Iowa is relaxing

Arrived by train today, and there’s always a subtle beauty to rolling green farmland. This is my first time in the familial Heimat since January 2007, meaning that until today I had been in North Korea more recently than in Iowa.

I didn’t feel stressed during the past month, but this is a new level of non-stress existence. It’s partly just that it’s familiar terrain, but partly that this specific terrain is inherently unstressful. Iowa is a low-stress environment, and I appreciate that now in the same way that I loathed it when very young.

I’m in a hotel, since my parents’ place is torn up for rehab right now and their guest bedroom isn’t really accessible. (Too bad, because among other things I like canoeing at night on a lake not too far from their place.)

Having just been through the typical high-security credit card procedures at a hotel in a major city, I was shocked by the attitude here: they didn’t even want to see my card at all. “Just pay when you leave.” (Four days from now.)

Tomorrow, more relaxation. I’m supposed to take Cairo the dog (yes, named by my parents after where I live) for a walk in a nature area 7 or 8 miles from Iowa City. Never been there, but I’ve heard about it often.