Let the Good Times Roll

Let the Good Times Roll

I awoke to a rainy morning here with thunderstorms in the forecast for the whole day, setting my mood.  I’m pretty spoiled with the weather here and was working on a “Plan B” during my 2^nd cup of coffee when I looked out and saw a touch of blue peeking through the clouds near home. Alright, Game ON !

I’ve had three projects I’ve been avoiding and today was THE day to get them done. One was finding my ski clothes in the storage closets we have here (or go back to the other unit – which would take 4 or 5 hours) #2 was a simple TV mount for a LCD we wanted off the dresser the other is the hanging of a 150# mirror. Task #1 required unloading storage closets and digging through storage bins, Task #2 was simply waiting until I could find the mount I wanted for a price I felt was fair. Task #3 was a bit more involved because it requires lumber and taking the mirror down off the other dresser where I placed it when it arrived (unfortunately, scratching the new finish in the process –Another task for another day to repair).

With the exception of the storage closets, I was determined to ride my bike to all the stops as I’m pretty much on a daily regime now. It feels really good to “get out and peddle” after decades of sitting on my butt, behind computers, in cars, or on airplanes. Daily rides are in the 8 to 10 mile range, certainly not Armstrong-esque but enough to get things moving.

When I was 13-14 I used to ride my bike to school and work 9 miles each way. Sometimes I’d do it more than once a day when I had to work at night at a newspaper “stuffing” sections through the night for early morning delivery. Fortunately it was just every 2 days as it made for long school days, but at least it got me out of the house, which was all I cared about.  Must be some muscle memory at play today to bring it all up again.

I had been thinking about the ski clothes for days and was able to go right to them in 5 minutes this morning. Success !! I don’t have fenders on my bike so I was spitting road spritz all the way to the lumber yard. As I pulled up next to all the Big Dude Pick-up trucks I took a spot right next to the entrance to keep an eye on my “wheels”. The front of the store was old fashioned and I immediately knew I liked the place, mostly because it was NOT a “big box”. The sentry/cashier at the front desk was very helpful and pointed to a scrap pile in the back for my 1x8. She also said she’d “watch my bike for $5”.  I walked through the yard to the back and sure enough, they had just what I needed. I gave a guy $5 to cross cut it to my required length, “No man” !! he said as I gave him the money.”Merry Xmas”, I said, “It really helped me a lot” . On my way out I asked the woman what I really owed her for the lumber and she just smiled and said “Merry Xmas”! “What about watching the bike ?“, I asked. “Honey, you go and have yourself a fine day”, she replied. “Hum, think I will” I said to myself as I strapped down 3ft of wood off the back tail.

Obtaining the TV mount required more “busy street riding” than I usually like but with I made it to Costco in good time. I parked in my “usual spot” and was waived in by a “card checker” who recognized me from previous visits. The unit I wanted was in stock and checkout was a breeze. Bungees secured my stack of valuables and the ride home was a bit dryer.

When I got home Edy was in the kitchen cooking. Man it smelt SO good - Indian Veggies, yum !!! She also had Holiday Tunes playing in the background. She looked happy and I could swear I heard a bit of humming coming from the kitchen as I set up my tools.

Task #2 also went quickly and I was surprised that the mount I bought will also accommodate a larger screen which I definitely feel we need after mounting the existing one. I decided to put Task #3 off until tomorrow because I will take Edy up on her offer of help.  Why not keep the good times rolling?