Hooked!

 I had netflix on my phone.  

Netflix started offering games and I immediately became a Mahjong Solitaire addict.   

That game is frightfully addictive.   Along with the background sounds of running water.  Running water sounds are addictive enough to me.

My brother called night before last.  Asked me to join him and his wife down at Dorena Reservoir to ride a bike trail there.   He gave me an electric bike for my 70th birthday.   It came about the time my knee went south so I hadn't ridden it but once before.

They got their electric bikes a few years ago and even rode the road around Crater Lake, when they close it to all but walkers and bikers in the fall.

I faked bravado when I said yes to going, but inside I was worried about how I'd do, riding a bike long distance, when I'd barely ridden one in 20 years.  

What if I couldn't stay balanced or do I know the ins and outs of this new bike enough?  I aired up the tires, checked the brakes, read over the manual again that morning, then folded it in two, which it does easily, and with some effort (it weighs 80 lbs) hoisted into the back of the car and took off south to Dorena Lake.

We ate a picnic lunch at one of the parks along the reservoir.   Then we took off on our bikes on the bike path.  I didn't have any issues at all. In fact I had a grand time.  It was so fun to ride that bike and the electric assist was easy to use.  I had it on the lowest setting.  It has a thumb throttle to engage and to regulate how engaged the battery is.  When there was a vacant straight stretch I switched it to second from highest assist setting and sped up to 25 mph.  Not for long because there were cracks and bumps in the bike path that could have sent me sailing at that speed.

Mostly I peddled on my own power until the end, when my legs had become rubber and I only pretended to peddle then, when I saw people along the path, because I was on total electric assist the last few miles.

18 miles we went!  On my first ride.  Was very very fun!

I am hooked!

I got home and the Albany couple were just beginning to catch their last three remaining unfixed cats, for tomorrow's appointment.  They brought two of the boys over, they had caught, and will go for the third this evening.  They start two nights before because when catching selectively (among lots of fixed cats) unfixed adult males, who don't eat together, you need two nights to try for them.  

Here are the two they caught, now guests in my garage:  Dexter and Frown.

Dexter

Frown

Hopefully they get OJ this evening.   Also, a lady is hoping to catch a male up in Sweet Home, to bring over.  The 5th cat will be, hopefully, the third kitten from the middle of nowhere 3 kittens and their mom.  The other two kittens and mom were fixed last week.

So I will begin this week, which will include three or four rainy days in the 60's, with two new hobbies--Mahjong Solitaire and bike riding!