Met a Red Head

Over 36 years ago, I met a red head. We were married thirty-five years ago today, on October 27, 1990. I am sure that my life did not go wrong the day I met a red head as Charlie Brown intimates the the cartoon below. In many ways, I feel like Charlie Brown. We both fell in love with red heads, we are both average people . Neither of us are exactly intellectually endowed or athletically gifted, but we persevere. However, meeting a red head sure changed the trajectory of my life.

As I look back, meeting the red head was perhaps the biggest moment of my life, as we fell in love, got engaged, got married, for thirty five years now, and have two children, each of whom have a child of their own. If I had not met the red head in my life, my life would be different. A relationship with someone else would have been different than what I have today. Now I look, and feel like an old man. I noticed it in a photo when I was playing with a Lionel train with our grandson, Howie. I am not sure I always act like an old man (see last week's blog post).

Funny thing is reading the paper Sunday, October 26, I happened to notice four stars by the Leo horoscope, which is, appropriately so, in which my spouse's birthdate falls. Seldom do I read the horoscopes but with the four stars catching my eye, I just had to read it. It read: "Your creative vies are hot this morning, later in the day you will suddenly decide to work hard and be productive. Your might also have ideas on how to improve your health. Tonight: work."  Well, she likes to work mostly in the morning, but yesterday did work later in the day doing her favorite activity reorganizing and downsizing.  She was so successful on reorganizing our food pantry a few days ago she could not find an item. She is the energizer bunny on steroids. My horoscope today ended with "Maintain your possessions."  It is not my possessions I am worried about with her reorganizing, it is me.  She is such a whirlwind of activity, that it cannot be stopped. One would risk their life getting in the way. I am most concerned about getting packed up, or put on the front porch for pickup, more so than my possessions.  I will be downsized out of the house. Perhaps at some point she will wonder what happened to me. She may find me on the porch awaiting pickup, at the curb for free, or in the car waiting for delivery to Goodwill or St Vinnies. If I was at the curb, I may take longer to get picked up than the old ceiling fan a neighbor has sitting at the curb. 

She did have some benefit for the reorganization of the pantry. First, the extra jars of peanut butter are not upstairs, rather than in the basement. It also freed up space downstairs on shelves where we used to keep food (now in the pantry like peanut butter) and opened up space for other things. In using that extra space, she found an item we had been looking for since last winter or early spring. She thinks Somebody put it there. Somebody is that little ghost, like I Dunno and Not Me, that are Family Circus characters. After finding it, she wondered if my son would find the bike shoes that seemingly had been lost in his move from Sun Prairie to Appleton earlier this year. About two hours later my son texted her that he found the shoes in a box with some cookbooks. When you near the end of a move, stuff just gets packed in an open box that has room, rather than another box. My son suggested, with such coincidence, which she sometimes refers to as Godincidences, that she buy a lottery ticket. We did stop at Kwik Trip to pick up some milk, but she stayed in the car instead of buying a lottery ticket.

Fall was the appropriate season for our wedding, as I wrote in the anniversary card I made for my wife, "I keep falling for you." This statement would not have been used if we had a summer wedding, because it would not be relevant. I could probably come up with something to use for another season. Further, with her red hair she would blend right in with the colored foliage. It is like my wife could be camouflaged in the fall. Red heads are rare, less than 2% of the world's population. When on our honeymoon in November 1990 we saw a number of women in Italy who were dying their hair red, so at least then, it must have been something of a fashion statement. 

My wife is one of the most down to earth woman I know. One reason why one of her nicknames is Land Girl. As she said in her card to me, we make a great team. Yes, the damned red head altered the trajectory of my life, and I am glad she did.

"Just Plain Stupid!"

My wife was doing an exercise the other day with one foot against a wall and the other out front, but with the knees bent about 90 degrees. I commented on how difficult that looked. I tried the exercise and found it rather easy. She then said shift your weight to the front of your foot, and at that point it became much more difficult. No, this exercise was not just plain stupid, that is a comment she made to me when discussing core strength.

