It's Friday and I want an Elf!
As you can see by Itzl's concerned look, this group is for us to check in at to let people know we are alive, doing OK, and not affected by such things as heat, blizzards, floods, wild fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, power outages, or other such things that could keep us off DKos. It's also so we can find other Kossacks nearby for in-person checks when other methods of communication fail - a buddy system. Members come here to check in. If you're not here, or anywhere else on DKos, and there are adverse conditions in your area (floods, heatwaves, hurricanes, etc.), we and your buddy are going to check up on you. If you are going to be away from your computer for a day or a week, let us know here. We care!
We have split up the publishing duties, but we welcome everyone in IAN to do daily diaries for the group! Every member is an editor, so anyone can take a turn when they have something to say, photos and music to share, a cause to promote or news!
Ok, we have a (mostly) finished diary schedule. If you would like to fill in, either post in thread or send FloridaSNMom a Kosmail with the date. If you need someone to fill in, ditto. FSNMom is here on and off through the day usually from around 9:30 or 10 am eastern to around 11 pm eastern.
Monday: BadKitties
Tuesday: bigjacbigjacbigjac
Wednesday: Caedy
Thursday: weck
Friday: FloridaSNMOM
Saturday:broths
Sunday: loggersbrat
If you'd like to be part of the Itzl Alert Network, please leave a comment asking to join, or send us a message asking to join. We'd love to have you. The bigger our network, the less likely someone will be stranded all alone.
This is a community Diary whose purpose is well stated. Trolls will not be tolerated. They will be eaten, fed to the 3 Billy Goats Gruff, or referred to the Wild Hunt depending on the taste of the Diarist. If you don't like community diaries or the subject matter, don't read it. Thank you.
No, not that one.
Actually I want an ELF for my son. Though I wouldn't mind having one for the household as well (though if we manage to get him one, some of us may borrow his at least while he's still living here). What is an ELF you ask?
This is an ELF:
It's an electric bike... with a solar panel to charge the battery (you can also plug it in if you need a faster charge). It also has a trunk:
So you can carry groceries, or school books, or whatever in it. The motor can take you up to 20 miles, and can reach speeds of 20 miles an hour. You can either pedal, or use the motor, or a little of both going up hills. But in the US it's classified as a trike, so you don't need insurance, or registration, or a special license to operate it. I think it would work well as an interim step for my autistic son before he learns to drive and gets a car. It doesn't go as fast, it's more stable than a bicycle and has turn signals, a head light and break lights (it could also be his permanent vehicle depending where he chooses to live as an adult). If I ever got one I'd add a cargo net to the little shelf behind the driver, so I could get a car seat harness for Sophie and I could clip her fast and she could ride there. It also wouldn't be as dangerous with my seizures, because it doesn't go as fast, and I could stick to the quieter back roads in this neighborhood. It would give me some independent mobility that I just don't have right now, and with the trike aspect, I wouldn't fall over if I did start to seize, I'd have time to brake and just, ride it out.
The ELF bike is made by Organic Transit of North Carolina, and, according to the videos and reviews I've found, is completely made in the US, including the parts.
And this ELF bike should be enough to get him around town, let him look further from home for work, and even attend the local community college a lot easier. He doesn't graduate until next summer, so I have some time to save up, and see what I can get grandparents and such to chip in. And if he finds work in the meantime he's decided he wants one and will save up as well. Even at $5,000 for the base model it's a lot cheaper than a car and insurance and gas, etc.
So what do you think? A good thing to save for or a waste of money? We live in a small town, and even if he moves to a bigger town down the road, it would still work well for him on and around campus, and if not he can leave it here for his sister and us to use.
5:45 AM PT: Just a quick note to avoid confusion. These qualify as bicycles and were designed for urban areas (though obviously they'd work for rural as well). Essentially you ride them in the same spot you'd ride a bicycle. They're slightly wider than a typical bike, but not really more than an adult trike which would also use the bike lanes and shoulder of the road.