Salty Sal

I am so gol darn happy I could bounce tennis balls off the side of a barn.  It actually got dark last night by my bedtime! I'm not a big fan of summer.  Now, I do like growing a few flowers and some vegetables but this Daylight Savings Time that keeps the sun shining until the next day is not for me.  How is a person supposed to wind down and relax?  I grew up on a farm and worked like a dog from May until September.  When I saw that big yellow bus winding down the gravel road in late August to pick me up for school, I knew I was about to get a break and do the things I liked; reading, writing, and hanging with friends. (Not so many friends on the farm, just brothers and sisters.)  "Make hay while the sun shines", was the mantra on the farm.  Well, the sun never quit shining. These days, in my fifth decade of life,  I try to quiet the voices of my childhood and relax even though it's still daylight, but not without a boat load of guilt.  So now you understand why I breathe a sigh of relief in mid August when the sun leaves the sky by 8PM and darkness settles in. It means my work for the day is done. Don't get me wrong, I value my upbringing.  The work ethic stuck like grasshoppers to a windshield and I'm grateful. It's kept me from disgrace.  But when darkness comes, so does a voice that says, "Well done, my good and faithful servant."  Salty Sal craves that voice.