Sunny Sunday Stroll

Sunny Sunday after Sunday Morning, coffee and eggs, and two hours sleep. Can't sit still. Must commune with nature. That means ride baby ride.

After six trips to the grocery store yesterday, and a trip to the bike shop to repair a flat (first of the year) I should be over riding, but it's a ritual.

Usual route down Westmoreland, up Stuart, over to Grove then on to Libbie. As I wait in the alley getting my bearings, a young woman in a white SUV slowly passes, with a wink and a smile. That will get your motor started. Press on.

Many couples, and several young women wired with iPods are jogging the early spring exercise routes. This will end as soon as the temperature gets hot. Pasty white and winter weight bouncing along the streets with water bottles in hand.

Then I noticed all the cars leaving from side streets. There must have been a calling. Everyone was leaving their cozy homes to get in their monster mobile machines and wander into the sunshine. And of course, there was only one person per machine. Gas must be cheap now.

So I stop and let the parade of metal pass by. It seems to be happening every block or two. It will take me hours to complete my 10 miles like this.

But I wonder on, warm clear air fills my nostrils and the first smell of green. Those new buds on the trees. The daffodils poking up. Spring is not far away, I convince myself as I slide over the sand and salt left from the traction trucks during the blizzard of '09.

A red truck passes, driven by a clown. No, not the usual clowns who drive these metal monsters, but a full costumed with make up clown. But it wasn't smiling. I thought that was the clown law, you had to smile.

Over the bumpy Park Avenue as church lets out and everyone in their dress up clothes pour out into the street. What will they be doing in an hour?

A turn following a young girl with pink tires and back again.

Stop again for cars stopped in the street. Stop again for people getting out of cars. Stop again for cars turning without signals. Even the black motorcyclist with his boy strapped to his back does a u-turn in black leather.

Finally I decide I'm on the wrong route, so I turn up Cleveland. Past St. Gert's and memories from a bygone time. More stops, so I turn back on Patterson.

The snow is all gone. Even the big snow fort in front of Albert Hill Jr. High. Don't know where all that snow came from, but only a few tree branch lay on the moist green grass. The same young couple run on the tennis courts I learned on.

Over more hills of asphalt where repairs were made on gas and water lines. Makes me wonder if terrorist wanted to infiltrate the public works companies they could plant devices in these repair holes and in a unified event, set off remote underground explosives which would disrupt the gas and water and electricity grids. Power and gas would be a discomfort, but water. No water. Neighborhood would soon be rioting. No have water, not just warm water, but water would bring us to our knees. I know there is a book in there somewhere.

Turn north to the mall for steak burrito and sudsy potion. Ah, Spring is just around the corner.