Gearing up for a new school year, old style

That brown snakey thing next to my clock radio is my watchband. I put my watch there on June 17th,when I returned home from my last teacher work day. I didn't strap it on again until 6:49 AM today. 80 days with no watch. 80 days of summer.

For the first few days, I glanced at my wrist over and over, looking for the time. And then I stopped. No need. In summer, I have the time to walk across the yard, up the stairs, into the house, and check the clock. Or to climb into my kayak and say, "I'll be back sometime around 10."

I spent today in teachers' meetings, listening, doodling, taking notes, jotting down items I needed to accomplish in my Sundial Agenda. I like this model: no boxes, just the free-flow of time.

I wore one of my most striking pairs of earrings today: clock parts from gear-driven watches. I bought them in May 2010 from a craftswoman at the Delaplane Strawberry Festival.

I studied her creations for a long time, looking for a pair that was not too obvious, but would require thought, especially of children who'd never seen watch gears. 

I wonder how long it will be before clocks with hands become as anachronistic as sundials. Or as the wind-up clocks of my childhood.  

I wore my watch today, but forgot my cell phone at home. If only I had Dick Tracy's 2-way wrist radio. A brief look on the Internet says that LG introduced such a gizmo in 2009. I don't think I've seen one yet.

Would I wear one? Probably not. I'm just learning to text. I know I couldn't handle that tiny keyboard.