Remember when summer meant care free vacation time? Yeah, me too. Now it means work, work, work. Of course, I have no one to blame but myself (and my wife as it took both of us to get us into this). Before I continue, can someone please explain to me how the kid who didn't want to get up the other day at 7AM for school was at my bed at 5:30 this morning asking when I was getting up because daylight was already burning away?
10 years ago, an early summer Saturday morning meant sleeping in in our city apartment after a night out, until maybe 8 or 9 (we had a dog who didn't care how hung over you might be),leisurely walking the dog to the corner to get the paper or maybe continue to our neighborhood's restaurant row where me might have a late breakfast outdoors (ok, we did that once, then learned you really can't have an enjoyable outdoors meal with a beagle with an over sensitive food radar nose). Then, we'd check the paper for any street fairs or what not (internet then wasn't what it is today, it was still easier to buy a physical newspaper to figure out what was doing instead of a few clicks on the computer) and then wander around the city, maybe seeing a Broadway matinee or staying in for dinner if we could bribe someone to walk our dog for us because, though we didn't make that much then, it still seemed like we had money to burn as our mortgage on our co-op, bought before the NYC market went insane (I really wish we had held onto that apartment and taken a bigger mortgage on our house instead of selling it and using the money as a down payment), was pretty cheap.
Today, a summer Saturday morning means our 7 year old is waking us up at 5:30, wondering when Little League starts (last day ... yay!). Of course, we're not as grumpy or exhausted as we might've been at that time in the morning 10 years ago because, hey, the alarm usually wakes us up at 5:40 (or 6:10 if I feel like sleeping in) since I'm the one with the commute during the week. The only downside might be if we dared stay up late until ... gasp... 11 PM to watch a movie or something. After a cup or two of coffee, which we seem to need more now then we used to, it's off to the gym for me to work off some of the excess pounds, and fail, I used to just wish away a few years ago. Of course, it doesn't help that I seem to always have those red light foods that the Weight Watchers leader told us to be careful of 11 years ago when I was losing weight for our wedding (I now sympathize with all those parents I chuckled about who were blaming the evils of children's food on their expanding waists).
Anyway, after sweating for an hour or so, I return home and examine the never ending yard work that awaits me, especially bad this year with all the rain that seems to make our garden grow. For the next hour or so I'm cleaning the gutter, pulling weeds from the front landscaping while again wondering how much it would cost to rip it all out and replace it with rocks and wondering what that smell in the backyard is; probably fresh kill from one of the feral cats that seem to roam our yard at will since our current dog just doesn't really care about cats (we think they paid him off, though he barks at them when we're around) until my wife asks when I'm taking our son to his game. 10 seconds in the shower so my fellow parents aren't looking at me and wondering what died and before I know it we're off to Little League for an 11AM game.
11AM is a nice start time in April, when it's chilly early in the morning. It sucks in June when it's already 80 and the sun is overhead and the ice water one of the dads is spraying on the boys, and the parents, isn't really doing much. But the kids don't really care. At 7 years old, they just want to play. Or league has a mercy rule, 6 runs per inning. And today we needed all the mercy we could get, which is why both coaches decided on 3 outs or once around the lineup, whichever came first. Of course, the kids kept batting around. Fortunately, after the 5th, the coaches decided that the kids had had enough and ended the season. It probably had something to do with the injuries. All season I never saw a kid get hit by a ball or collide on the basepaths. Today there were at least 3 plays where parents had to run onto the field and ice packs were broken out. But the boys had their trophies and ice cream and all was well at the end. Anyway, by about 1 I was thinking ... Ah, finally get to rest. Damm cell phone.
You know, I never realized how good we had when we weren't in constant communication with each other. You could do your own thing in relative peace and let things wait until another time. Not today. I won't bore you with the details, but suffice to say, Target and my credit card company were happy my wife needed me to get a few things. Of course, I had to look much more carefully at prices because, eventhough my wife and I make 2 to 3 times more than what we made 11 years ago (she was in grad school and only worked part time then), it seems like the money goes out the door much faster. Eventually we make it home. Well, delayed, I think to myself, ah, finally get to relax and download the new Star Trek movie (fan made with many of the actors from the various shows, not the best movie in the world, but better then some of the dreck I've paid to see, including at least one real Star Trek movie) I want to see. Downloaded the 90 min movie at around 2PM and finished watching it at about 8PM. Six hours to watch a 90 min movie? Back in the day I would've laughed at that. Not today.
You see, I forgot that it was a great pool day. Our development has a pool club that all are forced to join. It is a mixed blessing. While it is great to have a cheap place to bring the kiddies to burn off some energy (and for me to burn some weight) and to, oh I don't know, maybe play with my children, it can really stink for "me time." A few hours there, and then home to BBQ, bathe the varmits and walk the dog and it's 8:30 and I'm almost ready for bed.
Ah to have a drink on a nice warm summer evening, like I used to do with my buddies (ok, we had more then "a" drink -- we drank enough beers that we made pyramids with the cans (wonder what I did with those pictures?), but I've discovered that, with hitting 40, though I may still like beer, wine and the harder stuff, they no longer like me. I think that happened sometime after our eldest was born and I realized that it would probably be good to stay sober in case something happened (and that my wife had to have stopped drinking 9 months earlier and I hated to drink alone). Myself of 10 years ago would laugh at my drinking inability of today. Myself of 20 years ago would probably suggest I go home and sit on the couch with my dad, drinking seltzer and watching the baseball game, which sounds nice as that is what I do anyway late in the evening (aside from being with my dad who has since passed, but I have my own children to watch TV with now).
Summer is so much work, winter is relaxing. Aside from when the children have cabin fever, I do love that there are no outdoor chores to do (aside from when it snows). No Little League, no pool, no BBQ .... I can just relax, read a book, watch TV .... and wish it were summer already.
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