We are back in CA after a relaxing week in Idaho. Since today was a workday for me, we were pressed to get home yesterday. The drive took much longer than usual due to horrendous traffic conditions that can be attributed to normal holiday traffic plus slowdowns due to the wild fires. The air was very thick with smoke and the traffic bumper-to-bumper for miles on end.

On the way home, we stopped for breakfast at a busy café and while we waited in line to pay our tab, I observed something that I am seeing more and more and it concerns me. The computer was down, so the young cashier had to count out the change on her own. Normally, the computerized cash register tells the cashier exactly how much change to give. It was sad to see how complicated this process turned out to be for the cashier (about age 18-20). After several attempts, the young woman gave back too much change to the woman ahead of us. The woman then said, “You gave me too much change,” and very patiently demonstrated to the cashier how to count back change from the $50 bill she had paid with. Years ago, I remember teaching my 6th graders how to count change and now it seems that we are relying on the computer to do it for us.