The Two Wheeler

 

     Even today kids look forward to having a bike, they don't all like skate boards. They start out as toddlers with three wheeled trikes the some will transfer to little bikes that you sit on, they have a seat but no pedal sort of like a scooter. Then comes the two wheeled bike with shinny fenders, pedals and chains. They come in different sizes, colors, multiple speeds and are designed for riding on roads, racing and mountains. All of this about covers bicycles of today but when I was a kid things were a little different.

     Way back in the late 1940's every kid, boy or girl, had a bicycle. I was still too young so I had a tricycle when I was a toddler but eventually I outgrew it and had to hoof it wherever I wanted to go unless a friend would let me ride their bike. You didn't just go out and buy a bike, most kids didn't have any money or a means to earn any, the average bike cost around $35 which was almost a weeks pay.  Writing letters to Santa Clause  was cheaper so he was the go to guy for most deserving boys and girls. Christmas morning was quite the site when you walked into the room and there was a bright, shinny red new bicycle with tassels hanging from the handlebars, a head light mounted to the bright chrome fender and a squeeze horn attached to the handlebars. Boy what a sight that was, at least that was the sight in the toy catalog, my first bicycle was a little different.

     It was the year I entered the second grade so that would have been Christmas of about 1954. I was 7 years old and I honestly don't remember what I wanted from Santa that year but what I got was a bicycle. Pretty much every kid had a bicycle back then, they were like a right of passage when leaving the toddler age and moving into the young kid age, it was preparation for the teenage years. Bicycles meant a newfound freedom for kids, there was nothing like the feel of wind blowing in your face as you coasted down the road, the known world just got bigger.

     But back to my bike. Like I said, I don't remember asking Santa for a bike that year but there it was standing next to the tree on Christmas morning. It wasn't new but it had a new coat of paint, it wasn't bright red but it was a little darker red, it didn't have a light or horn or even tassels hanging from the handlebars, the shine wasn't as bright but it was mine.

    There was a slight problem. The bike was just a little big for me, I guess Santa figured I would grow into it. I couldn't just step up on a pedal and throw my leg over the center bar and start pedaling, I was too short to just grab it and jump on to the seat and start pedaling, as a matter of fact I couldn't sit on the seat and pedal at all. These were minor issues and there had to be a way to overcome them. I don't remember how it came about but I learned to mount the bike by pulling it next to the porch steps, throw one leg over the frame push off and start pedaling, it worked fine until I had to stop then it was push to the nearest porch step, stump or upside down bucket. None of these issues mattered though because it was my bike.

     I don't remember what happened to that bike, I know I didn't have it too long and I can't say that I think of it a lot as a matter of fact, I haven't thought of that bike since I was a kid. The other day I saw a neighbor boy of about three riding his two wheeled scooter bike and suddenly a mental picture appeared, memories are like that.

     

For Generations To Come

 

     In the early years of the 20th century there was a ritual performed by organizations and businesses and school kids young and older that strangely enough benefited people of the future in an informative way, it was the collection of things from the present placed in a capsule then buried or entombed in building foundations and or under monuments. They were called "Time capsules".

     I don't know how they got started, maybe the idea came from the Egyptians who buried their kings in elaborate tombs decorated with hieroglyphic writings of their reins and filled with various items the king would require in his afterlife, often even their favorite wife. Or maybe this ritual came about because there was no TV,cell phones, video games and computers to occupy the youth so somebody said - I know lets fill a mason jar with stuff and bury it so somebody can dig it up later. However it came about burying time capsules was quite popular in the early century.

     There was no regulated size to the capsule nor any specific items that had to be placed inside it. Some school kids buried toys, letters, poems, all sorts of childish things and the capsule would be opened years later when they were seniors. Civic organizations placed specific things to show the future of a life long forgotten by the time it was opened while governments went further with documents and items of importance to the next generations and news items of events of the day. Whatever was placed in the capsules was an indication of a society from the past, not knowing what the future would hold so generations to come would have insight into the past.

     The capsule location was a known fact as was the date it was to be opened which ranged anywhere from a few years to a few decades. One time capsule of sorts was created to show other worlds about life on earth in various languages, recordings and a form of modern hieroglyphics then placed a board a rocket ship and fired into space. Voyager 1 was launched September 5, 1977 to explore the outer reaches of our solar system, at this writing it is still going and in communication with earth but it has left our solar system and sailed into the next. Maybe someday we will know if we are alone or not.

     Back here on earth. I recently heard about a time capsule here in Georgia that caused me to write this story. Olgelthorpe University in Atlanta put together a time capsule in 1940, it is called the Crypt of Civilization that contains thousands of items, including a Lincoln Log set. The thing that sets this capsule apart from all others is the opening date of 8113 some 6000 years into the future. To me it is an optimistic view of the future of this world, hopefully someone will be around for the opening, hopefully not the Eloi and Morlocks of HG Wells imagination.

History Repeats?

 

     Lately, the weather has been lousy with cold, rain, sleet and snow so there has been a lot of time to think and reminisce, just let thoughts wander around in my idle mind. I got to thinking about different events of my life when suddenly it occurred to me that the events I'm living now I have lived before only they are reversed. It's somewhat of a scary thought and I can't help but wonder if history might be getting ready to repeat itself.

     I am the first born of five siblings, on mom's side I am the first born grandchild, on dad's side I am the first born grandson. On mom's side hierarchy was an unknown word, each grandchild was held with the same reverence as the other, there were no favorites but on dad's side it was a different story. I didn't know it at the time but I was the favorite, all of my free time was spent on the farm with granny and grandpa till I was about twelve, as much mischief as I got into I was never disciplined, I could do no wrong. 

     I loved both sets of my grandparents, the time I spent with them hold some of my most precious  memories. Up until I was about twelve, most of my free time (vacations) was spent with dad's parents with a few trips with mom's parents. If there was some discussion about sharing I was never told. When I was born in 1947, mom's parents were in their 40's while dad's parents were well into their 60's and this brings us to the point of this story.

     As I said in the beginning, I am the first born in my family, my son Danny (as I call him) is my first born and he has my first born grandchild Michaela Judy or MJ for short.  When I was born grandpa Riggan was 66 years old, he passed away at the age of 79 when I was 13, when Danny was born Linda and I had been married for 13 years. When MJ was born I was 66 years old, two months ago she turned 13, in three months I will turn 79. See where this is going? Maybe this is a sign to play the numbers 13 and 79 in the lottery.

       I'm not saying I believe in omens but there does seem to be food for thought here if not for a need to be alarmed. Needless to say I will be on my P's and Q's this year, look over my shoulder a little more often and take notice when the hairs on my neck stand up. So the question is, will history repeat itself, is my demise around the corner, who knows but personally I am confident that I will be around for quite sometime yet, my joints creak and muscles are sore but I still get out of bed with a positive attitude and in my book attitude is everything.

     And just to set the record straight, I have two grandchildren - MJ and Matthew, MJ may be the first born but I love them both equally. Even though they are two distinctly different individuals, they each in their own way make me to be a happy and proud grandpa.