That's all for now folks!

I've veered off in other directions for the time being! Posting here has been really fun, but my computer course is taking up about as much of my life as I want to spend in front of a screen!!

I'd rather be outside playing...

If I set up another site I'll put a link here. In the meantime: bless all things green and growing, ride safe, live simple stay happy, peacen'lovCheryl

You know it's been a mild dry winter when...

...the plumes of ornamental grasses stand unscathed 'til spring.

Below, a variety of Miscanthus sinensis or Japanese Maiden Grass, with a clump of Pennisetum alopecuroides or Fountain Grass in the foreground. In wetter/snowier years, the Miscanthus is a gala of plumes throughout the fall but would look battered by now. (Pennisetums are short and have nowhere to topple.)


I actually took these pics in early February, but the weather remained positively balmy anyways.
In the same garden, a grouping of Calamagrostis 'Karl Foerster' or Feather Reed Grass (below) are also miraculously intact. This type of grass is very straight and narrow so it would look a little funny standing alone. It doesn't get as big as Miscanthus, so a mass planting forms a delicate wavy screen rather than a spectacular ooh-ah garden feature. We all have our place.


Most fall-blooming grasses should be sheared back into hedge-hogs by now, so the new growth can emerge unfettered.

Re-purposing old bicycle tubes

Here's my girl, just so she doesn't get jealous.

I admit that I'm not sure how this year will evolve, now that the Honda Ruckus is on the scene. I'm having a bit of an identity crisis, so I'm taking it slow--not doing anything drastic like changing my blog title/email address etc. That would be too sudden. I mean, look at this:

I've got a shovel, a long-handle pole-pruner, a collapsible leaf-rake, a garden fork, loppers, shears...under the seat. I'm Mary flipping* Poppins.

Part of this is the sheer beauty of "re-purposing." Who knew that a scooter without panels (originally intended as a quirky design aesthetic appealing to...the Tim Burton fan club ;) would be an ideal one-person garden-gear transport system?

I'm supposed to be talking about bicycle tubes.

Re-Purposing Old Bicycle Tubes:

Did you know that Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) has a drop-box by the front door where people drop off blown-out bicycle tubes? And you (too) can go grab a big dangly armload for your re-purposing purposes.

Here are some of mine:

This is my side-pannier: in itself an engineering marvel. This particular version, made by Jando, seems to be currently unavailable--I don't know why.


It's quick-release, so I attached an old Adidas bag shoulder strap and can carry it into a garden as my tool bag. It is extremely durable, with a fibreglass bottom, metal frame, and heavy canvas everything, but as you can imagine, I have crammed it beyond capacity for years. Often with sharp metal objects, like shears and loppers.

So, in despair of ever finding another, I've reinforced all the edges with bicycle tubes. Twice.

And here (below) are the sad yet comfortable remains of my bicycle seat. Honestly, this bicycle is nearly new (in my books) and some of the components are so cheap. I refused to buy a new seat...

So a little upholstering was in order...

Bicycle tubes have gripping power. What's that called? High-friction? Something that makes them stay where they are put. This is why they make tires in general out of rubber, Sherlock. (*Tendency towards obvious observations*)

And here's my last bicycle-gardening-related re-purposing of bicycle tubes:

I don't have a before shot of my Helly Hansen raingear cuffs, but believe me, they were raggedy. In fact, I was considering throwing them out, tops and bottoms.

Who knew old bicycle tubes would blend in so well...? I just slit the tube up one side and fit the crease over the cuff. I have a spool of heavy nylon twine and a monster needle to match--both of which I got in Ghana, where fishermen get their net-mending gear. That may be a problem for you.



Happy Spring. Happy Re-Purposing!

Check out my new wheels...

Check out my new helmet. Totally Super-Dave Osborne. If you don't know who that is, you're probably too young, or not Canadian. Not knowing, of course, if young non-Canadians even read this blog.

This photo was taken back in January, around day two of ownership, before I learned to wear a wind-breaker. Back when I thought a thrift-shop jean jacket was Safety First, and also the heighth of circa-1978 dirt bike fashion.

Around day three of ownership, I was pulled off the road by a fellow Honda Ruckus owner who had--I think the term is--"pimped" his ride. Every bit of plastic was replaced with chrome. His ignition key was a silver skull. He had tattoos, black leather, and a diamond nose stud.

Wow, I thought. I am so in a motorcycle gang. I acted very cool, just so you know.

He told me his 7-year old had made him the skull key. He told me about an online Ruckus forum that will help me with any maintenance questions that come up. Then we did the secret Ruckus salute and sped away.

So. The Bicycle-Gardening Chronicles are in for revisions.

What can I call me now?

Before somebody calls me a sell-out, let me clarify that according to the most flattering timeline possible, you may think I'm a late-twenty-something riding my bicycle all over the North Shore and gardening. Oh ho ho ho. No. I'm definitely a late-thirty-something. I'm like that Olympic "grizzled" snow-boarder guy: still doing it.

Furthermore, I'm still riding my bicycle. I love my bicycle. My bicycle is the reason my life is one long endorphin high. I'm still not used to the concept of just sitting there on my scoot.

So, considering my advancing age and infirmity, I decided that now is a good time to start diversifying my skills. I'm taking a part-time online Tech Writing course this year, which means I have to prop myself up at a computer and think at the end of the day. Thus, the scooter.

Check this out:

I can fit all my loppers/shears etc. under the seat and tie in long-handle gear like my telescoping pole pruner!! One year, when I was transiting to Ghana through Amsterdam, I went on a (cobble-)stoned bike-shop quest and found these water-proof paniers (cheap!) which fit the Ruckus perfectly. There are bicycle-goodies in Amsterdam we only dream of here.

Also check this out:

This is the back of the scooter. I've stuffed a tarp in over the loppers etc. so you can't see them here. There's a bar just where I tie in the pruner (under the panier strap), so the pruner's not resting on the relatively flimsy plastic tail-lights. I also tie it in under the seat in front, so it's not going anywhere--largely thanks to the Best Tie-Ins ever: old bicycle tubes cut in strips. They don't mark paint, and hold a knot so tight you can get away with an over-and-under, unless you're a wee bit Safety First and go for a full knot, like me. (I will do another post on the amazing versatility of old bicycle tubes.)

I'm almost giddy about my carrying capacity--no comparison to conventional scooters that have panels and zero storage space. And this is a mere 50 cc, button-start, 4-stroke, standard driver's licence, 220 lb capacity, town-speed only. I can get to 60 km/hr on the flat, and grind up some of North Van's steepest hills at 30-40 km/hr. Takin' the slow lane.

I filled up after 150 km for $3.76. La.

Green Roof?

Cools in summer, insulates from the elements in winter.

What the heck. Just live in the tree.