Day 345 – (AD 1,507) – 26.1 Miles –Jim’s Trek Part V – Mars on My Schwinn 170

Good Day,

This is this morning looking out a sunshine and 48˚F from my Schwinn Fitness Cycle.

Today I cycled 26.1 miles of my Schwinn 170. Totals are now at 32,150.0 miles; 51,740.5 kilometers.

And I have completed 74.33% of the distance to my next goal point on the Red Planet.

Reading –

From The Writing Cooperative “Know Where You Stand in Your Creative Journey” by Rishi Sidhu, Jan 31, 2018.

“Every creative person has their own personal space in which the Muse sings to them. Everyone has their own routine, their own set of rituals and own ‘idio(t)syncrasies’.”

Quilting –

The next step is our progress of our newest Cranes Quilt is our beginning work on the background. Our technique is to appliqué while strip piecing to our drawing and design.

Jim’s Gotta Eat –

Gotta create something warm for supper.

This is my 1,595th post. Per Blogger Jim’s Trek has recorded, as of this writing, 188,709 Pageviews.

I welcome comments or thoughts or ideas. Please feel free to contact, email me at Jim’s Trek. (This link is my email address - jsmith58@gmail.com.)

Have a healthy day and smile,

Jim

Day 344 – (AD 1,506) – 23.5 Miles –Jim’s Trek Part V – Mars on My Schwinn 170

Good Day,

This morning I pedaled my Schwinn 170 23.5 miles. Totals are now at 32,123.9 miles; 51,698.5 kilometers.

I have also completed 59.83% of the distance to my next destination and goal point.

Reading –

From Quartz at Work, “Why even mundane tasks can help build your creative genius”, by Erin Joan Lamberty, Jan. 30, 2018. 

“The problem is that many of us share common misconceptions of what creativity is and how it manifests. However, when we start to explore the different levels of creativity we’re able to gain a better understanding.”

Quilting –

Our newest and latest Cranes Quilt update -

We've begun work on the background. As you can see our newly completed "Yes, A Flock of Cranes" is trying to sneak through the horizontal strips of the background of the new Cranes Quilt.

We're trying something completely new. It is a variation on strip-piecing and appliqué. Working together, Andy is sort of appliquéing on top of my drawing, which is composed on horizontal strips of various widths.

This one should prove very, very interesting.

Jim’s Gotta Eat –

I’ve been experimenting with my food and meals.

Two nights ago, it was Pan-Grilled Snapper with Orzo Pasta Salad.

This one is a definite re-make.

Last night it was Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin, Colombian Rice with Pigeon Peas and Coconut and Roasted Cauliflower.

I made a few adjustments. I also sous vide the Pork at 148˚F for 2 hours. It was excellent.

Today’s bread is Sourdough with Artichoke, Yellow and Red Peppers, and Mozzarella Cheese.

My focus has been the Olive Bars at Sprouts and various grocery stores to add to my sourdough to see what may happen.

This is my 1,594th post. Per Blogger Jim’s Trek has recorded, as of this writing, 188,670 Pageviews.

I welcome comments or thoughts or ideas. Please feel free to contact, email me at Jim’s Trek. (This link is my email address - jsmith58@gmail.com.)

Have a healthy day and smile,

Jim

Days 342 & 343 – (AD 1,505) – 23.1 + 23.0 Miles –Jim’s Trek Part V – Mars on My Schwinn 170

Good Day,

Yesterday I pedaled my Schwinn 170 23.1 miles. this morning I cycled another 23.0 miles. Totals now at 32,100.4 miles; 51,660.7 kilometers.

And I have completed 46.78% of the distance to my next destination and goal point.

Even though this Jim’s Trek blog can be boring, one thing is for sure I am consistent. I am now averaging 21.3 miles on all the days that I have been pedaling my Schwinn Fitness cycles since December 2nd, 2012.

Quilting –

Yes, in answer to the question, we are currently obsessed with Cranes.

This grouping includes the 3" and the 4" Cranes that will be featured in our next Cranes Quilt.

And to the question, we designed an #AccuQuilt die(s) to cut all 17 fabric pieces for each Crane and its background to create a complete block. We designed Cranes at 3", 4", 5", and 6".

This next Crane Quilt will incorporate several the elements that we have thus far learned in the process of creating our previous Cranes Quilts.

FYI, we have designed about ?+ Cranes Quilts. This is the quilting project that Andy and I have challenged and committed ourselves for the next number of months.

