Ode to Frankenbike

Oh, my poor Frankenbike. So wonderful, so misunderstood. No one loved you the way I did - they ran in fright (metaphorically).
What happened to my bike? Was it torched by angry villagers?
Boy, I wish it had been! What a story that would make! Can I say that it was and have you believe me?
No?
Oh well.
Frankenbike died as a result of peer pressure. The neighbors saw me pedaling around with Daniel perched behind me on the duct tape covered seat and stopped me. They admired my handicraft, and asked me if I would care for a "real" bike seat. The kind that snaps onto a pannier rack.
To quote the jive talkers from "Airplane", my momma didn't raise no dummies. I gladly accepted the offer and installed the new seat. Daniel loved it immediately and said "It's so com-for-ta-ble!" (yes, he pronounced it that way. Yes, he's adorable)
Yet I had a moment of sadness as I pried the Frankenseat off of my bike. It was ugly, but I built it. Still, the new seat is awesome. So what could I do to remind this world that I am not your average big spending cyclist mama? (not that anyone would dare call me that, but I have to defend my honor.)
Well, the bike trailer that I trash picked some time ago has been bothering me. I patched the holes and partially resovered it with old blue jeans, but the exposed parts looked so ugly, dirty and faded that I was a little embarassed to tow it behind me. I like the weight and the way it handles, but it was ugly. Today I changed that. I finished sewing down all of the patches that I had pinned in place all winter, added a large piece of yellow vinyl to recover a badly faded section on the back, and began to paint over all of the faded parts with bright red acrylic paint. Then I started painting little bugs all over the trailer - ladybugs, caterpillars, praying mantises, and a few ants and butterflies. And on the large yellow vinyl section I posted the warning - SLOW. Somehow I plan to post pictures - for now, I'm content with knowing that my trailer is no longer ugly - it's cute!