I’ve posted my vegan pesto recipe before, but since I broke our blender I had to make this batch by hand. I’d tell you more about it, but I’m writing about it for one of my new blogging gigs. Check out UrbanBlissLife.com, especially every 1st and 3rd Friday.
Tuesday Pic of the Day: Pesto
Doing it Yourself
Community Cycling Center, a local bike shop and nonprofit, tweeted the other day about a sale on “tool rolls.” So I clicked over to check out what they were but the picture wasn’t very big. I spent some time googling around and found some great examples on etsy and bikeburrito.com. The Bike Burrito looks great and the toe-clip strap closer is cute, but doesn’t seem practical. Since I’ve been carrying my tools around in a canvas bag I made 3 years ago, and have repaired several times since, I thought it was time for a new one. And because we have tons of fabric and a DIY spirit, I thought I’d throw one together.
Laura usually tells me to mock one up or think it through before starting something like this. She’s probably right, but I just get so eager to make it, that it just ends up being a frustrating exercise. Either the practice model is great, but made out of crappy materials so it’s unusable, or it’s all-around crappy and I get frustrated and never come back to it. What can I say, I get frustrated with crafting. Last night after Amelia went to bed I started digging through Laura’s box of fabric and found some nice thick winter pants type material. It may be wool, honestly. I hope not, but it’s better that it’s recycled than thrown away.
The piece I found was perfect. It had enough for 2 large pieces (front and back) and a smaller piece for the pockets. I used a scrap to make the strap to hold the thing together. Laura ironed some of it while I sewed everything together. It took an hour, 2 tops.
Before I had access to, or knew how to use a sewing machine my default position was to buy new stuff. It never dawned on me to make something new or repair something torn. Instead of spending 2 hours immersed in my Google Reader or bouncing around Facebook, I made a perfectly usable item that I could’ve easily bought down the street. Today, inspired by my successful sewing venture, I made Laura a bag for her yoga mat. It fits perfectly and has an adjustable strap. I’m no where near ready to tackle something like Eli over at Lemolo Bags, but it feels good to use what you’ve got and reduce, reuse, and recycle. That said, if you’re in the market for a new durable, handcrafted backpack click over to Lemolo Bags. I’ve got one that is completely waterproof, and has served Laura and I well for 3 years.
(I should take the opportunity to point out that on my road bike I have a saddle bag with tools that always stay with it. It’s got enough for me to mend my bike just enough to get home or to a bus. Anytime I’m in the city or with Laura and Amelia, I carry a bag with a larger tool kit just in case I actually need to fix something. This is why this sort of thing is necessary.)
Tuesday Pic of the Day: Voodoo Donuts
I don’t know if you can tell, but she is only eating the frosting and sprinkles. The donut is just the holder. I’m writing our acceptance speech for Parents of the Year right now.
Heroes for My Daughter: Mara Abbott
Abbott on the Podium
Last Sunday was a quiet day for sports in most US homes. Some people were watching golf or World Cup. Maybe even a few were watching the Tour de France. It was tough watching Lance go down and get back up, only to finish the day too far behind to catch up. While all that happened, something amazing was happening.
On Sunday, Mara Abbott became the first US cyclist to win the Giro Donne, the womens’ Giro d’Italia. Not only did she win, the 25-year-old won by more than 2 minutes. Sadly, I haven’t seen any video and only a few pictures from the podium–none from the race itself.
We live in amazing times, technologically speaking. I can sit in bed and watch international sports live on my computer. But I can’t find pictures from one of the largest, most prestigious races in the world.
Mara Abbott isn’t a hero because she won this race. Mara Abbott’s a hero because she climbs mountains better than I can climb hills. (And I love hills.) From the USA Cycling website:
Abbott attacked about 28 kilometers into the stage, and only [Cervelo's Emma] Pooley was able to stay on her wheel. By the 50K mark Abbott and Pooley shared a lead of 1:05 over the peloton. Eventually, the gap grew large enough that Abbott became the virtual leader on the course. Pooley began to fade before the second of three summits, the Passo Bernina, leaving Abbott to ride on her own through the finish line.
In Saturday’s penultimate stage, Abbott again went off the front with Pooley amidst the mythical Stevlio climb, but in the final kilometers Abbott attacked and again rode solo to the stage win.
That would’ve been a sight to see my friends, a sight to see.
Photo from VeloNews.com website. © Ambrogio Rizzi
I Ride For. . .
Seven years ago my mom was diagnosed with cancer. It was detected late. So late in fact, the tumor was wrapped around one of her kidneys and killing it. Doctors surgically removed the tumor and her kidney. Over the next year or so she underwent some painful and sickening therapy that took its physical and emotional toll on her. My mom, true to her character, rarely let anyone know she was in pain or not feeling well.
Every year I get a text message from her that reads, “Cancer free since ’03.”
It took a while for her to acknowledge she’d had cancer. The sudden diagnosis and quick removal didn’t give her a lot of time to dwell on the gravity of the situation. One day she had cancer and the next she was recovering from surgery and it was gone. Similarly, she doesn’t see herself as a cancer survivor; she shuns the idea that she had anything at all to do with her recovery.
I like thinking of her as a cancer survivor. Or like Lance likes to call them, warriors. I feel like I wasn’t around to support her when it was hard, so I try to support others in her name.
When I read that Team Radio Shack were each riding for someone affected by cancer I wanted to get in on it. I ordered a few stickers for my bike to show my support for my mom, the cancer survivor, and the Lance Armstrong Foundation. It’s a small gesture, but it’s something. And I’d like to ride the LIVESTRONG Challenge in Seattle next year. Anyone interested in joining my team? We’ll do the 100 mile ride.
