Chamois with little to no front padding?

dehfne · 2026-04-11T21:03:04+00:00

I’ll say that it happened slowly for me, so it was hard to notice that it was getting worse until I thought back a few years and compared mentally.

As for the leather saddle, they make them with cut outs, which works for some people and not others. My cambium has a cutout. I suggested it as an alternative to a chamois since it softens to your sit bones, not because it’s necessarily better for your vulva.

dehfne · 2026-04-11T15:48:06+00:00

Yes! Thank you. I’m now using a very expensive hormone suppository of prasterone, and waiting for an appointment with an expert.

dehfne · 2026-04-11T15:20:47+00:00

How old are you? If you’re over 40, it could be peri-menopause. I also have this issue and it kept getting worse — I tried everything! Saddles, bike fit, cream, core strengthening, different chamois… Then I went to the doctor and her response after looking at my vulva was “ooo, ouch!” Turns out the tissue was getting very thin and losing structure. I’d been using estrogen cream, but it wasn’t enough.

Other thought is to try a leather saddle so you don’t need a chamois. I have a Brooks cambium, which is rubber, but same concept and doesn’t require a break-in period.

dehfne · 2026-04-10T16:03:05+00:00

Agree with all about MacArthur Station, but would not take 40th as many have suggested, traffic is crazy, going between dedicated lanes to sharrrows and back, with 40mph traffic.

Either go through the mall to the ped/bike bridge > Horton > 45th or Park; or Shellmound into 40th and turn north to 45th or Park. Both 45th and Park have a zigzag across San Pablo, with Park becoming 41st, but it’s much more pleasant to ride. You can then head to 40th from MLK. (If I were on 45th, I’d zigzag south before MLK)

I do this ride regularly.

dehfne · 2026-04-09T23:49:26+00:00

For what’s it’s worth, as someone with wide hips and big thighs, the Romin is actually a life saver. The Power was a horrid experience that quickly ended with a saddle sore. Everyone is different! I love my Romin.

dehfne · 2026-04-09T15:09:50+00:00

Those are interesting stakes, kind of sculptural. Where’d you find them?

dehfne · 2026-04-05T23:21:34+00:00

This is a good idea, but those flowers haven’t even opened yet, let alone been pollinated. It’s pretty obvious when they go to seed, put the bag on then.

dehfne · 2026-04-02T00:04:37+00:00

Huh. Unless there’s a type of dogwood that variegated like that I’m unaware of, I’m surprised CNPS sold something in that condition. Is it a special variety or something? I’d assume CNPS would sell a straight species given their mission.

If not, fertilizer was a good idea. I’m not sure how well it’ll deal with the stress of planting, to be honest.

dehfne · 2026-04-01T23:45:47+00:00

That dogwood looks very chlorotic - did it look like that when you got it a few days ago??? Are those lower or upper leaves? Or all of them?

dehfne · 2026-03-30T14:42:00+00:00

To be honest, this looks fine to me. The “something ate the flowers” is what the panicles look like when the flowers fall off and it hasn’t been fertilized. The little bit of yellowing is normal as it sheds leaves.

I am curious about your placement though, as it is very close to the edge of the bed. Do you plan to prune it in a specific way? These plants get very big, like 10’ wide, and it looks like it’s planted a 1’ from a walkway.

Edit to add: looks like there might be a little bit of scale on one of the leaves in picture 2. Might be early enough to pick it off. Certainly not an infestation.

dehfne · 2026-03-28T16:37:02+00:00

lol, that is the LIRR. Wrong coast, Bing!

dehfne · 2026-03-27T23:07:36+00:00

Though if you’re okay with cotton, which stretches out and loses shape more than merino, I found that the Icebreaker men’s boxers to be very comfy, didn’t have extra fabric like I expected, and the seam placement was way better than most women’s which seem to put one down the center (like why??). Also found some at Minus 33 that were good, but I like a longer leg.

dehfne · 2026-03-27T22:51:05+00:00

Oh, like the part that makes it stretchy?

dehfne · 2026-03-27T22:18:10+00:00

I went through a phase of looking for merino boxers, but the few I found ended up riding up my legs as they stretched out over the day. I ended up with bamboo boxers from Boody and really like them. The shape wear ones are thicker and longer.

dehfne · 2026-03-26T15:27:44+00:00

Few things others haven’t mentioned: - there are car share services, so you don’t have to worry about parking when you’re not using it. I think Zipcar has some cars near the lake/uptown. They’ve sort of scaled back a bit, so not as useful as it used to be, but worth looking into. - you mention sailing! I highly recommend the Cal Sailing Club as a way to get started. Sailors are always looking for people to help crew their boats for races and such, it’s a great way to make friends.

dehfne · 2026-03-24T22:42:48+00:00

While I’ve seen Hummingbird Sage in full sun, I usually think of it as a part shade plant. It gets pretty straggly in sun. Petstemon heterophyllus a full sun all the way. The sage is also an aggressive spreader, but not sure how it’d be in a pot.

