My Old Bike

Hurricane had his first day at school today. I thought that it was yesterday, because in my mind that made some kind of sense. Not so with the school board however, I guess they feel that it is important to take it slow. Kind of like sneaking up on a deer in the woods, they are a little skittish and likely to bolt if you aren’t very careful.

I thought about calling him today to see how it went, but I kind of felt that this is one of those days that are important for the immediate family to experience together. I am probably way off on this, but I can talk to him tomorrow about school. Come to think about it, I will be able to talk to him about school for at least thirteen years and probably more. Lucky Hurricane!

I hope that his school career is filled with fun and the joy of learning. Not too much fun or he will end up like his Poppa Ken. Kindergarten isn’t that challenging for a bright young guy like Hurricane who is pretty much universally liked and has little trouble making friends. I was a shy little guy which didn’t help smooth the way through school. I don’t think I was stupid, but I did nearly fail kindergarten because I couldn’t learn to skip. I did learn, and even ended up getting detentions later in life for skipping. Make up your minds people!

While Hurricane was at school, Tornado went to a new day home. There was a little worry about whether he would ease into the new place or if he would cause a scene. Turns out there wasn’t much to worry about and everything seems to be going well. I am sure there will be bumps in the road along the way, but for now their family is getting along just fine.

I have been having problems with my bike for the past year or two. Mainly with the derailleurs both front and back. I have had this bike for the past ten or fifteen years and I picked it up second hand then. I am a pretty good garage bike mechanic, but you can only do so much unless you want to actually buy new parts. If I were to buy new derailleurs it would cost me more than I paid for the bike and there is no way that makes sense. So, for the past two years or so I have been keeping my eyes peeled for a new…old bike.

I saw one today at the Mennonite Thrift store, but passed on it. When I got home I couldn’t stop thinking about it at lunch and decided that I would buy it if it were there when I returned. It was! The price was $75 which is ten bucks more than I paid for my last bike, but as I said it had been fifteen years or so and what with inflation, the dollar being devalued and life just not being fair, it probably wasn’t a bad deal. Turns out that Wednesday is discount day at the Thrift store and I drew a 10% discount out of the tub. Still $2.50 more than the last bike, but I can live with it.

 

When I got my new(old) Miele Siena Hybrid home, there was very little that needed to be done other than adjust for my height and leg length, clean the chain and wipe off some dust. It is a little awkward to ride. Everything works! I will get used to that I suppose in time. There is really only one problem. How do I tell my old bike that it isn’t first string anymore?