For Whom We Ring The Bell

Living in a big, bustling city means that when Daniel and I go on bike rides we do not usually ride next to each other.  Mostly Daniel is in front, and if I understood how to draft off of him, that's what I would be doing.  A bell has become increasingly necessary.  Daniel is too quiet and polite on his bike, in my opinion.  I'm usually hollering, "Excuse us!" to people in front of him.  Or I've also made a "ding" sound like a bike bell.

While my noise making was proving mildly effective, it also seemed slightly uncouth.  Alas, we now have a real bike bell and I'm in charge of it.  It's the kind you have to screw onto your bike and since we don't have any tools, we've slid it onto my gear shifter and I hold it in place with my thumb, while ringing at . . . Well, everything.  I love it!  I ring the bell when we first set off to signal whoever might be near (or far) away that Daniel and I are about to ride!  I ring the bell before we turn corners so as not to hit a possible fellow traveler.  I ring the bell after we've turned corners as a congratulations we didn't hit anyone symbol.  I ring the bell at birds, dogs, lizards, cats and people even if they're across the street from us.  (safety first!)  I ring the bell at walkers, runners and other bikers to communicate, "Move" or "Hello".  I ring the bell when I have something to say to Daniel, or when I haven't rung it in a few minutes and I'm bored.  Finally I ring the bell when we arrive back at home because we're done and because I like to ring it.

The bike I've been riding has also become slightly easier to manipulate since Daniel taught me how to use the gear shift.  A couple weeks ago he was watching me struggle up a hill and asked if I wanted to switch gears.  I had to admit to him that I didn't understand the gear system.  I knew where they were and why they were there, it just made me nervous to switch them around because I do not fully trust this bike I'm using.  "What if the chain falls off?"  had been a thought running through my head.  I can ride with faulty breaks; not so much without a chain.

Did you all notice the super moon a few days ago?  It was so bright that it woke us up, shining through our window.  It was huge and neat.

Hiding behind clouds - bright and shy