Saturday, April 14, 2012

Day 14 of 30 days- almost halfway!

It is hard to believe that we are almost halfway through the month of April.  This month has been one of the best I've had in recent years, but also one of the hardest.

Another beautiful day arrived and we decided to hit up Home Depot again, to restock our seed tray supply, solve a fencing problem and generally just have a stroll around.  This time we remembered to take our locks and to strap the little guy in, so that's a plus!

Last time we headed to the Depot I had to stop and have a break halfway, get a drink and rest my legs.  This time, at about the same spot where we rested last time, I found myself feeling tired but managed to push through it.  We think we took about 5-10 minutes of the trip and I certainly felt better and my breathing was noticeably less labored.

We got a car yesterday night, an early 90's Honda Accord and are now looking for a trunk mount bike rack for it. Somehow we have to figure out a way of getting the bikes on it, so we can drive to Portland and visit family sometime this year. Obviously a Honda Accord wouldn't be most people's first choice for a cargo bike hauling vehicle, but this car came from people we know who maintained it well and is as economical as cars generally get within our price point. Honestly, even if we could afford to spend more on a vehicle, I don't think we would opt for anything different. Why spend a lot of money on something that will sit around for 27 days of the month?






We had planned to take Beatrix with us today, but she was not happy with the idea at all and decided to stay home.






I've been wanting a composter for the garden for sometime now and today they were half price, so we grabbed one and some bamboo stakes for the fence we want to make.

Jack really loves his Home Depot shopping carts!




The ride home was beautiful and made me feel very thankful, firstly for the fact that we can coast most of the way home and secondly because we live in an area with broad quiet streets. I feel like I've made such a lot of progress but when I look at pictures of myself I see that I have so far to go.  I do feel hopeful and completely dedicated to this process however, it's going to take many months of hard work but I can see now that it's completely achievable as I continue to push myself and progress.

My next big push will be for the month of May, I want to create a challenge for myself, but I'm not sure what yet.

Tomorrow is a big day for us, it is the day of the local bike ride I've been organizing and planning for a little over a month now. I hope we get a good turnout and that this glorious weather stays for the duration of the weekend.

7 comments:

  1. Isn't it a great feeling, when you recognize it's getting easier than last time? I still enjoy this feeling after winter, when I'm not going too long ways.

    You see, you are a biker, Lindsay! Keep on going!

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    1. Yes- it really is a good feeling Juna. It was nice that Kyle noticed I was riding better too! Thank you!!

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  2. Nice progress! Glad you find a car to fill the bill of visiting family! Nice pics!

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  3. Congradulations on several things...like you said,almost th ehalf way point,new-to-y'all car (I wasn't sure whether to congrat on that one or not,knowing you were car-free,but I'm a car guy 2nd,right after a bike guy so yeah,LOL),and on seeing the fruition of your hard work in planning coming to pass soon! You'll have a blast,enjoy it,my friend :)

    The Disabled Cyclist

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    1. I knew our situation wasn't such that car-free is long term thing for the whole household. But what I do take great comfort in is the differences long term are already awesome- we are certainly car-light as a household with Kyle using the car for a few days a month. He says he loves his scooter too much to be even tempted to drive the car haha.

      I think we get caught up in terms of car-free, car-light, car this and that- when really im looking for progress. If Jack and I get through this year with me never driving and with a few trips in cars here and there with which have a full load doing a specific thing (camping, vacation, hospital for mum etc) then I am absolutely happy and proud of my accomplishments.

      cheers lindsay

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  4. I'm glad that you are seeing results on your bicycling!

    I'm really worried about the Yuba on a Trunk mount! Yikes! I have a heavy duty 2 inch hitch on my Honda Element and a Hollywood Sport rider 4 rack for it... I recommend trying to get a platform style rack that attached to a hitch mount. You really need to be aware of the weight of each bicycle because most higher quality racks have a weight limit on it. Some lower quality racks don't even publish their weight limits. Here is a hitch: http://www.etrailer.com/hitch-1992_Honda_Accord.htm

    Here is a mount that might do the trick but you'll have to remove the bottom rail near the rear wheel or your other bike will not fit on it with the Yuba. http://www.amazon.com/Swagman-Cross-Country-2-Bike-2-Inch-Receiver/dp/B001DMJPLO/ref=sr_1_10?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1333718584&sr=1-10

    I have to use the 2" sport-rider for rack set up for 4 bikes just to get the Yuba and my Bike on our Honda at the same time... it might just be cheaper to go buy a non-cargo bike for you and put a kid trailer in the trunk of the Honda.

    Composting is great! If you want an economical way to compost I use chicken wire for around $20 I was able to buy one roll from home depot and made 5 different compost piles!

    Also on a personal note my blog moved to www.bike4heck.com

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