Quiet day today. My son Thomas arrived and we went for a run.

Yesterday I broke my bike mirror so we ran across town to the bike store in order to see if they had a suitable replacement. The store closed at 2, 20 minutes before we got there. There was a Walmart 1/4 mile down the road and I figured we might as well try that. No bike mirrors there.

We ran back to Charlene’s house through the neighborhood I grew up in. I showed Thomas the grade school I went to which is still in use as a grade school. I showed him the site where the house blew up due to a gas explosion. I showed him greenhouse lane, where there were greenhouses when I was little. I showed him the house I was raised in. I showed him the lot which the town would flood and turn into a skating rink and apparently still does. I told him how we would grab our skates after school and go there and skate almost every day after school. We ran past the post office, where my dad used to work.

In the last few days my friends and family coined a term for the type of upbringing we had. We have decided to call ourselves free-range children. We had the run of the town and beyond as long as we were back at the house for diner. Once I reached a certain age, I don’t think my parents really knew where I was all that often.

In the end I ordered a replacement mirror on Amazon. By the way, there is only one bike mirror available that mounts on a brake hood and it’s not the best possible design, which should be a business opportunity for someone. It should arrive on Monday which is fine as I plan to move on, on Thursday, weather permitting.