Should Have Stayed In Bed

Please forgive the following rantings.

It was one of those days yesterday. I’d planned a few things that I wanted to make sure got done and was hoping to be able to go on a ride with some other folk from church around Noon. Yep, it was going to be a great day. Then, I got out of bed.

I fixed my daily mocha latte and sat down to drink it in peace when the phone rang. My mother-in-law wanted Jonathan to come over and do some yard work for her and I’d told her the night before that I would take a look at the battery in the mini-van she hardly ever drives. By this time it was 9:30 so I told her we’d saddle up in 15 minutes or so and ride over – she only lives a mile and a half away and I want to do my best to make any trip under 3 miles on my bike. The phone rang again, it was one of Curtis’ friends – “Dad, I have basketball practice at 10:30 at Stonegate” (a park that is just under a mile and a half away). So, the plan was now to ride to my mom-in-law’s with Jonathan, work on her battery until 10:20, ride back and pick up Curtis and go to basketball practice. Looks like I was not going to make the 12:30 bike ride out at Shawnee Mission Park. Off Jonathan and I went. I got the battery hooked up to a charger, left Jonathan to help out his grandmother and headed home.

In retrospect, I should not have challenged the big, white, Chevy SUV. It was a dumb thing to do. I pulled up to a four way stop sign at the same time as a small blue sedan that was followed by the SUV. I let the sedan go first and started out into the intersection as it was half way across. I don’t know what the driver of the SUV was thinking but they decided that since the sedan had stopped, they must not have to. They weren’t happy that I was in the intersection and they kept coming, slowly. I guess the glare I gave them finally made them reconsider and they stopped in the middle of the intersection about 3 feet away from me. Again, it was dumb on my part to keep going and I recommend against it. Sure, it worked out fine for me this time – THIS TIME.

I made him home, scrambled for water bottles for practice and off Curtis and I rode. Sure enough, besides the coach, no other adults had stuck around for practice … so I stayed to help out. It was fun, but I figured I was going to be sore after the scrimmage we played at the end of practice. Curtis and I made it home around 12:30 and I got lunch fixed for him. I rode back over to see how Jonathan was doing and ended up doing some more little chores for my mom-in-law. Do NOT get me wrong – I don’t mind helping her out; that is part of honoring your parents and I want to set a good example for my kids… I’d still not gotten over to see my Dad, and he was only about another half mile down the road. I visited him for a while and when I got out to unlock my bike I found a flat back tire. I don’t get it, the tire was fine when I got there.

I never understood the people who mentioned all the flat tires they’ve had because I’d gone decades without a flat. Now, I’ve had three within as many months. I’ve still not taken the tire off to check it out; I’ve got the Mendota standing by for just such purposes.

I could have called Carolyn or I could have called my mother-in-law, but I was mad. I walked the bike the two miles home thinking some pretty dark thoughts about bicycles the majority of the way. Two miles and thirty minutes later I made it home and could finally start working on some of the stuff I meant to be working on all day. We worked on the yard, dinner and the house until around 10:30 p.m. and then I went to bed. Carolyn kept working on the kitchen, but I’d had enough.

Today is going to be a better day. Has to be. So, a quick check of the radar and I’m going to get the Mendota and head over to watch the Chiefs game with my dad. First, I think I’ll check those tires…