"Sorry old girl," I said to [my bicycle] Gladys in the gray dishwater light of early morning,
"but I have to leave you at home."
-- Alan Bradley, A Red Herring Without Mustard
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| Lego Mini Marge Simpson with bicycle 12-28-14 |
"So if you have a bike that's hanging in the garage --
one that you have fondness for but rarely ride --
keep an eye and ear out for someone who may benefit from it.
Bikes are built to be ridden."
--Rhys Newman,
hand-me-up
(noun)"Something, such as an item of electronic equipment,
that is passed from a younger to an older member of a family."
One of the benefits of having kids that are about my size, like Sam, or grown much bigger than me, like Leo, is that I get their hand-me-ups.
My husband and I are repositories for clothes our boys have outgrown, toys they no longer play with, gizmos and gadgets they've replaced with newer, snazzier versions.
My first digital camera was a hand-me-up from Sam. It's where I cut my teeth and cozied up to the idea of digital photography.
I have an old, soft, thick, plaid flannel shirt of Leo's that I wear almost every day. It's keeps me warm when the house is chilly.
My favorite hand-me-up of the moment is a bicycle that Leo bequeathed to me when he got his car.
We bought the bike for him when he outgrew his old one, but before he had a driver's license. He mostly rode it back and forth to football practice when he couldn't bum a ride.
It's a good bike, barely used, and it was just sitting neglected in the garage gathering dust.
So when winter hit and I moved my skinny-wheeled, temperamental road bike to the stationary trainer in the basement, I cleaned up Leo's mountain bike and started putting it to use.
Now, it's my town bike. On mild winter days, I get outside and ride it for exercise. I buzz to the store on it. I have a wire basket that I can put on the handlebars to carry home groceries and stuff. Sometimes I toss my camera in the basket and just go exploring.
It's a substantial, hearty bike with thick nubby tires and pedals that don't require specialized cycling shoes. It's more sure-footed on slippery surfaces, and it gets me out of the basement so I can still enjoy riding in the fresh air and sunshine, even if it gets a little snowy.
Riding a bicycle is one of my all-time favorite "good things." And thanks to Leo's hand-me-up bike and a mild (so far) winter, I am still out there riding one, even though it's nearly January.
