So last weekend was a three day weekend for us due to Memorial Day. Saturday we went up to my dad's grave in Plymouth Nebraska, afterwards we had lunch with my grandma (on my dad's side). It's always really nice to see her as we don't make it up that way very often. My Uncle Ken stopped by to see us to. He's recovering from a broken ankle. And my grandma is still recovering from Pneumonia. She is 91 years old now and is having a hard time kicking it as she has had it since February. She sent us home with fresh rhubarb out of her garden and a far of homemade apricot jam :) She does great for her age. She still handsews quilts, tends to her own garden, does her own canning and mows her own lawn. I hope I am still that active when I reach her age.
We got a surprise call to, Rocky's son needed someone to watch Ramsay for the weekend. After we got back my husband's son and new wife dropped off Ramsay. Ramsay is 11 years old...and is a handful! We've has him over before but it was for one night. This time it was from Saturday night to Monday night. He really is a sweet boy, but he has ADHD which makes it really hard to keep him occupied. It was like every 15 to 20 minutes he would lose interest in whatever he was doing. I was having fun with it until somewhere around the end of the second day...the boy was draining me. I don't know how his parents do it! It would help if I knew him the way I knew my own daughter. I say this because he is a lot like my niece Lexi. Lexi is five and I can handle her for any period of time...but I KNOW Lexi almost as well as I know my own daughter. So I think that is the real issue...I need to get to know him. Plus I feel comfortable getting after Lexi when needed...but not with Ramsay, it's one of those 'where do my boundaries lay?' kind of things. Although I became a little more comfortable about this weekend...he'll push you into it I promise you, lol.
The work week went by pretty quick, especially since it was a four day work week instead of the usual five. Then Friday we went down to Topeka with Harlen, the presiden of the TailDragger's Motorcycle Club that we belong to. He had won the privelege of picking out a motorcycle to ride for 60 days. It was some kind of promotional thing they were doing, he just one of the winners. Well he decided that he already had two motorcycles and didn't see why he would need a third one to drive around even if it was for just two months (of course they will try to sell it to you at the end I am sure...we will see), so he transferred the win to me. Figured I could learn on it and maybe take my test with it since my husbands is too big for me to learn on. How Sweet! It was pretty cool, I ended up picking out a 900 because I figured that was the middle ground, not too big, but not too small to keep up on the highway with other motorcycles. My husband drove it home for me, and the next day...my classes started.
I'll have to say right now that it is harder than I had anticipated...and scarier. I rode it around the high school parking lot a while before taking it on the street. I waited to do any turns until it was clear of cars in both directions. Good thing I did because I crossed the center line a couple of times! I have a LOT of practice before I will be able to take the test that's for sure...especially in turning, taking off and stopping...at least to start with. Then I can start working on backing up and turning around and whatever else there is. I always knew that motorcycles were considered dangerous but I never really understood how dangerous until yesterday. You really have to pay attention to what you are doing...and you really have to know the bike. It takes a lot more skill than simply driving a car. Right now I am kind of wishing that I started with a 750 instead of 900. That way I could hold it up easier. If the 900 starts to tip over there's no way i can keep it up because it is too heavy. I will have to step away from it quick as I can and let it fall, which I hate the idea of because it is a new bike and I don't want to damage it. But it's better it than me. I had taken the test to get my learner's last year, and it expires in about two weeks. I hadn't had a bike to learn on until Friday though. So I will have to retake the test to renew my learners permit because there is no way I will be comfortable enough to take the test two weeks from now. But I will get it! My husband said it is possible to get it by the end of riding season, but I'm not going rush it. It'll be good for a whole nother year and I have pregnancy coming up to think of. As soon as I am pregnant...all lessons stop! I promise :) So, by next June I will have my Motorcycle license! I have to renew my Driver's License then anyway so it'll work out perfectly.
