Showing posts with label bike. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bike. Show all posts

Monday, May 25, 2015

Gratitude Monday -- Poetic Memory Edition

Photo of Jocelyn II, courtesy Terry Utas
I grew up on a farm and it was pretty damned good. I am grateful for all I got to do and for the great memories of it.
Here's a poem that sorts it out better than a whole whack of description ever  could.
_____

Jocelyn

I am an old woman now.
I sit in the sun
and I remember.

I remember how the sun felt on my face
when I was young.
It feels the same today.

I sat under trees
or in them.
I climbed on the combine
and jumped off into the waiting arms of nothing.

I hung from the swingset by my knees for a
fresher view of the world.
And I threw rocks in the creek.

I rode my bike
and sometimes took it apart for fun.
I slept in freshly ploughed dirt
and swam in mud puddles.

I am an old woman now.
I sit in the sun and remember.
And I smile.

______

Jocelyn is my middle name.  When I was very young we had a jersey cow that I named Jocelyn. Using the name for the poem served as an anchor.
Several years cousin Terry offered her internet circle the chance to name the new ranch calves and I had the honour of naming the above calf Jocelyn.

As for being an old woman, I am not even close. That's straight up poetic licence, that is.



Monday, July 9, 2012

Gratitude Monday - I Want To Ride My Bike

I've gotten out for a few bicycle rides lately and it's been good.
My husband and I used to go riding most evenings a few years ago. We'd been gone about two hours or so, and usually went about 12 miles.
But he got a different job that gave him odd hours and put him on call.
I got sick.
I did a bit here and there, but not far and not hard.
This summer I feel so good I'm out several times a week and am building myself back up to a point where I really feel I've done something.
It's not much yet.
I plotted out a 3.5 km route (two miles plus 307.6 yds) and follow it most days. I've been known to shorten it slightly on occasion.
Yesterday I added a bit plus did some of it in 12th gear. It's a 21 speed, so that's pretty good. Despite it being longer by about a block I did it nine minutes faster than I did the regular 3.5 km last week.
Bike riding is fun. It's like flying, or rather, how I imagine flying might be.
I'm grateful to own a bike, grateful I feel well enough and confident enough in that health to go out on my own and to give myself a reasonable workout, and grateful that I can see improvement.
As Freddie Mercury said

Monday, April 28, 2008

Gratitude Monday – Senses of Spring

Egyptian onions poke out of the ground. They're tasty.




We went for a bike ride yesterday. It was the first time we had the bicycles out this year and it felt great. We didn’t go very far, probably less than three miles round trip, but that’s a good start.
I made sure to stop and rest during the ride. I’m happy to be out and healthy and I have no intention of messing that up by overdoing it.
Yesterday was also the first day I could smell spring in the air. I’d forgotten how much I loved that smell. It’s fresh and it’s sweet and it makes me want to stay outside.
Now that the spring snow is melting I could see bits of green growth here and there. We found the onion green and garlic green in the front yard again and ate some last night. It’s how spring tastes.
I’ve smelled and tasted spring and could feel it around me during the bike ride.
It was a simple pleasure and I’m glad to have it.