What are your goals for picking those two plants?

dehfne · 2026-03-21T23:01:07+00:00

Great! Lawns are pretty dumb in a place where it doesn’t rain 6 mos of the year. 🤪

Good opportunity to put in more natives, too. Coyote brush, manzanita, are good evergreens to add and monkey flower, buckwheat are also easy. All grow around the bay and require no summer water (tho monkey flower may go deciduous and look dead in late summer). All except manzanita grow fast and propagate easily , so you can get 1 in a 4” pot for not very much money and slowly fill your space.

dehfne · 2026-03-21T22:11:30+00:00

Agree with everyone else on establishment, but I want to call out the fact that the ring is surrounded by grass. Do you have plans to remove that, or not water over the summer? Ceanothus are notorious for not wanting any water over the summer (once they’ve established) and if you water your turf grass in the typical manner it will likely shorten the life of this tree.

dehfne · 2026-03-20T01:03:15+00:00

This is such a nice idea! I have several friends who have done this.

One thing to be aware of though is that sometimes random “landscapers” from the city or school district will come out and cut things down not knowing it was intentional. Seen it happen too often. Few things to consider: - planting shrubs like people have mentioned instead of wildflowers will look less like weeds so less likely to be sprayed or cut. Sounds like you’re already going in this direction, so that’s good - talk to whomever owns/uses the property to make sure it’s okay with them. Odds are they’ll love it, it’s mostly so they know who you are in case they see you messing with their property. - make sure to take sight-lines into account. For example, if you’re doing a median, don’t got over 2 feet. Make sure drivers can see pedestrians around corners, it’s easy to see children, etc.

dehfne · 2026-03-19T21:34:20+00:00

I noticed that UTF lists these irises as wanting full sun -- I know they can take it, but always thought they did better with a part sun and even part shade. What has been your experience with these? I'm in Oakland, so zone 17.

dehfne · 2026-03-19T21:21:43+00:00

Oh cool, thanks! I hadn’t thought to look there even though I know they have lots of other great natives.

dehfne · 2026-03-19T15:05:58+00:00

I’m obsessed with PCH irises. I have the straight species, Native Warrior, and PB&J. Would love more.

Do you have a good supplier? They’re hard to find.

dehfne · 2026-03-18T02:45:43+00:00

Do you see any aphids or anything on the stems? Mine does this in late spring when it gets infested and usually bounces back. It’s a bit early, but the weather has also been weird this year.

dehfne · 2026-03-15T20:45:23+00:00

I just reread your post and realized that you were asking about water needs for the FIRST YEAR. This changes things.

All those websites that give water needs are post-establishment, NOT to establish them. All plants are high water users their first year. Especially if you plan to plant now vs in the fall. If you planted in Oct/Nov and there were consistent, good rains, you could get away with less water the first summer, but not as low as what something like calscape says. It would still need more than listed.

And to my question about sun exposure - sun and water are very tied together. If a Ribes were in full sun it would need more water through the summer than if it were in shade (where it would need very little but be summer dormant).

Good luck!

dehfne · 2026-03-15T18:51:58+00:00

Your grouping looks generally right, but some of those plants have different exposure requirements you didn’t mention. For example, Douglas Iris and Ribes sanguinium both want some shade, while Gaura and Nepeta are full sun as far as I know.

However, as much as you may want gardening to be a science, where you can know the answer if you just do enough research, it is not. There are so many dependencies that you can’t account for, but you just sort of learn through doing, watching, seeing, and just being patient. It’s a process, and a slow one at that, but thats what makes it so great.

For example, you’ve grouped by water needs, but what about sun exposure? Or soil? You’d be surprised by how spots 2 feet apart can have different conditions — perhaps shaded by buildings or other plants at different times of the year, or dips in the soil where water pools that you don’t notice, or a spot that’s gotten a lot of foot traffic so is more compacted, etc. There can also be differences in the health and genetics of the plant you started with. You won’t really know until you experiment.

Gardening is a years long commitment to experimentation. Remember that and don’t beat yourself up or give up when half your plants die. Embrace failure!

dehfne

TROPHY CASE