The Ride Back……..

Four days after surgery I had my bike tuned up.  My bike, my old pal, the thing I had been walking around the last 12 - 15 years.  Just the thing I need to get my knee working again.  I picked it up on Tuesday afternoon in rain storm.  The guy who worked on it did a fantastic job!  If you need your bike fixed here is the link to Old World Cyclery:  http://www.oldworldcyclery.com 

Honestly, I didn't recognize it when I walked in.  Wednesday morning, dusted off the bike shoes, relocating spiders from the dark crevices and strapped them on.  Felt like I was in stiletto heels!  Opening the studio door, I strapped my feet to the pedals and hurled myself out onto the driveway, kind of like the bat cave.   Ok the first curb was a bit disturbing but the knee held up, the butt held up and no blow outs.  OMG! I have a long way to get back to where I was a few years ago.  Whose body is this?  Sitting in the studio for the last 8 months my lower half has just atrophied……. badly.  I glanced in the full length mirror at the Dr's office when they took the bandages off on Tuesday and it wasn't even Halloween yet!

Yesterday I took myself for a 10 mile loop and found myself smiling the entire time.  Smiling so much I caught I bugs in my teeth!  Oh yeah I remember this.  It's is true, your body has muscle memory and my muscles were waking up and not in a nice way.  At the half way point I had relaxed and leaned into the corners, awesome!  

Needed to raise the seat as my legs need more extension, I remembered how, shocking, the brain still has memory too.  Why had I walked around my bike for so long?  OH yeah….. I had a dog and kids and a studio and gardens and chickens…..  As badly as I see myself with another lab now I'm thinking Dorothy and her little dog Toto were spot on, go for a dog that fits in a handlebar basket, perfect!   I mean I could duct tape one of the chickens to the handlebars but then I'd a GoPro camera and I need to wire the kiln first.  

I grew up on a bike.  I rode with the Lake Erie Wheelmen back in the day.  I kept my patch jacket from so long ago.  I rode with AYH.  TOSRV, Tour of the Scioto River Valley, Columbus to Chillicothe and back in a two days.  The Marion Hilly 100…… that's 100 miles.   Those were my formative years.  All that riding got me out of church and sunday school and the rest is history!  A downward spiral for sure and then I found clay……. 

The thing I really like about riding or running or fishing, my brain kicks into creative overdrive.  As I have written in the past, this blog keeps my kids up on life in Paine Falls.  They have no idea the fun they're missing here on the homestead.  Crested Butte, Gunnison….. bah!  

So I got this brainy idea while riding…… Wouldn't it be funny if I took a picture of myself on my bike staged to look like I was speed demon riding.  You know, the person I see in my head.  Hmmm, my camera has a timer and I have a tripod.  I set the work fan on a table and turned it to high, that should make my hair fly in straight back like I'm going 70 mph.  Camera set, fan set…. glitch.  The camera only has a 10 second timer, swore it had 30 seconds, challenge accepted! 

This image is what happens when you press the button on the camera, race to the bike, throw yourself on and wedge that axe handle of seat up your butt.  I did this three times….. twice cutting off my head.  When my neighbor bought the house next door she should have paid an entertainment fee! 

After the 10 mile loop the weather was just stellar, checked the knee, legs were a bit wobbly so drank some water and ate a salad for lunch.  By 1:30 I was grabbing my rod and heading to the river.  

I fished until 6 pm.  Stood in the cold river, walked over stones, caught three small mouth bass and was supremely happy.  One last cast into the rapids and I caught my first steelhead of the year.  16" and full of fight…… my heart was pounding.  I had not been able to fish for over a year.   I know a gift when I see one and this was just the best.  I released it back into the river and hiked back to the truck to clean up for the clay show opening at Lakeland.  If you're in the area of Lakeland college, love clay and need an art day, go see it!!  Here's the info:  Clay show at Lakeland C.C Kirtland Ohio

What a day….. I'm still smiling today.  

Today is Friday and I am headed down to weave at the new place.  The weather has turned with stiff winds, rain and cold.  The thermos is filled and my pack is packed.  Spending the morning hunting and gathering at the Westside Market.  Weave until 4pm then saints be praised I am headed down to Brian Smetzers place to pick up my happy pig, wrapped and frozen.  If you need a happy pig for your freezer here is his website:  http://www.smetzerhomestead.com/default.html

Tonight drinks on the patio with bacon swizzle sticks!  

Welcome October!  

On a note of balance, Mercury does go retrograde tomorrow……  awesome!  Honestly, these two days will get me through just about anything!