July 21, 2009. Chevy Chase, Md. Playing Hooky.

I do not know why, but some times I feel like I'm playing hooky. Not that I skipped school all that often, but when I did, man, you really felt like you were getting away with murder. The reason I seldom skipped school had to do with all the practices I needed to attend after school. Every day in every sports season I just had to attend the practice, and if you were too sick to go to school that week or attend practice, you could not play in the game. So mostly I went to school. But not always, so I still recall the thrill of playing hooky, the feeling of getting away from something. Going to the movies in the afternoon gives me the same feeling of stealing away from my proper task of the day. Work is what I do all day, so when we organize a movie date at work it feels very sinful to go off to the movies.

Taking a hot tub in the daylight comes in the same category. We never wear a bathing suit in the hot tub, at least when we are alone together and the hot tubs are in private areas, but it always seems somewhat risque when we hot tub in the day time. Sunday afternoon at the farm just before coming home we always have a hot tub. No one ever comes to visit us at that time, so it is safe. Also the driveway is long so we can always jump out and get into the house before any one arrives at the door. Only once have we been caught in the twelve years we have owned it. Carol and Ken, my sister and brother-in-law arrived early at the farm, while we were still in the hot tub, so I called over to them to take their cases into the farm house while we got out. They ignored us and came over to chat about their journey and never even noticed that we were naked. When they went into the house, we got out into our robes.

The best daytime hot tubbing is at sundown in Nova Scotia. Watching the sun set while listening to the sea is glorious. But you never really get over the feeling of doing something dangerous. Just like playing hooky.