Moving on

Well, life goes on. I got a new bike last week – the stepthrough version of the same bike I've been riding for the last four years or so. I love that bike! When the company that made it was sold last fall, Mr. A suggested that we should really get another one as a backup bike, before the new manufacturer starts changing everything that makes it the perfect bike for me. I'd been thinking he was probably right, but couldn't bring myself to spend that much money for a second copy of a perfectly good bike I already have.

Then last week he emailed me at work. He found the exact bike I wanted, on Craigslist for about half what a new one costs. A guy in town had bought it for his wife, who rode it exactly five miles before becoming "unable to ride anymore" ... I didn't ask for any details about that, just gave it a test putt around the culdesac, forked over the cash and loaded it into the back of the truck.

It really is basically brand new – there was even a little packing tape still stuck to the frame. They also threw in a new trunk bag that I looked up online, which turns out to be selling for another $85. All in all, a pretty great find.

It makes me happy to reflect on how kind Mr. A is to me, how well he takes care of me, always looking out for me and doing things he doesn't really need to do, to make my life easier and more enjoyable. It's a blessing I never really expected to have in my life. It makes me want to be a kinder, more thoughtful and more generous person myself.

We took the new bike and one of Mr. A's mountain bikes to China Camp State Park yesterday, down in Marin County on the San Pablo Bay. It was a perfect, beautiful warm spring day and the first time I'd explored that park – we'll definitely be going back soon to check out more of the trails. The new bike is not really designed for riding off road but it handled surprisingly well and even got an approving comment from a bunch of hardcore bikey guys who passed us on the way back.

Ugh. I ate too much raw cabbage tonight and now I have a terrible stomach ache. They were good cabbages, the last ones from my winter garden ... this is the first time I've gotten a stomach ache like this from cabbage – usually it only happens when I eat broccoli or bananas (which is why I don't eat those things).

So this is pretty much the stupidest entry I've written in quite awhile. I just wanted to leave something a little more cheerful at the top of this blog in case either of my loyal readers happens to check in here and feel depressed about that last depressing entry. A new bike and a great day riding is cheerful, right? Yes! Stomach aches, not so much. I'm sure I'll stop thinking about that just as soon as it stops aching – probably within just a few hours, and definitely by morning.