Ukrainian roots add to my concern about invasion

My mom was Ukrainian, so I'm intensely following Russia's current invasion of the Ukraine.  I'd follow it regardless, of course. I make no pretense of fully understanding the methods or motives of Russian President Vladimir Putin. I know what I read, and I read that bombs are falling and people are dying. And that much of the world is united in opposition to Putin's invasion. Add my name to what I would assume and hope is a long and growing list. My mom's family came from the Ukraine -- she and my grandfather spoke Ukrainian in the house --  and it's possible we still  have some relatives in or around Kyiv. No one in my family has the time or inclination to find out for certain let alone try to make contact. Regardless, if my mom's life and behavior are any indication, Ukrainians are generous, hard-working and decent people. Perhaps they're ill-fated, but that's yet to be determined. I can only hope at this point that there's a peaceful resolution, quickly, and no more lives are lost because of politics, power or whatever else that is driving this senseless and cruel invasion.
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Coronavirus remains very active in Vietnam, with nearly 78,000 new cases reported yesterday along with 88 deaths. I'm not sure which variant is responsible for the uptick, but I would guess Omicron, which apparently is extremely contagious but not as severe as other variants. I've had family members get sick with Omicron and fortunately all have fully recovered. In-person school started here last week and some cases were reported, which prompted  more testing. I'm not sure how extensive the outbreak was or what the next step will be.
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One of the big supermarkets in town, Mega Market, is undergoing another remodel. It seems like this place remodels every three or four months, making finding groceries something of an epic journey. The place is huge, and sells just about everything, but the problem is ... everything could be anywhere, including inside boxes ready to be hidden away in some far corner of the store. My daughter and I went this week and fortunately the fish in the tanks were in the same place so my daughter could look at the sturgeon and goby. I got discombobulated with the remodel and forgot some key items, but no big deal. I asked where the ostrich is and an employee told me they no longer have it. I walked around and found it close to where it used to be. I asked a girl where the cereal was relocated to, and she sent me down an aisle with no cereal. Probably a language thing. Never did find cereal -- the shelves were bare at the old location. None of this really matters. The whole point is to get my daughter out the house, where we hunker down due to the wicked sun and 98-degree heat each day. We have walked at 3:30 p.m. or so quite a bit, but the heat wears us down.
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I took my children Joanna and Elijah to Kim Koi 2 last week to see the fish. I sat in my usual seat with Elijah, and Joanna ran off to look at fish. Then some woman I've never seen there before comes up to me and points to the concession area. I say thanks and that I'll order in a little bit, and continue showing my son the fish.  The woman persists with talking I didn't understand and pointing. I guess she's an employee -- I'd never seen her before and we've gone to this place about 10 times since it reopened a few weeks ago, buying 4 boxes of pretzels and a peach tea each time (and I always leave a tip). Well, the woman didn't leave, and then she lost an icy staring contest with me, got agitated and called for security, and the security woman comes over -- with a badge on her shirt, no less -- and points to the concession area with a scowl on her face. Sorry, folks, but I like to order at my own pace at a place like this, which doesn't seem to have waiters or waitresses since it reopened. I didn't make a fuss. I just got up and told Joanna we're leaving, and away we went. I'm sure the two women could care less about my style of ordering or my son and daughter's happiness, or the lost business, for that matter. Besides, this place smells like, well, fish.
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I mentioned the heat earlier -- upper 90s daily -- and lately there have been showers most days at around 4 p.m., which gives the humidity a little boost. ... Currently reading Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow. Good stuff. My Kindle streak is at 813 days in a row, owing to the heat and limited entertainment here. ... The bee swarm remains on our third floor balcony. ... Poetry has been added to my homeschool curriculum with Joanna, and it's a big hit, especially the rhyming. So, later gator.

