Back after the break

This was a short break for us...normally it's 2 full weeks. We had to be in  school the Monday and Tuesday before Christmas so it was short by four days if you count the weekend, which I do!

 

This morning was rainy and cold, with a bit of fog.  The clock I use in my bus I left at home...and of course the clock I use at work on the wall was 4 minutes slow...so I had a slow start.  My first route are junior high kids...must of them have head phones stuck to their heads so they really are in their own world...alot of them have band instruments...some drivers make those kids sit up front, but I never care as long as everybody sits down I'm a-ok.  I have 45 kids on this route, which I am legal at 71, but being that most junior kids weigh on average 120 pounds...it's pretty tight on the bus...the big thing for junior kids is to socialize and I mean from the moment these kids step foot on the bus and even before at the bus stop they are talking, talking and more talking.  Even in the morning when you would think these kids would be half asleep, NOT my group...with that many kids they can get loud.  Which doesn't bother me, it's only when they start screeching that I get miffed.  Usually, they could not care less about me...I usually just nod or say good morning...they really only talk to me when they need me...which again is a-ok...I always call Junior the bowels of hell...it's such a crazy time for kids anyway.

This morning my left ear was plugged up, could be anything...so it made the first day back even better because it muffled the noise.  My junior high route is a quick one 10 minutes tops from first pick up to drop at the Junior High. 

Next I go to my High school kids...now these guys are quiet in the morning...some have their breakfast, and I let them eat on the bus, as long as they throw their trash away...one time some kid let a peach snapple with some juice let lose on my floor and it rolled all over the bus.  I didn't notice until it had made a huge mess.  That was worth a trip to maintenance for a hose down.  These guys think they have me trained to pick them up in front of their houses...it was raining this morning so I let it slide today...nice days they need to be at their stop...rules are rules.  But again they are really a good group of kids.

After I drop off this group I have a small break...we are required to go to base, which is where we park our buses and we have a double wide trailer for a building.  Years past a lot of drivers went to Micky D's or Panara ( who can afford that EVERYDAY!), but it didn't look good with 10 buses lined up in a parking lot...besides one guy ruined it by getting in a fender bender.

Next is the grade school kids...which I have a very small group, but I do have a pick up at a local day care.  Part of the route has a bridge that has been closed to us for weight reasons, so I have to go around in circles to make 3 stops, which means I go over the railroad tracks 6 times in 3 different places.  Legally at train crossings we must display our hazard lights and stop and open our service door.  It's a BIG pain.  But these kids are worth it...they are really good.

So that my morning...I start a 6:28 and am done about 9:00, then I am off until 11:30, which is nice I can get errands done or go home and take a nap...I only live a mile away so its super great!