It may be forced, but I’m one of those people now. As the saga of the station wagon continues, I’m on my fourth month with only two wheels. When the engine initially blew, I pined to my sister how I so much wanted to be one of those people who on Saturday mornings would jump out of bed and onto my bike to ride to the farmer’s market, neck stretched to the sky breathing in the morning air.
No, that’s not exactly me. For the first week or so, John ended up driving me and my bike around. I’d have him drop us off at the office in the morning only to call him at quitting time and beg for a ride home. He’s John, so he happily and silently obliges regardless of how ridiculous my requests may be.
The arrangement then turned into me dropping him off at work. For a while, we tried switching out during the day. I had mornings; he had afternoons. We even borrowed a limo. But now finally after four months, all the alternatives to fresh air and exercise have gone. It’s down to me and Mellow Yellow.
A 30th birthday gift from John, Mellow Yellow is the Bentley of bikes. That combined with the Chamber of Commerce weather of late leaves me nothing to complain about…although I sometimes have to remind myself of that fact when my thighs start feeling like boiled spaghetti. But even that’s starting to make me smile. The constant burn has me imagining my upper body attached to Rockette legs. The only real downside is that my $20 farmer’s market budget may have to be lowered.
So I bought more than my shoulder bag could handle, I got to the market before the lines for Maggie’s Seafood and Worden’s Farm were stretching from Main to State Street. There were still farm-fresh eggs left, and after also riding my bike to the bank and the office, my vegetable drawer was filled by 10 a.m. OMG, I’m one of those people!!!
To help stay one of those people, I’m starting a new series of blog posts – The Places Having No Car Will Take You – and I’m going to share my experiences biking Sarasota. In one week, I found a new rec trail and park, spotted a snake and vultures, and had a squirrel run into my front tire. Fun, gross, strange, there will definitely be lots to blog about.
