Posted March 26th, 2003 by Michelle

Sweet, small buds on the tree just outside my window this morning. It’s hard to believe that last winter might possibly be over. The buds are rust-colored- I wonder what kind of tree it is. It is as tall as my building, so perhaps it has seen half the life that has lived here since 1883. I would love to find a picture of my street from the turn of the century before last, and I would love to know what family lived here first. I wonder if their relatives are still around.

I cannot speak of the war today, just today, since I think of nothing else.

I am on my way into the city to buy a new bike. A new, cheap, hybrid that I can lock in front of my restaurant so I can ride into the city again. My old, beaten up Trek has served me well since 1995, but it is time, quite literally, to put it out to pasture at Ian and Tessa’s farm. There it can live the remainder of its days, cruising past farmhouses and cows, basking in the clean air. That Trek has seen Chicago, Kansas City, Hollywood, New Jersey, New York City, Boston, and the 350 miles between the last two cities on last year’s AIDSRide. It will always be my mother ship. But the gears are far from what they used to be, and believe it or no, there are plenty of hills right here in New York. So away she goes to greener pastures.

My new bike will probably be a Specialized Sirrus hybrid. I spent an hour or two at Bicycle Habitat, down in SoHo, told them my price range (very little) and what I wanted (something that won’t get stolen) and of course they laughed, but understood that I had to give it a shot. So I rode several bikes, and finally the owner said he thought they had last year’s model in a really nice hybrid somewhere in the basement, and that it was an extra small (yes, that is how short I am). And he said he’d give me a deal on it, and after surfing the internet on the model he’s offering, I have to say he’s right. They built it last night, so I will go ride it today, and possibly bring it home.

Beyond that, my mom is in town, and even better than that (or at least tied in the running), it’s the beginning of my weekend. I think I’ll head out and combine the two joys of today.