The Haiga

Last few fab days of vacay.  In a week we'll be back in action, learning about, and with, a new group of 3rdLanders. Can't wait to meet 'em. I hope they have pleasant personalities. 

We usually start the year learning about Kobayashi Issa, the great haiku poet.  We follow up with a haiku hike around our playground.  After the hike, we write haiku and add watercolor imagery.  Voila.  Morning #1.

I just learned today that the combination of haiku with imagery is called haiga.  Haiga has been around for centuries.  During the EDO period (1603 - 1867), people who felt like it would create haiga for fun, sometimes at gatherings.  Haiga writers of today may use photography or collage with their haiku, rather than watercolor.  See above.

The Dans

The DANS ARE HERE! Brother Dan drove Father Dan to our fine town and we’re having a grand old time. A big outing for Dad is a drive to a medical appointment, so I’m trying to balance some fun field trips with restful down time.  Dad’s 94. He does not move easily nor well. He basically can’t move at all without a lot of assistance.

Yesterday we walked and wheeled at Switchyard Park.  I read all the plaques aloud to the Dans as they listened attentively.  My dad loves history.  We discovered that the first ever color television was made right here in B-town.

Today we drove to our largest state park, Brown County.  We walked and rolled along the Friends Trail, short and shady. Our stop at the Nature Center was a bust.  Even though it was 10:40 and they should have been opened, they were not. I took a photo of the Dans in front of the nature center in order to get fb credit. No one will know the difference.  We stopped for lunch and then headed home for naps.

Tomorrow’s the last day of the visit and I’m thinking of a campus walk followed by lunch on Kirkwood.  Dan2 commented they are fine with a “do nothing day.”  He might be trying to tell me something but I’m not sure.  As usual, I will err on the side of fun.

The S&G

 

I have a new laptop because I have been the victim of theft.  Husbandman and I did a quick drop in to an urban center out west to see #30something and Mr. HL over the weekend. We were there for about an hour when we were smashed and grabbed.  The Smash and Grab (S&G) involves thieves smashing a barrier like the back window of a rental car and then grabbing valuable stuff like laptops.  

If S&G happens to you, don't panic. You can get a new rental car. With "2 to 3 S&G's daily," the rental car agency won't bat an eye.  A nearby pharmacy will replace your medications.  Friends from home will ship out a second copy of your key for your car, parked at the IND airport. A trip to the post office will get you forms for replacing your passport.  Your insurance company may throw some cash your way if you've filed an on-line police report.

2 million laptops are stolen each year in the US. S&G looters use blue tooth detection devices to find laptops in vehicles, so try to remember to put your device on airplane mode even if it's in your trunk.  Less than 2% of stolen laptops are recovered, so don't be a hero with your Find My Laptop apps. You're wasting valuable time with that nonsense.  If you can't help yourself, local pawn shops might be a good place to start your search. Good luck.

If an S&G disrupts your trip, take heart. You can still have a good vacation, full of windy walks at the beach, incredible meals, victorious major league baseball games and non-stop conversations with people you love. Your anger about the S&G won't disappear, but with effort, you can move on and live life to the fullest. In short, don't let the S&G steal your joy.