Monday afternoon, I heard a familiar voice in the hallway at work. It was our neighborhood UPS man walking through to unlock the door at the other end of the building. After holding the door for him to unload Sunday School literature, I asked him to see if he had a package headed to my house. Sure enough, there it was: the lowering block and shorter side stand for my new bike.
I called Mr. H, who had the day off, and let him know. He had everything ready for the transformation by the time the parts arrived in his hands. But I had an IMPORTANT mission to accomplish for some friends before the task was finished and didn't get to ride it that evening.
Yesterday evening was El's Middle School band concert, and I still didn't get to ride. Tonight is church night and things were not looking up for me to get on the bike before I turned 51 years old!
However . . . I am married to the most wonderful man in the world!
He is working from home today and suggested that he could ride the bike to me at lunchtime and let me take it for a spin! Oooo . . . great idea!
I was wondering if the weather was going to hold out. I've heard about tornadoes all morning in various parts of the state, but so far, so good.
He arrived and gave me a warning about vicious winds and suggested the road across from the church (which I am grateful has been renamed in recent years to Harmon Pope Road rather than Cemetery Road. Wouldn't that have been horrible to have an incident on my first time out on Cemetery Road?)
Anyway, I took off down Harmon Pope and, for the first time, shifted it up above 3rd gear! This bike is really smooth and quiet. Very nice!
That's when I saw the serpent lying across the road . . . in my lane!
Yes, I squealed.
No, I didn't run over it. I have such a fear of snakes that I believe they have the ability to do incredible things. . . like fold in half when my tire rolls over them, enabling them to reach back and inject me with their venomous fangs. No thanks!
Well, on with my ride, having avoided certain death at the hands (or fangs) of a serpent.
I rode almost to the end of the road, but wasn't sure that I could turn around in the width of the pavement. Most of the driveways down there are gravel and I knew I wasn't attempting that. I saw a cleared patch of hard red dirt on the right side and decided to pull off there and aim myself back toward the church. My intention was to do a three point turn - back up, using my feet to reverse, then pull forward in the other direction. I learned something: I don't have enough foot traction to reverse in the dirt! So v--e--r--y slowly I inched around, with my feet on the ground, because I really DID NOT want to have to walk back up the road and get the guys that had been watching me ride off to come help me pick that bike back up.
And besides there was that serpent in the road back there.
I am happy to report that there was no bike dropping for me today.
I am also happy to report that the maintenance guru checked on the serpent situation and it has been dispatched.
All in all, a good day!
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