Refusing to accept speeding drivers on our street

 I've adjusted as well as can be expected to the weather here. The heat and humidity are excruciating, but I'm coping by getting up early in the morning when it's coolest, staying inside and occasionally napping during the heat of the day (10:30 to 3 p.m.), and spending time outside before dinner, and sometimes after dinner.
   There are some interesting meals in Vietnam, and generally the food is OK; there are more choices now than when I first moved here, even if fresh fruit like blueberries can cost $5 for a small plastic tub and strawberries can fetch a whopping $12 for 12 berries in the specialty stores.
    I've even accepted line cutting to small degree if I'm buying a ton of stuff and the cutter has one or two items. Generally, I'll be proactive in those instances and invite the would-be cutter to go ahead of me.
   So while we wait for a final ruling from the USCIS on our efforts to get a visa for my wife to enter the U.S. and get our daughter into a decent school there, I consider all contingencies. If we get rejected, could I play out the end game in Vietnam? Well, if we could find an acceptable school for our children, perhaps. I guess I'm trying to point out that even with the many differences between life in Vietnam and life in the United States, I've adapted to most aspects of life here (gradually). There are so many wonderful people in Vietnam.
   But there's one aspect of life here that I refuse to accept and never will: when people ride their motorbikes or cars at high rates of speed down our narrow street, often in excess of 100 kmh, and neighbors and pedestrians look away and pretend it's not happening. When I yell at the speeders to slow down -- and I have to yell because they're going too fast and their bikes are too noisy for the folks to absorb a polite "excuse me" -- the stoics/neighbors will look at me like I'm crazy or out of line, either rolling their eyes or trying to give me the ice stare. One guy asked me sarcastically: "You police the street?" I answered yes because I have two young children who don't understand that many vehicles won't stop or slow down for them when they walk or run in the street. The drivers will use horns constantly but won't slow down.
   The sidewalks have plants, chairs, motorbikes, and assorted junk on them, so the streets are the only option when we walk to the little market around the corner, or anywhere else for that matter. Lots of folks drive big SUVs here, and they can fill up the street. Bikes will race around them if the SUVs aren't speeding, and they can unexpectedly appear around a vehicle in our walking path. They won't stop or slow down but swerve and skim past us. That's why I've been hit about six or seven times -- four on the sidewalk -- and my daughter has had way too many close calls, and she's been hit twice on the sidewalk. I use a walking stick to alleviate back pain, and also to keep vehicles at bay. When people cross busy streets here they hold up their hands so they're seen. I've held up my walking stick in the white-striped pedestrian zone while holding my daughter's hand and some riders have refused to slow down or stop and they've come so close to me they've hit their heads on the stick. It happened twice last week, and a delivery bike driver hit my stick, which was in a vertical position at my side. All three "victims" glared and stared and shouted something or other at me, but, of course, they didn't slow down and continued on their way.
  Admittedly, I've made a lifetime of stupid decisions and choices that have cost me dearly. But being proactive to try to slow down speeding, reckless and arrogant drivers for the sake and safety of my kids and other pedestrians, isn't one of them. I don't want a confrontation, but I expect human decency and civility. And on a happy note, lots of teens and other regulars on our street have slowed down. Like I said earlier, there are so many wonderful people in Vietnam.

Molar drops out of my mouth; bees on balcony DO sting

While eating cheese and crackers last week -- a taste of home -- one of my molars broke in half and fell out of my mouth. Obviously, it was that tooth's time to go since cheese and crackers delivered the knockout blow. I called Nha Khoa Sai gon - Viet My (I call it Saigon Dental Clinic) in Bien Hoa, the same folks who took care of my daughter's cavity a few months ago, and they told me to come in the next day. I had X-rays on the first visit, a temporary crown put in on the second visit, and I'm due back next week, presumably for the permanent crown. I might have one more visit for a final check. My out of pocket expense for the entire treatment is about $213 U.S. dollars, or 4,850 Vietnamese dong. Best of all, these guys seem very competent. Other than some minor language issues with the receptionists, I trust the process, so to speak. Another molar that fell out maybe six months ago -- I don't remember and don't feel like researching -- was treated by a "family" dentist and still bothers me sometimes. That dentist had trouble getting the new crown in place and used a little hammer to whack-a-mole it. The hammering took place next to a gold tooth I have that one of my former students wants when I check out. The gold tooth can also be sensitive sometimes, but I'll deal with both of the crowns since they do what's necessary.

