the strange case of the wonky wheel

in which our plucky heroine walks there and back again, and again...

... cos when I started out to ride my bike today, it was behaving oddly, with what I can only describe as a "hitch in the get-along". A bit of investigation showed that the rear wheel was moving in a wavery fashion, so there was nothing to do other than walk it over to Kenton Cycle Repair. Once I got there, after the examination it turned out that there was a broken spoke. The spoke was replaced, and the wheel re-trued. No idea what caused this problem, but it feels a bit like my bike and I are both suffering from the one hoss shay syndrome, where sometimes you wake up in the morning with something new and "exciting" to deal with. Definitely getting my walkies in today

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January SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	Jedi obi sash	reinstall octopus	recycle bin
2	Jedi underlayer	hang candle lantern	-
3	2 tiny books	paint tiger frame	-
4	teal knit top	patch closet holes	-
5	3 hats & 3 scarves	teal top mended	-
6	plaid flannel slip	RÅSKOG assembled	x
7	5 tiny books	RÅSKOG adapted	x
8	x	bike rear wheel	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. lil mini city street sweeper pootling along in the bike lane, removing the gravel, dead cones and seed pods, and broken glass, boy howdy was I glad to see you!
2. after assembling the new RÅSKOG cart, I thought to lower the center basket on the cart I use as an ironing station - sliding it down a few inches means I can store the iron in the basket when not in use. This makes a huge organising difference!
3. words

Time of Isolation - Day 1302

Reading in 2024:

1. Mink River
   by Brian Doyle -
   This book is written in most lyrical prose about the most unlikely folks, in a small town on the Oregon coast. I found it so engaging that I stayed up far too late reading it. Perhaps because I am lucky enough to have coastal people among my circle of friends, and heard some of their quirky stories, the inhabitants of Neawanaka won my heart and my interest
   
2. A Half-Built Garden
   by Ruthanna Emrys -
   
   
3. Three Twins at the Crater School
   by Chaz Brenchley -
   this was recommended to me, but it wasn't my cup of tea... I am not keen on the "adventures of young people at boarding school" genre, even if transposed to a fantasy version of Mars. While this novel is better than many, since there is no infighting and nasty behavior, I just never connected with any of the characters or their challenges in a way that allowed "the willing suspension of disbelief" which is crucial to entering a tale.
   
4. The Inheritance & Other Stories
   by Robin Hobb and Megan Lindholm -
   
   
5. The Year Without Sunshine
   by Naomi Kritzer -
   delightful hopepunk novelette