, but tandems, long tails, and cargo bikes need to be boxed
*The racks CAN accommodate Adams Trail-a-Bikes, but individual stations may or may not agree to put them on racks
*Check in early, at least an hour before your train is scheduled to depart, so that you will have time to sort out any issues without missing your train.
*Do not assume that all stations on your trip will have the same policies, or that all employees will interpret them consistantly. One station (or a given emplyee) may insist on doing it one way, another may be more flexible. So check and double check, and be prepared with fall-back plans.
The best bet is to visit the station a day or 2 before your trip with the bike(s) you intend to bring, and speak to the Amtrak staff.
When I had called the Amtrak info line before the tip and described our bike/trail-a-bike set up, they insisted that both bikes be shipped; I think part of why Seattle allowed us to use the racks is that we arrived at the station for our return trip with the unboxed bikes, well ahead of our trains departure time. When the staff saw our bike/trail-a-bike set up they clearly understood that both bikes could be accomedated on the racks; Seeing is believing I guess.


If You DO Need to Box:
Avoid buying one from Amtrak, instead get a shipping box from your local bike shop, or put one together from refrigerator boxes. Either way, it will be a hundred times stouter, and certainly more affordable
Building a box allows you to size it to your bike, so that you will not need to remove pedals, swivel handlebars etc. All of which is a real chore.
The folks at Amtrak tell me that the box need not be a standard bike box size, as long as there is only one bike per box, the box clearly indicates it contains a bike (write "BIKE" on the side with a sharpie) and the box weighs no more than 50#

The photo shows the bike box I was forced to purchase (on the right), in taters and shored up with duct tape, next to the one I was able to get from the bike shop. This shot was taken, before they were loaded on the first train at the beginning of our trip, the purchased box was falling apart before we even got it to the station, while the free shipping box, already used to ship a bike cross country, survived my bringing it home through the rain, and was still in fine shape at the end of the train ride



The Up Side
I can think of no better way to See Seattle, or just about any other town, than by bike. The Boy and I were able to zip along the waterfront, zip over to the museums and up to Pike Place market. No worries about figuring out the bus systems, or the expense of cabs, we were free to move about the city at will, and see far more than we would have under any other circumstances. It was a blast. We also had a handy bike rack on with which to carry souvenirs.

We had planned to catch the ferry to Bainbridge Island, but there was work being done on the tracks in route, resulting in delays and our getting into Seattle too late for the ferry. Absent the bikes I'm not sure what we would have done with the little time we had, but because we had the bikes we were able to get around easily and see more than we otherwise would have.

A Sunday Ramble

It was meant to be a quiet Sunday spent puttering about the house; ah, the best laid plans.

As I was cleaning and greasing the Trail-A-Bike, in preperation for our train adventure, the axel started malfunctioning, which nessesitated packing it up and running it over to the bike co-op in the Xtracycle. It's a 6 mile trip to the bike shop, past the library, the food co-operative, various other shops. SO, having gone all that way, the return trip became a gauntlet of errands, some done largely to get out of the rain showers that were passing through.

By the time I got home I had stoped at the library and the video rental place, picked up groceries and done some holiday shopping.

So much for putting my feet up and having a restful day. Here is a shot of my trusty steed at one of the stops. Yup, that IS a bike box stapped to the Xtracycle, I picked it up at the co-op for shippin the bike on Amtrak. God I love my Wide Loaders

Go By Train

The Boy and I are planning our first out of State bike adventure! It started quite by accident, as all the best adventures do, a homeschool group of which we arnt even really a part had space on a group train excursion, Portland to Seattle and back. The Boy has been obsessed with trains almost since birth, I have an over-active sense of wander-lust, so at $18 round trip for the two of us, we could hardly say no.