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The bee swarm remains on our balcony, Even though I've been told otherwise by family members, I know from first-hand experience that these bees do sting. A bee landed on my thumb while I was reading Friday night and it stung me pretty good. Not sure I got all of the stinger out because the thumb is red and has a tiny bit of swelling. No big deal but to all the naysayers, these bees do sting. I might have bumped a lower branch, so I probably had this one coming. These bees aren't aggressive and there are no hard feelings and the swarm, or maybe it's a hive now, remains. Joanna and I enjoy it either way since it brings some nature right on top of our house. 
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I'm about to hit 800 days in a row of Kindle reading. I'm currently absorbed in The Last Days of the Incas,  a book about Francisco Pizzaro and the conquest of Peru. I wish I had read this book before I spent time in Peru. I find myself rooting for the Incas and native people, and hoping the Spanish invaders get theirs, but I'm rooting for a cause that's already been lost. ... The flowers remain at the base of the trees in our neighborhood park, meaning our son Elijah has no place to play soccer. Balls are still prohibited from the park -- some people ignore the restriction -- and motorbikes and cars won't slow down if we play on the street in front of our house. I've mentioned that Elijah will bang a ball around the house, but that's starting to lose its thrill -- there's not enough room to roam. Also, children are now prohibited from grass areas in the park enclosed by low hedges, which our daughter used to hurdle while running the length of the park. That activity has been halted so Joanna doesn't run much ... Despite the reduction of physical activity outside, our daily homeschool lessons start with dancing and stretching to YouTube videos. The warmup, the introduction of hangman into our lessons and frequent breaks for snacks  have made homeschooling much more productive. ...  I bought Joanna some rollerblades, and even though the early going has been a little touch and go, she loves them and is working hard with her mom to stay upright. ...   Elijah is struggling with teething, and perhaps an early case of the terrible 2's, and hasn't been a happy camper lately, which is unusual for this usually cheerful fellow. We're encouraging more toys, block play and reading to fill in the gaps, so to speak. He's also getting lots of ice chips. ...  Hot weather is starting to really pick up, with late morning temperatures hitting the low 90s and afternoons in the mid- to upper-90s. February, March and April are particularly brutal for some reason. Maybe there's slight relief when the rainy season approaches. It's all hot to me -- wet or dry. ... In-person schooling should start next week after a long online stretch due to Covid. I guess students must take a Covid test before returning. I don't know if masks are required. Our family, and most people, wear masks outside the home. That's a good thing on many levels.

