Scooter in the Sticks

Exploring life on a Vespa Scooter and Royal Enfield Himalayan motorcycle.

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Fork in the Road

February 3, 2018 by Scooter in the Sticks 44 Comments

Vespa GTS on a muddy roadOn Through the Mud

A week ago the Vespa was rolling through some thawing roads, wet and thick with mud, causing me to wish I had taken the time to mount the more aggressive winter tires this season. Pushing the scooter into less than ideal riding conditions seems to be a requisite part of my riding personality.

Or a serious character defect. Who’s to say.

Not long ago I was having a conversation about what drives some riders to clean and polish their machines continually. After every outing. Even on days with no rain, dust or dirt. I’m told that it provides relaxation. I suppose I understand. Washing dishes does it for me.

None of that seems to matter now though. Day six at the UPMC-Susquehanna hospital in Williamsport begins. A long week of watching and waiting.Continue Reading

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Favorite Sandwich

February 10, 2017 by Scooter in the Sticks 14 Comments

grilled chicken sandwich with lots of veggiesSimple Sustenance

Favorite sandwich?  One that I can eat.

Since my heart attack I made some dramatic changes to my diet.  Gone are sandwiches from McDonalds, Wendy’s, Burger King, Chik-fil-A, Dairy Queen, and countless other fast food places.  When I started to look at the fat content it’s no wonder I had clogged pipes.

But it’s not just fast food.  Two taverns a short walk from the house have some outstanding offerings — a prime rib sandwich that I’ll allow myself occasionally, and a fine cheeseburger.  The rare indulgence.  If there’s meat in my diet it’s generally lean chicken or turkey — grilled.

The pictured sandwich comes from the dining hall across the street from my office.  Whole wheat bread, grilled chicken, perhaps a half-teaspoon of mayonnaise, and a pile of vegetables.  No sauce, no dressing, and no cheese.  Low fat.

My favorite sandwich is the one that won’t kill me.


2017 Brave, Bold Blogger Challenge

This post is part of a month long writing prompt challenge conceived by Kathy at Toadmama.com.

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Vegetable Mathematics

February 7, 2017 by Scooter in the Sticks 14 Comments

Vespa GTS scooter parked outside office buildingRiding to Work

The commute to work is ordinary, predictable and without merit or adventure.  I’ve convinced myself, on many days, that there is nothing new to see or experience and that, at best, all I’m doing is going through motions and movements to move from home to office.  In a car, the radio would fill the mental space that it seems many seek to avoid.  On a ride to workI’m often engage is a full scale dialogue about what ails the world.

This morning was fueled by satisfaction related to being on the road again, and on vegetable mathematics.

Sandwich with vegetablesVegetable Mathematics

I’ve made no secret of the fact that a couple years ago I had a heart attack resulting from an important coronary artery being 100 percent blocked.  It was not fun and has had on ongoing rippling effect through my life. The most dramatic and ongoing — dietary changes that are more revolutionary than evolutionary.  An vegetables play an important part.

A high fat diet has given way to one of reduced everything.  And high in vegetables.  At last six to eight servings a day.  This sandwich is typical of a midday meal — whole grain bread, hint of mayo, grilled chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and onions.

My next vegetable fix is often on my mind.  It’s a challenge because my experience with those plant treasures has been limited.

Vespa GTS scooter at sunsetHomeward Pilgrimage

Aside from vegetables, it was good to be riding to work again.  And home.  The days are getting longer and I can navigate the pathways toward home before dark.  The temperatures have risen above the freezing mark and the snow and ice give way to mud and muck.  But it’ s all part of the rhythm of life now.

Like vegetables.


2017 Brave, Bold Blogger Challenge

This post is part of a month long writing prompt challenge conceived by Kathy at Toadmama.com.

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Hard Lesson

February 5, 2017 by Scooter in the Sticks 18 Comments

Vespa GTS scooter on an icy farm laneThe Road is Rough

The lie in the mirror.  Young forever. Until circumstance interrupts the lovely delusion.  There are many events that can shake a person awake and aware that the road is rough and life changes.  A hard lesson.  One moment I’m healthy and able to embrace and endure any task, and then suddenly I’m old and wondering if I can do much at all.

The past year has provided more than a few opportunities for personal growth and acceptance as my body ceased to serve as I have demanded.  The hard lesson, as time passes things change.

I’ve not ridden the Vespa much this winter.  The cold bites harder than it once did and I can’t seem to fend off its effect.  The cold, snowy rides of the past seem almost within reach.

I’m not the man I once was.

portrait of steve williams with portrait of steve williamsYou Can’t Hide.

