Unbelievable!

My passport arrived- 11 days after I applied for it! That has got to be some sort of record. I am totally excited that I can go ANYWHERE IN THE WHOLE WORLD. And I will. My nest will be officially empty at the end of the summer, so I need to plan my first international foray. I am thinking a bike tour to Holland...

I have so much stuff that needs to be disposed of- a garage sale is in order. Lighten my load and get rid of stuff that has limited usability. The trick is not to get rid of stuff and then aquire more stuff.

Karma

Tuesday evening when I got home from work, I noticed that my old Schwinn mountain bike (we call it the Dog Bike) was not parked in the yard. Since the kids often use this as a backup bike if they have a flat or something, I didn't think too much about it. When Luke got home, he was riding his own bike (affectionately called the Big Red Machine), and told me that he hadn't taken it, it was outside when he left that morning. I had talked to Jamie earlier, and knew that she hadn't taken it either. It made me sad to think that someone would risk going to jail over that POS bike. The bike was registered with the Flagstaff PD, but all the info was on my work PC, so I decided that I would report it stolen the next day after work, just in case the bike was recovered at some point.

The next day was Wednesday, the day I have lunch with my grouping sisters at my house. Rode my bike home, had lunch, then returned to the Library. As I was walking in the front doors, I glanced to my right, and noticed a Schwinn mountain bike like mine. A closer look reveled that IT WAS MY BIKE! Right in front of the Library, and not secured in any way! So I stole it right back...

I did stop by the Reference Desk and alert them to what I had done and to ask that if anyone had the nerve to ask them to call NAU PD because their bike was stolen from out front, that they call me- I wanted to have a word with them! But no one did. My hope is that someone made a bad decision on the spur of the moment- they were walking by the house and spotted my bike just sitting there (it was unlocked) and took it- and then it got stolen from them less than 24 hours after they stole it from me. And they learned a lesson about honesty and karma. I can hope.

Deliveries by bike

With the proper equipment, doing things by bike is pretty doable. This morning we made lunches at the Food Kitchen. I rode my bike, with my new Carry Freedom City trailer hooked up. It was super easy to lock my bike in the rack, then disconnect the trailer and take it inside with me. After making the lunches, I made two deliveries before heading into work. Nice way to start the day! I think this trailer is going to be really useful- it only weighs like 10 pounds, collapses easily, and is easy to pull along like a hand cart for shopping- plus, it can be pulled by any size bike and I can fold my Raleigh, Pixie, and strap it on top so that I can take it on the bus or the Amtrak.

After work, there is a planning meeting for Bike to Work Week. With all the attention that alternative transportation modes have been getting, I am hopeful that this year the turn out will be good. I love BTWW!

A campus riot...

April Fool! But my most lovely daughter informed me that she was caught up in a rally of about 80 bikes in front of the Union who were shouting "Bikes, not cars!" and other assorted slogans supporting limiting bikes on campus. Hooray for the students! I see a real possibility for change here.
Interestingly, there are people I know who think that I am a total idiot nut-job for giving up my car- I am sometimes one of them, I will admit. It is amazing how sometimes the fear strikes, when you think of doing without something. But I can already see the pluses- better health and physical condition, more money in my pocket, and I feel that I am actually "walking the walk" instead of being on the fence and thinking about it.
I will be glad when my friends get used to my being car-free and no longer feel uncomfortable when I decline their offer of a ride home or whatever- I am lucky that the car sold just at the end of winter when you really do enjoy being out in the air on a bike! Last night was brisk as I left my Bible study, but a few minutes riding (plus that hill on Soliere- it kicked my ass!) warmed me up quickly. I will be glad when I get back into some sort of shape, and it is not such an effort. I know that I am doing something good for myself health-wise.