The Spirit

It's the holiday time of year, but you'd never know it if you followed me around.  No tree.  No haystack cookies.  No festive music of Michael Bolton.  Just the same old kind of stuff.

Today I have the afternoon off because I have to drop in on our local periodontist.  I've taken time off every few weeks for dental appointments this school year and everyone including me is getting sick of it. A kid asked me today if I have a problem with cavities. I just answered, "No, but I don't want talk about my dental situation."  Who wants to really hear about cadaverized bone grafts and lasering off gum tissue?

Time away from the school house grind gave me some extra time at home this afternoon, so I decided to climb out of my rut and crank up the holiday spirit. In short, I ventured up to the attic to release the Santas. I was cheered to reunite with Frogman Santa, Ghost Santa, Serial Killer Santa, Wee Little Santa, etc. I bought a new Santa this year from Global Gifts.  He's from Kenya and made from solid ROCK so I'll call him The Rock Santa.  Welcome, The Rock Santa.  Soon, I'll be listening to a holiday CD on my way to my dental care visit.

The Walker

My dad has been in and out of poor health the last few months. He had a fall, a hospital stay and now he has to use a walker to get around.  Honestly, I don't think using a walker is a negative.   I frequently search on the internets for different kinds of walkers that I plan on buying as soon as I can reasonably walk around using a walker. I also like to go look at the walkers when I'm at the drug store.

Dad sounds better this week and we've had some good chats lately.  Yesterday I told him that Husbandman and I plan on going out to eat this weekend.  Dad said, "I wish I could go out to eat."
I replied, "You can.  What are you talking about?" 
Dad yelled into the phone, "I'm a cripple for God's sakes!"
This sent me into hysterics. Could not stop laughing.  Dad said he was happy that I found the situation amusing.
  Dad's not a cripple.  He's getting around fine and has lots of great help down at 90Cab. I heart my dad.  He's a good guy.

The Return

Reporting to you all from basecamp.  Husbandman is not here.  He has flown to Vienna for a math conference.  Basecamp is quiet. Holiday festivities have come to an end.  On my To Do list today is writing a review about our rental site.  When I first saw the site, I was super disappointed.  The living room furniture was badly stained and falling apart. We also became aware of an ant problem in the kitchen area. Upon entry, I was royally PO'd  and I let it be known by complaining vociferously to all within earshot.

Over time, I came to appreciate some pros of the site.  We watched Harry Potter on a big screen, crafted hand turkeys on a large table, cooked several awesome meals and played a new board game with plenty of space for setting up our European train routes.  Everyone had a fairly comfortable bed and the showers, while lacking basics like soap, were well functioning. Come to find out, we were able to enjoy the holy heck out of each other in that space. I'll therefore probably give a good review.  The owners may be doing their best and forgetting the rest.  I suppose I can do the same.  If you read my review and end up staying there in the future, I apologize, but just try to relax about what you see around you when you first enter.  Focus on what's important in life.  Fun family free time.  Also, know that there are a ton of cool things to do outside in that neck of woods.  Get outside as much as you can.

The Hand Turkeys 2019

The Hand Turkey Armada sailed off, waiting to take up the fight for causes big and small.  Important and/or some may say irrelevant.

Husbandman --- Equality
Leeway --- Free time
Eve --- Welcoming Country
Bill --- Expand the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (Write your senator).
20 Something ---- Creative Expression
Kyle --- Epstein?
Laura --- Youth Voices
Jay --- Making Meaning
Eli --- Transgender Non Binary Awareness
#1 Son --- Keanu Reeves should be cast in all Ben Affleck roles

The Course

This is ALITTLELEEWAY reporting from a cold AirBnB in the great city of Oakland.  I'm wearing my jammies and my winter coat as I write this blog.
We believe we have figured out the thermostat and will soon have warmth, along with coffee, which is presently a brewin'.

The whole crew is now together.  Many have traveled from distant lands.  We walked the streets of North Beach yesterday, learned more about the Beats, checked out the awesomest book store in the land.  I bought a picture book by Elise Gravel called What Is a Refugee?

Today we do Thanksgiving. It's already getting started.  People are going for jogs.  Foods have been peeled. Here I am a bloggin'.  It's freaking bedlam over here and it's not even 9am.  I need to develop a plan.  Next right thought, next right action.  Keep the course steady.

The Purse Hooks

This is ALittleLeeway reporting from an Airbnb somewhere in the great city of Oakland.  #1 Son has arrived, but I've not seen him yet.  We arrived to bedlam at Oakland Airport last night, where a power outage stranded thousands of passengers in darkened terminals, standing in long lines that never moved. TV cameras were there, recording the misery of the holiday travelers who weren't going anywhere.  #1 posted a screenshot of his plane route, which was nearly to Oakland, u-turning to Las Vegas.  We left and headed out for pizza with 20 Something.  Later, Husbandman returned to OAK and got him.  He's in another room sleeping.  I'm re-experiencing that little kid xmas morning feeling when you have to wait to open the presents.  So close, and yet, so far.

Here's something I learned yesterday.  We met 20Something and College Chums at a bar in Berkeley before our Airport Debacle. This place had small hooks installed below the bar where purses, umbrellas and coats could be hung, close by yet out of the way.  College Chums report that all bars have these purse hooks. I wonder why no one thought to tell me about this convenience.  Happy for the new information.  Yet somewhat dolorous about the years of comfort lost.  I plan to pass the word to everyone I know and I suggest you do the same. Let's help others.

