I've got sands in my pockets, not hands!

Friday, last week, was a day off for the girls.  It was Grave Sweeping Day.  A day to honor the dead and the ancestors here.  We all had a lazy day.  It was nice.  The weather was also great all weekend.  25 -27 (77-82F) and we were loving it.  I got some time to play in the kitchen and make some meals.  We (finally) got an air fryer so I’m almost back to full strength in my kitchen and I wanted to show off for J and Kiddo a bit.

While I did that, they had some adventures of their own.  Sunday, they needed to go to the library to return the books, but we didn’t need or want books, since Kiddo had a ton of books from the school library and was good for a bit.  So, instead of getting books and doing library stuff, they hit a museum.  They wanted to go to the Science and Tech museum, but that is under renovations and close for a few more weeks.  Instead, they got to the Cultural History Museum.  They got to see artifacts that were 20,000 years old!!!!  Kiddo was wowed by it and loved telling me about it and talking my ear off once they were home.  They also walked about 6.5km (4 miles) and so that night, we got the Kiddo sleep of the dead.  If you heard or felt a crash that night around 8:30pm Shanghai time, that was Kiddo.

Also, Kiddo is leaning into fashion a bit.  She picked out her outfit that day and loved it.  I don’t have a pic of today’s outfit, but I’ll have to get that as well.  Her and J, on Friday, did run out to get some clothes.  Lighter spring/summer stuff, since most of what we moved with last summer doesn’t fit Kiddo any longer.  The thing about (almost) 8 year olds is they grow…. A LOT!  In 9 days, when she turns 8, we’ll measure her again.  Last time we did that was just before we moved from BKK, so that was June.  My guess is she grew about 4 feet.  LOL

That said, Friday was shopping and Sunday was the museum, what about Saturday?

It was a lazy morning.  We all just chilled and Kiddo was into her iPad and some of her apps.  J and I were doing J and I things.  After a dumpling lunch, they went on an adventure while I did dinner prep.  Off to the sandpit they went.  I got the title of the blog from a voice memo Kiddo sent me when they were on their way home.  “Get the bath ready, because my pockets are full of sands… Not Hands!!!”  I wish I could send the message here to play it.  Absolutely cracked me up.  There’s no way to forward that to an email from the messaging server and I’ve tried to play it and record it on my iPhone and then transfer it that way, but the quality was garbage.  You’ll have to take my word for it.  Also, if you know Kiddo and have heard her recently, I’m sure you can imagine her saying it.  

She had a ball and was in full on Kiddo mode.  Again, she slept the sleep of the dead.  As you can see, she was full hilt the entire time.  Too bad she doesn’t like to get dirty and get her hands dirty.  HAHA. I’m so glad we have a kid that doesn’t mind playing in the dirt, getting grass stains on her clothes, or coming home with about 3 tonnes of sand in her cracks and crevices.  After undressing and sweeping up and then her bath and shower, I’m pretty sure we could have made our own beach.  She plays… HARD!

Before I go today, two bits of housekeeping.

First is for EZ.  Firstly, stay strong and I’m here if you need.  Second, you lost your dad.  That’s a hard thing.  If you ever need to talk or share memories to keep him alive in your heart and mind, I am always here.  Second, I love that he always recognized me but couldn’t place me.  He always asked if I was me or my bro.  “Which one are you again?”  I couldn’t help but smile.  Even if I saw him on back to back days.  I never took offense at it, it was just his quirk and it never failed to crack me up internally.  Lastly, EZ, you are not an orphan.  You have a brother left in me.  Hugs and love to you and my heart goes to you as you navigate the loss and sorrow.  I hope you remember and smile more than you miss and cry.  Smoke a cigar in his honor.  Next time I’m face to face with you, we can do the same.

Trade and tariff wars…. JFC!  America… I’m sorry.  AmeriKKKa…. Y’all voted for this, I hope are enjoying it.  The price of eggs down yet?  There’s still 3.75 yrs of this.  The problem is, it affects us all.  My 401k is nuked.  J’s retirement is nuked.  Social Security is on the chopping block.  If not for us on this adventure, I might have to work until I was 85, if I made it to that age.  But, I mean, the alternative was <GASP> a brown lady!  Can’t have that, now can we???  Is it the diversity, equality, or inclusion you have a problem with?  Tell me that so I can know what kind of bigot you are.  Or is it because a trans person might get some rights?  A poor person can have some health care?  What minor thing was it that you didn’t want that forced the rest of us into this dystopian hellscape?  A decade ago, I started cutting out the Trumpers from my life.  I told those around me to do the same, before the cancer took hold.  Shame and cut off the 3ish% that were hardcore before it spread and the idea branched and 30% took hold.  We are at 30%, when we could have had a decade of sanity and prosperity.  

With all that said, we’re gone for good.  We’re not coming back.  Maybe for weddings.  A stop through on our travels, but we’re done…. To the point and that we are starting to look into denaturalizing and finding someone else to take us.  That’s a long process with many steps, but it’s something to look at.  Especially if I have no SS and nothing left for me there.  Same with J and her retirement.  If those things are gone for us and will never be realized, what reason do we have to stay naturalized, when we can get different rights and opportunities elsewhere.  On that note; 1950 America (I’m told that was a great time and what Trump and the GOP want to recreate) was so great it was a beacon of the world.  Sure, it had problems, but it was a leader in economy, education, science, medicine, and many other things.  However, instead of recreating that in modern times (strong science and medicine, strong working class, forward looking and thinking with tech ((highway system, flight, jet engines, vaccines, etc etc)) they just want to racism and bigotry… to go with being able to tell women what to do and doing whatever they wanted to them.  You want to recreate the 1950s, start with the tax of the top 10%, leave the rest of it alone.

Ghouls!

Let’s go, Kiddo… we are in a better place and doing what we can to keep you from having to live in the America of today.  We are looking towards your future, not our past.  We are looking to your future, not our own.  In fact, we are looking to your children’s future (if you choose to have children) as we aren’t leaving the planet for you, we are borrowing against its future from you.  Best we take care of it to give it back in better shape than we borrowed it.