Let's see if I still can do it!

April 25/09 ...3:50 p.m.

What? Well, writing something without having to cut myself down to 140 characters. Thank you, twitter, you really make me minimalize myself, Landfrau sometimes has the weird feeling of even talking in tweets. Not that I have too much to say,anyway. Bought first aspargus of the season at our farmer, freshly cut this morning and we will have it with new potatoes, sce. hollandaise, baked ham and buttered crumbs tonite. Since aspargus is a real diet food I have the hidden hope, that all the other goodies on my plate also will turn into diet food miraculously. Scale will tell tomorrow morning, I might just cheat and show it the finger - there!
Fishwise there is another addition to our pond, could not resist a tiny coi when I had been out buying plants for the garden, and I am telling you, this fish can not swim, sitting on the ground most of the time, might turn into an amphibian.time will tell. -
And next week we will have visit from little Miss Sunshine and mom for a few days, looking forward to that and we are curious how much she has developed since X-mas, when we saw her last. Before I have to roam the house with a big basket, collecting all the "untouchables" and I hope that Herr Hund behaves better this time and does not think that he is the leader of the pack.

Just Music....

April 21/09 ...8:37 p.m.
.....for listening to on a nice spring-summer evening, enjoying a glass of wine!


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Lazy Saturday

April 18/09 ....2:59 p.m.

Listening to Herr Husband talking baby talk to baby on the phone. Drives me nuts! lol ! - Aside from that we are down to one dog, our guest dog, mad Max, has reluctantly left us, Herr Hund does not seem to be too unhappy about it, he is a spoiled "Einzelkind". And we have another,or rather, one more variety of our fish stories. Now we have four again, the longtime vanished "tester" has reappeared. If there ever should be five in the near future, I begin to believe that somehow Jesus is around, preparing to feed another 5000 with one fish. - Whatever. -

A bright ,promising sun had been out this morning, now it is raining again and darn cold on top. Landfrau is not satisfied. The short,warm period and then the follow-up rain has caused an explosion of green naturewise - green hell it is. The skiing gang is back home safe and sound from Austria, I always breathe a secret breath of relieve, they might drop in later. Landfrau will now switch back to twitter, but I try not to develop into a tweet addict.

Ivan the Horrible,the Antichrist or Cat Attack

April 12/09....9:14 p.m.

Things happen, which in my modest opinion only happen to Herr Husband. Today, beeing Easter, great weather and a lazy day altogether we decided to have dinner out at the Molzmühle, about a forty min. drive from our home towards the Dutch border, set very picturesque in the middle of woods. We know the owner, a very nice lady and a good cook to boot, quite well, she got some restaurant stars from various testers. We got a nice table at the first floor and while waiting for our food to arrive, we got a visit from the cat of the house, named Ivan (from now on the Horrible), a tomcat the size of a small black cougar and black he was, like the antichrist. Herr Husband talked to him very nicely like- who are you, nice kitty and so forth, while dangling his left hand at his side. Mind you, he did not even touch that minature tiger, and suddenly Ivan started to scratch, bite and beat up the hand of Herr Husband. Landfrau, like in situations like that, sorry - had a laughing fit and Herr Husband's hand had been bleeding like hell. He is taking bloodthinning medicamentation on account of his heart condition. We were supplied with some band aid and now here at home Landfrau administered some desinfection and we are thinking of a tetanus shot tomorrow, depending on the situation.
Nevertheless, dinner had been great and now we have sitting an army of chocolate bunnies around, one Easter Bunny Landfrau gave to Herr Husband, 2 from our daughter, 1 which sat in front of our gate (donnor unknown up to now )and one from Ivan the Horrible. Chocolate galore, or, like one of my twitter friends calls it, chocolate thunder.

So this has been our Easter up to now, there is one more day to come, hopefully in a way more relaxing, we can not cope with too much excitement anymore.

EASTER

April 12/09

HAPPY EASTER !

Easter and the vanishing Things

April 11/09....2:50 p.m.



