POTPOURRI IT IS

How old I am!  In ancient days when I was a kid; and even when my children were going to school the school year began on the Wednesday after Labor Day, and lasted to the next or last week in June.

 “No more school days” were the months of July and August and vacations could be so planned. Summer camps started the week after the 4^th and lasted for two 4 week sessions which for the lucky ones were consecutive. Of course those were the days of the dial phone and radio or in my kids’ times black and white TV.

I recently learned that my great-grandson Casey and his sister  in Thornville OH-Redneck country- are starting classes in two weeks; Aug. 19^th. I suppose school is over before Memorial Day.

I do remember that in my day some rural districts did start school in mid to late August; but that was so that there could be a break to get the crops in. That is not the case today; child labor on the farm is a no no. Also Thornville's area is a commuting suburb of Columbus within 40 miles.

For Casey this is another rite of passage; he is beginning Middle School; 6^th, 7^th and 8^th grades. To ease the transition there the 6^th graders are in a separate part of the school so that those bad 7^th graders don’t teach the novices bad habits or bully them.

Yes even in that antiquity; college began after Labor Day; now the trend is mid-August with a long New Years break. The good part is that it is only 4 weeks before the first college football games.

Even more seasonally confusing; Pro-football  is already with us playing games yesterday. True they were only "pre-season" but that means that the hockey season is just around the corner..