Jim’s Gotta Eat –

And on the menu, are 4 new types of Sauerkraut; all fermented. That means Cabbage, Sea Salt and Distilled Water. And then patience.

4 Fermented Sauerkrauts - Red and Napa Cabbage, Red Cabbage with Caraway Seeds, Green Cabbage, and Green Cabbage with Herbes de Provence.

This is my 1,593rd post. Per Blogger Jim’s Trek has recorded, as of this writing, 188,543 Pageviews.

I welcome comments or thoughts or ideas. Please feel free to contact, email me at Jim’s Trek. (This link is my email address - jsmith58@gmail.com.)

Have a healthy day and smile,

Jim

Day 341 – (AD 1,503) – 23.5 Miles –Jim’s Trek Part V – Mars on My Schwinn 170

Good Day,

This morning I pedaled my Schwinn 170 23.5 miles. Totals now stand at 32,0564.3 miles; 51,586.5 kilometers.

And I have completed 21.17% of the distance to my next destination and goal point. It calculates out that I have so far pedaled 7,152.7 miles of the 13,300 that I intend to complete on Mars.

Quilting –

Next.

Our newest Cranes Quilt has begun.

This time we're creating 3"and 4" Cranes. The images show several the 3" Cranes. You would not believe how small these Cranes are until you touch them.

The design for this new Cranes Quilt will be revealed at that time when we've worked our construction and design.

Andy and I are very excited about this newest experiment.

Jim’s Gotta Eat –

Trying a new recipe, (my own) Sourdough Olive Garlic Bread.

This is my 1,592nd post. Per Blogger Jim’s Trek has recorded, as of this writing, 188,408 Pageviews.

I welcome comments or thoughts or ideas. Please feel free to contact, email me at Jim’s Trek. (This link is my email address - jsmith58@gmail.com.)

Have a healthy day and smile,

Jim

Days 339 & 340 – (AD 1,502) – 22.6 + 23.5 Miles –Jim’s Trek Part V – Mars on My Schwinn 170

Good Day,

Still in its glory, one of my orchids was knocked off the plant.

Yesterday morning I pedaled my Schwinn 170 22.6 miles. This morning I cycled another 23.5 miles. My totals are getting closer to my goal. This morning they now stand at 32,030.8 miles; 51,548.7 kilometers.

I reached my destination and goal point at Amenthes Rupes. My next goal point on the Red Planet is Escalante which is only a distance of 180 miles. This morning as I continue I have completed 8.11% of the distance to my new goal point Escalante Crater. According to WolframAlpha there is 180 miles between my two points.

Our Cranes Quilt Update -

The binding is almost complete.

This Cranes Quilt, which began as a lark, no pun intended, is turning out better than we both thought.

The progression of skills are working well as we are just about to start the next one of our Cranes Quilts.

And our next and latest new Cranes Quilt has been designed.

Jim’s Gotta Eat –

Has anyone made or have a recipe for Pannekaker with Prosciutto and Gouda Cheese?

Yes, I attempted to make it for supper.

Early morning blood sugar count at 102 mg/dL today.

And last night's supper was Ham and Shrimp Jambalaya.

Awards –

With the various and many awards shows happening in every niche of the entertainment and political world I thought that it would be a blatant idea to include one for the “best” and “most effective” spam email clutter.

This morning I received a new one. This time from an Austrian “Engineer Eva Sophia Danita” whose focus is “mining raw Gold in Africa”.

And here comes the heart-strings-to-be-pulled-description which has the capability of garnering the occasional sob and the ever so slight tear cascading down my extremely judgmental and supercilious cheek.

Gold Engineer Mrs. Eva Sophia Danita obviously is tremendously harnessed by a number of “heart-tugging” misfortunes.

First, she is “critically sick with esophageal cancer”.

(Whoa is me.)

Second, “10 years ago her(sic) late husband with her(sic) two daughters” were killed in an accident.

(Big heavy sigh of grief.)

Third, Mrs. Eva Sophia’s 10-year-old son “is still a child and does not know anything about live(sp)”, and

Fourth “there is nobody to take care of him after I am dead”, as her (sic) “late husband does not have any relatives, we both grew up in the orphanage home and got married under orphanage as orphans”.

(Is this the point where I now become racked with uncontrollable sobs?)

And here comes the award part of the missive.

Wait for it.

