The Scooter Lady: May 2018

In 2016, I started a new job which meant a new commute. My previous commute was a 12 minute walk which I enjoyed year-round, in any weather (rain, snow, cold, heat, etc.). I knew my new commute would be quite different but I was determined to find a way to avoid getting in my car and to include some time in nature each day.

Hence, this is where the scooter came into play. So after some research online, I bought a Razor A5 Lux in blue and began playing with it. Fortunately I had a few weeks in between jobs to test it out and pick out my ideal routes.

My commute then included a 1.7 mile scooter ride in the morning through my quiet neighborhood and then down a beautiful bike path full of wild life to where I catch the county bus to work. In the afternoon, I alternated between taking the county bus followed by that same 1.7 scooter ride from the morning or taking the coach bus to the park and ride followed by a 2.5 mile scooter ride on the sidewalk along a busier road. They both had their advantages and I liked the flexibility.

Now you may ask yourself, how much of the year could I really scooter in such a cold weather state? The answer is most of it. The cold didn't stop me. It never has. Snow covered trails would stop me though but fortunately my city plowed the bike paths, so they don't stay snow covered for long. And I don't scooter on wet pavement in the morning as the spray up turns the back of my dress a bit muddy. (In the evenings when I can go home, clean up and change, I don't mind the rain or wet pavement.)

In November of 2018, I moved to a new city, Birmingham, AL in a much warmer climate, where my commute is now 7 blocks. It is amazing to now have a 4 minute commute to work! Such a change from my one-way hour commute in Milwaukee!

Let me tell you how I came up with the name for this blog, "The Scooter Lady". I was downtown Milwaukee afterwork one day riding my scooter. (I don't even remember why I was hanging out downtown that day.) I stopped in the local mall and was carrying my scooter when someone yelled out, "hey there's the scooter lady!" When I told a colleague at work this story, he told me I needed to create a webpage for The Scooter Lady. So without further ado, read on for my experiences commuting by scooter.

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Birds

The birds are so active and fun to watch this time of year. The vibrant yellow of the the goldfinches as they flirt from tree to tree makes me smile. The flash of red as a red-winged black bird catches my eye. The songs of a multitude of species blend together in perfect harmony.

And today I received a special treat. A turkey stood proudly in the middle of the street in my neighborhood. (I have a special relationship with turkeys - as a teenager I was chased by one while out running in northern Wisconsin - don’t worry, I made it up to them when I chased a flock of them with my camera while we lived in Minnesota.)

Wednesday, May 9, 2018

A Rainy Morning

The rain came a couple hours earlier

than predicted this morning. So I packed

a spare dress, put on my mesh tennis shoes

that I knew would dry quickly, and

grabbed my poncho. I stepped outside

and let the overpowering scent of rain

wash over me. As I started down

the path between houses, thunder clamored

above me. The rain had tapered to a light mist.

I removed my poncho, peeling back the layer

between me and the cleansing rains.

My direction was east, towards the lighter sky

that I knew would soon be swallowed

by the darkness as the storms moved in.

Monday, May 7, 2018

Trees

We went for a walk this evening and I really enjoyed seeing the unique and varied trees.

Blooming Tree

Branches to Roots to Multiple Trunks

Yield Sign Tree

Looking up a Weeping Willow

Lost Battle to Construction

Blossoms Catching the Evening Sun

Year Round Christmas Tree

Friday, May 4, 2018

Spring Rain

The evergreen with long needles

stands wide behind the wooden bench.

Spring rain softly falls

on the sidewalk

where earthworms take refuge.

But the pine cones scattered

behind the bench

stay dry.

A touch of blue

peeks behind gray clouds;

Across the street,

water droplets

mixing with the sun’s rays

form a full rainbow.

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