We are dusting off the Montana and Trail-a-Bike for this trip, The Boy has not quite exceeded the weight restrictions for it, though he will soon, and I kinda miss riding tandem. The Xtracycle is an amazing joy, and marvelous for hauling stuff, but for touring around one of my favorite cities, having a stoker will be nice. I have also noticed that The Boy has a tendency to get cold on the X, even when I am comfortable, and my theory is that lack of pedaling on his part means he isn't generating enough heat. Bike vacations are not as much fun when you are too cold, so hopefully going tandem will mean that we both stay worm, and neither of us wears out too much.

Due to the fact that the reservations were already made, are not in my name, and are for a group, I will be boxing and checking the bikes, which has me a little nervous. It will mean loosening bolts so that that the handlebars can be turned, so some assembly will be required on arrival, and theres the whole notion of shipping one of my babies, but I have heard good reports about Amtrak from other cyclist, so I am hoping for the best. If the Montana can handle a collision with a big ugly SUV, I guess it is up for a ride on a train.

We will just be there for the afternoon, about five hours total. I had hoped to meet up with an old friend who lives there, but alas, she has to work. This only adds to my sense of decadence in taking a day out to galavant about on a train, for no other reason than it will make my son and I happy. But I guess you gotta do that once in a while

We leave bright and early Tuesday morning, The Boy plans to take tons of photos, and we'll be sure to post the best ones

I have been tagged

So heres how it works:
List six weird things about yourself. Strange habits, likes/dislikes, et cetera.
Pick six victims to tag likewise. Leave comments so they’ll know what’s up.
Describe how the tagging works.
I am tagging cyclingdave, John at Bike Year, Wisteria, Trista at Accedent of Hope, Tuco, Tim at Bicycles and Iceicles

For reasons I will spare y'all, I am stuck on the notion of irony and inconsistency, and this is reflected in my list o'six. Can I just say that inconsistency is not the same as irony, nor are ether the same as inequity. People are forever wanting life to be fair (equitable), which it has never been; and for humans to be consistent, which they never have been. Thats not ironic, thats just how it is.

But I digress

Weird things about me, oh my, how to choose?

Although I am a dyed in-the-wool, bleeding heart, tree hugging, rabble-rousing left-wing nut; in high school I had a mad crush on William F. Buckley Jr. (I was in high school a VERY long time ago) The first time I ever saw him, before I knew anything about him, he was speaking on Public Television and taking a passionate stand for being able to back up one's opinions with reason and insight. He was saying, in essence, “don't hold strong opinions about issues if you cant defend them” (although he said it far more eloquently) Even after I found out he was an uber conservitive Rebublican, there was just something about his stinging intelect, and in the fact that he stood for everything I apposed, and yet we held this core value in common, that I found strangely compelling. Ironically, I would later marry someone with whome I shared basic likes and interests, but did not share core values. Perhaps I should have stuck it out with Buckley.

I have an odd facination about those moments when digital clock reads, for example, 10:10, or 5:55, theres something about the alignment of those digits. The notion of 11:11, November 11th, 2011 [11:11 11/11/11] just does something for me I cant explain. I know, it's weird.

Given my druthers, I would be barefoot 24/7, but if I must don footwear, I tend to go for knee high, lace-up boots. Doc Martins, Combat, shit-kickers. Go figure.

I consider myself very tolerant, I was raised on the credo “I may disagree with what you are saying, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”; I am generally open to the myriad ways people choose to live, worship, etc. I have stood by friends during public scandal and Federal trials. But I do not tolerate lies or deception. period.

I am all about eating healthy, local organic food, I alternate between being vegan and vegetarian.
But I have a dark secrete: a fast food fetish. I occasionally get these mad cravings for fast food. When I was pregnant I gave into obsessive urges to eat KFC mashed potatoes and gravy, and to this day, every once in a while, I will pass some greasy spoon and get an overwhelming urge for a cheese burger, fried chicken, or whatever. So far, I have been able to “pedal through it”

I cant sleep unless there is a radio playing NPR in the background. Seriously. Thats not ironic, it's just how it is

'Here Comes The Sun . . .'

I cant remember the last time there was a cycling event in my neck of the woods (outter SE Portland). So, with the Solstice fast approaching, I got this crazy idea that I should organize a bike ride to celebrate the return of the sun.

