There's been a lot of howling lately about pot holes and parking. It has become the talk of the day. We are abuzz about parking meters and parking garages. We are advocating for mass transit and walkable neighborhoods.

My parents were ahead of the game back in the late 70's. My dad retired at age 62 and did the unthinkable. . . . . . ..he gave up the family car and they never owned another. To the horror of everyone they did it prematurely. I never had to face the dilemma of getting my elderly parents to give up the keys. Dad had traveled for a living and he viewed the car as his office so when he retired he left the "office" behind. They had only had one car and Mom shopped on the weekends. He got a three wheeled bike with baskets. Back then no retired man rode a bike. But he did, down to the fairgrounds before there was a Monon Trail, to the antique shows. He rode it to Paul's Barber Shop. Everyone knew him.

When Dad dropped the bombshell to Mom that they were giving up the car he gave her good reasoning. They lived in the Butler Tarkington neighborhood. Pete's auto service at 49th and Pennsylvania rented cars by the day and they would deliver. It was less expensive to rent a car as needed than to maintain one. Hamaker's Pharmacy and their dentist were at that corner as well and it was an easy walk. The bus stopped at the end of their street and went down Meridian to downtown where Mom got her hair done at L.S. Ayres. Winona Hospital was a thriving Medical Center at 34th & Meridian and all of their doctors were at the Professional Building that the bus passed by. Mom went down fighting. She was devastated, embarrassed and mad as heck. What would her friends think? She became dependent on everyone for a ride. The bus did not go to the Riviera Club where she played bridge with her friends. Nor did it go to church at 47th and Central where she was involved in the Women's Circle. I took her to the grocery on Saturdays and her friends would take her to the Standard Grocery at 56th & Illinois on the way home from Rivi. She felt like she was imposing on everyone. She did as much as she could downtown but it became difficult as she aged for her to haul things home on the bus and carry it a block down the street. They rented the car seldom, as did others, and that option went away as the service was dropped. Time passed. Winona Hospital closed and the doctors moved north on Meridian to 91st & beyond. Ayres closed and her hairdresser moved. Hamaker Pharmacy closed. Her street was never plowed and there were no sidewalks. It became treacherous for her to walk on rutted snow and ice. I worried about her vulnerability as an old woman, ripe for purse snatching at a bus stop. I worried that Dad would get robbed on his bike because he always carried cash. He rode the bike for 20 years.

Most all of the conveniences diminished and continue to do so today. We are trying to bring them back but small businesses and services are being overpowered by corporate "Big Boxes". Even the doctors are being "Big Boxed". Today, despite all the cooking shows on TV, it seems no one cooks, so where once stood drugstores and retailers there are now restaurants and bars. They would not have served my mom and dad well. Today the new generation tells the old generation, with little respect "if you don't like it move to the suburbs where the stores are". Someday they will realize that it is hard giving up your home where all your memories are and you have the security of your long-time neighbors.

Today I try to walk an hour a day and have for nearly 15 years. I have fallen four times due to infrastructure. Sadly, you have to keep your eyes on the sidewalk and not look at the view around you. Once my walking buddy fell due to an out of control car that drove up towards the sidewalk. I work 4 blocks from my home but do not walk to work. I take my briefcase with laptop, purse, lunch, sometimes needed replacement supplies and my cat Sarah. Too much to haul down unshoveled sidewalks and ice covered streets. Not to mention the hazards of drivers veering away from potholes in my direction. Walking this last summer in the 90's everyday was a challenge as well. Arriving dripping wet with sweat or rain is not a good professional look. Many months of the year are perfect but others are trying. I find I need a car to leave to go to other places after work or to go between work locations hauling stuff. As for Sarah Cat, I could get a pet stroller. That is why they are made. But she'd be stuffed in there with all the other things I'd be taking. And then everyone would be saying "there goes that crazy lady with the cat". They're probably saying that anyway. Pets make you smile.