Signs, Signs, Everywhere There's Signs

Road signs, subliminal signs, direct signs, signs from the catcher to the pitcher, signs of spring, and business signs to name a few.

As a soldier, you look for signs as to what your enemy is planning. As women, we are sometimes taught - sometimes learn the hard way, about signs that a guy isn't all that interested in you. I think all of us are currently looking for signs that America's economy is on the mend. As a mother, you look for signs that your infant is content and healthy. As a person living in a cold climate, among ice & snow, you might be looking for signs that warmer weather is coming your way. If you're investing in the stock market, you are on the lookout for signs that your stocks are going to perform well. And as a motorcyclist, you are constantly looking for signs from others sharing the road as to their intentions as well as road conditions.

Sometimes the signs are hard to interpret. What exactly does it mean when you see more than a few spiders spinning their webs in your house in the fall?? At other times, we may miss the signs all together. We didn’t see the car’s turn signal until they were in our lane. And still we may see the signs yet choose to ignore their meaning….  He hasn’t called, emailed, sent a text, faxed or even poked you on Facebook, but you know he loves you… He just needs a chance to see it!!

To make matters even more complicated, sometimes our attitude plays a part on how we read the signs. The optimist sees signs of spring after a long, hard winter; the pessimist sees a shortened summer. The opportunist makes the best out of every nice/warm weather day she has!! It can be as complicated or as simple as you make it.

Right now the B.O.B. Sisters are anxiously looking for signs of spring. I just checked the weather forecast looking for warmer temperatures – sadly there are none at the moment, but I realize this is still only late February. We’ve been planning our road trips, looking forward to riding with each other out in the summer sun! The B.O.B.s are also adding a new sign to our name- the trademark sign.

A trademark, according to Wikipedia, is a distinctive sign or indicator, used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity, to identify that the products or services with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or services from those of other entities. To the left are some trademarked signs that I'm sure you'll recognize - the Harley-Davidson Bar & Shield logo being among them! Now we B.O.B.s will be among that group! The B.O.B. Sisters – Battery Operated Boyfriends, have always been unique, without a doubt!! And now we will have a sign that will prove it to the rest of the world!!

Life is one big road with lots of signs. So when you riding through the ruts, don't complicate your mind. Flee from hate, mischief and jealousy. Don't bury your thoughts, put your vision to reality. Wake Up and Live! ~Bob Marley

I don’t know if Bob Marley ever rode a Harley, but he definitely seems to be expressing a similar thought to the one I’m trying to convey here.

Those that are B.O.B.s have shown the signs that we are here to stay. That we are here for each other, always & forever. And we are a group of women that can seem intimidating if you misread the signs, but take the chance and get to know us - I think you may see us differently once you do. At the very least, I don't think you'll ever forget us!!

The B.O.B. Sisters from our February 2012 Get Together ~ Looking for signs of Spring!!

Spending time with my BOB sisters has to be one of the highlights of my free time. Whether it's as planned get together or an impromtu lets party. Great bunch of friends that I hope to always have around. Plus they dont mind all my strange habits...lol

What do we do now??

So here we are, halfway through January, after our first real winter storm of the season followed by a very cold couple of nights.... waiting....

This morning as I laid beneath several blankets & quilts, impatiently waiting for my space heater to work it's magic, I was fondly remembering the feel of summer grass under my bare feet, smells of BBQ in the backyard with family & friends, the warm summer breezes, being out in the sun with my horse, and of course, riding my Harley. I just checked the weather on my phone.... it's a balmy four degrees Fahrenheit outside, albeit sunny. And the only thing I smell outside is the salt on the roads.

Not that I'm complaining at all about this winter! To date it has been very mild according to local standards. Northern New York winters are legend with snow fall amounts that can sometimes be as much as a two story house!! Having said that, I'm still tired of waiting for the salt & sand to be off the roads and the temps to warm up to a minimum of 45 degrees before I even think about getting Saraid (that's my Harley-Davidson Dyna Superglide's name - it's Irish and it's means "excellent") out of the garage.

