In May 24 issue, Russell County News
By Barbara Sharp Zimmerman, Columnist

For more than 30 years, I had to leap out of bed at 5:30 A.M. on weekdays, or earlier, to get kids up and off to school, to get to work, to make a breakfast meeting, to go to the airport to catch a plane to Phoenix or Pittsburgh or some other client city.

So don’t criticize me now for “layin’ up sorry in the bed” – as a country acquaintance of my son once accused him.

Nowadays, I like to watch the late news and let the television bore me to sleep. I like to sleep until I awaken naturally, whether it’s 6 A.M., 7:30 or – heaven forbid – 9 A.M. (occasionally).

Even when I wake up early, I like to just lie there and contemplate what I am going to do – or not do – this day. Sometimes, after drowsily considering the options, I drift back to sleep. That’s okay by me.

I like to ease into the day. Begin by drinking coffee – it’s decaf these days – and reading the paper for as long as I want. Work the crossword puzzle. Dilly-dally around. Then, and only then, I’m ready to comb my hair, put on some clothes and get presentable.

But getting up late evidently is not okay to some relatives and friends, certain tradesmen and other early risers. When I tell my pest serviceman “not before nine”, I get a frown. Some retired friends, who no longer have to be in a getting-up rush, chide me for lollygagging in the mornings. After all the years of getting up early, they just can’t sleep late, they say.

I say they’d be in a better humor if they learned to let go of the need to accomplish, at least first thing in the morning, and just let it happen. I write my best columns in my jammies at my dressing table. It’s called “letting the game come to you.”

But I’ve become accepting of the fact that I’m out of step with the rest of the world. I’ve been caught looking like a “haint” still in my bedclothes by repairmen, a magistrate, old friends and neighbors. One friend came to my door before nine, stood looking at me and said he thought he was looking at “the wreck of the Hesperus”. What did he expect at that hour?

Who cares? I’m happily living my life the way I like. And they have someone to make fun of. I just hope they’ll wait until after 9 A.M. to tell me about it.

While I’m thinking of it...

Speaking of “layin’ up sorry in the bed”, I have to think – after seeing the low voter turnout at my precinct on Tuesday – that’s what about 75% of the people were doing instead of going to the polls.

And judging by the number of people who have told me they’d like to vote for Hillary Clinton for President but couldn’t because they were registered Republicans, we have a whole lot more Democrat-leaning people in Russell County than anybody knew. Maybe it’s time for an open primary in Kentucky, where you can vote in the primary for the person of your choice just like in the general election.

Or maybe all these closet Democrats should register as the Democrats they are!