Buttonwood time

For almost 2 weeks I have been "camped" at Buttonwood Bay in Sebring, FL. I have trouble thinking of my RVing as camping. It's so far from sleeping on the ground in a tent. Buttonwood is where my good friends Barbara, Vinny and Doreen have houses they use in the winter - yes, they qualify for the term "snowbirds," and who could blame them, when you hear about all the snow and cold in the northeast. Now, Buttonwood is an over 55 community, and it has all these activities - scads and scads of them. You couldn't get to all the activities, because they overlap. Well, I love to play the card game pinochle, and I never have an opportunity to play at home. I saw double pinochle on the schedule, and thought, "If I can play single, shouldn't I be able to play double?" The play started at 6:00, so I got to the community center at 5:50, a little early. There were many tables busy playing cards. Did I have the wrong day? the wrong time? I asked if it was pinochle and was told that all the tables were full, and they had already started. I should have been there by 5:30 if I wanted to play. That's Buttonwood time. That night they were playing Bunko. I didn't know what that was, but hadn't gotten my anticipated game fix, so I decided to go. I got there approximately 25 minutes early and all but a couple tables were full. Buttonwood time. On Thursdays, when they have coffee and muffins at 8:00 AM, the crowd begins to form at 7:00 - Buttonwood time. They don't serve the muffins until 8:00, but all the tables are full with coffee drinkers before 7:30. I hear the Monday social hour - coffee and doughnuts - is even worse. Perhaps, because it's free. So why Buttonwood time? - a fear of them running out of muffins or doughnuts? A fear of the good tables being taken? My theory is that at one time, people showed up at the scheduled time, and then a couple of people snuck in early and got the best doughnuts or the best seats, and then more and more did the same, and pretty soon they established Buttonwood time. In a couple days I'm taking off to go see my cousin, and then the Keys. I may have gotten used to Buttonwood time for games or social hours, but when it comes to departure time, I'm not leaving a minute sooner than I have to.