I noted that when one has planter fasciitis, tears in the tendons of their feet and ankles getting such support on the foot is difficult. The wife noted that it is not so much the foot as the core muscles. She intimated that my core muscles must not be where they should be. I disagreed. 

Bike bridge where I do most of my
hands free biking

I have been doing varied core exercises as part of my bad feet routine for almost five years now, and one given to me early this year involves what is like, so I was told by PT, a reverse plank. I think that has helped my core. I used to do bird dog, but PT told me stop that. In response to my wife and her intimation that I need to do more core work, I said I can ride my bike more than a quarter mile without having my hands on the handle bar. She seemed incredulous that a 67 year old man would ride his bike as if he were a fifteen year old, and commented how I knew I could not have done it last year. I said, I tried and could not get near as far. She then said, "Well, that is just plain stupid!"  I am pretty sure that she shook her head in disapproval, a mannerism with which I am familiar. I am not sure which part she was referring to as stupid, that I tried to ride without hands last year but did noy get too far, was riding without hands, or doing it for a quarter mile? Maybe it is both of the latter. But, I chose not to ask. Better to let it be. 

Now the frequency of when I ride without hands is dependent on a variety of factors, where on the bike path I am, how crowded or busy the path is, the wind and even temperature, and how my feet and ankles are feeling that particular day. I could probably go longer, but a curve, or people get me to put my hands back on the handle bars. I like to think I am rather safe riding my bike. Seldom do I ride in the street without hands, but I have done it on Exchange Street coming back from swim. In fact, last Friday it was a nice day and after crossing the street from the pool drive and getting some speed, I biked hands free most of the way from the pool drive to Farwell St, a distance of just under a quarter mile. When there is a fellow swimmer coming by in their car, then I keep the hands on the handlebar and pedal faster, as if I could beat a car. My favorite place to bike hands free is on the Lower Yahara River Trail, mainly the bike bridge, but also portions of the trail west of the bridge. In fact, on Tuesday, with a strong wind and cool temperature, on my way back from Lussier, I rode hands free, according to Google Maps measurements, just under a half mile (2,300 ft). I would have gone longer but came upon a mom with a stroller. When I come upon people, I grab the handle bars. Most of my distance is limited not by me, but by coming upon someone else. Yesterday, likely due to weather from McDaniel Park to Lussier and back, I only say 8 walkers and 2 other bicyclists.

Part of .9 mi bike bridge

The wife may not have remembered, but earlier in the summer, perhaps August, we were on the front porch and for some reason a similar topic came up and I mentioned that I have ridden my bike for over a quarter mile without hands. I was the recipient of a different statement: "That is not something you should be telling your spouse." I guess it was an overshare in August, but in October it became "just plain stupid." Now, I know that certain things, what they are I am not fully sure, I should not tell my wife. And, in her mind, some of the things I do are just plain stupid!

To be Young Again

The twenty month old squatted down to play with some Duplo pieces such that the diaper butt was less than an inch above the floor. Meanwhile, grandpa, whose bad knees prevent him from knelling too long on a hard surface, much less squat so low, is laying on the floor. It was not just the child's squat, it was the way he rose so easily and then repeated the process as if not a care in the world. While Howie is just two and a half months shy of his second birthday, my birthday falls eleven days before his, but I will be 68.  Looking at him navigate squats and easily maneuver while playing, while I laid there to be near his level, I thought about how it would be to be young again. 

While I could probably squat that low, I am sure my knees, ankles and other parts of the body would hurt. Getting up may be more problematic than going down. If the human body is like an erector set, I think my screws and bolts are coming loose in which a pop could be catastrophic. Just looking at how low he squatted made my hips and knees hurt. I do not think it advisable to try such a low squat, unless I have to.

But, it is not just the squat, it is how if he falls, as toddlers do on occasion sometimes he may cry most times not. Falls are a big concern for aged adults, since they may be difficult to recover. Toddlers seems to have a unique ability to bend and twist with what ever occurrence befalls them. Their extremities bend in ways I do not recall, and only wish.