Signing off from rainy California.

The Coast Live Oak

This is ALITTLELEEWAY, reporting from the western coast of the great state of California.  Here's what's going on.  20 Something and KHL? We saw them and they were delightful as all get out.  We're going to see them more, in the future.  Quinn?  Arriving tonight.  Seattle kin?  They're at the top of their game. Laura, Jay, Eli?  Update on the Terrific Trio tomorrow.  So far, this first day of break can be marked as one of the Glory Days of 2019.

The weather here is now rainy and chilly, but we smartly scheduled our hike to Sibley Volcanic Preserve for the morning hours. The Sibley Volcanic Preserve is one of the best places you can visit.  Every time you turn around, you're learning something new up at Sibley.  Case in point:

 Ten million years ago, there was a volcano over in this neck of the woods.  Volcanic debris surrounds you on this hike, including knobs and rubbly tuffs.  Wooly mammoths walked around long ago, and also camels. Come to find out, camels actually originated in North America, about 45 million years ago.  Then about 4 million years ago, camels up and left our land.  Walked over the Bering Straight and headed south to the Middle East and Africa.  CRAZY!

I'm dedicated to learning new things this week, and sharing my findings here on ALittleLeeway. We have no theme for the Hand Turkeys yet.  I'm thinking Turkey Armada might have potential.

This is ALITTLELEEWAY signing off from California.  Concentrate, friends, on doing your best and forgetting the rest.

The Measuring

You've all heard of miles, kilometers and of course furlongs, but what about nails, chains and links?  Nails, chains and links are types of measurements, too.  Nail is a term used to measure cloth. A nail is a little over 2 inches long. A chain is 66 feet long and was used for surveying land.  A link, about 8 inches, was also used in surveying. I was helping my favorite 7th grader with some math homework today and we had to use proportions to compare miles with nails, chains and links.  My favorite 7th grader kept her eyes on the prize, but I was intrigued, and somewhat distracted, by the terms and their origins.  As I scanned the internets, I'd share comments like, "Let me tell you why it's called a nail.  Super interesting," or, "Did you know a link can also be called a Gunter's Link?"  My favorite 7th grader has a truly unique blank stare that really gets you back on track after you've strayed from the task at hand. We got the assignment done and we were able to play mancala and make some cool bookmarks.
     And by the way did you know that "jiffy" was originally a measurement used to indicate the time it takes light to travel one centimeter in a vacuum?  When you say, "Be back in a jiffy," you're basically saying you'll return in approximately 33 picoseconds.  And think about this, my friends.  A picosecond is one trillionth of a second.

The Walnuts

Kay Sage

There are a few Thirdlanders who don't play with a posse of others at recess time.  I grouped three outliers together this week for a walnut game I'm developing.  It has no name yet.  Basically, we have 20 seconds to pick up all the walnuts we can find.  Then we fling the walnuts through a chain link backstop.  This is how the scoring works.

SCORING

• One point for getting the walnut through the chains.  
• Two points for making NO SOUND as it goes through.  Nothing but net, so to speak.
• Three points for hitting the tree on the other side of the backstop.  

One of the Thirdlanders is obsessed with the Ice Age. Ice Ages to be precise, because we've learned there were more than one.  He wasn't in to the walnut game at all until I introduced the concept of beaning saber tooth tigers with the walnuts.  No additional points for this, but it really adds to the drama.

Creativity Thursday: Minor Dramas & Other Catastrophes

I was thrilled to receive the ARC of Word Savvy's new book.  ARC stands for Advanced Reader Copy.  It's a special copy that special people can read before a book is published and available to the other readers.

You know those times where you sit down to read for 15 minutes and then don't look up for four hours?  That's what happens with this book.  It's happened to me twice.  Once when I read a much earlier draft awhile back. Then again last Saturday.

I love this book.  Kirkus Reviews also loves this book.  KIRKUS REVIEWS!!!!!!!

I think you should read this book if you want to, but you'll probably have to wait until February or if you want my ARC, I can pass it to you after Nancy and Judy are done with it, but you have to give it back to me because KC wrote something nice inside Minor Dramas and also added a unicorn sticker.  Like I said, a special copy for special people. KUDOS, KC!

The Oceans

We've been reading about a device built by The Ocean Cleanup group to collect some of the trillion plus pieces of plastic floating in the Great Pacific Garbage Dump.  It seems like a fine device, but so far it hasn't been super successful collecting the plastic.  The group has gotten some criticism.  It's hard to tell if they're on the up and up.  I'm still reading articles.

The Thirdlanders want to know why people litter in the first place.  One gal offered, "I think it's basically because people don't make good choices about where to put their trash."

Another retorted, "But why?  Why don't they make good choices?"

It was hard not to point at the debris all over our classroom floor---- the wasted glue sticks drying up with no caps in sight, the snack wrappers, the slips of paper from our pictograph project that were scissored, dropped and forgotten. Left behind as it were.  I'm not much better.  My desk is always a disaster and if the recycling bin's full, my paper trash goes right in the trash bin.

Going to work on slowing down the agenda this week, building in some tidying time.  I need it.  They need it.  The planet needs it.  We can do better in Thirdland.