Highs and Lows

Lows-
We just found out that our next-door neighbor has acute leukemia.  He has been sick all winter, but they thought it was a cold.  He is in ICU and is expecting a long hospital stay. 

I had been looking for him out in his yard.  (His backyard is pictured here.) I wanted to introduce him to Baxter.  Our last dog, Kiley, spent a lot of time visiting Lynn while he worked in his yard.  We hadn't seen him out, which should have been a sign that something was really wrong.  Poor guy. We'll be praying that he will be back tending his tomatoes soon. 

Highs-
I took a bike ride on Saturday afternoon.  It was beautiful.  As I was biking through town, I saw some dollar bills on the ground.  Jackpot! Strange.  I pulled over and went back to pick up the money and found a wallet, too. Luckily, it was a former student on the ID so I biked by his house where his dad was returning his cell phone.  Seems like the billfold and the phone had taken a ride (unsuccessfully) on the hood of his car.  Lost blocks apart, he was lucky to find his loot.  Only in a small town...!

We picked up a rain barrel yesterday, too.  Our environmental conservation organization was selling them.  I have been wanting one for several years, but this was a bit nicer than I expected.  There is a water spout at the bottom so we can hook a hose to it and water the garden.  There is also a wire filter to keep bugs, debris, and varmints out.  I am excited to set it up under our gutter spout.  That will probably be the best $15 that I have spent in awhile. 

And I've been humming this song all weekend:
"Oh playmates, come out and play with me
And bring your dollies three
Climb up my apple tree
Yell down my rain barrel
Slide down my cellar door
And we'll be jolly friends
Forever more."

That takes me back to simpler times. And it really makes me miss my Grandma's cellar door, to say nothing of missing my Grandma.

Beautiful Biking Blog

There is a blog that I have been 'creeping.'  (My students tell me that is a nice way of saying 'stalking!') 

The blog originates in Denmark and shares pictures of bicycling in Copenhagen.  The bikers in Denmark are gorgeous and quite fashionable.  I take it that there are no ugly people in Denmark. (At least not on this blog!)

These Danes put me to shame!!  They bike in eight inches of snow.  They bike on ice when the temperatures are below zero.  They bike after leaving the bars at two o'clock in the morning.  They bike in high (and I mean high!) heels.  They bike in clothes that look like they just stepped off a runway.  Denmark is a country of bicycle nuts.  I am so impressed.  Besides making for a cleaner environment, I'm guessing the Danes are a lot healthier than we lazy Americans.

Almost every bicycle has a basket.  Where else would they stow their briefcases or designer handbags?  Some bicycles are beautiful and expensive, while others are not.  I think bike theft is a problem, as I saw some bikes that had been painted really ugly so no one would steal them. Having a lock is a necessity. They have plenty of places to park and lock up their bikes. There are bike lanes.  Copenhagen is just a bike friendly city.

I am officially hooked on this blog:  Cycle Chic From Copenhagen  Feel free to creep it with me!

If I ever turn up missing, you can look for me in Denmark. I'll be the only one in tennis shoes!

Maybe You Didn't Know But...

I just read Alicia's A New York City Life.  She's a list maker.  I like that.  So, I'm making my own list of things you probably don't know.

*The Mr. and I have a sneaky race every night to see who can be the first to set the electric blanket so it is warm when I go to bed. 

*I was once an extra in a made for TV movie.  And that is when I discovered that film making is the most boring work in the world:  hurry up and wait and wait and wait.  The stars are coached like a bunch of trained monkeys. "Look this way.  Now turn your head.  Start smiling.  Now laugh....and CUT."  And this is great acting.

*We found a bottle of ranch salad dressing on the pantry shelf yesterday with an expiration date of August 2007.  Scary.

*I'm pretty sure they don't make spices in small cans any more.  Half of my spice cabinet has spices in cans.  Some of them were part of the grocery shower friends gave me when we married 33 years ago.  You think it is time to clean out the spice cabinet?

*I love video games.  (I know. I'm kind of old for that.)  The year Santa brought the girls a Nintendo for Christmas, we sent them to bed and played Super Mario until 1:30 AM. 

*Somewhere in my garage is a Schwinn bicycle that once belonged to the Mr.'s mom.  I think it is a 1950's edition.  I am going to dig it out and find a basket for it.  My guess is that it may need new tires, too. I'm planning to be known in Tiny Town as the crazy old bicycle lady.

So now you know.

Sunday's Bike Ride

U town has a bike trail. Now mind you, both K & L attended college in U town for a combined total of six years. Did I know about the trail then? No. Better yet, did they know about the trail then? Nope. The three of us only learned of the existence of the trail in the past five years or so. (And I think it has been there quite awhile!)

The girls aren't much for biking, so they have only hiked on the trail. The Mr. isn't a biker either. (He says they have yet to invent a bike seat that is comfortable for a man.) So if I'm biking, I'm usually alone. I can't complain because the Mr. runs a great sag wagon for me, and I like going at my own pace in the quiet.

I finally convinced the Mr. that the weather was perfect for a bike ride, so we loaded up the bike yesterday and headed to U town. Their trail is 9 miles long and winds around part of the perimeter of U town. (If I had been in better shape, I would have reversed my trip and attempted 18 miles. I thought 9 was pushing it!)
This is the start of the trail. It might be hard to believe, but off to the left are a couple of bars, a grocery store, and several restaurants. I felt like I was in the middle of the country.

