calendar challenged trees fight abrasive TP on the Pinta
“… his ships spent a lot of time in the ‘windless doldrums’ of the mid-Atlantic ocean,” I commented to Nazy.
“You’re an expert at ‘doldrums’, Dan.” Nazy replied.
“But I’m not windless,” I retorted.
“You’re more ‘air’ than ‘wind’, Dan. And most of it is ‘hot’.”
As you can imagine, we’re stuck in stasis just like Han Solo in ‘The Empire Strikes Back’. Amazingly, however, the local Jacaranda trees are, apparently, immune to the universal time slow down and..
“What are you talking about, Dan?” Nazy asked.
“The Jacaranda trees aren’t trapped in March like the rest of us.”
“Dan! It’s not..”
“ … fair, Nazy. It’s surely not fair. It’s been March forever. But those trees think…”
“Perhaps you should try thinking Dan.”
“Yes, dear.” I replied. “But I’m not a tree,” I thought.
As time (s l o w l y) moves ahead, we’re getting a bit more bold. For example, I visited, with some trepidation and lots of caution, my ophthalmologist for a regular check up. Far braver, Melika, Tom and Nazy took Arrow and Tiger (simultaneously) to eye exams. Prudently, I stayed and watched Azelle.
On second thought, watching Azelle, requires extraordinary amounts of energy, attention and bravery. Azelle’s photo (at right) taken after her shower, shows what she was able to do in the 49 seconds that Melika turned her back to get a diaper.
At the eye exam, Arrow was, eh, I’m told, “less than totally cooperative and engaged’..”
“Actually, Dan,” Nazy explained, “Arrow was a bit of a ..”
“ … three year old?” I interrupted.
“Yes, of course.”
They both got new glasses. Arrow was not particularly helpful in making a selection, so his are, as you’ll see in the photos, a bit big. Tiger’s new glasses arrived just in time for his Kindergarten (virtual) graduation photo shoot. I took a few ‘shadow shots’ during the official session.
Tiger’s school has an extensive set of remote teaching activities. He does math, science, writing, music and art. He has even memorized a poem (Be Glad Your Nose is on Your Face) by Jack Prelutsk) that he will recite at the graduation. He has also started to write letters — to Mitra as well as his Mom and Dad except..
“I told Daddy that he had to write a letter to me first,” Tiger explained.
“Why?” I asked.
“Because I won’t know what to write unless I get a letter from Daddy first.”
I’m not quite sure where he got the idea of writing letters.
Tiger School Photos
While Tiger finds his remote classes generally interesting, Arrow really liked the personal interaction and friends at preschool. He’s not very interested in ‘virtual’ learning, preferring instead to learn one-on-one. Nazy is teaching him Persian and …
“ … art, Dan.” Nazy explained. “He likes water colors. He is also very imaginative: he told me that his picture was a house, with a car and airplane flying in the sky.”
“Wow!” I exclaimed. “Imaginative for sure,” I thought. “I missed the ‘airplane’ completely.”
I’m also teaching Arrow to use the computer. He created the fish using a mouse to connect a series of numbered dots and then, once again with the mouse, he selected the colors he liked and chose where to put them. (And his glasses make him look even more grown-up.)
Nazy and I frequently get away from the house with walks along the beach. Last time, the driftwood, bored by the ‘shelter in place’ order, made a rude gesture. (See below.)
Luckily, Amazon is still able to deliver essentials..
“Essentials, Dan?” Nazy asked.
“I did find bulk toilet paper.”
“Bulk is hardly..”
“I agree that there are some qualitative issues. The product is significantly more abrasive than our preferred brand. And, uncannily and counter-intuitively, it is also not as resilient as our ..”
“It’s useless, Dan.” Nazy interrupts.
“Not so! It works very well when it comes to scraping algae off the walls of the aquarium.”
“When buy things on the web, Dan, you can’t be sure of the quality. You’re going overboard.”
“You’re just miffed about the tea brewer …”
“It’s flimsy, fragile and only capable of brewing a half cup of tea. Please stop. Wait? Did you just hear a doorbell?”
“Eh..” I replied, comprehensively.
“It’s three packages for you, Dan.” Nazy shouted. “What are they?”
“I’m not sure, my dear.” I replied. “The Pinta, the Niña and the Santa Maria?” I thought.
For last week's letter, please click here
Driftwood giving someone a …