Summer Vacation! Yeah, Right.

Today, being the first day of my Summer Break, I thought I’d be lazy and sleep in. When I did get out of bed, I planned to enjoy a nice cup of coffee in the sun room before fixing myself some breakfast. The rest of the day would roll by nice and easy as I spent my time alternately reading, writing, listening to music, and maybe even watching television.

Then the little boy fell out of bed and woke up.

My wonderful wife did let me sleep in until almost 7:30 this morning. While that is a good bit later than I usually get up on school days, it is not the time I would have preferred to get up on the first day of Summer Break.

My missus had lots of plans for me for the first day of my Summer Break. Her first idea was a good one, breakfast at our favorite diner.

The diner was on the way to the auto shop where we were taking our son’s car to get some work done while he’s overseas. I drove his car, she drove hers. We enjoyed a delicious breakfast and then dropped off our son’s car.

At that point I was at her mercy. We were in her car and were going to go wherever she wanted to go. I resigned myself to a long morning of going hither-and-yon running errands.

Shoe shopping, the garden center, a quick stop for gas, and on to Target. At Target I caught a break. My missus sent me to sit in the in-store Starbucks so she could take her time going up and down the aisles looking at stuff without having to listen to me sighing every time she stopped to look at something she had no intention of buying.

My time in Starbucks was very short. I barely had time to make a post to the discussion group I participate in, much less had time to finish my caramel macchiato, before my missus was there letting me know she was ready to go.

A timely call from the auto shop let us know my son’s car repair had been completed and we could stop by any time and pick it up. A young friend of mine (he used to play high school football with our oldest son) who used to work at my school was now a service tech at the auto shop. He’s the one who called. We left Target and headed back to the auto shop.

Are you bored yet? So far my day doesn’t seem too exciting, I’m sure.

The best part of the day came after I picked up my son’s car. By the way, the car belongs to the youngest of our two sons, not the son the aforementioned young friend played football with.

Anyway, the repair on the car was to the cruise control switch. In order to test it out, I took it up on the highway, got the car up to the 70 mile-per-hour speed limit, and engaged the cruise control. I cruised up to the next exit, testing to see that the control would accelerate, decelerate, cancel, and reset properly. I am glad to report it did all those things as it should have.

Upon arriving at home, my missus, who had already unloaded the prizes from her shopping trip, had more work planned for me.

First, the white gate she’d bought for our travel trailer’s screen door, a gate that will keep the dogs from scratching at the screen, needed to be spray painted black. I’d already scored it with sandpaper the night before (Just what I wanted to do the first night after my last workday). I took the gate outside, spray painted one side, and left it to dry. While it dried, my missus gave me my next task, hanging up a garden hose holder for the backyard hose.

Hanging the hose rack involved finding the masonry bit for my drill. I only have one masonry bit. Don’t look so surprised! How often do you think a teacher needs a masonry bit?

I found the bit after a short search, measured and drilled the holes, and mounted the rack to the bricks. My missus was quite pleased when she came out to check on my and saw the hose neatly wrapped around its new rack.

At that point I was ready for a break. All this outside work, on the hottest day of the year yet, had tuckered me out. Later I went outside and, finding the first side of the gate had dried, turned it over and spray painted the other side.

Now I am inside, in my recliner, listening to music, and getting a little writing done. My missus is outside looking around the house and yard looking for things for me to do tomorrow, after we get home from church and errands. Errands are never done.

Summer vacation. I may not have to go to school, but my missus will make sure I am not idle during these weeks I am not teaching. It won’t be long until I am longing to be back in the classroom.

As always, I remain,

The Exhausted Educator