Ladybug

I took a long ride on Friday. Not quite as long as I had thought because I got to 119th St West and K-96 and discovered a dirt road. It's probably okay that I only went 26 miles considering the funeral I had this weekend (split over 2 days) meant I wore suit and heels for three days in a row. And exercise weary legs don't like even the slight elevation of short heels. At least not three days in a row. That's what I've learned.



On the ride home on Friday I noticed a ladybug had landed on my shoe. (Is that a sign I should get the previously pictured bell?) I am not quite sure at what stop she affixed herself to the top strap of my right biking shoe, but there she was. And there she stayed.



I do like ladybugs, always have. I think as a child this was related to the fact that they were still "girl-appropriate" but not of the dreaded color, pink. If I had a scanner I would post for you a picture of 5 year old Amy in her ladybug costume waiting for the church children's musical. No scanner, so you will just have to imagine my cute self.



On Friday I was amazed that my passenger ladybug could hold on for the wind sheer. She stayed on my shoe for at least 5 miles. Maybe the top of a bike shoe is an aerodynamically protected space, I have no idea. I hope it was a comfortable ride and not complete terror considering I did enough by totally changing her universe.



She was a Maize ladybug, born and grown in that almost-Wichita town to the northwest. I finally dropped her off at 21st St N and Tyler, far far from her home. I don't know how much ladybugs travel in a lifetime but I am thinking I took her to parts of the world she would have never otherwise seen. I was sorry she didn't hang on until we made it one more block to the park. That would have been ladybug paradise.



I suppose that ladybugs do what ladybugs do where ever they happen to land. I hope so. In that way it might be nice to be a little more ladybug like.