I am writing this on Sunday, July 27.

What a busy week:

• Monday – Columbia Trail hike.
• Tuesday – Yoga.
• Wednesday – The threat of rain made us blow off the outdoor concert. We went out for pizza and had an Amazon Prime Streaming evening. I definitely do not recommend the series “Deadwood”.
• Thursday – Financial Planning Seminar.
• Amazon Prime Streaming Evening. The series “Rome” is not as bad as Deadwood, but how do they manage to make it all seem so boring? I’m glad we haven’t been paying for HBO all these years.
• Saturday – Outdoor concert.
• Sunday – Columbia Trail hike.

Besides all that, the contractor came back and put the trim on the deck. He worked Thursday and Friday. I cleaned the deck Saturday. Now it’s all done. We like the new deck quite a bit, but I find it has one disadvantage. I didn’t used to care very much what the birds dropped on the deck.

The trash men didn’t put the recycle bins back where they found them. A neighbor decided he had been given our recycle bin, which is much nicer than the standard neighborhood bin. I looked at where the leftover bin was, took a guess, knocked on the door, and got our bin back. Today I got some paint and some stencils and painted our street address on our bins.

Most of you probably know this, but in case you don’t, “Aunti Dani” has given herself the challenge of hiking the 100 mile wilderness (part of the Appalachian Trail in Maine) in 10 days. She’s hiking with a friend, and using a GPS tracking device. If I have it figured out correctly, she made 5 miles yesterday, and left camp early this morning. Way cool, Dani!

See Saw

Sometimes the grumpy old men are just right. You see here a Columbia playground. These are sprinkled around the city on the walking paths. This is a nice one, but boy did they ever butcher the See-Saw. The See-Saw is one of our civilization’s great inventions. Plant two posts in the ground. Run an iron pipe between them. Notch a beam and sit it on the pole. Because we are adults and need a sense of order, there is generally a platform on each end with notches for the legs that kids can use as a seat. A T-handle for the hands provides the finishing touch. It’s very simple. Very Cheap.

And it’s a load of fun. Kids start by dutifully sitting properly in the seat and going up and down. Then they start leaning back to hold the partner in the air. After holding a partner in the air for 3 hours (in 6-year old time), one can suddenly lean in, give a push, and give that other kid a good “bump”. After a couple of those, the other kid will let the beam bounce on the ground and give the kid in the air a bigger “bump”. Or even a good double-jiggle. Can the kid in the air stay in his seat? When this gets old, kids can play with leverage, sitting on the beam and moving in and out. Or a third kid can stand on the beam in the middle and throw the game against the odd-man-out, who generally changes unpredictably every so often. Or a bunch of kids can sit / stand at various places along the beam. Or one kid can walk on the See-Saw, using it as a movable balance beam.

The See-Saw in the picture is 100 times better looking than the old fashioned kind. It’s 1,000 times more expensive. No T-handle on this one — each child has ergonomically correct hand holds. And it’s no fun at all, because the springs and design don’t even permit a mild bump. It even has foot rests! Every person my age knows that you can’t even think of using foot rests on a See-Saw. You never know when the other kid will jump off. You’ll have to think fast to catch yourself, and your feet better darn well be at the ready.

When Robert Fulghum wrote “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten”, did he talk about See-Saws? If not, he should have, because See-Saws offer lessons in fairness (the world is not), how to negotiate when you are at a disadvantage (i.e. when the other kid is heavier), how to turn a disadvantage into an advantage (by thinking outside the box), and many other lessons every child should learn before they are 8 years old. None of which is provided by the beautiful abomination on this Columbia playground.

Is the world going to Hell? Are modern kids not developing character? Do today’s kids prefer to play computer games instead of going outside? To understand the root causes behind these important issues, look no further than the modern playground. Grandparents of the world, unite!

We’re off to look at one of the neighborhood open houses, then it will be time for my power nap. I hope this finds everybody doing well.