More on Bike Riding

Today was a beautiful Saturday, so my husband and I got the bikes out and went for a long ride.
We hit our usual destination- Downtown Lakeland. The normal Saturday farmer's market was going on and today was the Veteran's Day parade. I'm glad we went to that, because not nearly enough people did. I wish Americans did more to honor their veterans.

From there, we rode down South Florida Avenue to Michael Rose Hair Designs. I wanted some information on a good gel to put in my hair when I'm flat-ironing it.

Then we were off to Edgewood Avenue, where we were looking for a place to buy some cold drinks before heading over to Handley Park to eat our ham sandwiches we brought with us. We stopped for drinks at a Texaco station that reeked of urine and swore never to go back.

After eating our sandwiches, we eyed a huge swing set and decided to swing a bit before continuing our ride. My husband pushed me to get me going- even though I still know how to swing by myself- then he got on the swing next to me.

Immediately, the competition begins as to who can swing the highest. He's cutting through the air like a knife through warm butter, stretching out his long legs and leaning backward until he's formed a straight line. I'm laughing uncontrollably and just hanging on to avoid falling out of my swing.

Then he starts to slow down because he says- and I quote- "My balls are starting to feel weird."

He slows down and gets off the swing when he spies a pull-up bar. He's always been tall, slim and athletic. He was one of those punks who always won the President's Physical Fitness Award in school. And he reminded me of that right before he said he used to do 20 or 30 pull-ups at a time.

Well, on this day, he did two. And a pitiful excuse for a third. And the faces he made while doing them made me rue the day my digital camera broke, because I'll never get those expressions on film.

We came home, put the bikes away and I went to feed our lone, no-egg-laying chicken, when I noticed she had a guest. A little red banty rooster was strutting around in her pen. I have no idea where he came from, but if I were a betting woman, I would guess he came from the neighbor's yard behind us. We thought we'd been hearing a rooster in the mornings coming from that direction. We ran him off, but a few minutes ago, I saw him wandering around in the pen again. Now they both appear to be in the hen house and I guess he's spending the night. And those two aren't even married. I'm appalled.