Sick feeling after booster; no balls in park; hot water

 After receiving my Covid booster last weekend, I felt absolutely awful. For two days, I had a thumping headache, dizziness that kept me off my feet, chills and body aches, pain at the injection site, and even more fatigue than usual. I'm such a wimp. I can't thank my wife enough for putting up with my whining, and providing care for me and our two children. My son Elijah has been under the weather a little with a runny nose and cough, and I picked up some of that to go with my vaccine reaction. The side effects gave me a little feel of what having Covid would be like. It would suck, and my heart truly goes out to folks who have had to deal with any form of the coronavirus. My booster was from Pfizer, and my first two shots were AstraZeneca. I had no serious reaction to the first two shots, but the third shot was another story. Nonetheless, I'll gladly put up with side effects for a couple of days if it means avoiding full-blown Covid and staying off a ventilator. I've had pneumonia in the past five years, so there's no telling how my 67-year-old flabby body would handle the real deal. I'd be remiss in my blogging if I didn't acknowledge the Vietnamese government and health officials for providing testing and vaccines to me free of charge. Wonderful. And thanks to my father-in-law for giving me a ride to get my booster and guiding me through the paperwork, raucous line and aggressive line-cutters to ultimately get my jab. Great job. And thanks to whoever donated the vaccines. Everybody contributed.
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Security guards at our neighborhood park said that due to concern for the new flower pots around the trees, balls of any kind are prohibited at the park, meaning Elijah does a lot more kicking at home these days. The park is extremely peaceful now with fewer visitors, no soccer and only a few joggers and cyclists. However, part of the slowdown is probably due to Tet, when families gather at home. It's kind of like Thanksgiving in the U.S.  Covid seems to have had a little impact, but folks here are determined to celebrate the lunar new year regardless. Cheers!
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While the East Coast of the United States, where I grew up, has been dealing with snow and frigid temperatures, we're cooking here in Bien Hoa, with temps in the 90s daily -- it reached 97 Wednesday -- and of course nasty humidity. I don't even bother to look up how humid it actually is. I just feel it. The ""real feel" temperature is usually in the upper 90s or triple digits. I knew I was having a bad reaction to the shot when I had chills, a first for me here. Really. Our water is solar heated; the equatorial sun can be intense and so can our hot water. You have to be careful in the shower because a nudge of the faucet handle can turn warm water into dangerously scalding hot water. On the plus side, dishes get really clean when the water is super-heated by the sun. But if you don't know the water has been hot, you can actually burn yourself by turning the tap on and washing your hands. The only time the water is really cool is rainy season when there's no sun and you could really use a hot shower sometimes.
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The bee swarm on our third floor balcony looks like it's sticking around for a while. It's been there a week and just gets bigger. The heart-shaped swarm is very still at night but there's some movement in and around the swarm during the day. My daughter is fascinated by the swarm and the bees, and so am I. We'll go out and take a look in the day, but she has to hold my hand and she's not allowed on the balcony by herself now. A few bees fly in and out of the swarm during the day. I still read next to the flowers and swarm at night and feel safe. Like I said, there's no movement at night. ... I just finished reading  Over the Edge of the World, the story of Magellan, and it was fascinating. These could be cruel times, of course, but that cruelty could be evident on the ships as well as the lands discovered by the sailors. Mutinies apparently were rather common, and if unsuccessful, mutineers were not kindly dealt with. Torture was a tool of the times. This was a pretty long book which I finished fairly quickly given my lifestyle. Same with the Columbus book I read. Now I'm reading The Last Days of the Incas. This should wrap up my Age of Exploration (also called Age of Discovery) unit.

Prettier park draws less people; awesome Indian restaurant

 The park near our house has been decorated with countless potted plants with flowers in preparation for Tet. It looks nice. The security guards have waved off soccer players so the plants don't get destroyed. The little grass areas are off-limits to anyone older than about 6 years old, so soccer has been essentially banned from the park during Tet. It's a welcome prohibition for me since soccer balls have hit me in the back while chasing my kids around, and one whizzed past my wife's head the other day. The kids playing laughed at the close call. Older kids and adults don't relax their intensity even if younger children like Elijah or Joanna wander into their playing area. Serious soccer, or even just kicking the ball back and forth with velocity, reduces the amount of park for people who want to walk or jog or ride a bike, and increases the odds for injury. I'm not a huge supporter of bike riders unless they're children, and even then I have my doubts because kids like to zoom and show off.  And many older riders (and joggers, come to think of it)  don't yield to anyone, sort of like soccer players, expecting others to humbly scurry out of their way. Because of the numerous potted plants, not many people have been coming to the park -- a couple of cyclists and joggers, and a few families with young children. Even the litter is reduced. I wouldn't mind if the flowers became a permanent addition. It's so pleasant now going to the park every afternoon with our kids.
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The Bay Leaf restaurant on Vau Thi Sau serves outstanding Indian food, as good as any I've had, and it's within easy walking distance of our house. I usually get some type of spicy chicken dish and my wife gets mutton tikka masala. We always get saffron rice and naan -- cheese and garlic. Covid  hasn't helped business, but the owner, a really good guy, stays the course. I want this place to thrive because the food is top-notch. I highly recommend the Bay Leaf. Don't fear the spice. They'll work with you and adjust dishes at your request. We go once a week, every week. 
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Covid remains very much on people's minds here, even with a reported 79 million people vaccinated in Vietnam; the country's population is about 97 million. I got my booster shot Friday morning with much pushing, shoving, shouting and line cutting taking place. The numbers say Vietnam is adding around 15,000 new cases a day; schools remain closed, which for the time being makes my daughter's situation moot. Homeschooling rolls along and we just finished shark week, and my daughter was intrigued with this ancient fish. She read quite a bit of factual material about sharks with no protest and she enjoyed a true story about a New Zealand surfer who survived an attack. Her math is up and down but clearly improving and her reading excels and is even becoming expressive.
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I'm not sure what the issue is, but our children won't go to sleep before 9 p.m. no matter what we try. Joanna has never, ever napped and sometimes sleeps late (9 a.m. wakeup on occasion), but she usually wakes up before 8 a.m. and often goes to bed around 10 p.m. or later. Elijah has started staying up past 9 p.m. and gets up around 7 a.m.  He'll nap, but his naps are getting shorter, about an hour or so. I think the brutal heat creates long periods of inactivity for our kids, so when the air conditioners go on at night, the kids get more active and sleep becomes an intrusion on their frolic time. I've talked to other parents here who have told me their children stay up later than what many parenting websites recommend. But maybe that's the new normal. For me, no nap means more coffee and sugar, and longer walks with Joanna. Pretty good alternatives, really.  

