The War Horse

Whenever I see (and almost run over!) the bicyclists in my town, I can't help but think back to when Mom and Dad presented me with my first two-wheeled beauty. It didn't have 794 gears on it like the ones you see now, and back then you bragged about how big and heavy your bike was versus now when the boast is" My bike is made out of razmataz super titanium plus and weighs three pounds!" Having been "Depression Babies", my parents were always sharp with a buck, and this was to be no exception. They wanted to buy me one bike, not 14 like I did for my kids as they went from training wheels to midsize and then successively larger as they grew into them. Dad bought a big red Murray monster that Shaquille O'Neal would enjoy riding today! Of course the plan was for me to "grow into" this bike over time. I will never forget my first biking experience. I have the scars that remind me of it every day! I could barely reach the pedals and while I was concentrating on that, steering the damn thing was an afterthought at best. Dad got me started with the usual push and confident word, I went about 100 feet, and a pine tree as big as a Sequoia jumped into my path. Even today after about 50 years, I still think I have pine bark embedded in my skull. Of course those fancy helmets that make your head look like a torpedo didn't exist back then , so a good concussion was the order of the day if you had a wreck that was bad enough. I bet if I still had that old Murray, I could do battle with a Hummer. (the military one,not the fake). Oh well, I guess I'll just have to dream about the Tour de France. Get a real bike, Lance!

My brother and I talk about two or three times a week and maybe more. He is younger than me by four years, and lives with his family in Seattle. When we were kids, I made his life a living hell! My grandmother never let me forget the time that I took my heel, and ground his hand into the carpet. Since she lived to be over 100, that was a long time of not forgetting. One of my favorite games was called "Goal Line Stand". I actually charmed the kid into playing it, although I can't imagine why he kept playing a game whose object was to break at least his leg and three ribs! If he survived that, there was always the problem of making it through the night. Since our sister had her own room, we had to share one. There were many days where I'm sure that he wished he could divide the room in half with razor barbed wire. Though the light switch for the room was about two feet from my bed, every night I would make him cut the light off even if he were settled in under the covers in his bed across the room.Our kids,nieces, and nephews still have a hard time believing that one. He took many a "frog" in the arm for refusing that duty. Today, I can't tell you how many times I tell people all about my brother, Joe. He was a star athlete in college, received an MBA after graduating from Duke University, and has a fine family to boot. He is a highly successful businessman, and continues to run marathons to this day. I wish I could see him more than I do, and when we both retire, I hope he moves closer to home. Anyway---- Hike that ball, boy, and try for that end zone!

"Every man needs one essential friend."
--- Dr. William Glasser

See you later.

Tim