3-31 The Blowers

Today my husband, two kids and I decided to make a trip to MSU to visit the butterfly garden. Why not avoid driving on campus all together and take the bus? It was a gorgeous 70-degree day to enjoy our trip. Running late (as usual with the entire gang) I was still hopeful to make the bus and not have to wait for the next one. Unfortunately, with a very full trailer and very strong head-wind I was peddling my very hardest but only going about 6 inches per hour. No, not really, but both of my kids suggested we, "let Daddy have a try!" Of course he's flying along like an eagle without the two toddlers and huge sack full of "essentials" in tow. Despite his offer to take over, I insisted on peddling on since I will be doing this four times a day in just over a month. . .and because I'm very stubborn. Just as I reached the top of the hill and thought my lungs would pop I looked up to see the bus rounding the corner, leaving our stop. Well, at least I could slow down a bit (hopefully not roll backwards!) since we had another 30 minutes until the next bus arrived.

As we waited for the bus we had the awesome privilege of observing a lawn maintenance crew in action at the entrance to a nearby subdivision. This crew consisted of three men with gasoline-powered blowers. One "lead" man had a super blower on wheels in the street blowing all of the dirt from the curb into someone's yard. We were baffled why someone would be hired to blow dirt from the street curb onto someone's yard. This is where the two other men will find their purpose. Wearing ordinary backpack-hand-held blowers, their role was to apparently spread around the big pile of crap the lead man just blew into the yard from the street. Meanwhile, I'm struggling to catch my breath from the 1.5 mile bike straight into the 15 - 30 mph winds we're experiencing today. I can't help but wonder now about how much of the dirt the wind has all ready kicked back to the curb.

Fortunately the bus soon came and saved me from my distress about the blowers. Who should be on the bus but the new grandma?! Her baby granddaughter is doing great and has gained a half-pound since last week!

We had a rather enjoyable morning despite the blowers and the fact that we could not find the butterfly house. It seems that the google map linked to the butterfly house website is incorrect (yes- it was still up on this very computer when we returned home so I could verify that I was not as directionally challenged as accused). We found that the MSU Dairy Store was a welcome refuge in our wandering state of distress. My husband agreed that it was far more enjoyable to have taken the bike / bus than the car and we both felt as if we had more quality time together as a family in doing so! Hip-hip-horray for 2010 environmental resolution! Boo hiss for gas blowers!