We have three lines coming into the shop. All three were in use quite often today. The aftermath is seen on the right, as Kevin & Becky take stock of what’s left. Of themselves.Wow. It. Just. Doesn’t. Stop. There is no question that people feel a need for what cycling offers. Since we can’t go out in social groups, the family unit becomes ever-more-important because they’re the only people, those living under the same roof, we’re allowed close contact with. And bicycles have served as a sort of effort-leveling device for young & old. If there are very young kids, say, 4-7, they’ll be on their 16 & 20-inch-wheel bikes with the parents walking behind. As they get a bit older and faster, the parents will be on their cruisers & hybrids, extending their range, sometimes pretty dramatically. Married couples who had never seen so much of each other, desperate to find something new to do, with getting out on a bike being a unique combination of social, exercise and seeing things in a new light.
And so they come to us, bringing bikes that had been sitting in a garage (if they’re lucky) or left outside in the yard, needing tires, chains, gears unstuck and more often than not having to be told “She’s dead, Jim” (immortal line from the original Star Trek). Our repairs are literally a month behind, our floor is running out of bikes. Nobody thought it would be like this. And having to plan our move to the new location at the same time? It’s like, you’ve got to be kidding.
Meantime I’m trying to keep riding as much as I usually would, “celebrating” the reopening of Huddart Park by riding through it on a Tuesday (we normally ride through Huddart on Thursday) with both Kevin (pilot) and Jenny, a local female legend who can hang with the infamous “morning” ride.
Sorry to be off-line for a bit; we had a glitch due to a credit card that has been compromised a while back and changed, but the host for our almost-daily-diary was still trying to charge the old card. Of course, they could have let me know about the issue and I’d have been happy to give them the new info. Instead I had to work things backward to try and figure out what had gone on, and tech support was no help at all. But, I’m back, the site’s back, the world is still there but also still crazy, and Kevin goes in for Brain Surgery this Monday. Yeah, seriously. The gadget implanted in his head that’s supposed to reduce the number of seizures only lasts about 4 years before the battery runs out, and there’s no slot for a quarter where you can unscrew a battery cap and replace it.
I guess the cool thing is that, for a brief period of time, Kevin will literally have a load off his mind. At least for a short while, after they remove the first one from on top of his brain anyway. 🙂
Meantime, the shop remains crazy; being an “essential business” is one of those “be careful what you wish for” things at times. We have shorter hours and yet still feel completely destroyed by the end of the day. There’s something about having to wear masks all day, and climbing stairs doesn’t help. Also very strange how it affects your hearing, even though the mask doesn’t cover your ears? Go figure.
