My dad left the uniform wearing aspect of military life behind shortly after I turned eight but he still kicked off most every day with boot camp styled wake up calls at 0-five hundred hours. Add to this weeks of summer vacations spent on farms, and a John Wayne period that filled a few years of my life with ranch work and you have a lifelong habit of the feet hitting the floor at 4:30 or 5:00 without the assistance of an alarm clock.
Dad also instilled a very strong work ethic. His theory that there was plenty of time for sleep when you were dead overlapped into his views on sports, watching television before 7:00 in the evening, holidays, or in general, anything that wasn’t work related.
Even though my dearest friend has made tremendous strides in helping me balance being a workaholic with simply savoring life, weekends and holidays are not exempt from long developed habits. So, the three day weekend has been somewhat productive.
The weathered eaves on the south side of the house are now in primer. With assistance from dearest friend, the front bathroom is gutted. A bedroom long used for storage is on the cusp of being transformed into a small workshop.
There was still time for the penning of a Route 66 related feature for Mid-Century Magazine, a movie and barbecue shared with my dearest friend, an early morning visit with our son, a bit of reading, and in depth cleaning of the house. Today the schedule calls for visiting with Judy’s mother, providing a bit of assistance to the fine folks at Legends of America (the official outlet for our photo prints and a few special features), a walk filled with reflection on the holiday, assisting with development of a Route 66 tour for a New Zealand based company, adding a bit of grease to key components under the Dodge, and, hopefully, starting on the next book.
In looking to the week ahead, it seems to hold the promise of fun, adventure, and, hopefully, moving beyond the crossroads where we have been camped for a very long time.
On Tuesday evening it is dinner with Jeroen and Maggie Boersma, friends from the Netherlands. Between Tuesday and Saturday there will be numerous conference calls pertaining to Route 66 International Festival development, the scheduling of appointments to obtain estimates from contractors, and the establishment of a schedule for the penning of the new book.
Now, a bit of breakfast, and a three minute visit with Marleen. First, however, there is need for fitting theme music to set the mood for the day.
