Introducing Hettie!

I’m feeling far too lazy to do justice to any of the books waiting for posts, so instead I’d like to introduce you to Hettie, my bicycle! You first met her at the beginning of the month, but at the time her personality had not yet fully emerged. I’ve made some changes that have made her feel much more girly, resulting in her name: Hettie.

(click to enlarge)

I love Hettie dearly, and I wish that my adjustments were a bit less Macgyver-ish (she deserves the best), but on the plus side, her makeover cost a mere fifteen dollars! First, I removed her labels (my dad’s extensive tool box yielded a ‘heat gun,’ basically a blow dryer on steriods, that made quick work of them): this instantly made her look more elegant. And then I started haunting thrift stores for the perfect basket: I found one quite quickly! It’s big enough for a purse, a cardigan/jacket, the lock I’m borrowing from my mom, and even a bit of (lightweight) shopping. My dad helped me attach it with zip ties, which have proved surprisingly durable. When I’m riding, the basket doesn’t really move around. Since it doesn’t have a lot of support, I make sure to keep the load light, so it doesn’t interfere with my steering or balance when I’m bicycling. Once the basket was in place, all that was left was to crochet a set of dress guards. For those (like my guy friends and father) who haven’t heard of dress guards, they’re in place to make sure that full skirts or dresses (or long coats) can’t get caught in the wheels. As full skirts and dresses make up the majority of my wardrobe, I knew I needed them to make me happy! But it’s almost impossible to find them in shops here. So I did a bit of internet sleuthing for diy options, bought myself some black thread (I always like black and cream together; not to mention it’ll hide dirt better) and binder clips, and made it up as I went along. They turned out far better than I’d hoped! Even the plastic binder clips somehow look nicer than you’d think (my mom was impressed). Let’s take a closer look, shall we? ;)

Hettie and I have already been on a few adventures together: her three speeds are perfect, and bicycling makes me even happier than I had dared hope. I think I’m addicted! Today, I braved the big street near my house; it has a forty-mile-per-hour speed limit, so I had been too nervous to even be in the bike lane. But it turns out, the bike lane feels much bigger on a bicycle than in a car! And while drivers here tend to be aggressive towards each other, so far they’ve been nothing but accommodating for me. When I feel brave enough for night cycling (!), I’ll look into lights, but I imagine that’s a ways in the future. I’m currently searching for a bell; so far, the stock in local stores has been pathetic (they’re all quite ugly), and I’m thinking I’ll have to order online. For my birthday (in April), I’ll probably ask for some kind of rear basket/rack/storage system, which would make it possible for me to carry bigger loads (like library books). But honestly, I’ll need to get my strength up first! While most of my important places are within two miles, the library is a bit over five miles away, and it’s only accessible by major roads (they do have bike lanes for the most part). So for now, I’m just enjoying cruising around to Barnes & Noble (I received two gift cards for Christmas that I’ve been using for cafe drinks), my favourite thrift store, and a park down the street.

Before I got Hettie, I wasn’t sure if cycling was feasible, considering my fibro and aggressive drivers and all that. But fortunately for me, my legs are not one of my fibro hotspots, and it’s been surprisingly easy to just hop on and go (except during flare ups, of course)! I feel like I’ve taken the first baby steps towards a car-free lifestyle, and I couldn’t be happier. :D

Also, since I know it’s running through all of your heads (either my mom or sister or myself break it out every time I mention Hettie):