Thank you. Finally figured it out. Use hands to get one before starting, get moving fast enough so the bike is balanced and in a safe place, lock foot down at its lowest and use the other foot to flip over the pedal and jam it in before the thing flips back over. The placement has to be perfect, but I leaned the bike against a wall and just kept at it until I could do it by feel. I kind of like the way they feel going up a hill, not sure if they are actually helpful, but it does FEEL like I'm using a few more muscle groups. Still, I may see if I can find some shoes large enough and try clipless... it is kind of nice to have the pedals follow your feet and not the other way round.