Yes I Can

I knew rain was sweeping across Texas and also knew it would do some sweeping across here too. I didn't hear it so when I swung open the front door, there it was. Raindrops spattering into pools of water collected on the concrete walkway, the grass a better shade of green and the leaf less branches of the trees dripping onto the circular blocks around it's trunk.

We have rain Houston.

Yesterday I rode the Trek for a while. A perfect windless day connected with a perfect temperature and knowing it would rain today, I hurried to my bike, cleared the odometer and was gone.

Carrie rang and requested I pick her up so I circled back to the house, traded the bike for the car and drove to her house. I told her we would ride our bikes when we got back and she agreed.

She also agreed to eat vegetables when she had her  5th birthday and that didn't happen either.

She lies.

I collected her bike from the patio and bought it around to the driveway. She inspected it and told me the wires were wrong. "Huh?"  "What are you talking about?" I had the husband check it out and he pronounced it safe for use. Her excuse faded.

A few blocks away and she announced her legs hurt. We took a little break. A block later, tears were rolling down her reddened face. "Do you want me to hook a rope to your bike and pull you home?" I asked with a grin. She accepted! "Carrie", I said "I do not have a rope. You pedal and while you pedal you say "Yes I can!" Yes I can"  "pedal hard, pedal hard", "Yes I can". Right there in the middle of the road, I explained that "difficult" is not a reason to give up. I didn't lecture. She's only 5. We sang the "yes I can" song all the way to the house where she quickly dumped her bike and climbed onto her Poppy's lap. She knows where to go for some sympathy.

She spent the night and luck is with her. It's raining so we won't do that bike riding thing today which I told her we would yesterday. Sitting inside is not an option when the weather is perfect for a bike ride and some good exercise.

She has been warned.