"Louise"

This was a movie song that Maurice Chevalier made famous, though I've certainly never heard of it. In the accompanying text they do mention the fact that there always seems to be a name song in the popular consciousness. I did try to think of what the contemporary song would be today, but my decongestant-addled brain is not working all that well. It does seem like I'm not dying, though, and merely have a cold.

Today my daughter took large leaps towards learning to ride her bike without training wheels. I felt almost as thrilled as she was. This is the third day straight that my husband has had her out practicing, and her progress has been exponential. I imagine by the end of this week she will barely be able to remember when she didn't know how to ride.

I didn't learn to ride a bike until I was twelve, and it was a bit traumatic to not know up until then. Living in the country, we didn't have ended stretches of paved surfaces, or sidewalks, to help with bike riding. The gravel road outside my parents's home was too unnerving, and this was a long time before mountain bikes were readily available.

I did learn eventually, though it wasn't until college that I came to love biking. Inspired by my boyfriend, I borrowed a friend's mountain bike for the winter, and rode everywhere on it, though snow and ice and bitter cold (thanks again, Liz!). When Liz took her bike back in the spring, I put a down payment on a bike of my own, a sweet little dark green Cannondale mountain bike. It seemed to take forever to pay for it; I finally did so with the help of my friend, John. I immediately hopped on the bike, and went to DC, from State College, Pennsylvania.

Ok, I did hitchhike most of the way, since I was in no shape to bike that far. That was a challenge all on its own, but it did start my adventures with my bike on a good note. I've thought a couple times through the years that I should upgrade somehow, but I've never been able to give up this bike, and there's probably not much reason why I should. I named her 'Artemis', and I used to joke that she was the dearest thing to get between my legs. Until I was pregnant, I rode my bike everywhere, and I've missed it very much. Having my daughter learn to ride a bike herself feels like a gift to me, too. Not only can I share in her joy of accomplishment, but I sense many family trips on bicycles coming very soon.. . .