Driving through life

Well, another beautiful week in June has passed. The lilac's flowers are almost gone. I make the twins keep the curtain in the desk room open so that I can see what's left of them while I'm on my computer. (We don't keep the window open, because Teen A is allergic to them, poor boy.) I'm always so sorry to see them go, but grateful that they were here.

We had some truly torrential rain this week, and that probably washed away some of the blossoms. I can't tell how much we got, because the rain sensor at NCAR is broken. We got over 2 inches in an hour or so on Tuesday, I think it was, but Friday was also a seriously crazy rain day. It was starting to rain when Teen A and I were doing our morning pruning, and we gave up before the timer rang, it was so miserable.

This coming week looks quite different, with only a chance of rain on Wednesday and Thursday. We'll probably be wanting to end the work early because we're too hot!

I keep wandering around the yard, trying to look at it through Rocket Boy's eyes. What should we try to get done before he gets here (in about a week)? We mowed both the front and back lawns this morning, even though the backyard is mostly just weeds. Just trying to get a sense of things. We took down some little trees this week, including one that was almost totally blocking the little shed thing that you can see in the back of this photo. Now you can see the little shed thing, but of course it makes it easier for someone to enter our yard through the back gate there.

Silly to worry about. None of our gates lock. Anyone could enter our yard at any time, if they were so inclined.

Dancing through life, skimming the surface
Gliding where turf is smooth
Life's more painless for the brainless
Why think too hard when it's so soothing?

I don't know why this song (from the musical Wicked) is stuck in my head, but whenever I think about the twins driving, this song pops into my mind. Yes, it's true. We are driving. Or, I should say, Teen A is driving. Or has driven. Once. When we went to the elementary school parking lot to practice last night, Teen B realized that he'd forgotten his glasses. He needs to wear glasses -- can't see the board in class without them -- but hasn't truly faced up to the fact. So he usually doesn't wear them when he goes out and about, and thus last night he forgot to bring them with him -- and thus he didn't get a turn.

But we'll go out later and try again. With one of our new "please be patient/student driver" magnets stuck to the car and "Dancing through Life" running through my head.

When I think of my life as a teenager, driving around with my boyfriend in his little red MG (he did the driving, not me), the song that comes to mind is "The Topical Song," a take-off on "The Logical Song" by Supertramp, even though it didn't come out until 1979 and my boyfriend and I were broken up by then.

When I was young, oh the gas was so plentiful,
bountiful, oh liberal, my tank was full
And all the pumps on the street, they would gurgle so happily
joyfully, playfully, filling me

The song goes on to describe the gas crisis of 1979 and the long lines, high prices, and general misery and loss of driving innocence it caused. 

Life is different now -- gas is always expensive, we know all about how bad gas-powered vehicles are for the environment, and many people in my neighborhood are driving electric cars. I'm sure I'll be driving a gas car for many years to come, though, possibly the rest of my driving life, because I don't see us being able to afford a new car ever again. But who knows? The future is always a mystery.

Dancing through life, swaying and sweeping
And always keeping cool
Life is fraught-less when you're thoughtless
Those who don't try never look foolish

It's really a terrible song, all about how you shouldn't take anything seriously, never take any risks, always take the easy way out, etc. But it's also a wonderful song, such an earworm, so happy. Maybe because I've always loved to dance.

Teenage life is very different for my kids than it was for me. Partly because of the pandemic and partly because of how social media/online computer games have changed how young people interact. In the summer, the twins sit all day long in front of their computers and play stupid computer games -- sometimes together, sometimes with online friends who they may or may not know in real life.

But maybe once they get their licenses (in a year), things will start to change. Maybe.

Dancing through life down at the Ozdust
If only because dust is what we come to
Nothing matters but knowing nothing matters
It's just life, so keep dancing through

So again, why does this song seem like the theme song to the twins learning to drive?

...Driving is a little like dancing, when you take off and go somewhere wild and new. 

...We played this CD a lot when the twins were little and we lived in Ridgecrest and drove endlessly, endlessly to get to anywhere.

...A driver's license is the key to a lot of things -- adult life, freedom. All they have so far are temporary permits, but the permanent permits will be coming in the mail soon, probably this week. That's a form of ID! They will have their photos on them, like real driver's licenses. Up until now, the only form of ID they've had is their student ID. This is a step beyond.

My darling babies are becoming real people. Not quite ready for that, but it's not really up to me, is it?

***

So, the week ahead. My book group is coming on Tuesday, so I have lots of cleaning plans for the next two days. Fortunately, we don't do full meals anymore, just snacks. We read a book set in England (The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams -- just awful, don't read it, such a waste of my time), so I'll have strawberries and cream, maybe I'll bake cookies, maybe some crackers or chips with dip. Iced tea and lemonade. That's enough.

Teen B and I both have orthodontia appointments, and otherwise I'll work on getting ready for our trip. There isn't much to do. I could research things to do in Yellowstone. I have a feeling we'll have vastly more to do there than we'll have time for.

Oh, and here and there, the twins and I can drive.