Sunday was my last day with my car, so around 8 p.m. I drove it over to the gas station in town, filled the tires up with air, returned home, and parked it in front of the garage where it is presently blanketed in soggy leaves. The week prior I'd driven it just once so I felt confident going into this year-long experiment.
Then this week it rained. Steadily.
I have to admit I missed my car. There was one day where I went out to run errands, and I showed up at the grocery store looking a sorry sight. On the other hand, the rain felt good against my skin while I was pedaling through the woods and then town. You don't get that kind of tactile pleasure behind the wheel of a car. But then again, I am a touch vain and didn't like that I looked like a bedraggled rat once I got to the store. On the days it was too rainy to ride, I walked. Yesterday I took two three-mile walks in the woods. It helped that my brother dropped by with his pickup truck and took me over to Market Basket and H-Mart in Burlington for a "big shop."
Today we're supposed to get a respite from the rain. In fact, I see our neighbor's house bathed in sunlight. So today I'll do all the errands I've been putting off: returning books to the library, picking up a prescription, mailing a package at the post office. My enthusiasm for the car-less experiment is sure to return. Everyone gets grouchy after days and days of dreary weather, right?
Hmmmm..rather you than me when it's raining.
ReplyDeleteAnd soon it'll be snow and I'll be missing the rain. ;)
ReplyDeleteI think you should keep a journal of your "year without a car" and then use the notes to turn it into a book. Or blog your experience every day, then turn the blog into a book. Then not only would you be saving money by not operating the car, you would have a potential future source of income.
ReplyDeleteI love the picture of your car all covered in leaves! (It could be the cover photo for your book!)
Kristie, thanks for the compliment on the pic. I took that with my cell phone and thought it looked cool in B&W. And that's an interesting idea re: book. Hmm, brain cells are firing ...
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