Get Yer Head Set

As I joked last week about needing a Chris King headset, you probably have guessed that the Jeunet is still a maintenance casualty. I used some webbing to hang her from the garage rafters and took the fork off. I suppose its a bad sign when the grease in the headset is stained with rust. After I cleaned the top cup I noticed a nice, deep groove all the way around. Crap. Then I dropped one bearing, which is still MIA. My irrepressible roommate helped me with the Search And Rescue for a few minutes, and offered sympathy of a kind by reminding me that this is the sort of thing that happens to him all the time. Of course, Heisenberg reared his ugly head and ensured that I don't have any replacement bearings. I really need to get it together and order a new headset. Denunzio keeps telling me to buy a Chris King, but I am having difficulty spending as much for a headset as I spent for the whole bike. I may cheese out and buy a Shimano 105. Until then, the Red Trek is running strong, the weather is warm, and the garden continues to grow.

Where is Grommit When I Need Him?

As a chemist, I am naturally drawn to employing various toxic chemicals and explosives to control pests. My initial instinct, when faced with a rodent infestation is to wrap the garden with razor-wire and to place rabbit-scale claymore mines and arsenic laced carrots in pre-determined kill zones. Probably a bit excessive, and I am sure the negihboors will not enjoy the sound of explosions in the middle of the night, so I will turn to Organic Pest Control, for some environmentally friendly methods to combat floppy, and his pals. The Judester acquired it for me at Auntie's Bookstore in the Spokanistan. Of course, she is the woman who used to neturalize slugs by placing an empty tuna-fish can, flush with the soil, and filling it half-way with cheap beer. My brother and I would wake up in the morning and go tearing into the yard to witness the total slug destruction, amazed at the slimy piles of slugs in the cans. Denunzio may need to use some expensive French beer in his traps, but if it keeps those slimy recedivists off his radishes, it will be worth the investment.

Anyone know the number for Anti-Pesto?

Green Things

I have developed a nasty habit lately of being so desperate for somethings to happen that I have been going off half-cocked. The garden has been a great example of this. After I gave up on the idea of building a new raised bed in an area of slightly more sunshine than the exsisting, and unused, raised bed, I went ahead and turned over the clay soil and planted, which was probably no the smartest thing to do. Luckily, the seeds I planted seem to be doing ok, the pole-beans, carrots, genovese basil, nasturtia and zucchini have all sprouted. Last weekend I purchased many bags of potting soil and manure and mixed in some of the clay and re-planted all the tomatoes and peppers, as well as planted another group of pole beans and more rows of carrots, onions and some cantalope seeds. I have also started a new rosemary, as well as potted a little thai pepper and some cilantro. The garden has been good therapy, and its nice to have actually started a project that had been on the list for a while. Hopefully the rabbits and squirrels won't notice my veg...

Dude, Where's My Trail?

Living in the Lou is a mildly surreal experience most days. One wouldn't know it, but Missouri sports one of the longest and finest packed gravel bike trails in the US. Called the Katy Trail, it follows the old Kansas-arkansas-texas rail line across the state. However, as this is the midwest, land of rank stupidity, access to the trail by bicycle from the Lou is neither obvious or safe. Most folks hitch a ride to St. Charles, where the Katy officially starts, and ride their bikes from there. This is, on the face of it, kind of stupid. The Lou is a municipal area of many hundred thousand souls, and there is no decent way to access what is, by all reports, a one of its kind opportunity to get exercise and explore the Show-Me state. Thankfully there are some smart people around these parts, like the folks at the Great Rivers Greenway District, who are trying to build support for some cycling trails to connect some of our parks with the Katy. Maybe then I could get out an enjoy it.

Anyone want to mail me a 1" Chris King 2-nut threaded headset?