I spent a lovely Sunday afternoon taking it easy and taking care of things around the house. My car is still living with J., so I took Jack to the grocery store, one pannier for perishables, the other for dry goods. There is a distinct pleasure in the task ride, especially on a lazy task day like today. After groceries, cleaning, laundry, and such, I took Rhoda to the coffee shop to get some writing done. I noticed this open manhole as I was locking up my bicycle. Someone has helpfully shoved an old cardboard box in there, warning all of us so we don’t get our legs stuck in there. I’ve seen all kinds of things marking the gaping holes of the streets and sidewalks of this town: a wicker chair, bricks, a lamppost… I’ve even seen safety cones and tubes. It’s an odd kind of community–everybody working for everybody else’s safety. Of course, another choice would be to fix this stuff. But sometimes you’ve got to choose to look on the bright side. After some writing I got back on the bike and ran a couple more errands and then tooled on home. Bikes make great transportation options, and I sure enjoyed mine today.