So my day literally started with a BANG. Sophie and her dog bed fell off my bed a full half hour before my alarm was due to go off. It is such a disconcerting thing to be woken by a loud noise, but far worse for Sophie who was jarred from her sleep. I got up and took advantage of the extra half hour to drink some coffee and plan my outing.

My outing would have three purposes. I wanted to bike a fair distance for exercise, go join the gym in Ernée, and make my first trip to the Super U for some groceries. I packed a big shopping bag that I could bungee to the back of the bike and carried my back pack as well. I’m not sure if this bike is heavier than the one I ride in Maine, but it feels harder. Perhaps it’s just the endless hills. I took off toward Larchamp to add some distance and then pedaled the D31 through the fog towards the gym.

The first road I took is less travelled than the D31 and you are more apt to see a tractor than a car. It occurred to me as I passed the corn fields that I could be in Kansas except for the hills. Corn fields were only separated by pastures with dairy cows all looking at me as if completely unimpressed with my efforts. Spaced every quarter or so mile, as if to punctuate the fields and pastures, were frequent large crucifixes with Jesus. I guess at one point it was customary to build these shrines at the end of roads that led to communes. Perhaps they were an indication that “good” Christians lived yonder.

I have gotten used to seeing Jesus just about everywhere I go. Some statues are made from granite, and others from concrete. He is sometimes painted but almost always crucified. There are no baby Jesus statues but the occasional Madonna can be found at the end of someone’s property to provide a bit of diversity.

Now I have learned of and prayed to Jesus in my lifetime. I’m not particularly offended by these statues regardless of my somewhat more “liberal spiritual beliefs”. It actually provides a bit of comfort to see these holy reminders as I pedal up steep hills and try to avoid large trucks and tractors on impossibly narrow roads. It certainly can’t hurt.

Today was a good day. I joined the gym, I bought chicken, dog food, felafel and frozen shrimp. I biked 18 miles and returned unscathed. Praise be.