Times have changed. Howie has his own water bottle. My wife bought a stroller to keep here and when we walked to the park he tried to keep putting the water bottle in the small formed plastic round on the stroller for which a water bottle was intended, but it was too small for his nice dinosaur themed water bottle, whose base was too big. When I was a kid we probably did not have a water bottle. As we grew older we did not go inside for a drink of water, we went to the hose, which is now a non-no. Heck, even during football practice not many water breaks were offered. 

Howie has a nice dinosaur tooth brush. Such things did not exist when I was that age, perhaps because I was born closer to the Mesozoic era than was he. With Smartphones readily available children born today are highly photographed. I am not sure what will happen to all those photos, perhaps go the way of the old slides from 50 years ago. Some are perhaps stored in a data center many miles from the user of the phone.

There are bound to be differences between Howie and when he is 68, 66 years from now. Time differential is huge, but he is a first born, and as we all know parents are more indulgent to a first born, and the last born. I am one of the disappearing middle children, for whom nothing was ever easy, that is if any one even knew you were around. Although, flying under the radar as a middle child may have had benefits of which I was not aware or took advantage of. 

Howie, would let my wife hold him, and I wonder if it is because he recognizes her as a fellow first born. He got made if I tried to hold him. My wife says it is because she has a more tender approach than do I.  However, I am sure my wife was emitting pheromones to Howie that said "Howie, I am a first born like you in addition to being your paternal grandmother." That is not to say we did not have fun. We played with Duplo pieces, trucks and a few times a 1961 or 1962 era Lionel train. The train seemed to either fascinate him, or he viewed it with caution, not quite understanding what it really was. We also had fun at the playground and his exploration of play equipment albeit it a few years ahead of his age. 

Howie is born in a much different era than I. Computers and AI (whether a bubble or not) are dominating and may well take away jobs. The world is much more interconnected. Electronic communication with cell phones and the internet flow information from here to the Republic of Georgia in seconds. My shoes at that age had laces, Howie has shoes that are Velcro. Clocks are now mainly digital and not analog, which makes me wonder in 64 years when Howie has his wellness check for Medicare, if it is still around, what time will they make him draw?

The nimbleness and flexibility of Howie, and other young children, is a wonder to see. Great movements for a grandfather to marvel at as he watches his grandchild grow up. If I was young again, I would not have this experience. But, that does not mean I do not wish my erector set of a body was a bit more nimble.

 

La De Da

My bike rides generally use the same route every time I bike. I bike out to the Lussier Heritage Center and then turn around and head back home. Weekends, as expected, has heavier walk and bike traffic than weekdays. I also find that time frame varies, with generally less traffic around 11:30 am. But, I have no statistics to prove either way. With the increased traffic on weekends, I also see more la de da bicyclists.

For those who are uninitiated, a la de da bicyclist ( a term I coined) is one who rides an electric bike. They are generally easy to pick out. First, they are not huffing and puffing as much, second, they generally sit straight up in the seat since they are not required to put as much effort into pedaling. Third, they generally go up hills faster. Fourth, when they go up hills they have a big smile on their face and are looking around as if no care in the world. I get verification by looking at the bike. Seldom is it difficult to pick out an electric bike.

Regardless of signs, I still see dogs,
with their humans, on the bike bridge

I say generally go up hills faster because that is not always the case. This past Sunday on my ride out to Lussier, I had to stop and get off my bike at a street, since a Toyota driver chose to just sit at the stop sign. Perhaps she was texting. As she finally pulled out, two la de da cyclists came up behind me and passed me on my right (to avoid the car just pulling out). No warning from them at all. I go under the Hwy 51 bridge and up a steep hill to Terminal Drive. The la de daers are well ahead of me, but as I go up the hill I am giving it my all to close the gap. I was within about 20' or less of the la de daers, and felt proud for having closed such a large gap between me and them. They had just zoomed through the intersection as I had to stop. As I bike, I find Toyota and Honda drivers the least considerate. I am not sure why they took so long to get up the hill, perhaps they could not figure out the gear range they needed. They took a short cut to McDaniel Park while I stayed on the designated path on Terminal. They stopped at McDaniel, perhaps to refresh themselves after a difficult hill climb, while I continued on. I came across them on my way back as they were heading to Lussier. 

