I could get used to this free time thing. Yesterday I ruthlessly took 3 bags of stuff to Goodwill, did a ton of laundry and started to put together the frame for the garden. I didn't finish because using the saw kind of frightens me. I'm not actually afraid of the saw, I just wanted someone to hold the wood while I cut. I didn't want to mess up the wood or my hands :-)

I also listened to this great local show on NPR about bicycling and it made me want to get a new bike. Back in the day, I used to ride my bike quite a bit. Not as much as the coolest housemate/landlord ever Chris F. used to, but I tried. I really liked the whole experience-exercise and transportation in one, plus I didn't have to look for parking or get gas as often. Excellent. But then that whole baby thing. And once we moved here, I didn't feel as adventurous to explore new routes with an extra 20...now 30! pounds on the back of my bike. But I feel like I ought to try.

I have been really thinking about and working on the sustainability thing recently. We already have a solar water heater, Dan installed solar attic fans (that have really made a difference in our house's temperature--we have no AC and it can get a little warm and stuffy during the day) and we will be installing solar panels to provide the majority of our house's electricity early next year, if all goes well (it makes sense, we have that "economies of scale" thing with our 7 renters plus us). In a place that is this sunny, there's no excuse for not taking advantage of it. I'm working on expanding the garden, and Alex and I have been running more and more errands via the jogging stroller (although it's been a little rainy the past couple of days, so the stroller has had a little vacation as well).

So last night I was looking at baby seats for bikes. I saw a few that had the seat in front of the "driver." They looked awkward or like you'd bump them with your legs all the time, but reviews said they were fine, and that they actually kept the center of gravity better since that is where the driver's body is leaning anyway.
I also looked at bike trailers, but they just seem more difficult. I am not very good at spacial reasoning anyway, so I can just imagine going between a lamp post and a newspaper stand and thinking I had plenty of room until the trailer got wedged in between them, or going up a ramp and having the trailer slip off the side because I wasn't centered or something.

Sally, I think you might have some insight about this, and maybe Chrissy, too? Anyone else is welcome to chime in as well. Since we only have one car, it just seems like even more reason to expand our transportation options.