trojan horse invades soggy greek creek with tasty rice
When Darius and Christiane left for Beirut (via Istanbul), the holiday season officially ended. And, this Friday, 241 years of proud US history will end when an individual, Donald of Orange, with the attention span of a hummingbird and the judgment skills of a rabid ocelot (combined with the subtle dignity of an elephant in musth) morphs from classless loudmouthery into ‘president’ of a diminished country.
“Dan!” Nazy interrupts. “The Weekly Letter is not the place for political commentary.”
“You are so right my dear. I will refrain from mentioning the incoming ‘president’.” I replied. “Except when he does something stupid,” I thought.
“Including when he does something stupid,” Nazy interjected.
“Of course.” I concurred. “But not including ‘really’ stupid things.” I thought.
Aware that we can’t do anything about a bully taking charge of the bully pulpit, Nazy and I focused on restoring the house to normality. STUFF had gotten out of hand…
‘So out of hand, Nazy,” I noted, “that official instruments clearly indicated that there was a dearth of air in the house.” (There was no room for air.)
“Official instruments, Dan?” Nazy queried.
“My lungs,” I replied.
I have exaggerated — but only a little. The holiday season brought bulk to the abode. Like a Sumo wrestler in a preschool ballet class, the Christmas Tree had dominated the living room. Various super toys revolved around the massive tree like gas giant planets orbiting in a close knit solar system. My personal favorite ..
“…. is the rocking horse that we got for Darius,” I explained. “It’s the same size as a Budweiser Cyldesdale.”
“Dan that’s..”
“It’s indestructible and ancient, Nazy. Agamemnon, Achilles, Odysseus, and the Grεεk Army hid inside it when they were besieging Troy. And just like the Trojans, we can’t get rid of it.”
“I like it, Dan.”
We also have (full-size) cars, trains and tricycles, an easel (complete with Persian alphabet magnets), a sleeping cradle and a bouncy chair. And that’s not counting Darius and Christiane’s suitcases which, and I am not making this up…
“… won’t fit in Melika’s car?” I asked. Astonished.
“We’ll need to take two cars,” Nazy replied.
“Won’t fit in Melikas’ car!” I thought. “Entire countries can fit in Melika’s car.”
We caravanned to the shuttle bus stop where, fortunately, heavy equipment was available to help load the baggage:
“Unusual, Dan?” Nazy asked. “It’s been raining.”
“Precisely, my dear. Rain — especially during the rainy season — is very unusual.”
The snowpack in the High Sierra is at historic depth. (Eleven feet of snow, enough to bury the chair lifts, fell at Lake Tahoe.) Our own creek, which, in the last four years, never had water for more than 4 hours in a row, was filled for several days. According to the local weather team, we just need six more years of this and the drought will be broken.
Tiger, meanwhile, claims that he … “turned on the rain, Dan.”
It’s also been an exciting time for Tiger. His Montessori School went bankrupt in the middle of the Christmas break. Breaking with the previous administration, the teachers scrambled to establish a successor institution. Financial arrangements were a bit muddled: the teachers were working for free (for a while), but the parents were to be billed extra. Melika and Tom found an alternative school that..
“…. is much closer to our home.” Melika explained. “I can walk to it from work and ..”
“… we can walk there from home,” Nazy concluded.
Tiger began his initial, integration visits this week. At the school assembly, all the students voted on whether to adopt one or two rabbits.
“I want three rabbits.” Tiger suggested as an alternative. (He is really into numbers.) He starts full-time on Tuesday. He also likes to smell the roses (or in this case, the mums) at the farmer’s market.
Meanwhile, Arrow has embraced ‘real food’. A bit messy, he still gets excited when he sees the spoon.
“Wait until you can eat something that doesn’t taste like Elmer’s Glue,” I said as he gobbled rice cereal.
“Dan!” Nazy interrupts. “The Weekly Letter is not the place for political commentary.”
“You are so right my dear. I will refrain from mentioning the incoming ‘president’.” I replied. “Except when he does something stupid,” I thought.
“Including when he does something stupid,” Nazy interjected.
“Of course.” I concurred. “But not including ‘really’ stupid things.” I thought.
Aware that we can’t do anything about a bully taking charge of the bully pulpit, Nazy and I focused on restoring the house to normality. STUFF had gotten out of hand…
‘So out of hand, Nazy,” I noted, “that official instruments clearly indicated that there was a dearth of air in the house.” (There was no room for air.)
“Official instruments, Dan?” Nazy queried.
“My lungs,” I replied.
I have exaggerated — but only a little. The holiday season brought bulk to the abode. Like a Sumo wrestler in a preschool ballet class, the Christmas Tree had dominated the living room. Various super toys revolved around the massive tree like gas giant planets orbiting in a close knit solar system. My personal favorite ..
“…. is the rocking horse that we got for Darius,” I explained. “It’s the same size as a Budweiser Cyldesdale.”
“Dan that’s..”
“It’s indestructible and ancient, Nazy. Agamemnon, Achilles, Odysseus, and the Grεεk Army hid inside it when they were besieging Troy. And just like the Trojans, we can’t get rid of it.”
“I like it, Dan.”
We also have (full-size) cars, trains and tricycles, an easel (complete with Persian alphabet magnets), a sleeping cradle and a bouncy chair. And that’s not counting Darius and Christiane’s suitcases which, and I am not making this up…
“… won’t fit in Melika’s car?” I asked. Astonished.
“We’ll need to take two cars,” Nazy replied.
“Won’t fit in Melikas’ car!” I thought. “Entire countries can fit in Melika’s car.”
We caravanned to the shuttle bus stop where, fortunately, heavy equipment was available to help load the baggage:
Tiger, Dan and Arrow
With the heavy equipment
Darius and Christiane (and their luggage) safely returned to Lebanon this week. The ‘stuff’ situation at Martin Manor is now (almost) under control. (I still have to hike around the Trojan Horse to reach my desk.)
It has been an unusual rainy season.
“Unusual, Dan?” Nazy asked. “It’s been raining.”
“Precisely, my dear. Rain — especially during the rainy season — is very unusual.”
The snowpack in the High Sierra is at historic depth. (Eleven feet of snow, enough to bury the chair lifts, fell at Lake Tahoe.) Our own creek, which, in the last four years, never had water for more than 4 hours in a row, was filled for several days. According to the local weather team, we just need six more years of this and the drought will be broken.
Tiger, meanwhile, claims that he … “turned on the rain, Dan.”
It’s also been an exciting time for Tiger. His Montessori School went bankrupt in the middle of the Christmas break. Breaking with the previous administration, the teachers scrambled to establish a successor institution. Financial arrangements were a bit muddled: the teachers were working for free (for a while), but the parents were to be billed extra. Melika and Tom found an alternative school that..
“…. is much closer to our home.” Melika explained. “I can walk to it from work and ..”
“… we can walk there from home,” Nazy concluded.
Tiger began his initial, integration visits this week. At the school assembly, all the students voted on whether to adopt one or two rabbits.
“I want three rabbits.” Tiger suggested as an alternative. (He is really into numbers.) He starts full-time on Tuesday. He also likes to smell the roses (or in this case, the mums) at the farmer’s market.
Meanwhile, Arrow has embraced ‘real food’. A bit messy, he still gets excited when he sees the spoon.
“Wait until you can eat something that doesn’t taste like Elmer’s Glue,” I said as he gobbled rice cereal.
Arrow and the rice cereal
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