Remember being in school, and the warm weather coming?  How hard it was to concentrate on fractions and polynomials, the civil war and spanish conjugations, when the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and the kickball/baseball/bike/skateboard/tree fort were calling?  Funny how that feeling never goes away, huh? 

Only now it's patients with pain, poopin issues, respiratory distress.... or paperwork, or laundry, or bills to be paid that it's hard to concentrate on... when the bike and the baseball and the beach house and the ocean are calling.  Kinda like the whole "the difference between men and boys is the size of their toys" thing. 

Stated more clearly, I'm sick of work.  Sick of being responsible and nurturing.  I wanna be in the wind, riding and singing and smiling, taking in the world, as the world takes in ME!  Jesus, what took me so long to get to this? 

There's something to be said for making your own happiness.  Another ah-ha moment, is that others can't do it for you.  Not Cranston (the hubby) nor the kids and their successes, not SOLELY doing for others, and certainly not others of the opposite sex.  Thinking generically here. 

Took some pictures today... Gonna take more.  It makes me happy.  The bike makes me happy.  Quilting makes me happy, but that would require cleaning the dining room, and that DOESN'T  make me happy, so scratch that one for now.  Puppies... wonder if I'll see any today.  They make me happy.  So happy I could just cry.  Go figure...

Ride safe, everyone.

Today I went to the funeral of a patient.  As a hospice nurse, I often have the opportunity, and seldom take it, to go to a patients funeral.  This one was different.  Why?  I think I went, to express my love to her family.  Also, selfishly, I went to prove to myself that I am alive, and to LET myself deal with the loss of a lady whose life was quite similar to mine.  She was a Nurse Practitioner, had a wonderful sense of humor, a little twisted a lot perverted, lol.  She LOVED Harleys, and rode a lot with her husband Curt, who she professed was her soul mate.  She loved her children, and everyone around her.  Her funeral was inspirational to me.  It was in their back yard, with a wedding tent, slide show, her favorite 4 songs (Bridge over troubled water, and Patience are the ones I can remember right now.  She and he spent a lot of time out back, around a fire, drinking beers and watching the world go by.  Her daughter and son, Husband and ex-husband, and best friends wrote their own tributes to her, and read her favorite poems, by Robert Frost, both of em.  It was sad, but funny too, the stories shared, the slide show and pics of her life.  As usual, it wasn't sadness about the patient dying, but sadness at the sorrow of the family that got to me.  This lady was wonderful, the things said about her were  very inspirational.  That she was selfless, put everyone first, didn't judge, allowed ppl to be who they were, always happy and smiling, so gentle and intelligent and fun loving. 

I hope ppl say such nice things about me some day. 

What would ppl say about YOU if you were to have your memorial tomorrow???

Well!  Since last post I've put another few hundred miles on my baby.  Almost at 1000 now, and hubby says today we're going for a 3-400 mile ride.  I think he's pulling my finely chaps-ed leg, but we'll see.  (lol)  I'm game.  I told him to bring it.  Only reservation is that it's supposed to rain this afternoon.  "No biggie" says the man with a full ferring.  Gotta remember the sunscreen today, as the ole nose is about as red as it can get w/out blisters.  Got the raccoon eyes thing going on too.  Ah well.  Looks aint everything, and boy am I having fun! 

    Yesterday I went for a ride with my friend and past-foster dad, Terri.  Terri is a great guy.  An old bike racer from the 60s/70s, he's hard core.  I love listening to him tell of the younger years, and his escapades with the guys.  So, he has a few steadfast rules.  Here they are:

• ALWAYS wear your leathers.  ATLEAST a jacket, if not chaps as well.
• Leather boots with a good sole is a must.  Good sole means grips the shit outta everything... not a kind and compassionate girly boot.
• Gloves.  Gloves. Gloves.  Especially for long rides, as they'll absorb some of the vibration. 
• oh yes, Vibration... that's another thing.  Now ladies, we ALL know a little vibration can be a GOOD thing... but when youre riding a bike it doesn't take long for the fingers to go numb.  Hence the need for FOAM GRIPS.  He hasn't sold me on that one yet, because... well, my chrome and black ones are so darned STYLIN. 
• Eyewear... always always always.  (that's a given)
• Curves... now, I got a little lesson on this when we reached our halfway point.  On left curves, hug the outside, on right curves hug the inside.  His rationale is that it gives you just that split second more reaction time, when you can see that itty bit more infront of you.  Personally, I like to hug the middle line for both, but we'll see how that goes. 

So, our ride went fine.  I led on the way up, he led on the way back.  THIS was our destination

                          .

                                Keepsake Quilting

   Anyhow, Dad Terri says, "so, who's the quilter?!"  

"Uh, ME, Dad.  Didn't you know that??!!"  funny, how he knows so much about me in some aspects, but so little in others.  Guess that's why we need to spend more time together. 

So, lastly, about past bike racers.  DON"T try to keep up with them on the curves!  Where as I, a new rider, ease off on the throttle and watch for loose gravel, HE sped UP on the curves, and then backed off to wait for me to catch up.  It was kinda funny, once I decided I didn't need to keep up. In retrospect, he admitted that he was testing me, to see whether I'd be a smart rider and still back off, or be reckless and try to follow his lead.  TOO funny.  It was a great day.  Now I've gotta close, because hubby will be back from getting coffee in a minute, and when he gets back we're leaving.  He gets so annoyed when he has to wait around for me!  (grin) 

Hugs to all, and hope you have a great day!