Family Visiting

We just made a quick trip to Lafayette and had a great time visiting our niece & nephew & great-niece & great-nephew! Audrey is 14 mos now and is as cute as can be (just like her mom)! We enjoyed getting a chance to visit with her & Ana and also enjoyed meeting Ana's boyfriend, Daniel. We were lucky to get 2 visits with Chris & Heidi--and I sure enjoyed holding Julien (adorable one month old) through most of supper Friday night! An added bonus to our trip was coffee with my aunt Suzie, her Mom and her brother.

Our friends & neighbors checked on Oscar for the one night & day that we were gone--we always appreciate how good they are to the boy. Unfortunately soon after our return, Oscar apparently injured himself so we're trying to help him convalesce this week (more on that later). I'm convinced he's trying to guilt-trip me into NEVER leaving him alone again.

While Oscar was resting yesterday, we met my uncle Terry and friends, Paul & Jean, who were motorcycling in the hill country. We took them out through Willow City Loop --the day was a bit warm, but the view was spectacular! Then we enjoyed lunch, a little window shopping, and some visiting in Fredericksburg!

And while we have been visiting and Oscar has been resting, the garden has been growing! Here's a picture of the carrots and onions we harvested after our trip to Lafayette. I'll add some new pictures to the 'Armadillo Pfarms 2010' slideshow later this week--check there if you'd like to see the progress of our corn and other veggies.

We rounded out the family part of our week by spending the day with Mark's folks. Then we ended our vacation week with the 14 mile route of the Armadillo Hill Country Classic--a great annual bike ride in Liberty Hill.

Smokin' Spokes & More!

I've let long lapses occur between blog posts, and every once in a while I consider discontinuing the blog. However, just about the time I'm convinced no one is reading, someone will mention that they've enjoyed a post or a photo album. So, on the outside chance that someone out there is reading from time to time, I'll keep posting from time to time.

I've a few things to tell about starting with a great bike ride in Salado at the end of March. If you enjoy bike rides, Mark and I strongly recommend the Salado Smokin' Spokes ride benefitting the volunteer fire department. It is a well-organized, well-supported ride through a lovely area--and it starts and ends in Salado so what more could you want? We were happy to have much better weather this year (cold & windy last year), and because of that, I finished the ride in much better time this year. We did the 16 mile route and followed that up with a cup of coffee at Roy T's. Roy T's is a great stop for coffee & a beignet or other pastry--it's just off IH35, so you don't have to be a cyclist to enjoy a break there. The ride was also held on the same day as the Salado art show. We enjoyed the fine paintings, pottery, etc. but I was mostly delighted to come home with Billy. (Doesn't he look great in our herb garden?)
You can see more pictures from the ride by clicking on the 'Smokin' Spokes 2010' album at the right.

Speaking of gardens, our 'Back 40' ('feet', that is) is jam-packed this year. We are starting to harvest our carrots and the onions shouldn't be far behind. Our grape tomatoes, bell peppers, and jalapenos are growing nicely. As you can see from the picture of Billy above, the herbs are coming along too. We have both strawberries and blackberries starting to produce and corn (yes, corn!) is growing along the back fence. It truly is amazing to see what you can do in a small space. You can see more garden pictures in the 'Armadillo Pfarms' album at the right.

Making life easier

Well, I don't usually write about disability stuff, but have decided these three items are worth mentioning.

First is the handcycle. If you know anyone who can't ride a regular bike but wants to get out and enjoy cycling, a handcycle is just the thing. My lean-steer Freedom Ryder is one of the best investments I've ever made. It's great for long bike rides with Mark, but also great for neighborhood walks. For folks who don't have a lot of trunk stability, pivot steer handcycles work great too.

Second are foldable forearm crutches. I use the wheelchair for work or long distances and the crutches for short distances. I don't like being too far from my crutches--you never know when you might need to leave a place in a hurry, right? But, then I don't like the crutches being in the way either. Well, I found these foldable crutches--Mark and I went to a play the other night and instead of my crutches being stored in the box office or being placed in the way of other patrons, we simply folded them and stored them under my seat! 'Nifty' is the word.

Third is my new sewing machine. I used to sew like this: Put the foot pedal on the table; place elbow on the foot pedal; use hands to hold material while sewing and at the same time use elbow to control the machine speed. Now I sew like this: move the lever to the desired speed and push the 'Start/Stop' button to sew. So, my hands can manage the material while I manage the speed and starting & stopping with a simple push of a button--and the foot pedal is still in the box! Now that's nifty! Perhaps no one else is surprised that you can get a machine with a start/stop button, but I only found that out recently, and in case some other person with a disability is looking for an easier way to sew, I thought it worth mentioning. I have the Janome AQS2009 , but Brother also has a machine with a start/stop button.

If anyone with a disability runs across this post, let me know what you think!