"How did I manage to miss tax-free day this year? It somehow breezed by me without notice, and for the first time ever, I missed that wonderful golden opportunity to stock my shelves without lining Uncle Sam's coffers. Now I'll either have to suck it up and pay taxes on underwear, or allow my kids to continue wearing their "holy" ones--even if it's not Sunday. What if they get in a car accident? What will the EMTs think? "Imagine, letting those kids goof off all day without any interaction with other human beings--and wearing ratty underwear to boot." That mother should be ashamed!"
 

I'm also wondering what those yellow buses are doing chugging up and down the streets anyway? Maybe they're just testing the brakes, and making sure that they're in mechanically tip-top shape for when school really starts. That doesn't readily explain the presence of bleary-eyed ladies on every street corner wearing florescent orange vests, holding stop signs, and scowling at passing cars. And, what about all of those unruly little people wearing backpacks more than twice their size? Are they extras brought in for rehearsal, too?  

OK, so I'm really skilled at denial--especially when reality involves some sort of effort on my part. Time for a deep breath now, while I face up to the truth. SUMMER IS OVER! What a summer it has been, too, for our family--what with tedious train travel, ugly wood borers, unwelcome visits from zoning inspectors, and moving my Mom out to her new place in the country (far away from rotten neighbors and nosy zoning inspectors).

It sounds like a regular roller coaster ride, doesn't it? Actually, we did do a bit of that too, at Hershey Park, so we did manage to mix a lot of good times in with the bad. Still, in the balance, I suppose I'm glad that summer is over, and I find myself looking forward to returning to the comfort of an ordinary routine. My faithful readers are probably looking forward to some more regular postings, too. Thanks for hanging in there with me. It's been one wild ride of a summer!