Texas summers are not for sissies. One has to be in good health and enjoy the challenges of repeated endurance tests. However, I don’t “handle” hot weather well. I prefer brisk 65 degree weather with a nice sweatshirt.
It isn’t just the heat. Here in beautiful East Texas, it is the cloying humidity that brings us to our knees. I heard the perfect phrase during the weather report on TV last week: Air you can wear!
So, in order to get our exercise, we had to come up with another idea. Larry needed to tone up his muscles after being sedimentary all winter and spring in the camper. He can’t walk long distance, so our treadmill is of limited value to him. He isn’t comfortable riding a bike outside anymore due to balance issues. So, of course, the perfect solution is a recumbent exercise bike.
Rather than buy one at Wal Mart, we decided to buy it from Costco.com and have it shipped here to the house. And it came last week. Unfortunately for the 140 lb. box, UPS doesn’t equip their drivers with hand trucks anymore—according to the driver.
It came off the truck looking like it had walked here from Florida.
It came off the truck in two pieces. Those parts were packed in the box. Part of the box was open as shown below.
The Website said: "Some assembly required." It should say: Lots and lots of assembly required and have extra tools handy too.
This is after about 3 hours labor. The console, pedals, and seat are still waiting their turn to be added to the bike.
Larry assembled the tools, read the book, and worked his way through the process. 
Six hours later—we have a riding exercise bike. Notice the two extra tools on the table—they weren’t listed in the book as necessary tools, smile, but they were! Note to self: Never believe the phrase, "Some Assembly Required."
We are burning up the electronic speeds and logging lots of miles on the console. (Not really, but we are riding it.)
This morning I discovered the Shoe Box had been converted into a condominium. Three tenants had decided the back ladder was just perfect for their homes:
This happened in the last few days. Unfortunately, this is next to the back door—of our home-on-wheels. And wheels are the operative word. We hope to take a few short trips around the area—so I was forced to evict the new tenants before they laid eggs.
And speaking of eggs, I love living in a rural area. We try to buy our eggs local and some days, it feels like Easter again:
This week we were blessed with five brown speckled eggs and two green eggs in our dozen eggs. Life is just like a carton of eggs—some days it is very colorful. And on that note, it is time to say good-bye to May.
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