Saturday, April 18, 2009

Everything's Greener

Oh, today is a beautiful day! I'm wearing my most comfortable, light-weight capri pants and one of my favorite T-shirts, the windows are open... Ahh.

It's mostly cloudy here, but the air is warmer than it has been in years (really, about six months, but Chicago's winters seem infinite) and is, in my opinion, very comfortably humid. When the weather warms up, everything's greener. Well duh, you think, but I don't mean just the buds on the trees and the grass in the backyard (which actually looks mostly dead again!). We are greener, too.

Today we ran our first bicycle errand of the season, and man, it felt good. The gentle hills on the way home were a tad challenging, once our baskets, backpack and the Croozer were loaded with groceries, but I was pleased to find out that I'm not entirely out of shape. And it's nice not to have to rely on the car for little trips like this. In fact, biking to the store is my favorite way to multitask: Running an errand, working out, enjoying this perfect weather and being green. When it's cold outside, we can only run errands. In the car. Pbth. When it's pleasant out, the vegetable garden gets going, I stir the compost pile more often, we walk or bike most places instead of driving, Len completes a bunch of household projects (little improvements, often repairing or making new use of things that would otherwise be trash), we shut off the furnace! It's green, it's great.

So why am I inside, blogging, when it's so nice outside? Just to share one of our small, everyday adventures. Oh, and to drop a reminder: Earth Day is this Wednesday, April 22! This year, try to reduce your impact on the environment by doing something you don't normally do. That could mean not doing something, like driving unnecessarily.

As the plants outside find it easier to turn green with the warm weather, I hope you do, too.

1 comment:

  1. I have to add that my legs felt a little fried afterward. Probably the added poundage (groceries and, well, a few extra on my frame acquired during the winter months) combined with the slightest of inclines.

    It was nice to get out, but you have to watch out for cars that aren't yet used to watching for bicyclists. You also have to get used to people at the store who like staring at you because you're wearing a helmet.

    Also, at $200, the Croozer continues to be a wise investment. If you can't find one online, I highly suggest checking freecycle.org or other online sources; sturdy transports like this are often built by local handymen and cost even less. See picture (to follow).

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