My New Bicycle

My husband retired from Snap-On Tools. Several years ago Mark won two really nice commemorative Trek mountain bikes, complete with twenty confusing gears and stiff hand brakes, value new was about $700 each.  Mark rides his bike pretty regularly, but because of my health, I think mine has less than a mile logged on it.

I have rheumatoid arthritis and have had a slew of hand surgeries to replace joints, fix tendons, fuse joints, so my ability to squeeze hand brakes is non-existent. We decided, since my bicycle was impossible for me to stop, a new one with coaster brakes would fit the bill.  We ended up at Sam's Wholesale Club where I got this pretty seafoam green beach cruiser with a big comfy seat. I didn't like the silver mesh basket and so Mark attached my old wicker bike basket. The color matches the seat and drink holder, and it looks really nice.

After probably 40 years of non-riding, getting back into the saddle of a bicycle is a little shaky for me. It almost feels like this bike is too big for my short 5'2" frame, but the manual says it's a fit.  I have a hard time starting off, wobbling all over the road, and going slow makes me unsure too. I ride smoothly with speed, but am afraid of stopping. Turning is scary too, with the required slow down. I have secretly been taking my bike on spins up and down my street and to the next one in our neighborhood when Mark was not home to get stronger and hone my sorry bike riding skills.

After several rides, I gained confidence to ride farther, but had a spill was while turning a corner onto a sidewalk outside of the safety of our neighborhood roads. In my defense, the sidewalk was uneven by two inches due to a tree root grew beneath it, so I was navigating a sharp turn, that bump, plus there was a really poorly placed telephone pole. I hit the pole dead on and fell sideways in slow motion onto the busy street - how scary and humiliating!

The big question is, "Why was she riding on the sidewalk?" Our neighborhood is a big loop with two entrances off of a 40 mph two-lane road that does not have a bike lane. This was my first attempt to do The Big Circle and because I don't have the confidence to share the road with cars rushing past me, my bike and I ended up laying down on that road!  It was only for an instant, but scary enough! I was alone and someone stopped his car to check on this grey-haired lady that can't turn a corner and failed to brake as the pole became an obstacle. I couldn't reach my foot down far enough to stop my bike from falling off the curb and there was no saving the inevitable. I am no worse for wear, with only a mildly scraped knee, no holes in my jeans or damage to my new bike.  It could have been worse and I think a bike helmet is in order.

My Brownie Scout promise is that I will not attempt the full circle ever again! I will avoid fast roads and uneven sidewalks, and I will wear head protection. I want Mark to get our car a bike carrier so we can transport our bikes to ride in the park. If I ever fall again, I want grass to be near enough to aim at as I tumble to the ground.

Our Bathroom is a Religious Experience

Our master bathroom has a huge garden tub and not a lot of room for the toilet.  The tile in the shower has a big cross design, appropriate considering the praying one does getting in and out of that tub to take a shower.  I have planned since day one to tear out that gross, stained, useless tub that was installed when the house was constructed in 1987.  I took a video for Mark when I saw the house for the first time with our realtor and you will see the master bedroom, master bath and kitchen.

We have checked out a lot of options for installing a shower, including the ready made inserts. We settled on a more sturdy and easy to keep clean shower floor and walls made from cultured marble. Mark and I went into the showroom and chose the color we liked in a matter of minutes - a creamy white that is heavily marbled with a beige/tan color. The Atlantic Marble Company website has a video that shows how cultured marble is created.  

Now all we have to do is pick out a shower head and buy a new toilet. That, plus Mark will have to replace the floor tile and hopefully match up the tile on the walls and expand that to the edge of the new shower.  It should be installed in a week or so.