The last two days have been perfect for riding after ten in the morning, but I had to roll out at six in order to make it to my morning walk to the ferry, dropping off my checks in the mail. Work was cleaning up, correcting the diversions from Perfect Branch Library model, doing the inmate payroll and end of month reports and sending to those watching out for us in the far flung corners of Correctionsland. Just as I get the old new books linked and processed and into circulation I start receiving new boxes of books, I lose one inmate clerk to his mother's every two week visit, it was Kairos this weekend, and long distance Dad's graduation. One forgets that the RED ARMY marches in celebration of INTERNATIONAL WORKERS' DAY in Red Square - do they still do that? I am sure there are some remembering the day. I still like the May Baskets from my real youth, those were pleasant and I guess they died because no one could make money on it.
As he leafed through one of the new magazines about motorcycling, which he doesn't do, my token Hispanic worker found a helmet that he thought I should get - it was an Army theme. I told him I would want it only if it had heads-up display, working headlights and brake lights in the helmet and satellite uplink for communications with my able AI assistant in some strategic bunkered location free from government and terrorist interference. But as the day wore down, questions from other branches about Friday usage - in my library it is almost nothing - 257 circs for the three hours open, Monday is always above 750 circs. I share, but we are each different for our populations, weather and schedules are not alike. But I am already thinking of the beautiful day outside the library, the Inmate Inservice Building and the ten foot tall chain link fences with rolls of razor wire on top. Mount Rainier shines, the snow glistening and the sky so clear from me to there. I could get a picture of me on the Trusty Triumph with that as a background yesterday - it didn't happen, I wasn't carrying a camera nor a sidekick with a camera.
I get to the parking lot and take off the ballcap, put on the helmet, sunglasses and gloves, insert key and start the motorcycle up, my blood pressure is already falling to happiness level. I am on my ride, and watching traffic and road surfaces and dancing down the highway. So many fair weather riders are out, and that makes me happy - they represent the best of the two wheeled world. As I go I get some followers, but they part when their destination comes up - the traffic is locked on I-5 going to Fort Lewis, but it always is on Friday evening and I always watch it as I ride the bridge over them, I take the faster seemingly shorter route - one four way stop and three traffic lights and I am on the long light axis - so I cut ten minutes of waiting on lights off of my trip, more government assistance to slow me down safely. I want to roar, twist that throttle way up and fly - even thinking I could do a wheelie! whee! but I am lucky enough never to have popped up in joyous freedom - I would be a puzzled puppy with a big car attached to the wheel I was chasing... if I caught it.
I get home and park, my wife is going to Bible study and I am getting the lawn mower out before I get a notice from the Home Owners Association, I will do the front yard. My loving wife says we can hire our yard done, and it is only a hundred and fifty dollars a month but I think that when I quit cutting my own yard, cleaning my own weapons, filling my mind with mush and other things I call living I will be sitting in the sidecar of life wishing the brake pedal worked I am stamping on, no longer in charge of my destiny.
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