Road Ready

     Having one's adult children and their families all living on the same street, on the same side of the street with three houses between each member, has its advantages.  One of those being you don't have to go too far to search for some borrowed item.

     That was the case with my bicycle.  Deciding I needed some exercise, I began the hunt for my bike.  It wasn't long before daughter number two confessed to it being held captive in her basement.

     Although the tires were flat and it was missing a pedal....and the seat, it was none the worse for wear.  After another brief search, I found an extra bike to rob parts from and set out to repair and replace previously mentioned missing articles.  

     The street, that I and my family live on, runs along the top of a very large and steep ridge and is the highest point in this small town.  This means that everything to the east and the west is downhill.  Even our garage, that sits behind the house and is accessed from the alley, is downhill.  

     After getting the bike road ready, I took the first maiden voyage up the alley and pedaled half a block up the street.  All seemed well until I headed back to the garage for a few minor tune ups.  The back brakes didn't work.  Luckily, my descent was not at a high rate of speed and I was able to drag my feet while gently applying the front brakes.  They were working, but I'm old enough to understand the law of physics and that thing called inertia.  At this point, I enlisted my husband for the brake repair.

     I've heard, from people who take long motorcycle rides, that the wind sheer will literally reduce their body weight.  I don't "do" motorcycles, I never could get that 'lean into the corners' thing, but I'm thinking I may be able to achieve the same results if I ever decide to go east or west.

     Yesterday, as I pedaled home from my second trip up the street, laughter began to fall upon my ears.  I knew where it was coming from.  The oldest grandson, sitting on his porch swing and wearing a neon yellow tee shirt, wasn't hard to miss.  The closer I got, the louder he laughed.

     "Is that TT's bike?", he asked between snorts.

     "No, it's my bike."

     "But it was TT's bike, right?"

     "No, it's always been my bike.  Quit laughing at your grandmother."

     "Are you trying to get in shape?"  He had almost quit laughing at this time.

     "That's the plan.", I told him.

     "Cool, grandma.  We'll have to go on a ride together."

     I should have pedaled under the cover of darkness.  I've just lost the option of not going east or west.