Part of bike bridge/boardwalk

The same ride every day, so it takes me about the same amount of time. Today, it was a about 60 degrees when I left for my ride and my heart rate only got up to 107, with zero intensity minutes on my Garmin watch. Sunday it was about 12 degrees warmer but my heart rate got up to 125, with 38 intensity minutes. I the only difference in what I wore, is that I wore an Anorak wind jacket today, in an attempt to get some intensity minutes by producing more heat/sweat, but the plan failed.

Part of Taylor Rd Bike path. Intersection with the 
unaware Toyota driver is near bottom right.

While biking the Heart of Vilas trails this summer, the wife and I, we both have analog bikes, were passed by some la de daers. After biking we stopped at Crystal Lake picnic area/beach and who did we see, the same la de daers. I am not sure how far they traveled, but perhaps to Boulder Junction. I guess the main thing with a la de da bike is to make sure you do not run out of battery power. I am not sure how far an electric bike can go on a typical charge, but Google AI told me 20 to 100 miles depending on terrain, speed, weight and height of bicyclist, the battery size and every factor but the kitchen sink. At such a great variation in AI, I think no answer would have been the better answer. 

Dear readers are probably wondering why I refer to electric bicyclists as la de daers. It is rather simple, I see them going up a hill and having no worries or struggle what so ever, looking around as if not a care in the world, and I imagine them humming la de da, la de da... or is it la de dah! I completely understand why some need an electric bike, and that having one gets them outside, but it does not take away from the fact, but for a few electric bikers, they don't struggle going up a hill, and simply can move at their fast pace without a care in the world. Except perhaps for a Honda or Toyota driver, unless an analog biker has cleared their way first.

Scooters

I see them on the road, I see them on the sidewalk, I see them on the recreational path, I see them in parking lots, and I see them in driveways, I have even seen them at the beach. There may be one, there may be two, but there are often many more. I am talking about people, usually children, riding electric scooters. Not the scooters for the handicap, but those children used to use with one foot powering the small scooter. I think they have become a current symbol of suburbia and urbanity. When Segway's came out, it was supposed to be an invention by a genius that would change the world. It never did, and they were simply, as one person said to me, a vertical sofa on two wheels. Has electrification led to that for scooters?

Electric Scooter parked at pool entrance
to the High School, author photo 9/29/25

It was sometime ago that scooters again became popular, but they were the type one had to push with a foot. I recall seeing children riding up and down the streets, sidewalks or recreational paths on the scooters. Because they were human powered, the speed was limited. Today, those scooters have been replaced by electric scooters, some of which can travel up to near 25 mph. 

This summer posts of children on scooters dominated the McFarland Community Facebook page, of which I am a member. Adults, calling out kids, adults complaining about "kids on scooters." Adults wondering where the scooters can and cannot legally be. It turns out they can be on the road, sidewalk, and paths and hence a major issue as they cut across streets at will, keeping a driver alert. They cut across intersections, they cut off from a drive into the street and cross the street. they ride down the middle of the street. I am sure the McFarland Mom's and Dad's Facebook page, (which never allowed me to be a member when I asked a couple years ago to join as apparently an over thirty year resident of the village did not qualify me to join the group) had many more posts. The funniest post was when a young man in his twenties posted that he just saw a group of children on scooters, and they were doing nothing wrong. When one considers the posts on that Community page, you can certainly think this was the outlier. It turns out he was making a joke, at least that is what the wife told me. It was funny, however. He probably got an earful from some parents.

