The World on Two Wheels

I have always loved bicycles. It was something that to me, always seemed like my own little bit of freedom. I could get on and ride and ride. It would take me to places known and unknown.

I remember when I got my first new bike. I believe my Grandparents bought it for me. A very shiny red 2-wheeler that rode like a dream. It was smooth riding and had no mechanical problems !! One has to remember that the Village I lived in had no pavement whatsoever. The only pavement was the busy provincial highway that skirted the very outside limits of the Village and we were under very strict instructions not to venture on to it for any reason. Something smooth and level apparently was not a good enough reason to get on it. Oh how I wanted to get on there and experience a ride without running into ruts and gravel furrows !! I cannot say with a straight face that I actually obeyed the rules, as I did take a few spins on the shoulder and yes it was everything I thought it would be !! Smooth and level, I could really crank up my speed and let the wind roar !! It was indeed a rush for a little kid.

As far as bikes go, there is often the odd flat tire and I was really not old enough or smart enough to change out a tube. The tires then came with a tube inside of them and instead of having to change out the tire, you just bought a new tube and inserted it into the tire. Sounds pretty easy, but at the age of 10 or so it was not that easy.

My Grandfather during this time had prostrate cancer. He was not doing well, in fact he was dying. Dying faster then any of us wanted. I remember having a flat tire that I really needed to have fixed so I could go riding with my friends. My Grandfather said he would fix it. I was thrilled. Here was my dying Grandfather, in his pajamas and robe, probably not more then 100 pounds, sitting in his favorite green vinyl recliner rocker in the living room. He took that tire and took it off right there in his living room and put in a new tube and put it back on the rim. I guess I never seen the significance of it at the time, but I sure see it now. A dying man, wanting to instill some pleasure in his Grandchild. An unconditional love and a selfless act. He was in no condition to be doing that, but he wanted to. And he did.

So biking to me is not only a freedom, and a time to get away and think about the things of life, but a time to reflect back on the things that stand the test of time. A time to remember and be thankful for those who came into my life early and gave me something to build upon. One spoke at a time.

Real Milk from a Real Man

Coming from the dairy industry, I think I know what milk is all about and what it should consist of. The industry of course, has made countless changes like any other industry in the world today, but basically, the cow still produces the same milk. The same butterfat, the same protein, and the same lactose. Granted there are a few growth hormones thrown in for good measure, but then there are a few extras in everything we consume today.

But really, where has the industry gone wrong? We went from glass to cardboard and then to plastic. What would you rather drink out of? And what will be next?

When I was a kid back on the prairies, the milk man stopped and actually delivered personally, milk in glass bottles. There was the full fat milk which really was milk and not this blue looking skim slop they serve today. And the chocolate milk was incredible. It was rich and dark and it tasted so good. Today it is runny, plastic looking and tasting and has so many extras in it that if I told you them all - you would head right for the commode !!

Down here in the south, the milk does not last. It does not matter what you do, it goes bad before the date that they stamp on it. And really, what does it matter because even if it borders on the good - chances are it will taste like cheap liquid plastic.

Such progress we have made !!!!

Fast Food in a Slow World

Everywhere you go today, there are fast food joints everywhere. You can have just about any kind of cholesterol coating, artery clogging junk you could ever wish for. When I was a kid it was not quite so obvious. I never experienced McDonald's until I was 19 and that was in Edmonton.

In the small town I lived in, there was a little gas station cafe that never made that much but they did create really awesome homemade chocolate shakes, that came in the metal stirring jugs that they were whipped in. Thick and cold and full of full fat ice cream, they were absolutely incredible. They did not come with straws but came with long spoons for the great experience of savoring the thick liquid going down a kid's dry parched throat.

Once in a while and I do mean once in awhile ,we would go to Lloydminster which was a city of about 10,000 that straddled the border of Alberta and Saskatchewan. There you could find two favorites, A&W and Kentucky Fried Chicken. Not KFC but Kentucky Fried Chicken. The A&W actually had it so the car hops came out to your vehicle, took your order and then delivered it. Oh it was good. So good that I still love A&W today. Unfortunately or maybe fortunately there are no A&W's down here in the far South. The closet would be Sonic Drive In's which are pretty good. Dad used to buy us something to eat and then would order a gallon of authentic root beer to go. It was a brown glass 1 gallon jug filled with the real root beer that made A&W famous. When you came back, you brought the gallon jug for the deposit and we would get another one. Of course it never lasted !!

That was pretty much the extent of fast food. Everything else was homemade. Real food not fast food.