Mom Date will get you out of the house. Books, adventures, and coming soon… EVENTS! All the fun is yours for free every Sunday.
The Date on Wheels
Please tell me you still have a bicycle. I don’t care if it’s dusty, flat-tired, or banana-seated. But having a bike somewhere, anywhere means you still have a little spark of childhood wonder inside.
As a kid, getting on a bike felt as badass as revving up a Harley-Davidson. You’d throw a leg over the top while calling out “See ya!” then peel out down the driveway. You’d show the world the size of your cojones as you’d ride in the street - the MIDDLE of the street. Your hair would whip wildly behind your head. Anything was possible.
It’s spring, and giving that trusty old bike a bath is a great idea. Or, if you’re bike is long gone, but you want your hair to wave in the wind as you pop a wheelie or cruise the streets of your town, there are still a few options.
Facebook Marketplace sells used bikes for nothing. There are budget electric-bike options in the $999 range. And - no surprise here - your city library might offer free passes to rent e-bikes in town (I’m currently on the waitlist for a pass).
Phyllis Keenan, the woman in the photos, describes herself as a “quirky old lady who got a bike during COVID.”
I, for one, do have an old Trek I’ll be freshening up in a couple of weeks. Then, I’m gonna ride like the wind (and like Phyllis). Woo hoo!
Thank you, Dom, for the prompt (“Write about something you liked to do as a kid in the spring”).
Recreate This Date
How: Commit to getting your hands on a bike. And a helmet, because it’s not the ‘80s.
Travel Time: You choose how long, how fast, how far. Remember having that kind of freedom?!
Date: Any non-rainy day is a good day for a bike ride.
Cost: As cheap as “free,” thanks to your federally-funded library (I swear I’m already dreaming up the sign I’ll make if they touch my libraries).
Chicago
Speaking of Chicago (the photos of Phyllis make me a little misty-eyed for the city), below is a 7-minute audio comedy clip that will ONLY make you laugh if you’re from Chicago. Comedian Maggie Winters performed this set at a show called Paper Machete at the Green Mill in 2022.
Seriously, don’t even bother if you’re not familiar with the Windy City. But it’s 7 minutes of the things I love about Chicago performers - high-energy characters who fully commit!
Events
I promised some events news. While I’m still finalizing details, here’s what I’ve got brewing:
A moms’ night out to sing together at a dueling pianos bar
A lunchtime comedy show that I’m really hoping catches on because I love my early bedtimes
More details coming as I have them!
I love getting my bike out for the season! I even have a biker gang. We train all summer to ride the Bike MS Jack and Back which raises money to fund research and help those with multiple sclerosis. It’s a good time and there’s multiple distances and volunteer opportunities if you don’t want to ride that far.
I have a bike and I usually don't wear a helmet. How's that for crazy?! (I'm only riding in my neighborhood where there are hardly any cars, but still) We can ride year-round in Florida, and it's one of the few things an old mom can do almost exactly as she did as a young kid. I love it!
Thanks for the memories, Ann!