Of course we all know that if you hang around long enough on this planet Earth someone will do a study on just about everything.  

Ol’ Dutch has been around awhile and as Miss Trixie, her gorgeous self, likes to say, he is older than dirt itself. But I am quick to remind her that she is fast becoming a tad dusty herself. 

So just yesterday I saw a study put out by The American Time Use Survey that compared socializing amongst different age groups right here in the good old U.S. of A. They found out that people, regardless of age, are spending half as much time socializing with their peers than they did 20 years ago. This includes such things as going out to clubs, church activities, community events and going to other places specifically to be with friends.  

I find this kind of amazing but I do know that as Ol' Dutch grows a little long in the tooth, he is starting to prefer his own company a lot more than other people. It's not that I don't like them or enjoy time with them but that old recliner in the living room sure can be a good friend of mine.  

I do have a sort of fail-safe switch on the tendency to stay home, though, in the shape of Miss Trixie. Our co-habitation, which has reached the 14 year mark, requires my presence with her whenever and wherever she goes so staying home in the quiet is really not an option much as of yet.  

Just this past Friday we had a situation arise that really shows just how our social butterfly Miss Trixie operates. We had worked all day helping to get tourists in the river in the tubes and kayaks that Mountain Main/Narrow Ridge Outdoors rents out and so were late getting home to the house. 

It had been a hot day of loading and unloading folks and driving almost non-stop to get them on the River so Ol’ Dutch was starting to “need” a shower more than “want” one.  

Miss Trixie and I arrived home and I told her I was going to take a much needed sudsing but she quickly informed me that “we don't have time for that.”  For it seems that she had us booked solid for a music venue at a local cafe and we had to “run.”   

So I rallied this creaking old body and changed clothes using an inordinate amount of deodorant which reminded me of how I spray for termites at the farm. Copious amounts and many layers of spray in cracks and crevices. We made the event and Miss Trixie informed me later that we had a good time too. I was so glad to hear that.  

But this whole thing got me to thinking – a dangerous proposition according to Miss Trixie – about how we have now gotten so busy that even a quick shower is out of the question should we miss even one minute of “fun.” 

What I have begun to realize is that this mad rush to be with everyone at everything will eventually lead us being  odiferous to our friends and neighbors. And in doing so, we will then begin to have less social events to be invited too. Maybe a desired effect in all honesty.  

The only problem with that is once we begin to stay home more, Ol’ Dutch will have time to shower and once being presentable in public, we will once again be invited to copious amounts of social dithering.  

There is one thing I am certain of and that is whomever did this study most certainly did not include our glamorous Miss Trixie in their database. And rightfully so because just her activity level alone would have skewed the results so far right as to make the money they charged to conduct said study seem a waste of resources.  

So, if you see us in the next few months, know that sooner or later we will “hit the wall” so to speak and have to stay home for one night. After which we will once again smell like fresh petunias in the pasture.  

“Come on Trixie. Get in the car.” 

Kevin Kirkpatrick spends his days fishing, hunting, ATVing, hiking or making people laugh. His email is Kevin@TroutRepublic.com. Additional news can be found at www.troutrepublic.com or on Twitter at TroutRepublic.com.