SUMMER FUN?

SUMMER FUN?

I had a lot of fun when I was young but was sent off to prison when I was about six. I never enjoyed summertime much after that time. I always knew in the back of my mind that summer would pass and I’d soon be locked up for another eight months. My bright spot was wearing out Golden Guides, catching crawdads & salamanders and damming up the crick. Summer vacation soon passed away. It was back to staring out the windows time/ Hard Time.

I just returned from a dog walk on the lower Shavers Fork, near Bowden. I call it tin can alley. Campers parked alongside each other; hundreds on them. I cannot imagine why people would want to leave one city just to go sit in another one. The two biggest campgrounds were absolutely crawling with people. I don’t quite understand why you need a fire when it is 85 degrees, either. Must be fun.

Fun to me doesn’t require spending money. I drive all week therefore I sure don’t travel more than a few miles if I don’t have to. I’m old, I’ve already seen it .Buying gas isn’t fun. You can’t drive down a country road anymore without someone riding on your bumper. There isn’t any wonder that people do not see anything anymore. They are in too big of a hurry.

I guess I could charge an expensive trip for a vacation to somewhere I’ve never been and work all the rest of the year to pay it off. That doesn’t sound like much fun, either. I worked at a place a few years ago that closes down the first week of July every year. That would be one of my last choices for a week off. I think the most exciting thing I did was change brakes on my truck.

I’ve gotten to the point where I actually have to make myself go fishing. I’m fine once I get there but some become bored with the whole process. Biting flies, mosquitoes and gnats stuck in your sweat isn’t much fun. Plus, the cost of gas and ice takes away from the enjoyment. It seems as if anything interesting to do is a sixty or seventy mile round trip. I guess I just can’t enjoy my time away when I know there is grass to mow, tomatoes to tie and critters to feed. Have you ever taken the time to read the WV Fish Consumption Advisories? You should.

I do make the attempt to take an hour out of every day for enjoyment. It is my shutdown time and I have become very adept at finding interesting things. I may steal that time with walking the dogs or it may be somewhere alongside the road. No matter where it is it is cherished time. It doesn’t cost a thing and it helps maintain sanity.

There are many things out there to discover for everyone. The only requirement to participate is a little bit of free time. I can just tie the dogs off to a tree and go sit along a ditch. You would be amazed at the lifeforms you can see in just a small location. Just sit and stare. Dragonflies, damsels, butterflies abound and you never know what bird may appear. To me that is fun and free. Try it, you might like it.

This is my July 2016 article for Two-Lane Livin

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