Goin' Green

Mr. O and his clan have gone green.

Wait, wait. I said, Mr. O and his clan have gone green.

There.

As of Monday night, we are a family of bikers... or, should I say, we are a family in possession of a couple bikes and a toddler trailer.

To say we've heard the siren song of Obama, when he chanted from atop Mount High and Mighty, "We can't drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times... and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK" would be a stretch. Because, as you can see, an SUV (also green) is parked immediately behind the new child chariot and next to an empty spot normally filled by a second SUV.

Still, a little exercise is good. Getting Mr. O acquainted with some of Lansing's finest potholes is good, too. And, we live close enough to most things that a bike ride would be both more fun, a little sweaty, and less expensive than a trip in a vehicle from O's small fleet of mid-range SUVs.

That less expensive part is key, because I've found that goin' green means the green's a'goin'.

Someday, when Mr. O asks me why his friends have college funds and he has a well-traveled book bag on wheels and 50-something parents with really muscular thighs, I'll be sure to show him this picture and remind him of his very virtuous childhood.

P.S. You'll notice in the picture the outline of the family's organic fertilizer producer standing in the doorway of the garage. She heard that Obama quote about not being able to eat as much as we want and just returned from casting an absentee ballot for McCain.