Early Morning Rambling

It has been quiet in here all morning. Just me and the radio, a radio which once again forces me to listen to county music simply because it is the only channel I can find without static. I’ve been here for 2 hrs now. Maybe 5 customers total, if even that. Only five customers, that is, until I decide to use the rest room. I swear there must be some sort of outside signal connected to the toilet seat, a signal that tells all of Santa Clara at 7:30 in the morning to come get their diet cokes and fill their cars with gas NOW. I kid you not, I am away from the register for less than 2 minutes. I come back, there are 5 people lined up to pay for coffee or diet coke. There are 2 gas pumps screaming at me for authorization and a truck load of hay haulers heading in after an already busy morning for doughnuts. Of course the harassment immediately begins but that is fine. I expect it. I love this very part of the job; the locals. It is definitely the beginning of summer. Time to haul hay, gather and separate the herds; time spent with brothers and uncles; fathers and sons. I love that they gather here to begin the day or to take a break. I may not be a cowboy or ever have the desire to be one, but there is something about the camaraderie and work ethic that I admire. I love the traditions. I most certainly love the bull s#*t!

With graduation and my birthday I have been reminiscing a lot this month. As I was looking at the photos from the last couple months I couldn’t help but notice the differences between what my kids are doing for “dance dates” verses what I did. The biggest difference is that now the date is all day long. When did that trend start? My kids literally get up at 5am to begin the day. I think it may have been even earlier once. Anyway, they seem to start with breakfast before a day of hiking, rappelling, games, or whatever. They do allow the girls a couple hrs during the middle of the day to get ready, at least. The few dances I did go to were dinner and the dance. Nothing more. Oh wait, one did also include a brawl in the parking lot of the Hayloft-a restaurant, not a make-out spot…I promise. I do like that the activities they are doing are usually outdoor and during the day. I seem to recall some groups back in the “old days” watching videos & eating junk food AFTER the dances. The other difference between the kids and I is the size of the groups they are going with. I LOVE it! With one exception-the same exception that included the parking lot brawl-the few dances I went to only included me and my date. I love that my kids are with groups of friends. I love how big the groups are. It seems like the philosophy is the more the merrier. Maybe it hasn’t changed; maybe it was just me missing out. Whatever the reason, I am glad it is different for my teenagers.

It’s been fun having all this extra time now that school is out. I cut my hours back to less than half time at work. The kids have a couple weeks off before the different camps or trips begin. It is time to set some sort of routine for the summer. If the boys had their way, they would be on the computer, DS or GameCube 24/7. I have found the more time they spend with their electronics, the more anti-social they become. I am trying to find some sort of system that will allow them SOME time but not so much they withdraw into themselves. I have thought of allowing them an hr or so a day but only after completing a list of requirements but I hate the need to “police” and watch the clock. I also thought that maybe I would give them one day a week…an entire day. Again, they would have to earn the right to play by completing earlier said requirements the other days. Am I just too controlling? (Don’t say yes, I will just site all the reasons it isn’t healthy for them to be playing as much.) Does anyone else have any ideas? What works for you?