I hate changing my cloths!!
I always thought firemen had it nice. Wake up, throw both legs in pants and boots, pull up the suspenders, slam a hat on your head and out the door ready for business. No fuss , no muss and no, “ Those socks don’t match your shirt!” nonsense.
Even as a kid I was mystified by the whole “Proper attire” concept. For a brief time I played with paper dolls. These were semi naked versions of Dagwood and Blondie accompanied by paper outfits that were held in place with paper tabs that fit over the figures shoulders.
My father must have been appalled by the idea his son was playing with paper dolls, but he would have been somewhat relieved to know I was much more interested in the semi naked Blondie than the semi naked Dagwood.
Anyway , there were also little back up scenes included in the sets. Dagwood chopping wood, Blondie baking ham, The Party, Church etc. etc.
I never “got” why Dagwood couldn’t split wood in a suit, or why the ham would not have tasted just as good if Blondie wore an evening dress to cook it. For that matter, if Dagwood was so worried about the ham, why didn’t he hand Blondie the ax and get his rear end in the kitchen.
Well, you can see the social havoc I would have unleashed on the world.
Over the years I have tried valiantly to live out my desires. It has not turned out well.
I once transplanted a large shrub from one part of the yard to another. This involved heavy labor and much water. Fully expecting “ Good job” from my lovely spouse, I was surprised to hear consternation in her voice , “ those are your good shoes!!” In her defense the damn things were never worth much after that. The toes curled up and the insides got really rough.
Then there was the hall painting. “ Why is your good shirt polka dotted?” And where is it written that there are “good jeans” in which we should refrain from applying polyurethane? Are there “bad jeans” worn only to clean sheds ??
Nor is it only work. Countless times I have arrived at the door wallet packed, watch wound, keys clutched in hand only to be greeted with, “ Not in that your not!”
This makes no sense. We are invited to celebrate the special events of others lives, their most happy, sacred and emotional moments. Why does this require us to shove our bodies into stiff cloths, drape a rope around our necks and encase our feet in hunks of dead cow?
In fact I believe it is a female conspiracy. Every secretary at school thought it was their job to check if I was appropriately attired. Even my favorite female students took on the job. They would greet me at the door, give me the once over and either nod approvingly or comment, “So the light was out in the closet again.” Or “ So your wife left before you got up this morning.”
Finally I have drawn a line in the sand. I bought a pair of dress up sneakers that perfectly match my suit. Shoes are a thing of the past.

Shenandoah National Park
We just spent a glorious week at Shenandoah National Park. When we arrived Monday, the forest was pretty green, but by Thursday it was in spectacular attire. On the first day we hiked up to the summit of Compton Gap. This meant about a mile and a half on the Appalachian Trail and then another mile on a side trail. The view was nice, but not much different than the Drive itself.
We checked into Skyland and settled down to celebrate out arrival with a bottle of wine on our veranda. Dinner that night was surprisingly good.
After breakfast Tuesday, we hiked into Rose Canyon. It was a very nice walk down, but we had to be back at Skyland by 12:30 so we tried to set a speed record for climbing 1200 feet in 30 minutes. This did not feel at all enjoyable, but we made it back in time to jump on horses and head into White Oak Canyon. Kay really enjoyed herself and wanted to go Wednesday.
Unfortunately, the wind was so bad on Wednesday, that the horses were not allowed to come out and play, so we headed into Luray for breakfast at Uncle Buck’s. Very nice. Once we got back on the mountain we decided to chance the wind and at least start down White Oak. This canyon was on the lee side of the mountain and once we dropped below the ridge, the wind was manageable. The hike was absolutely perfect. There was an Autumn scent in the air, bright blue sky, 60 degree temperatures and just spectacular scenery. A hike of about three miles brought us to the top of the falls. We seriously thought about going the rest of the way down, but several signs warned that the going was very hard and we should rethink it. So we went back up, with the idea of going out of the park and coming up to the falls from the bottom on Thursday.
Once we were back to Skyland, we decided to drive up to Big Meadow and look for bears. I’m still a little confused as to why this was a good idea, but since no bear felt the need to expose himself, it didn’t matter. But Big Meadow was an interesting place to see.
After packing Thursday we, decided to go down Dark Hollow Falls, then hike out onto Big Meadow and then on the way home, try and go up White Oak from the bottom. Instead, we were so captivated by Dark Hollow falls we stayed there for a long time. Then when we got to Big Meadow we took a two mile forest trail and eventually walked into the Meadow.
Sadly, we needed to head for home. We made Carlisle Pa that night and found a delightful English Pub. (Don’t tell my ancestors)
Of course our trip back to Binghamton was made in a rain storm!!. Our journey ended at 2:30 Friday. The cats were thrilled to see us, but the rest of the Village seemed to have survived quite nicely without us.
It was a great trip, with beautiful scenery, sparkling company and surprisingly good food. I would actually go to Skyland just for the dinners.