I was out for a bike ride today, and I broke a spoke. The wheel went out of true and started to rub on the chain stay. I haven’t broken a spoke in several years. Given my weight, and the general rough nature of the roads it is amazing that it does not happen more frequently. I went through a spate of them a number of years back. I finally just re-spoked the entire wheel, and the problem was solved. Today I opened my bag to get the tool kit, and it was not to be found. I had taken it out, and had not replaced it. No spoke wrench, no screwdriver, nothing….
It was a beautiful day. I had gone to my parents’ house to check in on my dad, who just had a cataract removed. At the last minute I decided to take my bike, intending to leave the truck and ride home. Sunny and 75 degrees with a mild south breeze was just too much to pass up. It certainly started as a nice ride. Things are starting to bloom. I think this is going to be a year where everything blooms at the same time. We already have the daffodil and crocus blooming. The bradford pear trees are going to be blooming by the weekend.
I had gone about 13 miles when I hit a rock on the road wrong. I heard the twang, and then a thump. I thought that I had flatted, but when I got off the bike I realized it was a broken spoke. A few moments of contemplation, the search for the tools, realization that my choices were pretty limited. I choose to call my parents, who came and picked me up. Moral of the story…always carry the tool kit.
Beauty in the eyes of rural Missourians....
It is also time for the purple fields!
I am not at all sure that it is time to mow the grass. This is not the first person I have seen mowing, but he must really like to cut grass.....
On a sad note, I saw a dead mink on the road today. Like most bike riders, I have gotten accustom to road kill. It is almost a perverse attraction to look and identify what we see on the road. Today I passed a form that I did not immediately recognize, so I stopped and took a picture....
After I came home I looked up pictures and I think it is a mink. I initially thought it was a river otter, that have been restocked in Missouri in the last couple of decades but they have webbed feet. This does not appear to have webbing between the toes. I know it is not a muskrat. After some searching I have decided it is a mink. I know that mink were plentiful in this area up to the early 1800's. I did not know they were around now.....I would welcome any opinions that others might have.....
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