My Green Weekend

No, my car wasn’t in “the shop” or otherwise unavailable. It was in perfect running order. I just decided not to use it. I know I will be unable to participate in the “Bike to Work” campaign schedule for the first week of June, so I figured this was the next best thing. Therefore, my car spent the weekend tucked nicely into the garage.

Actually, I had some pretty grandiose plans for the weekend. The local paper indicated that there would be a large “garage sale” with “thousands of bikes” available for about $25 each. So, I got up early Saturday morning and walked to the sale. It was about a 35-minute walk and it was totally enjoyable. The weather was perfect, the sun was shining, the birds and squirrels and walkers and runners were active. I really decided I must do this more often. I arrived at the sale at 7:45 am ready to select my new bike. But, by this “late hour” every bike was sold. Well, actually one bike was left, but the tire was so badly twisted that it could not even be pushed, let alone ridden. Disappointed, I turned around and walked back home.

The truth is, I do have a bike. It is an old 3-speed that I bought in 1974. Now, only one of the gears works, and I have no idea which one. The best that can be said for the brakes is that they kind of slow the bike down enough so I can stick my feet down and bring it gradually to a stop. The fenders have been gone for at least 20 years. And, since I had not had it out of my shed in 4 or 5 years, I was not sure if the tires would even hold air. But, since I sort of had my heart set on biking again, I pulled the old bike out, dusted it off as best I could, and filled the totally deflated tires with air. And, I rode it.

I rode it around the neighborhood, just to make sure it could be ridden. Then, I rode to a friend’s house. That night, I rode it to a graduation party, only about a mile or so away. And, Sunday morning I rode it to church and then to breakfast. Yep, I was having a green weekend.

Sunday afternoon I walked to the store. That was not terribly difficult, as it was probably less than a mile, one way. But, the big mistake that I made was stopping to get kitty litter at the Pet Store. I will tell you; even a ¾ of a mile walk is considerably more difficult while carrying a 23-pound box of litter in one arm and a bag of groceries in the other!
But, I am no worse for the wear. Except for the bruises on my butt. And, you will be happy to know that I have no photo of them to post here!