An old bridge is a clue that this was once a railroad route. They left a few things from the old railroad which gives the trail part of its charm. This bridge spans a creek that runs through the town. Another mile or so past this, and I was biking by U town's multi screen movie complex.

My bike chain had a major malfunction about the time I reached the 2nd trail head which was by the Holidome. (I think there are about 5 or 6 trail heads. They offer several jumping on and jumping off spots.) The Mr. came to my rescue. I was grateful he had nagged me into taking my cell phone. Repairs were made and I continued.

Shortly after that stop, I was back in the country. I was now looking at farm land and was just barely able to hear the town traffic. This trail is unique in that it is part scenic country on one side of the trail and part urban chaos on the other.

It didn't take long until I was leaving the country behind again. At this point, I was riding on the levee that keeps U town from flooding.

Still on the levee, it wasn't long until I was riding past the U town shopping mall on the left. If the trail had stayed in town, eventually I would have ridden right into Walmart. Thankfully, it wound back into the country.

Toward the end of my ride, I found myself riding right along the river. (The University's rowing teams practice on this river sometimes.)

-

I'm planning to bike this trail again. With the scenery constantly changing, I didn't even feel like I had gone 9 miles. Today, however, parts of my body are feeling every inch of those 9 miles. It was a beautiful bike trail, and they say beauty is painful. (They weren't lying.)

The Great Chekhov (Check Off)

I've always been a "list" kind of girl, and since I've created a couple this spring (birthday and summer fun), I'm now creating a list of what I have already accomplished on my other lists. Yeah, crazy, I know! Only another list maker would understand.

• Had a successful garage sale and de-cluttered quite a bit
• Visited a consignment store. (Love them and I hate that we have to drive so far to get to one! Start my own?? hmmm!)
• Got a job at a bookstore/coffee shop (I start officially today!)
• Bought a laptop, which I love!
• Picked my first cherry tomato out of the garden and have cut lettuce once already
• I've read about 4 or 5 books a week so far and made it to midnight a few times because I couldn't put the book down.
• Got the piano tuned
• Went to see "The Producers"-- a summer music theater production
• Visited the State History Museum after driving by it a million times and never stopping. (The Mr. and I spent 2 and 1/2 hours and could have stayed another hour. I love our State, and the museum reminded me why!)
• I've done a short (seemed like forever) bike trip.
• Took the Mr. to a drive-in featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives on the cooking channel. (OK. That wasn't on my list, but it would have made the Mr.'s list--if he made lists! He's more a "fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants" kind of guy.)
• Camped Memorial Weekend, but am ready to go again and soon.
• I've visited the library, taken evening walks, and watched some ball down at the fields. Oh those little ones!! Too cute for words!
• Hiked a new trail at the Bluffs last night

Not bad for it only being mid June. So far, I love this summer!

PS. Chekhov is not one of my favorite authors. In fact, he and Melville make my least favorite list, but that is another list and another post.

Seeing the Sites at a Slower Pace

Wheat fields are beginning to turn in our country. The rain and sun have cooperated with the stewards of the fields. I took a bike ride from home to an RV park near here. Well, when you're driving it seems near. This out-of-shape biker thought it seemed as if I were crossing our state! So...I took a couple of photo breaks on my journey. (Biking tip #1: Snap pictures or at least pretend to, so you can catch your breath!)

Yes, that is my bicycle taking a rest. I have no kick stand, so she goes prone when she's (I'm) tired.

This bike bag holds all the important things: the camera for photo breaks and my cell phone in case I don't think I'm going to make it and have to call for a sag wagon! (Biking tip #2: Have a reliable sag wagon on speed dial!) Let me just say that if I'm going to do a bike trail later this summer, I had better get myself in shape. Since I'm going to have to ride a lot more, I'm sure there will be more biking photos coming. I've got to rest my saddle and catch my breath somehow! Actually, there is no nicer way to see the countryside. We miss so much from our cars!

Rails to Trails Excitement

In 2007, I had the chance to bike on Missouri's KATY trail. Now I am by no means a biking pro, but that trail is wonderful for beginning bikers. Largely flat, it follows along the Missouri river over old railway bridges, through fields, past bluffs and old towns, and has some nice stops at wineries and cafes along the way. Needless to say, I have been following my state's rails to trails initiative fairly closely.

Last night we went to take the Mr.'s mom out for a drive and had a wonderful surprise to see how much progress has been made on the trail down by my husband's old hometown. You could see the trail from the road and a grader/loader was doing some work on one patch of it. There were little piles of gravel or cheat just waiting to be spread on and packed down. I am so hopeful that it won't be long! When it is finished, there will be 115 miles of trail going straight through the state, and we will be only 30 minutes away from a great jumping-on place. (Actually, that jumping-on place will be the trail head on the west side.) I really need to contact someone in this area and see if they have a need for additional hands. I don't have any special equipment, but I could pull weeds or wield a shovel.

It won't be long until it is time to pull the bike out, dust it off, and start putting in some miles again. Ah, fresh air and wide open spaces.