Ride baby ride; mudfish; what's in a number?

The scooter my wife got for our son has led to our daughter's favorite in-house activity. Joanna zooms around the house on the scooter, which is more solid and balanced than the one we got her a year or so ago. The zooming can be a little bothersome; she's slammed into our feet a couple of times and skirmished with her brother over scooter possession. Elijah loves scootering in the house as well. To remedy the scooter controversy, we began encouraging Joanna to ride her bicycle without training wheels. She's always been lukewarm about riding her bike, even when it had training wheels. Without training wheels, she was downright reluctant to ride. But my wife persevered,  God bless her, and insisted she try, guiding 2-wheeled practice with her hand on Joanna's back and sometimes the seat. I also provided training; my back did not enjoy the half-bent posture required to hold the back of the seat  of Joanna's bike for support, but I endured. This past weekend, I guided her to the park from our house on the bike, and then we make a big loop around the park.  The more we practiced, the less she needed my assistance. She was breaking away, so to speak. When my wife relieved me, Joanna wanted no help at all.  She was riding on her own -- banging into pedestrians, other cyclists and joggers, but riding on her own nonetheless. (I don't worry about collisions too much since people make very little effort to get out of each other's way here. She fits right in.) Her new ability has done nothing to reduce her in-house scooter patrol, but I'm pleased and proud she can ride a two-wheeler on her own. 
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At a coffee shop very near the Dong Nai River, my daughter said she saw a mud skipper, a fish that can live and walk out of water for extended periods of time; she saw a video on YouTube about it. Since she also claims to see dinosaurs and snakes (really, trucks and trains), I dismissed the mud skipper claim. But when she became animated about it, I took a look in the little stone canal she was pointing to and sure enough, sitting on a rock was a chubby, eel-like creature. It didn't move for a while, then slithered into the water, and away it went. I'm not exaggerating when I say Joanna has an incredibly sharp eye for spotting critters and creatures. I believe what she saw was a mudfish, which can survive out of water for a while, slowing its metabolism and taking in oxygen through its smooth (not scaly) skin. Some species of the fish are endangered in New Zealand and Australia; it's found in swampy, lowland areas, which helps explain why Joanna saw one near the Dong Nai River in Vietnam. People do eat them, but they can be boney, so be careful. The one we saw wouldn't amount to finger food.
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The guy across the street is removing the pile of wood that's been in front of his house for years -- probably as long as I've lived here (9 years). Not sure if it's connected to Covid that the family had, or the government finally leaning on him, or just his desire to clean up.  I'll admit there have been virtually no rats coming out of the pile since lots of feral cats showed up on the woodpile about a year ago. It's probably better to be inundated with cats instead of rats, but I'm no expert on the matter.
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 I made a friend with a city worker at our park by simply thanking her for picking up the loads of trash discarded  under nearly every recently installed bench. She seemed so pleased that I appreciated her work and criticized those who would litter where they were sitting. There are two trash cans in the park and cans and receptacles on the streets adjoining the park. The workers I see at the park know us now and are very friendly. I won't ever forget that one of them warned me that my son had slipped away and was climbing the railing of the bridge over the stinky canal.
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My blog passed 77,777 hits, but I missed seeing the number. Maybe I was too busy reading -- my Kindle streak will hit 777 days in a row this weekend. I'm really not much for lucky, unlucky numbers, and omens and such these days. I believe and truly understand now that actions and decisions determine our fate, but I'm also not the type who will look a gift horse in the mouth, whatever the hell that means. If good fortune comes my way, I'll take it. ... My brother and his wife are both recovering from a bout with the Omicron variant, and apparently they had somewhat different symptoms that dragged on for a little while. I didn't press for details. They're going to Florida to rest, relax and continue their recovery. I'm very pleased they're OK now.