“Please, I am begging you in the name of God”

(Mrs. Eva Sophia appears to have a belief a higher power.)

“to sincerely accept my proposal;"

Wait for it. Read this one with baited breath.

“let me instruct my bank to wire transfer my fund worth the sum of US$ 15,000,000.00 (FIFTEEN MILLION DOLLARS) to your account in your country immediately,”

But wait there is more…

“then you take my son to your home and raise him as your own son.”

Whoa!

“As you receive the fund into your account, you are entitled to take 30 percent and invest 70 percent for my son so that he will not suffer in his entire life.”

Mrs. Eva Sophia Danita is offering me 30% or $4,500,00.00.

And the catch.

I am to “Please reply immediately with your full data if you agree to help me, so that we can arrange the transfer of the fund before anything happens to me because I will be undergoing surgery by coming week, and I do not know the fate of the surgery as the doctor has told me already that I may not survive.”

Signed,

“Yours Sincerely
Mrs. Eva Sophia Danita
IN GOD I TRUST”

This is my 1,591st post. Per Blogger Jim’s Trek has recorded, as of this writing, 188,344 Pageviews.

I welcome comments or thoughts or ideas. Please feel free to contact, email me at Jim’s Trek. (This link is my email address - jsmith58@gmail.com.)

Have a healthy day and smile,

Jim

Days 337 & 338 – (AD 1,500) – 23.0 + 23.5 Miles –Jim’s Trek Part V – Mars on My Schwinn 170

Good Day,

Today is the 1,500th day that I have been pedaling using my Schwinn Fitness cycles.

On Saturday morning I pedaled my Schwinn 170 23.0 miles. This morning I cycled another 23.5. Totals are now standing at 31,984.7 miles; 51,474.5 kilometers.

And I have completed 96.16% of the 820 miles to my next destination and goal point.

Reading –

From BBC Culture – “Can listening to classical music improve your life?”, Clemency Burton-Hill, 17 Jan. 2018.

“We are a music-making species — always have been, always will be. We are also a music-exchanging species: long before lovesick teenagers started curating mixtapes for each other, or digital streaming services enabled us to swap favourite tracks, we were communicating and connecting through music. We evolved as humans by coming together around the fire after a long day’s hunter-gathering, singing songs and telling stories through song. That’s what our ancestors did; that’s how they made sense of the world; that’s how they learned how to be.”

Our Cranes Quilt update –

Top quilting completed. Choice of 3 patterns to decide on the border quilting. (I believe we’ve decided.)

This image is from the back.

Question –

What actually denotes a “modern quilt”?

Soapbox –

A very interesting article penned by Colin McRoberts on January 29, 2017 for the site Vasher McRoberts LLC.

“Is Donald Trump Really a Great Negotiator?”

“First let's be clear that we don’t have enough information to say for sure that Trump is a bad negotiator. The only way to fully, fairly assess his skills would be to carefully observe his negotiations, and virtually no one has been able to do that. We can't assume anything from his wealth or business successes; good negotiation skills are crucial in business, but like many business owners Trump relies on professionals to negotiate for him…”

Interesting to see the number of current posting from all sides of the spectrum today just about a year later.

I wonder?

Check out the January 19th Editorial from The Toronto Star.



And today, as the weather outside in Tampa warms up, it is amazing to see the beauty of some plants against the drab and somber vision of the plants burnt by the past freeze of our 2nd winter.

This is my 1,590th post. Per Blogger Jim’s Trek has recorded, as of this writing, 188,150 Pageviews.

I welcome comments or thoughts or ideas. Please feel free to contact, email me at Jim’s Trek. (This link is my email address - jsmith58@gmail.com.)

Have a healthy day and smile,

Jim

Day 336 – (AD 1,498) – 24.0 Miles –Jim’s Trek Part V – Mars on My Schwinn 170

Good Day,

Today I pedaled my Schwinn 170 24.0 miles. Totals now stand at 31,938.2 miles; 51,399.6 kilometers.

I have now completed 90.49% of the distance to my next destination and goal point on the Red Planet.

And my Cardiologist was extremely pleased with the results of my EKG this morning. Bit concerned with the numbers of my triglycerides but happy that then appear to be on a downward trend.

My A1c calculated at 5.52%.

Jim’s Gotta Eat –

My last two homemade meals:

Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Sweet Potatoes plus… 

And Cod and Shrimp with Fresh Tomatoes with Grilled Baby Bok Choy and Idli.

