Today is national Bike to Work Day, and the way for hardcore cyclists to mark it is the way they travel most days: by bike in spite of any wild weather (like the the rain expected throughout today).

With the price of gas edging ever closer to $4 a gallon, this whole reduce-the-carbon-footprint thing seems to be drawing support from folks not so much concerned about going green but keeping more of it in their wallets. That's OK - the end result being the same and all.

People are also frustrated with traffic - the vehicular kind, not the bikes - in the region. A peninsula is a beautiful place to live, but means lots of bridges and tunnels, which deliver lots of stop and go and stop some more. Gov. Tim Kaine was in Hampton yesterday pitching his plan to ease gridlock with a few new taxes to pay for road improvements. Citizens already feeling the gas pains (that's funny!) aren't warm to the new tax idea, having spent so much already on gas and car.

Given the circumstances, hopping on that bike instead of into the sedan or SUV makes total sense. So why haven't I tried to do this? I'll hide behind the kids I'm usually ferrying around, but the truth is closer to laziness.

What's your reason for not biking to work or in general? Take the poll, or discuss in my forum.

I'm thinking the hometown team, minor league baseball's Norfolk Tides, could use a little help. Last night they lost their ninth straight to a team named the Iron Pigs. That hurts.

While we can't put more guys on the field we can do the old tenth man thing where the fans bring that extra something that puts the home team over the top.

The Tides return home May 20 for a big home stand through the 29th. The team is hosting many special promotions, so check out the schedule, make plans to attend and game, and help the home team bring on a few in the 'W' column. They're good enough; let's remind them.

Well, we'll be able to do all sorts of things when that happens. Cut the knee-high grass, finish painting that fence, go strawberry picking.

The combination soil around here, especially on the southside, makes for excellent strawberry beds. That, in turn, makes for some fine strawberries. California's growing season for strawberries is waning, so bypass those in the grocery store and keep your eyes open for locally grown.

Wondering what else is in season? Head over to a local farmers' market and take a look. Or, prepare before you visit the market by checking out this handy chart of Virginia-grown produce harvest dates.

Photo © Getty Images

People, the apathy over local elections is a killer. For some reason we don't seem to show up at the polls when our votes really and truly count. There's no adherence to constitutional rules, like delegates and superdelegates and an electoral college. Nope. Just one person, one vote, and a winner.

Local elections in Portsmouth, Cheseapeake, Norfolk, Hampton, Newport News, Williamsburg, Smithfield, Surry and West Point were generally lightly attended. Williamsburg came up the winner with about a 32% turnout. Norfolk's eight percent was so low I didn't even check to see if any other group of voters did a less excellent job. Too depressing!

So, a question then: Why such a low turnout at a time when many Americans -- no matter their political affiliation -- are excited about what the November presidential election holds? Go to my forum and discuss.

Yes, you'd better make that Mother's Day brunch reservation today. Here's a list of special Mother's Day brunches to make it easy. Oh, and it is freshly updated.

Really, do it today. Tomorrow you'll be voting, or maybe out of town but having cast an absentee ballot. Then it's Wednesday, and you must remember that Mother's Day is one of the all-time biggies for going out for brunch. That first choice of yours might not be possible.

All will not be lost. You can still make plans for a Mother's Day outing that will begin with a special brunch menu created by About's Guide to Culinary Arts, Danilo Alfaro.

Busch Gardens Europe (yes, they're still in Williamsburg) has yet another new musical offering for guests. Glory at the Gardens is a three-Sunday series of Christian concerts in the park's Royal Palace Theatre. Admission to all concerts in the series is included with park admission.

The first is this Sunday, May 4, and features Matthew West and Third Day at 5 p.m.

Other dates and artists include:

• May 11, Mother's Day, 2 p.m., Natalie Grant, Mark Schultz and Big Daddy Weave
• May 18, 2 p.m., Thousand Foot Krutch, Pillar, Building 429, This Beautiful Republic

Many localities will have elections Tuesday, May 6 to decide local governing councils and boards. Some are sleepy, while others are steeped in personal and political histories that make the Middle Ages seem a tame time (I exaggerate, of course!).

Are you registered to vote? If so, you can vote, even if an emergency takes you out of town on Tuesday.

Voting is important, so make sure if there's an election in your community your vote is counted. Check out this new how-to guide for absentee voting to find out how to cast a ballot even if unusual circumstances make it seem impossible.

May and June mean local film buffs who love the Kimball Theatre will have the chance to see films that made the festival circuit and, often, took home awards.

There's one film that's caught my attention. It's called "Morning," and it's the first short film completely produced by students and faculty of the College of William & Mary. In what those who know the college will recognize as aa very W&M way, the students and faculty don't let a little thing like lack of a film department keep them from executing big ideas.

It's the story of three friends who "try to salvage their relationship after a friend's death shakes them to their cores," according to a press release. Directed by Prof. M. Fonkijom Fusi, the screening on Friday, May 2 at 7 p.m. is free but requires tickets. You may reserve a seat by calling 1-800-HISTORY.

Other films scheduled include "Grace is Gone," starring John Cusack, May 1-4 at 7 and 9 p.m. This film about a young father's life after his soldier wife is killed in combat won the audience award and a screening prize at Sundance. In these times, especially in a part of the country where so many serve, it seems like a film worth seeing.

If hitting a local farmers' market is one of your favorite things, check out a sneak peek of one of the most interesting efforts on Sunday, April 27 from 3 to 6 p.m.

The Five Points Community Farm Market offers the peek at its new location, 2500 Church St., Norfolk, just south of the Norfolk Zoo at 26th Street.

Check out product samples, including Virginia beers and wines, as well as produce - including organic options - fresh from local farms.

If you can't swing the trip to Norfolk this Sunday, the market opens for the season on Saturday, May 3.

Other markets open soon, too. Check out a growing list of area farmers' markets. If you don't see your favorite, e-mail me and fill me in on what we're missing.

Saturday is another chance to visit some local gardens as part of Historic Garden Week in Virginia.

Visitors to the Gloucester-Mathews gardens will be able to visit the site of a ghost story when they drop in at Auburn, a historic plantation on the North River. It was originally the home of Dr. Henry Wythe Tabb, whose daughter took a fatal spill down the very stairs pictured at right. Her ghost is said to appear on occasion.

Creepy, isn't it? Wait. It gets creepier. The daughter was wearing a pair of satin slippers when she took her tumble. Said slippers of death have been handed down through the owners, and today occupy a place of curiosity in the front hall.

Auburn used to be owned by legendary and now late Beatle John Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono. It's now owned by a rock star of the local business world and his wife: Mr. and Mrs. Chip Hornsby, and if the mister half sounds familiar it's because he's the Wolseley CEO.

Tickets for the Gloucester-Mathews garden tour are available at all stops on the tour, with a suggested start at the Long Bridge Ordinary, at the junction of Business Rt. 17 and Routes 14 and 3. Admission is $25 for all five homes and gardens, or $10 for a single home. Children 6-12 are half-price, 5 and under are free.

Can't go? Take the poll on why Miss Tabb's ghost periodically visits her home.