Nobody home; kicks; dangerous traffic; Covid's impact

Some odds and ends from the past week as I'm hoping to wind down the blog.

During our creature search, my daughter Joanna found an empty snail shell and yelled into it: "Is anybody home?" Since no one answered, we couldn't cross it off our list of creatures to find. ... My son Elijah loves kicking so much that he'll put his foot to anything that isn't nailed down. In the park, an empty coconut kept him occupied for 10-15 minutes. In the house he'll kick a regulation leather ball barefooted, and when he gets his hips positioned, he'll deliver the ball with real velocity. ... Elijah is a sneaky son of a gun, especially when it comes to running away from mom and dad to go into the street. Since I'm not confident everyone here would slow down their bike or car for my boy in the street, his getaways spark a frantic chase with shouting, "FREEZE!, FREEZE!, FREEZE!" Of course, he ignores us and runs into the street. It's bad enough that a Grab driver raced his bike up on the sidewalk and roared right past my son; in the street, Elijah is most likely considered fair game. This week, I was talking with a couple and their son in the park for a brief moment and a city worker tapped my shoulder and pointed to the street where my son was climbing the railing for the bridge over the mucky canal. I ran and safely hauled him down. Well, at least he stayed out of the street, which is crazy busy with very fast moving vehicles. ... It seems like it's trash burning season. Tet is approaching, and even with Covid hanging over the holiday, people still perform their annual rituals such as cleaning like crazy, and perhaps burning is considered a form of cleansing. Maybe it clears ground debris but it certainly doesn't purify the air. ... An older man two houses down from us is recovering from Covid and says he hasn't been the same since he's been sick. He exercises a little in the park, but says he lacks stamina. The neighbors across the street seem a little more subdued since they got Covid. I've had a sore throat for a while now, which I blame on air conditioning at night but I worry nonetheless. However, I don't have a fever, cough and can taste all the food I shovel down very well, thank you. My appetite is fine. We don't want to get mixed up with Covid for two reasons: 1) We don't want Covid; and 2) we're due for the booster in a few weeks and having the virus would delay that for who knows how long. ... A woman I met at the Coffee House was on the verge of getting her visa to join her husband in the United States. She said it's on hold now because of the Omicron variant. That doesn't bode particularly well for me and my wife's effort to get approval to enter the U.S. The USCIS web site suggests we might not get a response until June at the earliest, but we don't know anything for sure. Bummer. ... Speaking of the Coffee House, their cakes and snacks have returned, and so have the crowds of youngsters. ... One of my friends in the U.S. is fighting painful back issues. I wish him nothing but the best and a speedy recovery. ... My wife put her backpack on the park bench along with Elijah's face shield and bouncy ball two days ago. Elijah decided to make a run for the street so my wife chased him down and they hung out a little bit. When they returned to the bench, the face shield and ball were gone, having been thrown into the canal. And so it goes.  My wife retrieved the face shield but was unable to get the ball. We have persons of interest. ... The guy across the street is again loudly sawing metal bars in front of his house for all to hear. And so it goes. ... A week later, the trash  thrown against the tree by the Grab delivery guy is still there.