December 10, 2021
Dear Everyone:
Meet my new BFF*,
“Buster”.
Buster is a “Buzz
Around Carry On”, an electric scooter designed to let you “Carry on with
life!” as the advertisement tag reads.
Seriously, Buster is a great little scooter.
He folds up into the
trunk of my car as quick as you please.
When I want him, I can pull him out of the trunk, fold up the
tiller and the seat holder, pop in the battery, slap on the seat and
we’re ready to go.
To be perfectly
honest, I’ve only pulled Buster out and assembled him once all by
myself. I’ve also only taken
him apart and lifted him into the trunk by myself one time.
In both cases, this was in the parking lot of the medical
building where my dentist is located.
Since then, every
time I’ve tackled the job, some helpful person pops up out of nowhere
and offers to assist me. I
can’t avoid remembering Blanche DuBois in the Tennessee Williams play,
A Streetcar Named Desire:
“I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.”
Of course, it’s likely the crutch leaning up against the car is a
dead giveaway that I could use some aid.
Once assembled,
Buster boasts some fine features.
The tiller adjusts for people like me with short arms.
And it has a built-in water bottle holder, which I use to lasso
the aforementioned crutch to the tiller, so I don’t have to hold onto it
while I’m riding.
Of course, nothing
happens until I turn the key in the lock.
I’m also conscientious about turning the key to “Off” anytime I
get up from the seat, or otherwise move around while Buster is just
standing. We don’t want
Buster taking off accidentally from just bumping the throttle in some
way.
Buster’s width is
19.5 inches, which means we can easily fit through any standard doorway.
And, at 38 inches long, he has a nice, tight turning radius.
I was at my doctor’s office the other day and Buster managed to
get me into and out of the restroom with no other assistance than
someone holding the door for us.
Going up, and later
down, the ramp outside the doctor’s office, which used to take me about
five minutes hobbling along with the walker, was a breeze with Buster.
Likewise, running to the mailbox takes far less than the
half-hour that it has up until now.
Of course, you have
to include the time it takes to set Buster up and return him to the
trunk of my car. So far, it
takes about five to ten minutes each way.
I can’t be certain of the exact amount of time since I haven’t
done it all alone but once.
Another factor to
consider is how much space Buster requires.
Basically, he takes up about half the trunk.
I used to carry a lot of things in the trunk, mostly for
“emergencies”. Jumper cables
I think I won in a “safety raffle” years ago at work.
Never have used them, but you never know when you’ll need them.
That old jacket has
come in handy many times, including protecting the car’s finish from
Buster’s tires until I acquired a cheap floor mat to drape over the edge
of the trunk. As for old
shoes, clothes, and sundry other objects, I’m going to go through the
whole collection soon and discard what’s not really “necessary”.
I certainly don’t need that manilla envelope filled with paper
maps of Portland, Seattle, Oakland, San Francisco, etc. and various
states. They’re all
hopelessly outdated anyway.
In any case, Buster
is worth whatever he needs to keep me “carrying on”.
Tally ho!
Love, as always,
Pete
*(In case you didn’t
already know) BFF stands for “Best Friends Forever”.
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