Even though there's still snow on the ground out there the weather finally became hospitable enough for a ride on something two wheeled. With temperatures soaring up to a sizzling thirty-seven degrees and some very light shopping in order I fired up the 50cc bike and went to Town. I was a little leery about  being under-dressed but no worries. I didn't feel the customary breeze blowing through my shoes and pants and my gloves were more than adequate. The bike felt a little stiff and not as responsive as usual, most likely because of cold oil and even colder metal. Also there was a light headwind and it only has three horsepower for heaven's sake.
First stop was the local supermarket and my first interested encounter of the year. A young man quizzed me about the bike wanting to know how fast it went, how much it cost and, more importantly, what kind of gas mileage I was getting. He was very enthused about the bike saying, "You may be starting a new trend." Imagine, me a trendsetter. "You Meet the Nicest People on a Bashan." Since my needs at the store were light I was in and out in a few minutes and then off to Wendy's. I had a hankering for a side salad to go along with dinner. There was no one on line and I had my salad in hand and was walking towards the door when I ran into fellow Long Islanders.They were interested in what life was like in this part of the woods. We had a nice chat about the pace of life and they too noted that I was riding a very interesting machine. 
I had an equally enjoyable ride home with a tailwind and the small engine was much livelier with the wind at its back. When I got home I took a deep breath and tried to start the big scooter. After a couple of coughs it fired up and settled into a steady idle. The trickle charger is doing its job quite well and the big machine seemed like it was itching to go. Soon enough if the weather keeps improving.