A Discovery Shared

I rented a scooter. I intended to use it for the street sale which happens once a year. I could not contemplate the amount of walking needed to enjoy the whole thing. In past years, I thought about a golf cart but tracking one down was harder than a scooter.

It's just as well from a couple of reasons. I could never have navigated the crowds with a golf cart, though my grandchildren would undoubtedly have enjoyed the ride. Also, the scooter rental had a minimal charge and that was for a week. It was delivered to the house which solved another potential problem. It is currently outside my door, being charged up and swathed in plastic bags awaiting my pleasure.

I have it for a week. I traced steps yesterday that I have not walked since my children were small. There were places on the main street, Yonge Street which have changed so much since I was last on foot, I had trouble recognizing where I was at a particular moment.

The stalls were a delight. I bought sweaters from Equador for my two little great-granddaughters. Heather Sisman bought me a sun hat that shades my entire face and looks quite fetching, if I don’t say so myself. It stays securely on my head.

When I first bought my cane, I recalled how walkers in Scotland would carry a cane as a matter of course. I read somewhere it was a good for walkers to use a cane. Humans were not originally intended to walk upright The cane aids posture Then there was always the image of the Edwardian - dandy in silk top hats, tails, white gloves and an ebony cane with an ornately shaped silver handle. I have yet to bring myself to the point of buying such an elegant accessory, though I have tracked down a source. My current “dress” cane is painted black with a silvery but smooth metal handle.

I think a cane would be a very fine and practical accessory for anyone to use.

But now my friends, I am about to embark on a different mission. I suspect an electric scooter might very well prove to be a delightful alternative to using a car in pleasant weather. Obvious advantages are enjoying the fresh air, appreciating the place we call home, the cost of gas might certainly be an imperative. A normal association with neighbours would definitely be an advantage and we might never need to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on insane and over the top traffic calming measures ever again. Of course, sidewalks would need to be wider and the width taken from the roadway. That might not be all bad.

While I am sitting here on the computer, the sun is shining and the day is already half over. I am missing all of that. So I think I will get going now to tootle around and rediscover my world from a different perspective.

I am off to buy a tarp to cover my rented scooter.