THEY'RE BAAAACK!

Brace yourself.

The university students have returned from Christmas break.

  Bless their hearts.

Even those who’ve experienced driving in winter conditions seem to have forgotten all after spending a couple of weeks on dry roads.  They hurtle their autos down streets and slide through stop signs.  They miss the curves and end up on the lawn.  There’s nothing worse than seeing a sports car with California plates spinning toward you like a hockey puck.

 The Canadians are the exception. 

 They have the ice driving down.

They spin donuts in the parking lots and think they are

the stars of The Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift.

The population of the town doubles overnight.

Often the student arrives with a parent.

 Sometimes the whole family comes along.

 For at least a week our grocery store isles will be clogged with carts

 surrounded by moms, dads and youngsters

 making earth shaking decisions about which box of cereal to buy

---at a speed that makes glaciers look swift. 

If the students are smart they’ll drain dad’s account

 while mom is there with teary eyes.  

Because they know it will be ramen noodles for the rest of the semester.

 Once again our streets will be filled with stunning young ladies

 in fine, if impractical, fashion.  After a few weeks in the 

slush ice, drifts and blowing snow, the fur trimmed high heel boots

 and tight jeans just don’t seem like such a great idea.

 We welcome the students here to try their wings 

 spend money, and add humor and smiles to a dreary time. 

There’s nothing like dragging yourself to Walmart

 in a blizzard for cough syrup and there find roommates

 in Santa hats and big smiles giving each other rides in the shopping carts.

Bless their hearts.