A good sign is hard to find.

Where were you when the shuttle went up?

I remember the last one precisely.  Although I didn't know it at the time, it was to be the very last day I would work at Adventure Cycles.  

 February 24, 2011.

Discovery on her way.

They are expecting the biggest traffic jam yet for Endeavour's launch today.   (750,000!)   I will be well out of it this time, and grateful to be so.

As a matter of fact I have a lot to be grateful for, now that I'm no longer at the bike shop. 

First and foremost, grateful for a husband who cheerfully continutes to feed me. 

Grateful for not driving up to Merritt Island in over a month. 

Grateful for the extra tomatoes the owner of the vegetable stand stuck in my bag when I mentioned I was riding through my unemployment.   Seems he took up swimming himself.  And vegetables.

One door closes.  Another door opens.  Always has so far.

The bike is helping, for sure.  At first I panicked.  What if I can never afford another bike?  What if I taco a wheel?  Or the new XT brakes wig out like the Elixers did? 

Oh well.  Then, back to work it will be.  

No problem.  The signs are out there.

Just today I saw a sign at the pool store, "Now Hiring." 

If you're into cutesy bright colored do-dads and selling strangely shaped and sized bits and pieces to people who have no idea how to describe them, and smelling weird chemicals floating out from the back...  oh wait, that's rather like the bike shop. 

Well, what isn't like the bike shop when you think about it? 

A job is a job is a job.  Like books?  Work at the book store.  Like planes that bounce like rubber balls?  Go fly for a regional airline.   Like food?   Mmmm, food...  OK, so some people like food too much.  Don't work with food.

I drove the car four miles yesterday.  A savings of about 31 miles over most Thursday's of the past five years. 

A good chunk of the mileage savings was due to the discovery of a donation box at the Association for the Blind, a block from my house.  

Apparently the blind see their way to accepting cast off clothing and shoes, as well as does our usual donation destination, the SPCA thrift store in Cocoa.  

When cleaning out closets and drawers at the methodical, yet sedate, rate of one a day, it accumulates to about a trip a week.  

I figure I can alternate between the plight of homeless dogs and cats 15 miles away, and the ultra-convenient, box-next-door for the blind. 

How many times have I passed that building and never seen the quiet, white donation box?  Thousands?  Proving that sighted people can be nearly blind when it comes to a quiet sign.  The real estate sign next door has been demanding all the attention, scrolling along in red letters, flashing the prices of Tortoise Island homes gone to market.

Speaking of the blind, and trips up US 1...

The sign at Blinds of All Kinds, on US 1.

Another favorite last week was at a little dry cleaner in Melbourne.  Who would even notice the place if the sign said "10% off  dry cleaning"?  Not me.  But then they put up, "Drop your pants here!"  

If I had any dirty pants to drop I would certainly choose to drop them there from now on.  I bet they'll be hiring soon. 

So far today my favorite is an "It Should Have Been Me" tee shirt on a pouty 20-something.

OK.  I will ask.  Where were you this morning when Kate and William tied the knot?  

Did you get up early?  Without a proper hat, getting up at four seemed an uncivilized tribute.  Eggs and coffee in the morning are one thing. Tea and feathers?  I admit to being ill prepared. 

So.  That brings us to this afternoon's launch.  Where will you be at 3:47? 

Working?  Home? 

Or maybe on a bike, pedaling along somewhere in between, keeping further look out for good signs.

PS  As I finished writing this last Friday a bunch of fighter jets went roaring over and I realized probably air force one was arriving in the area.  Time to turn on the local channel and check on the launch. 

It's a scrub. 

750,000 people. 

But, what a beautiful day for the beach.