Back On The Block!

Set wide the window. Let me drink the day.

---EDITH WHARTON

Something bad happened during my routine River Road loop Solo bike ride on April 4th.

The most annoying thing is: we’ll never quite know what.

I rode home, locked up my bike as usual in the shed and went into the house. My wife could see by the shiner under my right eye that I needed help. Off we went to the emergency room.

I remembered nothing of my bicycle ride beyond stopping at a friend’s house for some social distance conversation (me on sidewalk, she on porch) and heading up the trail into Otsiningo park. I had intended to complete our popular River Road loop and I was sighted by two different bicycle club members who were heading northbound as I was southbound on Chenango St., which I don’t remember either. They said I waved and appeared to be riding fine. I don’t remember arriving home, changing clothes, going to the hospital or changing into a gown when I arrived. My memory resumed recalling a conversation with my wife while lying in my ER room bed awaiting tests and a move into a regular room for further observation and tests.

All that time out on the road and “the lights were on with nobody home.”

Just wow!

So there I was in the midst of this COV-19 occupying a hospital bed in Binghamton. Fortunately my son, with his neuro-surgical expertise, had been in close contact with the medical staff at the hospital.

I am now on the other side of my bizarre bicycle mishap...having completed an EEG & CT scan of brain and followed up with neurologist who confirmed my suspicion that there's not a single thing amiss and the mystery of whatever happened early April (some April Fool's prank!) to crack my helmet, give me a shiner and cause waking amnesia will remain unsolved.

But using the same reasoning I used when I had a pacemaker put in and was started on blood thinning meds for my arrhythmia: one can't fully inhabit one's life by living in a bubble...I'm at last resuming my bicycling today, after an interminably long break of almost 2 months of gorgeous cycling weather. I at least dusted off the Nordic walking poles for some walks about town during that time.

Going to take it slow & easy with caution...but forward HO!

I'm Back on the BLOCK! www.youtube.com/
watch?v=uqJ8X28V6sI

We've been blessed to be symptom-free among ourselves and our network of friends and family. I wish I could pronounce us all VIRUS-free but until tests are readily available we'll have to accept the appearance of being free from COVID-19...for which we are grateful!

Don