My new ride, Fraelsi

My new ride, Fraelsi
Fraelsi means Freedom in Farose

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Vacation time

I should be packing up what I need for a week of vacation, camping and play, instead I am dragging, want a morning nap and not enthused about going to work today.  No problems with work but just lazy today.
Most of my clothes to pack are clean, just need packed, have the oil for the bike oil change but need to get with doing that, need the cooler out of the utility space and the brown quilt in that and hauled to Larry's house. 
The camper and his golf cart is already up in Spring Lake so we did get that done yesterday while there was still camping space.It looks like cooking hot weather with today being the hottest of the summer.  And I need to get busy so my bike is full of gas and packed up, covered for the morning.  I need to get dressed and get busy.
Ben will house sit, I need to set up a few things for that to be easier for him, Jake is going to MO and talking about taking Kid.  Ben will have the Metro to run and I will fill the gas tank on the way home from work so he has gas in that.
I need to plan and pack up knitting projects, maps of the area and so forth.  But first is out to eat and gas the bike, change the oil.
Know it is a good life, have a lot to be thankful for.

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

The First bike trip

 
 The weather was great and the bike ran well, I came back from Moberly, where I spent the night with Alyse, we graduated together and took 24 to 36 so came by Mark Twain Lake and Hannibal MO before I crossed back over into IL
 Love this very old, very huge Gothic stone building I went by on the way down to the river in Hannibal
Of course, there is the Hotel Mark Twain in the background, down at the marina, had to park and walk a bit, take some photos, has been more than 37 years since I had been down there, a huge amount of changes.
It was a great weekend, and spent time with my grandkids, a special friend, saw great scenery, the bike ran well, and I enjoyed the first overnight trip on a motorcycle I have made in years.  There will be others, but this is the first since my car accident, since moving to IL, since buying this Honda Rebel. 

Saturday, August 03, 2013

Broke Saturday

Know I am in charge of my finances so know who to blame for a very tight budget and no play money on a weekend.   But both the Metro and Fraelsi have gas in their tanks and the sun is out.  The house is quiet, the grass too damp yet to mow, but I still need to change out the filters for the water and the furnace/air conditioner.  And that job does not need the grass dry.
Great to get up to a quiet house, even Kid is gone, probably to help Jake work.  I am glad Jake is here, getting started with his college education and life after the Marines, but I do miss living alone at times.  And I remind myself how much I have missed that boy over the years, and how glad I am to have the time with him.  But, the living room used to be mine and I think it was generally cleaner.  I have nothing to say about the condition of the downstairs bedroom.
The new air filter is on the way, I am still not pleased with the new check out system at E-Bay, but seller had the part shipped out the same day as I did that 'buy it now' and had to pay for it then, not wait for seller to send/email an invoice.
Fraelsi means freedom in the Farose language, and that is what this small motorcycle gives me back, and the Farose are the place I would love to go and stay a month or so.  Not sure how I could ever afford that, the way I manage my money right now.
But I am not sorry I have the new bike, and I do have it running, rough but that is possibly air cleaner and air/fuel mix so I should be able to deal with that on my own.  I might get some help/oversight with checking the valve clearance, not a job I have ever done, book and Internet make it doable but not sure what tools I will need and would like, if Larry will, to have a bit of supervision the first time I do that.
Hand are again hurting a lot, most the time, waking me again at night, and it is the jobs I do at work, they improved for a while, when I was moved off sorting pins and equipment racks and just bagging the equipment, but I am back to doing the bag pins, sorting the equipment before bagging and then finish the shift bagging so once again the hands are hating me.  I will hunt down the splints and start sleeping in them again as I need my hands for everything I do, and do not enjoy this pain stuff.
Finances will improve, a week at a time, bills are getting paid and no one is starving out.  Not having extra money to play will not damage me, and I don't really want to jump in the truck and go anywhere .

Friday, August 02, 2013

Waiting on the mail

I am actually waiting on a card from the motorcycle safety class I took and on an air filter for the 2008 Rebel I now own.  It needed a bit of work, gas left in the tank and gas shut off left turned on so the carb was fouled.
I am now good at removing, taking apart, cleaning and putting back on that carb, the bike will run now, but rough in lower gears/rpm, too rich and before I tweak the air/fuel adjustment any more I want to replace the air filter.  Early next week for that part to come and the card so I can update my driver's license with the motorcycle validation should be here the end of next week or soon after.
Jake's jeep is back in the shop again, so that means he uses my truck, so regardless to weather here, my transportation is my Metro scooter and yes, I do ride in rain, have to get to work and have to get home.
Right now I am a bit surly about that, just being miffy, as Jake would not be driving my truck without needing to and he does not use it without my consent, and I have sure been able to use his jeep when I needed or wanted to.
I actually hate the damn thing so sure did not drive it often and it does IRK me hugely that he has to keep putting $$ into that pile of junk he got talked into buying.  He does not always think it is junk, but this week would probably agree with me.
Work is going ok, no Saturday work right now so shorter checks and I spend money like water, or so it feels.  A very tight budget with a long list of wants for that new ride.  But the gas today in the Metro was $2.63 and the last time I put any gas in was 7/27, put $1.93 in that day, and on 7/24 I got gas in the 2.5 gal can and filled scooter, spent $8.99 and most was the 2+ gallons in the gas can.
Temps are going up and down lately, did finally turn the air on upstairs but had my leather jacket on this morning when I was out, after 10 am to run an errand.
This summer is cooler and wetter than last year, but we had heat waves and drought last year.  I think we are cooler and wetter than the prior year too, and my utility bills are lower than then, despite having all that new attic space to enjoy and it still needing a huge amount of drywall and finish work.
So, despite what I grump and whine about, my life here is really good and soon I will be able to spend some of my weekend time out riding that Rebel, getting back as much of my old bike skills as I can and just running, I want to explore all the winding rural lanes and back roads around here, the small spots that are almost gone, and just enjoy that freedom a motorcycle gives back to me.
Think about a weekend trip to MO and back but need a way to haul some stuff first, so saddlebags when I can afford them and am looking on line and at shops, and then set up the bike to hold those bags safely, so I can pack a few things for an overnight stay.
Think about a few people from the past and bikes, wonder who still rides, wonder where they are riding and wish them good roads and easy miles.  Think about Mike, living where he probably has a longer bike season than we do here and some great places to ride to, and wonder if he is doing better, hope his health and finances have improved and he is enjoying life, special man but way more baggage than he was honest about.
Think I could have dealt with it all, but would not and still will not accept being lied to about stuff that could sink my boat, finances, legal issues. 
Well, a few things to do before I get that brace and boots on and head off to work once again, wishing today there was someone significant who was around to ride with me on the weekends and whose health would let him just get on that bike and run.