This (gardening), That (computers and bikes), and the Other (walking)

1. I did get help cleaning out the side bed back in March. Today the kids and I put in some seedlings from Growing Hope. Later in the evening, I found myself worrying a spot on my wrist. I thought it was a bug bite, but no, sigh, was six or so alarming (well, alarming to those of us who are poison ivy sensitive) red bumps. I went in straight away to wash with the special soap and cursed my stupidity at planting without gloves (I didn't want to hurt the baby plants!). Grrrr...

2. I'm having cord issues. The power cord to my laptop is fritzing out. By standing my head, hooting like an owl and realigning the feng shui of my living room, I finally got it to work so that I can recharge my barely-holds-a-charge battery. And then I sent an urgent message to the tech people on campus and asked them to hurry up on the ol' warranty check they were doing. NEED NEW CORD VERY SOON! But then I am also having cord issues, it seems, with the computer on my dirty bike. In the process of moving my shifters and brake levers around to accommodate my new grips, the dead-all-season computer suddenly came to life... so I jiggled and realigned and tried what I had for my laptop, but to no avail. A couple of glimmers and one reading of 4.5 mph when the bike was dead still, but I couldn't get it work properly. Another day.

3. I've been sucked into the walking (and biking) vortex. My kids' school, with the help of the Ypsilanti Health Coalition is finally getting it together to apply for a Safe Routes to School grant. I brought the idea to the principle over a year ago, but, as he does whenever I mention the wholly inadequate placement and style of the schools' bike racks, he just sort of shrugged at me. But now... now the media teacher is on board, a couple of parents, the school janitor, and the YHC are helping out. We did a walking audit of the neighborhood two weeks ago. There has been a survey about walking and biking that went home to all families. And we just got word today that our request for a concrete pad in front of the school for bolting down bike racks has been approved! (Yes, we still have to find money for the bike racks, but there will be a place for them!!!!) The sheriff and the township planner came to our meeting today and had great suggestions for how we might get some of our wishes met (moving parking away from the school, lighting and adding crosswalks and a shared-use path to Service Dr., etc., etc.). We are staffing a table at the ice cream social next week and putting together a helmet giveaway before the end of school. It is exciting to see things happen -- and happen fast.