Six-year-old granddaughter Addi Claire had quite the triumphant weekend as she mastered riding her bike without training wheels.
Friday night I noticed that she was riding the bike pretty much balanced and told her I was taking the training wheels off and would help her ride. But at the time, I did not have a wrench that would work.
Lisa McNeece
Saturday afternoon, she was visiting my sister Celia’s house and watching her grandson Jackson ride his bike without the training wheels. She decided she could, too.
I went and got her bike and took the training wheels off. I told her that I would gently push her down the small hill in our back yard.
When my children were learning to ride, Jo Ellen finally got the hang of it on flat pavement.
Marshall, who was younger and all boy, got the tougher treatment. I pushed him down the hill in the front yard on the grass. He could pedal and ride or fall off in the grass and wouldn’t get hurt.
I wasn’t about to do that to Addi Claire.
Joel, Jo Ellen and I took turns running beside her on the slope in the backyard, and then I realized I wasn’t helping because I wouldn’t let go of her.
Something about being a grandmother, I just couldn’t do it. By the end of the day, she had gotten the hang of it.
There were several wrecks, bumps and bruises, but she absolutely loves it.
The bike riding brought back a lot of childhood reminiscing from the rest of us.
Joel said he learned to ride a bike in Clinton by getting on the bike from a curb, because the bike was so big.
I remembered the worst wreck I had. It was a hot summer afternoon and I was riding at the end of my parents’ drive-way. A bug got in my ear and I hit the pavement. I remember blood streaming down my face from a cut on my forehead. My mother wasn’t home and my dad was in charge. I’m pretty sure he panicked at the site of all the blood, but he never let on. And it did require stitches.
Addi Claire’s biggest wreck Sunday afternoon was caused by her little sister Ellie Kathryn who left two baby dolls in Addi Claire’s path. She cut to the left to miss them and slid under the bike, jamming her thumb.
She took it like a champ and got right back on. I’m sure it won’t be the last one.
Senior Ad deadline is next Thursday, May 14. See the ad in this week’s paper for more information.
The son of Calhoun City dentist Michael Abraham has committed to play football at Tulane University.
Jack Abraham, who will be a senior at Oxford High School in the fall, pledged to the Green Wave a couple of weeks ago.
Abraham, who plays quarterback, led Oxford to back-to-back Class 5A state championship game appearances.
The work-in-progress on the turn lanes of the single red-light in Bruce is causing mass confusion.
Previously the traffic going straight or left was in the same line, with traffic going right in the right turn lane.
When MDOT did their initial painting on the highway after paving last week, they painted a slanted line which seemed to indicate that the left lane would be for turning only, and traffic going straight or right would be in the right lane.
However, there are no arrows to indicate that. Over the past several days, we have witnessed and heard about cars in the left and right lanes trying to go straight at the same time.
Apparently, MDOT didn’t want to paint the arrows in until the red-light was altered with a left arrow, which was installed Monday.
You may email Lisa at lisamcneece@gmail.com and follow her on twitter @lisamcneece