Rollerblading, Hatch Chilis, Scout Me In Night

Rollerblading

I am not the proud owner of a pair of roller blades, Yes, the nineties throwback is alive and well. I’ve been in the market for a cardio alternative as I’ve just come to find running on a treadmill to be intensely boring. I do have a history with roller blades, I did have a pair as a young teen and I spent quite a bit of time on them. This particular model is much faster than that clunky version though and I’m finding I need to relearn how to use them again. There’s just something about them though, their small and easy to transport and fit in the back of my car without taking up too much room.

I’ve developed a regiment using a basketball court at a local park to get comfortable using them again. I start off by setting up a folding chair near the court. I then walk around the grassy area trying to feel comfortable again on the skates. Then I get back on the court and skate a straight line. I walk back through the grass and reset. I do this until I am able to get a lap in, then two laps. It is exhausting work. Yes, I am afraid of falling but I am going so slow and I am staying crouched so my center of gravity is where it needs to be. I wear wrist guards and a biking helmet. It is exhausting work. My end goal is to go back down to IRB and potentially roller blade down the main road there.

Hatch Green Chilis

Last year I purchased Hatch green chilis from Krogers but they went to waste. I’ve always been curious about them as there is so much talk when they come into season. They are just not eaten very often in our area, and the sauce they make it kind of hard to find. I know two people from New Mexico and they’ve told me about how to prepare these if I find them so I gave them a whirl. I ended up grilling them until they had a nice char on them and then let them cool. I peeled these weird plastic like skins off of them, which I’m told is necessary to get to the soft pepper part. This was also kind of a pain but when I got a few done it ended up being much easier. I couldn’t imagine these big roasters who peel hundreds of these things.

After that, I roasted a few onions and homegrown tomatoes and then threw all of this with a pinch of salt and some garlic into the blender. Oh wow, the result was amazing. So much deep flavor, and much spicier than I expected. I thoroughly enjoyed it although I made way, way too much. The only thing I’d do different is I don’t think I would puree them, but my blender is so powerful that one extra pulse does this, so I’ll just have to be more careful next year. I will also make less, perhaps one bag of peppers instead of two.

Scout Me In Night

My first Scout Me In Night as Cubmaster and what a great night! We had lots of families come out and the Independence Fire Station was there with their big fire engine pumping water all over the kids while they played with squirt guns. I had to address the parents and sell scouting a bit, and go over what it is we are trying to accomplish here. We’re going to have a really great year I think, and possibly a large expansion in membership.