I've been three weeks without a car. My husband now has mine for his travel- demanding job (he's in Ohio this month) after he totaled his Camry doing a do-si-do with a deer on the highway. Mercifully, the only casualty was the car. Since then I've been a pedestrian for real, and with nary a sign of auto withdrawal.

I keep waiting for an overwhelming impulse to get another vehicle, but no bug has bitten as yet.

Initially, I did go to a dealer and made a half-hearted attempt at getting excited about a new car. After calculating the multiple costs, I thought, hang on a second. I'm about to shell out around $600 a month in payments, insurance, gas, license, tolls, maintenance, etc. Is this really necessary? That's over seven grand a year. Hmm... can I think of anything else to do with $7,000?

"But, you have to have a car!" several of my friends cried. Well... maybe not. Is it possible? Can an American in a small town in a rural county really live fully without car ownership? How radical is that?

Not so radical and in many ways sensible. A goodly number of Cooperstonians have done it in previous generations. In fact, "you have to have a car" thinking is recent and it's hardly a generally accepted fact. Certainly not in American cities such as New York, Boston and New Orleans, where cars are not only prohibitively expensive, but a royal pain.

So, after careful consideration we (my daughter, our live-in friend Deb and I) decided to give it a shot. We walk or ride a bike and shop locally. Otsego Public Transit runs on the hour for an incredibly reasonable $1.30, one way. That's markedly less than the gas it would take to get to Oneonta. Once there, a bevy of busses are available, going to all sides of town. Day passes are available for $2.50, seven day passes for $10 and 30 day passes for $40. The rides are comfortable, the drivers friendly, and you can spend the time reading, or in some other worthwhile pursuit.

Moreover, I have gained renewed appreciation for the Cooperstown village merchants. The General Store is a treasure and Spurbeck's a jewel. It's reassuring just how much is available locally. Books, clothing, gifts, jewelry, dry goods, hardware, groceries, wine and spirits, flowers, good coffee and dining are all an easy walk away. If you don't see what you need, ask if the store can order it for you and keep the dollars in our area. Bentonville, Arkansas and their twin community in China hardly need the contributions.

John returns with our remaining car occasionally and we save our county visiting for those weekends. If absolutely necessary, we take a cue from city dwellers and rent a car for far-flung excursions.

Living without a car at the ready takes a bit of planning, but it's yet to prove burdensome. We're also planning what to do with that $7,000. Cruising to the Bahamas holds considerable potential.

Brenda Berstler is the founder of the Walking Example Group (WE-GO) a non-profit organization encouraging walking and walkable communities. Visit their website at www.we-go.org.