Meet Granny

Spring of 1992, I was just finishing my first clueless year at Western Michigan University. My sister and I moved back home after living a fantastical year in our Grandma Ruthie’s cottage.

We had moved into Grandma Ruthie’s cottage just before I graduated from high school. That year, my first year out of high school was just like Kid Rock’s song All Summer Long. I was young and naive but thought I knew everything.

So, that spring of 1992, when we moved home and Grandma Ruthie’s cottage was sold, my dad rescued her vintage bicycle. Still being a teenager, I did what teenagers do. I ostracized that bike declaring I’d never ride anything as dorky as an old fashioned bike.

You know, it would take me decades to learn to never say never. I’m not sure if it was marriage or children that taught me that lesson. Maybe it was a bike…

Meet Granny.

My dad had the wisdom to know that this bike should not be tossed away. He hung it on a hook in the garage for the day when I would embrace the vintage look. It was a brilliant move. My husband spent a short amount of time fixing the Bandex brake, polishing the chrome, washing the frame, and disguising the stains on the seat. It is just about the best looking 1969 Huffy Ladies bike in original paint you can find on the Internet.

Granny rides like a 1960’s Cadillac. She pedals and coasts easy, but don’t count on stopping quickly, and after an hour in the seat, you realize that the springs just aren’t what they used to be.

Still, I’m ready to go for some ice cream. Anyone want to join Granny and me?