Easter is the time to hide things, right? mostly eggs and sometimes you find them about 6 months later! Around our house we have the story of the vanishing fish and I really did not dare to call it "Another fishstory" in my headline! If you have followed up my fish stories, you might remember, that after our icy time during winter only one of our fish survived, the smallest goldfish, called the 5-incher. Now both of us, Herr Husband and Landfrau, started to feel sorry for the lonely bugger, so Herr Husband went out to get him a companion. Orders from Landfrau had been:JUST ONE FISH! Since this fish had been so small we named him the tester. It took a few days and the tester had vanished. We kind of fished around in the pond, no luck, gone. I even took out the pump. Well, the next day, there was the tester for a glorious 2 days, then, zilch - vanished. And this time it did not show up any more. So Herr Husband went out and got another 2 fish, this time disobeying my strict orders for getting only one. To make a long story short, 2 days later they had vanished, all three of them. Neighbour told us she had seen a heron around. So Landfrau took a deep breath of relief, end of the fishstory, no more fish.
You might not believe it, 2 days later they were back , all three of them! Happy Easter!

Fly me to the Moon

April 8/09 ....7:44 p.m.

Since there are easter holidays, our grandson had a time window for his grandparents and we went to see that facinating expo at the gasometer in Oberhausen in the middle of the industrial area of the Ruhrgebiet. Many of the former industrial places are not needed any more in our modern times, so they have been turned into momuments. A great idea,so coming generations are able to have a look at the working places of older times. The gasometer has converted into a place where they have expositions and also presentations and performances, very interesting. So, today we have been looking at the biggest artificial moon in existence and there was a demonstration about all the moon phases in fast motion. A real "wow" effect. Many other interesting things to see, I could have walked around for hours. Spooky too to listen to a tape of the call from the Russian base talking to the first space victim and suddenly there had been nothing anymore. A human lost in space and his last words forever preserved.

And to top it off, we went to the top. There is a -very windy - observation platform 100 meters high, where you had a terrific view all around and grandson spied a little amusement parc right at the foot in the surounding grounds belonging to a big mall and we naturally had to drive there right away, but after a late lunch with snail waiters (they only looked like humans) it had started to rain and the temperature had dropped considerably. So our freezing grandson let us take him home - 45 min. drive, after all - and we were lucky to avoid the evening traffic.

My Summer Trauma?

April 2/09 ....7:33 p.m.

Have been a very busy Landfrau today and an early bird on top. Had an appointment for the once a year nuisance of " health inspection". I call it the pee- run, three guesses why. And in the afternoon I kind of raided the local flower market. My efforts to give the unloved new fence a personal touch. Hope I will be satisfied with the results at the end of this summer, have to wait and see. Our weather right now is like the icing on a cake, smooth. For me it can stay that way, and I think other people don't mind either. Will have daughter's dog, mad Max, as a houseguest over Easter, if running with two dogs won't do the trick of turning me into someone slim and trimm, then I give up. -
Queen Elizabeth has been wrapped into the arm of the First Lady Obama, the British court is in uproar, but the queen obviously did not mind beeing touched the democratic way and Herr Husband fell under his car, while unloading a bag of garden soil from the back compartment. Got rescued by a lady neighbour, because he could not get up by himself anymore. He gave her a hard time, beeing half his size. So, these were the most important news of the day. - And have you been April fools yesterday? I know of at least two, but not Landfrau, mind you!

Spring,Spring, Spring and no April Fool

March 31/09.....6:35 p.m.

Now outdoor activities start to be fun again and not just a must just to air Herr Hund. On our morning bike run Landfrau and Herr Hund have been passing deep green horse pastures. The horses are not out yet but the green looks so tempting that Landfrau would almost like to be a horse. Well, actually I am a horse, big @$$ and big mane - just joking folks - not such a big mane after all. Oh, STOP THAT NOW, LANDFRAU! Enough is enough! -

Last weekend with lousiest weather ever our son-in-law had to transfer his boat from the harbour where he bought it in Holland to the harbour where he has rented a box. It had been a rough long run and just before arriving at their destination the motor conked out and they had to run into the harbour under sails, and that in the dark. They managed bravourously and even hit the right box, but that had been pure luck. So both, the captain and the boat passed the test, minor things still will have to be done and the motor has to be looked after by an expert. Old ex-sailor father- in-law is looking forward to be taken along for a sail, Landfrau is looking forward to a nice hotel at the seaside, I always have been more of a horse woman, water has no beams!

