Introducing the turquoise Sportsters, my pirate helmet, and ladybug bicycle bell

Today I got an email from Chris Marshall (friend of Dan's, now friend of mine) that was subject headed Tough Love. This is what it said:

Sky's Blog stats

March

1 post (you just started near the end of the month so this is acceptable)

April

4 posts (about 1 per week. good job!)

May

2 posts (slipping...) and one was only a coming soon notice

June

What will it bring?

----> Insert whip sound here<-----

It's true that I deserve a little whipping. Chris might be the only person reading this- (you're the best Chris!) but if I can't keep my one reader happy, then I really am a complete failure. 

May's been crazy. This past weekend was the first in a month that Dan and I woke up in our own bed with nothing planned. It was both divine and disorienting. We probably asked each other, "What do you want to do?" about a hundred times.  

So first we harvested some rhubarb. Yes! Rhubarb. We have an enormous plant in our little parking spot. What does a rhubarb plant look like? Glad you asked.

Our rhubarb- post harvest. It was more magnificent pre-harvest.

 Here's Dan chopping off the leaves. Rhubarb leaves are poisonous. Who knew?

The harvest:

Pretty impressive, hey? (People always add the word 'hey' at the end of questions like that here. Eh I was expecting but 'hey' was a surprise. Maybe it's all the same.)

After all of this rhubarb-ing, we decided it was time to take our new Sportsters out for a spin. Dan found us these beauties on Kijiji (Canada's Craig's List) for forty bucks apiece.  

That's right. Turquoise his n' hers.

For those of you who aren't married yet, I would highly recommend marrying someone who has different ideas and priorities than you do. I never would have sought out these bikes. Never would have buffed the chrome to such a sheen, or taken them to the Good Life bike shop to tune them up.  But look at those shimmering turquoise bicycles. Am I lucky or what?

Dan never stops beautifying these pups.

Dan also bought me this here ladybug bell.

My 6-year-old niece was extremely jealous of this bell.

This motherfucking ladybug takes no prisoners.

Also, you guys. Check out my helmet.

That's right bitches. A pirate helmet!

We bicycled along the Bow River.  I'm not going to lie to you. The Sportsters are a fast smooth ride.  We leave a turquoise jet stream in our wake. It's a beautiful thing.

Whenever I move to a new city, I seek out my favorite places. This is one of them in Calgary. It's along the river and away from the road.  When you're there, you forget you are in a city. It's quiet. And you're usually alone.

On Saturday it was just the two of us and the Sportsters. With nowhere to go and nothing to do.