Essay: Letting my Honda gather dust

It seems at the end of the day I'm more in a mood to wander. There are many cute little corners to explore, like the one block of Eddy Street between Avon and Crapo streets, where several of the houses are exquisitely restored and maintained with fences and flowers.

On Avon Street, between Second and Young streets, is a Greek revival house that's gorgeous — mounds of brilliant impatiens are in full bloom. If I go straight from Kearsley Street on Avon Street across Court Street, past Seventh Street where I lived for 15 years, I can turn down Wellington and go through Woodlawn Park, where the tops of the trees are already turning red and gold, and come up out of the park into my own quiet and lovely neighborhood. From there I'm only a couple of blocks from home.

I'm still getting used to it, though.

The other day from work I happily picked up the new UM-Flint campus bus that circles around to the Flint Farmers' Market. I loaded up on peppers, green beans, potatoes, yams, a hunk of Stilton cheese, some fresh turkey tenders, a half-dozen honey crisp apples, and happily picked up the bus back to campus, only to realize that my haul weighed about 20 pounds and wouldn't fit into my beloved black backpack.

Thankfully, my amused colleague Stephanie agreed to take my bags of stuff and drop them off on my back porch. I'm glad it worked out so well.

That night I had a fabulous supper of fresh Michigan food — baked turkey, a sweet potato, green beans, and for dessert, half an apple with the mango Stilton. I've never eaten better.

And the Honda stayed in dry dock for another day.

Jan's book, Night Blind is available at Barnes & Noble in Genesee Valley, UM-Flint Bookstore, East End Books and Music at the Farmers' Market, Pages Bookstore, Little Professor Book Center in Fenton, www.Amazon.com, www.Bn.com and www.iuniverse.com.