Delusion and denial, wonderful tools that support insane behavior and allow me to hide from the reality of a change in strength, health and endurance.  Just to name a few.  At times the loss seems relentless and everywhere.  I can avoid thinking about it, pretend nothing has changed, employ tricks and technology to surmount limits, but always I find myself back at the beginning — things have changed.

A hard lesson.

Vespa GTS scooter in the rainInto Each Life a Little Rain Must Fall.

I envy those people who enter their seventies, eighties and nineties seemingly unaffected by the march of time.  Their bodies biologically programmed to endure and perform.  One can only guess at the function of their mind and spirit.  There’s little profit for me to long to be them or covet their gifts.  The march of life just delivers surprises and cloudy days.  Sometimes it rains.

Or worse.

During the past year I’ve had to accept that my spine has degenerated and will potentially change my abilities without warning.  The neglect I’ve shown to my physical self has transformed into a daily evaluation of function and action.  At the end of the day, I’m wrestling with the inevitable changes.  Denial had me thinking they were a decade or more away.  Delusion had me thinking they would pass.

It was twenty degrees this morning and the sun was shining.  In past winters I would have gone for a ride.  Not so today.  Until I acquire some sort of electric heat to my feet I’ll be careful to venture out.

I hate having to worry about this.  I hate the hard lesson of growing older.

For those reading, perhaps for the first time, my apologies for the gloomy thoughts.  If I could get out on the scooter everything would be different…


2017 Brave, Bold Blogger Challenge

This post is part of a month long writing prompt challenge conceived by Kathy at Toadmama.com.

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When Should I Stop Riding a Scooter or Motorcycle — Not Yet!

January 21, 2017 by Scooter in the Sticks 35 Comments

Steve Williams shadow on sidewalkSeeing Your Shadow — What Does it Mean?

“Are you claustrophobic?” The question hints at small spaces and darkness as I prepared for an MRI to determine why my Vespa riding has diminished over the past few months. I closed my eyes as I took my first journey into the small, closed, traditional 23 inch tunnel to examine the lower back and hips. After the movement ceased I opened my eyes to a pleasantly bright expanse of nothingness that was oddly reminiscent of waking in my little one-man backpacking tent. As the electronic buzzing and thumping began I felt relaxed and awash in solitude.

If I’ve learned anything over the past couple years it’s been that there are no guarantees for tomorrow. Best deal with today.

The past few months have unfurled a litany of physical complaints and medical pickles that have interfered with life in general and Vespa riding in particular. When you feel bad long enough the question of when should I stop riding emerges.

Through the windshield on a snowy driveCircumstances That Limit Riding

A freshly painted Vespa sits in the garage sipping from a Battery Tender as it awaits a call to service — postponed by weather, but also persistent back pain that now has a label — severe degeneration of some “stuff” that took awhile to deconstruct and understand with the help of Google and the National Institutes of Health website. The bright side of the diagnosis is there’s no need for more dangerous medication to manage my auto-immune arthritis condition, and I stumbled up an accidental “cure” for what ails me. As my father often said, “Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn every once in awhile.”

Sorel Caribou bootsUnconventional Riding Boots

I bought new riding boots for winter — a pair of big, heavy, bulky Sorel Men’s Caribou Boots. When you ride a Vespa you don’t need to concern yourself with boots that allow foot access to shifter levers and brake pedals. Among the nastier recent afflictions I’ve had to wrestle is Chilblains (also known as Pernio), a condition that affects the hands and feet in cold weather and can cause painful blistering. Last winter, and again this winter, I’ve been rendered nearly immobile by this lovely new visitor. The cure — don’t let your feet get cold. Hence the boots which I have to say are wonderfully warm.

I stumbled upon what I can only characterize as a miraculous cure for my aching, nagging, debilitating back injury — the reclining chair. Normally, I sleep on an embarrassingly overpriced Tempur-Pedic mattress. And each morning I can barely stand up and embark on a process of painful unbending that consumes 45 minutes before I can stand up straight. And the entire day is a series of tweaking reminders that something is badly broken.

Then one night I slept in the recliner — an experience not unlike sleeping in an airplane, perhaps first-class considering the size of the recliner. But in the morning I stood up without issue or fanfare. An experiment ensued and I’ve spent the past five nights in the recliner and I’m almost back to normal. To further test my theory I took a nap this evening on the Tempur-Pedic mattress — just two hours, and I could barely stand up and struggled to do much other than shuffle through the house.  I used to love that mattress but I suppose everything changes eventually.

I’m not sure how I feel about spending the rest of my life sleeping in a recliner but until I experiment with a different mattress I’ll take the good back along with the restrictive sleep situation of a big stuffed chair.

The weather forecast calls for fog in the morning with temperatures rising slowly toward 50F. Perhaps it’s time to take the Vespa for a ride. I’m happy to say it’s not time to stop riding yet.

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