Sign of the times.

On NBC news tonight, I learned the term "walking schoolbus," for kids and parents walking to school in large groups either for the exercise or because the local school cannot afford the fuel costs. I actually saw one in my neighborhood this past week; not kids headed to school for the day, but a whole group (several classes worth) of kindergarten or first-graders headed back to school from a field trip. Every three or four kids were in a little group sticking close to an adult. The procession stretched down the sidewalk along the street in good order thanks to all the adults. It wasn't hard to figure out where they'd been. Each of the kids was carrying or wearing a bright red fireman's helmet. I'm guessing they all had a place to sit at the firehouse, because it's over a half mile away and across one fairly quiet intersection and one very busy street from the school. I saw them as they were crossing the less busy intersection near the school. The kids didn't look pooped, and the adults didn't seem to be having a lot of trouble keeping them together or keeping them moving. At least for the kids it looked like a complete success. I'm sure this was the first year the little ones walked to the firehouse from the school, and I'm sure the school budget was helped.