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 13, 2026

Grocery Shopping

I walked to the grocery store yesterday evening.  Grocery shopping has become an experience for me and less of a chore.  It's nine blocks away and about half of the walk is along a big, active city park.  Last night the local minor league baseball team was also playing at the stadium across from that park so the streets were even more active than usual.

That walk to and from the grocery store forces me into the present moment as I take in all the life around me and the beauty of this city.  It slows me down.  And one thing I've discovered about a walkable life is that getting out and putting one foot in front of the other calms my nervous system and makes me more prepared to handle the challenges of life.  My grocery shopping routine only adds to that.

It will be a different path when I move to Atlanta but I will still be less than a mile from my grocery store so that I can continue this routine.

I've invested in a really good cart to make transporting the groceries so easy.  The brand name is CLAX.  It is a German-made product that is durable and collapses flat to store easily under my bed.  It came with one removable and collapsable crate for the top and I bought a second for the bottom.  When my now ex-husband and I split, as silly as this may sound, this was the item I cared about the most as we divided our possessions.


One thing I love about this cart is that there really is no need to bag anything so I don't have to worry about disposing all that single-use plastic or remembering to bring my own cloth bags.  I don't even use the single use produce bags unless they are necessary for a lot of really small items or something more sensitive like lettuce.  Avocados, cucumbers, large tomatoes, etc. go directly in my cart.  Another thing I love about this cart is that it can be wheeled directly into my kitchen so that groceries can be put directly away.  

It's also a really interesting conversation piece.  Checkers, cashiers, other shoppers - rarely does a grocery store trip occur without some comment from someone.  Since regaining my energy after the divorce, I have actually come to enjoy those little interactions with strangers.  It makes me feel more connected to a community.



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