Summer is unlike any other time of year. I love summer, truly I do. It avails one the opportunity to eat snow cones, watermelon and more importantly, welcomes a respite from adult responsibilities.
Vacation.
Just the word makes me want to sigh with relief.
Unlike the more glamorous vacations my co-workers took (the Bahamas and San Antonio), I simply returned home to the Panhandle to visit my family for an entire week.
After packing entirely too much and berating myself for not packing the essential iPod charger, I began to make the seven-hour trek home by myself.
By myself. Those two words don’t seem so scary until you realize that your iPod is dead and you are stuck with nothing to listen to but country music. For four hours.
Finally, after giving up on the radio and traveling in silence, I did have company... but not the kind you want.
As flashing red and blue lights deemed me to be breaking the law, I pulled over.
I had my cruise control set at 70 so I knew that wasn’t it, my seatbelt was latched so that wasn’t it either. Inspection current ... check. Tags current ... check. What in the world could be wrong?
The officer, who was a state trooper, walked up to my car and asked for my license and proof of insurance.
After searching among my cranberry snack mix and my pretzels, I came up with my wallet and license.
The police officer, I found out later after I was cleared of all possibilities of warrants etc., asked me why my child was strapped into the front seat instead of the back seat.
After being puzzled, I told him I didn’t have a child and that the seatbelt was simply fastened to keep the shiny buckle from blinding me while I drove.
After looking around me, he saw that I was indeed telling the truth and also began laughing because I had a huge stuffed bear riding shotgun.
A relic from childhood, he was being taken home to receive repairs from my grandma.
As the officer shook his head, wished me a good day and walked back to his car, I decided the country music might be a more suitable companion than red and blue flashing lights.
My vacation proceeded on with the laze and ease of non-scheduled time.
I read about five books, started a new scrapbook, watched movies, visited family and more importantly, enjoyed summer naps.
After being away from Farmersville, everything seems wonderful, and I am happy to be back in my cubicle of newspaper world.
Though Borger is my hometown, somehow Farmersville also feels like home to me now too.
I guess it’s true what they say about you always being able to go home, but make sure you don’t have a giant bear seatbelted into your car when you do.
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