This is my 1,589th post. Per Blogger Jim’s Trek has recorded, as of this writing, 188,061 Pageviews.

I welcome comments or thoughts or ideas. Please feel free to contact, email me at Jim’s Trek. (This link is my email address - jsmith58@gmail.com.)

Have a healthy day and smile,

Jim

Day 335 – (AD 1,497) – 23.1 Miles –Jim’s Trek Part V – Mars on My Schwinn 170

Good Day,

This morning I pedaled my Schwinn 170 23.1 miles. Totals are now at 31,914.2 miles; 51,361.0 kilometers.

And I have completed 87.56% of the distance to my next destination. That translates to 52.73% of the 13,300.0 miles that have pedaling on the Red Planet. I’ve got another 6,287.4 more miles to go.

Tampa has begun its 2nd winter of the season. All Orchids have been brought into the warmth of the house.

Reading –

From Inc. published on Jan. 26, 2018, Jeff Jaden “Neuroscience Says Listening To This Song for 15 Seconds Will Instantly Make You More Creative”

“Try it. Next time you need to come up with new ideas, listen to this Vivaldi piece for 15 or 20 seconds. Or leave it on in the background.
You may climb right out of that creative rut.”

Our Cranes Quilt Update –

We've begun the progress of quilting the white background of our newest and latest Cranes quilt. We're attempting to incorporate three basic modes of quilting to achieve an overall effect.

We're deciding on the quilting for the outside border.

All-things-being-equal this new Cranes quilt should become what we hope and visualize.

Yes, we're the quilting is being done with our Janome Domestic.

This is my 1,588th post. Per Blogger Jim’s Trek has recorded, as of this writing, 187,949 Pageviews.

I welcome comments or thoughts or ideas. Please feel free to contact, email me at Jim’s Trek. (This link is my email address - jsmith58@gmail.com.)

Have a healthy day and smile,

Jim

Day 334 – (AD 1,496) – 24.8 Miles –Jim’s Trek Part V – Mars on My Schwinn 170

Good Day,

Today, I pedaled 24.8 miles on my Schwinn 170. (I’m keeping my time limit to 60 minutes a session.) Totals are now 31,891.1 miles; 51,323.8 kilometers.

And I have completed 84.75% of the distance to my next destination and goal point.

Jim’s Gotta Eat –

I decided to roast some vegetables and make Ajvar, a roasted pepper and eggplant dip.

Cranes Quilt Update -

Our latest Cranes quilt top has been completed. Our quilt sandwich is a 4 layers: top; 2 lay-ers of cotton batting; and the backing.

Working on the quilting design. This one is to be a variation and combination of 3 styles. We're working on our samplings.





Well I’m Going To Be Wealthy –

And this time some gentleperson, a Mr. Benjamin Udevis, who works for "DHL" who's "dip-lomatic agent Mr. William Tom" will arrive at LA Airport in California.

(Not sure why Mr. Udevis, DHL Director had to remind me that Los Angeles is in Califor-nia?)

Mr. William Tom will have my ATM Card worth $12.5 Million USD. He, Mr. Tom has been assisted by IMF Director John Andy and National DHL Agent Dr. Peter Campbell.

I am then instructed, I think, to provide:

My name...
My country...
My phone number...
My home address...
My city...
My occupation...
My nearest airport...
My age and sex...
My ID and Driver's license...


And according to the "explicit" instructions I am to contact Mr. William Tom with my above-indicated information before he does leave the country.

Obviously Mr. Benjamin Udevis the DHL Director is concerned "that because of impostors" they have issued me with a "code of conduct which is ATM 8411". Mr Udevis is concerned that my "information is urgently needed for the delivery of my (sic) package with $12.5M.

But I am a wee bit confused as accordingly in the body of the email my "ATM" code is "8411", yet in the closing salutation of the email my "ATM CARD PIN code is 4421".

Which is it? 8411 or 4421?

Does Mr. Benjamin Udevis not realize that I only have the capacity of remembering one 4-digit number? Will I lose sleep over this concern and issue?

This is my 1,587th post. Per Blogger Jim’s Trek has recorded, as of this writing, 187,794 Pageviews.

I welcome comments or thoughts or ideas. Please feel free to contact, email me at Jim’s Trek. (This link is my email address - jsmith58@gmail.com.)

Have a healthy day and smile,

Jim