Spontaneous Ride on an Absolutely Beautiful Autumn Day

This afternoon I took a little ride up to the closest local grocery store in a village about 7 miles from my house. It was to be an errand ride to get dog food, laundry detergent, salted peanuts, granola bars, bath soap- that kind of stuff.

After I did the shopping and loaded up the scoot's saddle bags and basket I just decided to keep on riding. I headed up a 2 lane back road between villages and hit the next village over to take a look-see at the new local antique shop that opened last month. I wasn't sure where it was so I did a little cruisin' on Scootie to try to locate it.

I stopped at a gorgeous old Victorian style house in the middle of town and thought that this was in fact the new shop. Turns out it wasn't, but the place was decorated in "country motif" and could have easily passed as an antique shop or bed and breakfast. It was neither.

The older lady who came to the door directed me to the real shop up the road "about a mile" and I pulled into a residential driveway that had a sign pointing to the back. There was a tiny little cottage-like structure and it was decorated in this same country style.

Cute little place, barely bigger than a phone booth from my childhood. No one was there and no one came out, so I browsed a bit and then left, feeling awkward with being on their property while they seemingly were away.

After that I headed out of the village via another 2 lane road that winds along a creek and down through hollers and gulleys. Just a beautiful ride. The leaves are just beginning to turn and it is breath-taking. Scootie was cruising along at 30-35 mph but it felt like 70 on a 49cc. A blast!

As I was going down a hill I looked to my right and saw a bay horse standing in this creek, which seemed odd. I stopped and checked him out and realized this horse had no where to go to get out of where he was standing. Or at least I couldn't see it. Sharp ravine and cliff walls leading down the creek and a fence on the road side.

So I figured he somehow got lost or was stuck. I explored the road and found the next house back and went up there and spoke with the Amish lady who lived there.

She was very friendly and was concerned as I told her about this horse and my worry that he was stuck. Turns out it is their horse and he sometimes got stuck down there! So she thanked me and said she would send her husband down to find him as soon as he returned from the field.

I then rode on and passed the horse and wished him well. Got back home and found I'd done about 45 miles. My groceries enjoyed touring the county too! I only wished I'd had my camera along to take some shots, but will do so next time!

Magic Carpet Ride...

From time to time this summer I've flirted with the idea of letting my Ruckus go in order to move up to a larger scooter. All summer I've had it on Craigslist yet got no calls.

On Saturday evening I got a call from a man who said he definitely wanted it and would come and pick it up on Sunday at 10am. He did not haggle with my set price and said he wanted to turn it into a "pit bike".

I said, yes, come on, and he said he would call for directions on the way in the morning. After the call ended my blood ran cold with apprehension about whether I was doing the right thing selling my Ruckus. I had gotten used to the idea that I would not be selling it after all, only adding a larger scooter next season. Well, now I had a buyer, finally.

And I was not happy. Oh, we needed the money, no doubt. I have been looking for gainful employment and finding no takers these last months. Times are rough and jobs are few and older scooter riders are not in high demand! LOL

In all this challenge my scooter has come to mean more than just a machine made of metal and rubber sitting out in my garage. It has come to mean freedom from the stresses of constantly surfing the web for jobs, constantly emailing resumes, going to job iterviews and then hearing nothing or pulling rejection letters out of the mail box or off of the email. Constant stress, constant disappointment.

When I climb on my scooter and ride down a country road I feel young, powerful, happy, optimistic. Freed for a few hours from anxiety about the future or depression over the job lay-offs of the past few years. My identity becomes clear: I am a scooter rider!

Scootie becomes my "magic carpet ride" that glides me away from woe and worry and carries me to joy and peace, if only for a little while.

How could I bear to let her go? But there I was, stripping her of her bags, gremlin bell, cup holder, basket-everything. It hurt so bad and yet I kept trying to think positive and think toward the spring when I might be able to get another scooter.

So now it's Sunday morning. Ten o'clock came and went. Then eleven o'clock. Then noon! I heaved a huge sigh of relief...he wasn't coming! He was a "no show" and I was elated!

Scootie wasn't going anywhere!! Or at least not yet. Or maybe not at all. But I didn't want to think about any of that, I just wanted to put her gremlin bell, her cup holder, and her saddle bags back on where they belonged! She giggled with relief too...a PIT BIKE?! I don't think so!

So out in the garage I did just that with tears of gratitude for a "no show" buyer! I thought about next week when Indian Summer is to bring us temps of 70+ and sunny fall weather. Perfect for scooting! And I will be out there scooting along!

I will be able to ride to the road festival on Scootie next Friday and bring back funnel cakes, loaded stuffed potatoes, bar-be-que sandwiches with cole slaw, Amish baked bread, and joy in my heart! A few more rides to the grocery, to get coffee, to visit neighbors before winter sets in.

Oh, yes, I'm counting every moment to get a ride in...

As these thoughts coursed through my exhausted heart the song, "Magic Carpet Ride" echoed on the radio in my old drafty tin roof garage.

"Well you don't know what we can find. Why don't you come with me little girl, on a magic carpet ride?"...