Solstice Ride
December 21st
Leaving from Lents Park
at 4:00pm for a magical mystery tour of SE Portland, with stops for a Yule-fire, and a toast to the new season


The ride will cover a dozen or so relitively flat miles, winding through a couple of neighborhoods. It IS the shortest day (and Longest night) of the year, so appease the gods and adorne your bike in abundant and creative lighting. If you are in the neighborhood, join us!

Fast away the old year passes
Hail the new, ye lads and lasses
Sing we joyous all together
Heedless of the wind and weather

A Word About Wide Loaders

So, I have had my wideloaders for several days, had the opportunity to put them through their paces, and feel moved to offer a product review

When I decided to buy my Xtracycle, I knew that one of it's primary functions would be to help transport The Boy; Xtracycle offers two attachments that help facilitate carrying a human passanger: little foot plates called Footsies


and the less adorable, but infanently more functional Wide Loaders (shown here with the slings that were left out of my order). The Footsies run about $45 for the pair, and can only be used for resting your feet on, where as the wideloaders can fill any number of needs.
Obviously, I opted for the later.


On the Pro side, I have to say that the loaders offer some real advantages (beyond their potential as foot rests): having hauled lumber with and without the wide loaders, I gotta say with is better: they offer a flat, level surface on which to load the lumber, eliminating the need to hold the sling with one hand while loading with the other. Nice. .Their wide profile encourages cars to give appropriate clearence when passing, and the bright red finish (I know, in the catalog photo, above, they look silver, dont they? Nope: bright red they are) really helps with visability

The primary disadvantage to the Wide Loaders is, well, they are wide: not wider than the handlebars, but it amazing the difference made by having the entire bike be the width of the handlebars. The same wide profile that has cars giving you extra space also takes up extra space. The bike becomes less nimble, and is prone to catching on tight turns and narrow passages. The loaders complicate use of the kickstand, which I find a nuisance, and although the boyz at Xtracycle assure that it is safe to lean the full weight of bike and load on the wide loaders, in lue of a kickstand, I am reluctant to try it (certainly, doing this would eliminate the whole flat level thing, of which I am so fond)

There is also a very irritating tendency for the leading edge of the loaders to "bite" your ankles as you are pushing off from a standstill or walking your bike. The loaders are, technically, removable. Doubtless easier done when using the slings that are designed to go with the loaders, rather than innertube webbing I am using as a substitute. The slings attach to the frame at 2 points, and are designed to detach; my webbing is woven into the frame, making removal a real chore. The other reason I have -so far- left mine on full time is that I tend not to know in advance when I might have use for them. I would hate to have a need arise and not have them on hand.

So what's the verdict? I am glad I ordered them (though grumpy that they arrived sans slings), they have more than earned their keep in just the past couple days by facilitating the hauling of large and bulky loads, and I am very much look forward to having them the next time SHIFT has one of their Move By Bike events. I also look forward to getting the slings, so that taking the loaders off and on is easier.

"Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow"

Monday was freakishly cold, I got caught in a brief episode of sleet, and the evening weather report predicted there might be snow in the higher elevations. I worried because the Boy would be coming over hills in rout from a visit with his dad in the morning. It never occurred to me that my own commute would include snow. But when I woke up this morning and stumbled into the kitchen, this was my view out the window (the blue tarp was over the bikes, but got blown off)



It almost never snows in Portland, and I cant remember the last time that it snowed in November. Snow that makes even a pretense of sticking is even more rare; and yet here it was. As I sipped my morning coffee, I weighed my options. I could bus in to school, which would be a huge hassle, especially given the art project I needed to take in to class, that included a willow branch and several pounds of other material, as well as my textbooks and laptop, or I could bike, which meant I should probably head out right now, to allow plenty of time for the commute and the crazy drivers who have no concept of how to drive on snow and ice.
More and more the whole cycling thing is becoming a moral imperative for me, a daily act of rebellion and redemption against all that is wrong with this culture. I didn't like the statement I felt I would be making by falling back on motor vehicles just because there was an inch of snow on the ground. I wanted a better statement, and I wanted my message to be clear, so I pulled down the yellow plastic sign that had been adorning a shelf in my home, mounted it on the back of my bike, and headed out into the weather




