A difference a year makes.

Last year, the first Saturday in December was a wonderful day. I remember it well.

Our chruch has it's holiday fair each year that weekend and a local neighborhood library was having a holiday craft session that morning. I also decided to try to take Girlpie to the drop in knitting class held at that same library.

See around December last year- I had kind of given up on the family cycling for long jaunts. The library is about 3 hilly miles and I knew it was out of my range. Before this, I still had this feeling that driving to a library was out of the question and since I could not bike to this particular one, well I just didn't go. But I was missing out on things- like drop in knitting classes. So that first Saturday in December I gave up my guilt around my limitations of family biking and just decided that I would drive where ever whenever and be cool with it.

So we drove to the library and then after spending a long happy time there ( knitting, then crafting, then reading and taking out books) we stopped at the bakery near by for cookies and then headed out toward church. I remember parking near the church and walking with the kids to Dunkin Donuts for an egg sandwhich lunch which they loved and then we went to enjoy the fair. The day was December cold and sunny and I loved just our short walk from Dunkin Donuts to the church, looking at the Magnolia on the corner already making buds. We did the fair, and brought home a wreath and got home in time to relax on the couch and revel in a good long day out of the house. Pure wonderful.

Well, this year I have an electric trike that makes riding most places in town not a problem anymore. In fact I have ridden to that aformentioned library a few times this fall and a while back before Halloween I wrote about a wonderful long day out that involved pancakes and library and errands all by bike that equalled that busy family saturday day out feeling. So this first Saturday in December I was happy with the knowledge that the memory of last year could only be enhanced by my ability to do it car free.

This year B was home and not on call. We four took off for the fair together, me trailing B and Tuber shouting at me to "turn the motor on- beat daddy!". We did all the fair things we usually do, hot chocolate, buy a toy for each kid in the toy sale ( $1 sutffed animals and a police boat for $5) and then we went downstairs to make our wreath before heading out home. ( I even made a small swag for my public basket)

A difference a year makes. I still had a great beginning to the holiday season. It was all the more sweeter to do it by bike.