Coming back from book club a couple weeks ago I counted seven scooters, a couple with two persons on them weaving in and out of traffic on Farwell Street. It was rather dangerous, as night was setting in and visibility was being reduced. Last week Friday, school was not in session, God forbid the kids have to go more than two full weeks of school in a row, and my wife said I should be careful on my bike ride at about 11:00 am as the kids were off of school and they would probably be out and about on their scooters. I did not see one child on a scooter, but saw a couple on bikes. I see some students going to and from school on their bikes, but now rarely scooters.

Then there is the adult who talked about the physical fitness children get from riding an electric scooter. I am not sure what he was smoking. The only thing I can think of is core strength from standing, although some now have seats. They could develop core strength from using an old fashioned scooter and pushing themselves. I had to laugh at his post. Another sofa on wheels.

I recently found out that scooters are not allowed to be ridden on the property at Indian Mound Middle School in McFarland. But, in only thinking a school district can have, they banned bicycles from being ridden on the property as well. So, you have to walk your bike. The school sits on a hill almost a quarter mile from the main street it is accessed from. Bikes may be able to sneak around the high school and football/soccer field. When our kids were young they had to park their bikes in a grass area off of Exchange Street and then walk through the grass up a steep hill to get to school. Their shoes and socks would be all wet from morning dew. At some point since my kids attended they moved the bike racks near the school and allowed bikes to be ridden on school property. Until this year when it has been ruined by scooters. Such asinine thinking can only be from a school district with no regard for the benefits of biking. It is like they wish to encourage kids to be dropped off. Our 8th grade neighbor boy is mad because the scooter riders have now ruined it for bicyclists.

Actually electric scooters have been around sometime. In the spring of 2019, I was in Washington DC attending a National Association of Clean Water Agencies meeting and while walking around noticed electric scooter stations, not unlike, they now have for the B-cycles (electric bikes) for people to rent and use. I guess sometimes for an urban professional it could make getting around the city more convenient.

Some people call out kids for bad behavior and then they get called out. It is amazing how mean people can be to one another. There was a situation this summer where a child's mom commented on Facebook about a woman who was driving her car and yelled something at her child on Farwell Street. The description of the woman was that she had "Old lady hair." As a seasoned citizen, I am not sure what constitutes "old lady" hair, probably grey. Or, maybe it was blue. The "old lady" may have been in the right, I don't recall. The woman had complained about a bike on the sidewalk, and suggested the child bike on the street in the provided bike lane. I am not sure how big the bike was, or age of the child, but bikes over 20" are not allowed on the sidewalks. Biking on sidewalks is common in the village, even by older adults. I saw a woman with old lady hair on an electric three wheeler bike on the sidewalk by the gazebo last week. 

As I bike, I wonder how long it will be before I turn up as the guy who did not stop at the stop sign on his bike and crossed the street. The thing is sometimes people fail to see a bicyclist. I had a couple drivers apologize to me for not seeing me and cutting in front of me. Some drivers are nice and will wave you through, others can't wait to cut you out. I am careful to watch out for Honda drivers. 

As I was raking leaves Saturday morning, I noticed a boy with a bike parked by the curb down the street. He was moving the leaves in the curb into a pile. I wondered if he had lost something, but he was simply making a leaf pile in the street. He then got on his bike and ran through the leaf pile. It made me say to my wife, that was something I probably would have done near sixty years ago.  Instead I made ramps and line up old pedal cars to jump over. One time I crashed and the next thing I recall, after going on the ramp, was Dr Behrend and my dad lifting me out of the back seat of the car at the clinic. This past Sunday on my bike ride I went around the cul-de-sac bulb and, as a 67 year old, went through the same pile of leaves the boy had made. I should have raked them into a bigger pile.

I had picked up the leaves in the street in front of our house, because even though the streetsweeper has been on the streets behind us at least five times this fall, it has yet to make our street. Good thing, too, otherwise there would not have been a pile of leaves to plow through on my bike. 

As fall has arrived the scooter issue in McFarland seems to have calmed down. They are not as ubiquitous as they once were. At least from what I see, although I tend to avoid traffic during school times.