So until that day comes, hopefully soon, the best things I can do to keep myself sane are to read books (call me old fashion but I've yet to fall in love with any electronic reader), watch movies, blog, work at a motorcycle dealership, go out with friends & co-workers, chillin' in the house with my teen aged kids, and hanging out with my B.O.B. Sisters. Due to our various schedules, we may not be able to get us all together all at the same time at the same place, but we make do with what we can - even if it's just two of us for a quick dinner. The great thing about it is that during the time I'm with my other B.O.B. Sisters I can be myself! During that time I'm not Mom, co-worker, manager, a women in her forties, an army wife, an event planner, a female motorcyclist or anything else. The B.O.B. Sisters have accepted me for me and I have accepted them for who they are, so when we get together we don't even have to worry about having a good time - we just do! I have found that, for me, it's almost as relaxing as riding.

When searching for quotes about winter, I came across this one:

"During the fall and winter we built Fort Meade and the town of Sturgis." by Calamity Jane. 

Now, for those of you who may not know, Sturgis, South Dakota is the scene of a very large motorcycle rally every August, during the height of summer riding season. Calamity Jane has always been one of my favorite characters in history - she was the life of the party and made do in life with what she was given. After the death of her father (her mother had died one year earlier) Jane found herself the head of her family of 5 siblings. To support them she found work as a cook, dishwasher, waitress, dance hall girl,  as a prostitute at Fort Laramie Three-Mile Hog Ranch and as a scout for the military. Finding out that Calamity Jane may have had something to do with building the town of Sturgis just called to me. (Jane was often found to 'embellish' her own history.) Whether or not she was actually involved, it was a nice reminder to me that many good things can happen during the winter months, even though I'm not riding. And perhaps Calamity Jane would have made an excellent addition to our B.O.B. Sisters!!

New Year = New Adventures!!

As 2012 gets itself off the start line, I'd like to take a moment to give thanks to 2011!

At the beginning of any new year, there are allot of people that make resolutions. In my experiences, I've found those new resolutions to be more about getting things- I'm going to loose 20 pounds, I'm going to get that raise, I'm going to get that new game system, I'm going to travel to that far off country. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that! It's a good thing to want to better yourself. Although I find, that in order to improve myself in the future, I must give thanks to the lessons I learned in the past. For it's the challenges and how we've dealt with them that make us who we are today.

B.O.B. Sister Harleys

It was the beginning of 2010 that I got my first Harley-Davidson motorcycle - a 2004 Dyna Superglide. One of my goals in 2011 was to become a better rider and to put loads of miles on my bike!! Luckily I'm able to ride to my job, during the riding season that is! (A draw back to living in Northern New York State is the salt & sand that appears on the roads after the snow falls...) However, I wanted more than just riding to & from work, and a great way to do that is to ride with a group of friends.

There are a few motorcycle clubs and riding clubs in the area where I live, mostly guys with a "maiden" or female version of their group. And there are a few 'women only' MC's & LC's also. More than a few friends of mine are in these clubs, however - for one reason or another - I just felt like I didn't fit in. The 2011 summer I was invited out to ride with these ladies to Maine. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take all the time off for the trip, but was able to get a few days, so rode halfway with them before turning round & heading back. I didn't know it at the time, but that was my inaugural ride with the B.O.B. Sisters!

This group of women, despite all their differences, have come together to Live, Love & Laugh all while riding their Harleys! I used to think that "Live, Love, Laugh" was just a nice saying to have on a motivational plaque in the office - but it's not. It is a true way of life that I have found with these women.

So before wishing for fun adventures in 2012, I'd like to give thanks for all the wonderful memories I made in 2011 - to include becoming a B.O.B. Sister!!!

L to R: Black Widow, me (Irish), and Halo

BOB sista party at kims

Having our annual monthly BOB sister get together on sunday. Unfortunately our queen mother was unable to be here because of a previous commitment in the florida keys. Lots of good food, lots of alcohol, and good friends.
Wishing you all could be here for a good time, just the girls letting there hair down and planning the summer riding trips. If the winter stays the same as it has been we will be riding shortly.... had mine out last week.....


a real rider is a die hard rider.......alll seasons........