The guy over at the Minus Car Project has a highly tuned system for calculating how many layers of what to wear to stay comfortable riding in all kinds of weather. I am not that detail oriented. So I just stated layering: snow pants over lacra leggings, thick socks and thermal knee-high boots; a thick wool sweater and additional wool arm warmers over corduroy shirt, over my Minus Car Project t-shirt; fleece gater over balaclava; wool gloves; Eddie Bauer rain coat. Miraculously, I could still move with all those layers, and was relatively comfortable.
I will have you know, I was far from the only cyclist on campus, though our numbers were reduced. Throughout the day, when I would pass another intrepid cyclist, it seemed we made a point of exchanging nods or other salutes; and during a brief piriod of walking my bike up a steep incline of the Mt Tabor ridge after dark, a fellow cyclist pulled up along side to make sure everything was ok. Nice.
The Boy made it over the mountains and safely home, as did I.

What I am Thankful For

Here in the States, Thursday was Thanksgiving, leading into the ultra commercial Thanksgiving Weekend. As the Boy and I were headed to the last of our familial obligations, we were chatting about the job I am thinking about applying for at the bike co-op, and the other things I want to do with my life. I said he should be sure to mention to his grandparents (whom we were on route to visit) about how he was considering going to the local public school, because they would be SO excited to hear that we were considering alternatives to homeschooling. He wasn't sure he wanted to go through with it if they were that keen on it, to which I said that the fact we were looking into it didn't mean we had to do it, but in the mean time it would be it would be lovely to bring up something pleasant during this holiday get-together. The grands would not want to hear about the job I am considering applying for at the Bike Co-op, or my plans to transfer out of the university they both graduated from, etc.
My parents have SO many judgments about SO much of what I do and care about, I feel as though much of my life has been this dance between trying to appeas them and rebelling against them, so much so that I am not always sure what I want for myself. I asked The Boy what he thought of the idea of my apllying at the co-op, and my beautiful son looked me square in the eye and said “I think you should follow your dreams”
Wow
I spend whole days worrying that I have muttled every possible aspect of parenting, and then he goes and says something like that. I love my boy

My other pride and joy, my Xtracycle, got it's latest upgrade today: the wide loaders I oredered back in September arrived just in time for this month's Bike Friday
The wide loaders are ment to come with nylon "slings" to support bulky loads, but somehow the slings got left out of the shipment.
They will, of course, arrive eventually, but in the mean time the amazingly talented Patrick wove together a substitute out of intertubes. Brillient.
For my boy and my bike, I am very Thankful

HAPPY BUY NOTHING DAY

Join the revolution that started in Toronto and is spreading fast: the last Friday of each month and every month folks everywhere are ditching their cars and taking to the streets by bike and on foot, to do what needs to be done without burning fosil fuel!
Here in Portland, Oregon, SHIFT2BIKES hosts a free breakfast on the Hawthorn & Brodway Bridges for cyclist crossing into the downtown core between 7 and 9am.

The breakfast features coffee donated by our friends at Nossa Familia, fuit donated by Pioneer Organics, and pastries donated by a variety of local bakeries. Many bike commuters have come to rely on the hot coffee and delicious pastries on their way to work -- all free, so theres no conflict with Buy Nothing Day!
Stop by and join us if you are in the neighborhood!





Photos taken at the October Breakfast on the Bridges event, by the marvelous Mr.Maus over at BikePortland.org Many more great shots can be seen there, along with all the regional bikey news

A Vision of Things to Come

So, heres what happens when you start cruising the Internet instead of doing your homework (which I really should be doing), you find images like this: a vision of the future! In my little fantasy, this guy is hauling away the last car, after peak oil and other consiquences of our foolishness have converted us all to bike travel.
Ok, enough bike porn, I got a paper to write