Niece/nephew/daughter wanted to go to the park yesterday. It's <1 mile and I didn't even ask about biking, figured too cold for them. But 6 yr old niece BEGGED for the trailer: my redneck lawnchair trailer (a lawn chair strapped to a flatbed). I wrapped her up in a blanket, strapped her in, and by the time I had it all set up, nephew & daughter decided they wanted to bike too. Off we went! The road I preferred involves a left turn across lanes of traffic on a busy street that the kids aren't up for, so we took unplowed residential streets, and since no one actually fell they enjoyed the excitement of the slick spots--more than I did. I knew from experience that if I happened to fall, that trailer stays resolutely upright!

I also had a grocery trip that morning. Uneventful, as I left I got some comments like "You are hardy!" and "Isn't it too cold for that?" (I was already sweating). But most interesting was when I was at a stop light.

On this particular street there is a bike lane, a bike lane designed such that you negotiate with right turners before reaching the intersection so that you stay in the bike lane through the intersection. Only the bike lane had slush & snow in it, and the roadway was clear, so I went ahead and moved into the lane a little. A truck came up beside me...a silver truck.

I risked a glance back, and sure enough, it was the silver truck with purple stripes, a camper shell and license tags I know well. It is driven by the rudest driver in town, an ugly troll of a man who indiscriminately harasses cyclists and motorists alike, whether you are in his path or not. And here I was, sharing a LANE with him. I steeled myself for his honking & swearing and hoped I'd get off lightly at that.

The light turned green and he waited until I was through the intersection before passing me. He didn't so much as lift a middle finger at me.