Buy me a Monkey!

March 25/09.....2:46 p.m.



Our new fence, no, don't like it, really have to get used to it. And our "Felsenbirne", I think you call it juneberry, but do not take me up on it, is now proudly presenting it's four naked stems or trunks, whatever, against the naked fence. Before there had been that overgrown Ivy background, Now it looks like one of those climbing trees for monkeys in zoological gardens. So, Landfrau should install a monkey, but it has to come with the guarantee,that it does not bite faces and limbs off people. Will be hard to find, I reckon.
Ah shucks, I better stick to the further monkey business making this cotton pickin' fence representable. We shall see.

I am not Snow White!

March 24/09 ....11:20 a.m.

.....and Landfrau hopes that she is not yet the bad queen. Although "mirror" Twitter slowly but surely makes me feel like it. Lately in the guise of followers shows me the real me. Who is following me? Cooks, wine drinkers and now, to top it all off, a WEIGHTREDUCER! Made me cry. Fits in so perfectly with my thoughts during my walk with Herr Hund just half an hour ago, where I had been turning over in my mind that all my life I had wished for long, terrific legs. And what am I gifted with, short, muscular stems, bawl.....
I have given up the hope that I still might grow a few inches or so, will stick to high heels (in public) as long as I am still able to stagger around with them.
Have been an early bird today, new garden fence is set up in our kitchen garden, in my opinion useless spending of money I would have a million different ideas to spend on. But it has been a must before our "friendly" neighbour would have been getting at us with a gun. Nasty "follower" for real.

The Sunday Pic

March 22/09 ....10:23 a.m.

Smart Landfrau has been wrecking her little brain, how not to deprive my twitter friends of their promised sunday pic (as if someone cares, lol) and voila, here it is! I just adore white roses.

PADS

March 19/09 ..... 6:52 p.m.

Yes pads, that's what it read on my shopping list several days ago. When I picked it up I kept staring at that word, pads, pads, what the heck, what kind of pads? Did not need any for cosmetics, neither for my coffee machine. Consulted Herr Husband, asking him to read the item on the list. Pads, came the answer. To make a long story short, could not figure out the pads, even not in the supermarket, where the mysterious pads might cross my path. Nada. Forgot about the whole thing. Now today, my usual farmer's market shopping day, it needs a long list and believe it or not, what sat big and fat at the end of the list in my own handwriting? You guessed it - pads. Could not even remember having put it there, maybe I had been unconcious for a while, setting up my list? Could also be that there is a gremlin in our home playing tricks on me. Wrecked my brain all the time while shopping, even asked a friend, whom I met by coincidence to read that damn word, pads, she said and started to wreck her brain too, giving me clues as to what kind of pads it might be. Arriving home my eyes fell upon the frying pan rack, sitting in the sink and it dawned on me: scouring pads !
Have to face the facts, I must be getting old. Tonite I will go and hide in a secret corner and cry for a bit.

The Party Mile

March 14/09....9:16 p.m.

Landfrau is full, full of good steak. Once a while we decide to leave our solitude countryside and go and take part in the life of town . Tonite we wanted to have dinner at "our" barge restaurant, tough luck, they had a wedding party. so we thought we should try the old part of town, the party mile, so called because there you find one beer parlour and one food restaurant after the other, all what have you, from german , italian,turkish, libanese to chinese food . We choose the wellknown Block House, a steak temple, known for its excellent cuts of meat. Walking there, we really had been amazed, so many restaurants had their tables outside and people were wining and dining, mind you, at at temperature from barely 10 above Zero. At the most famous beerparlour, the Uerige, most of the tables outside had been crowded with waiters running back and forth, carrying loads of beer. Some people started singing already. Later on at nite the party mile gets to be a place not so safe anymore, drunks start to riot and the police has their hands full. There are often even stabbings and robberies. Bad times. It is a shame, but the city is trying to get a grip on the situation and turn this part of town into the charming "party mile" it used to be decades ago.

For a Change - A Chuckle in the morning

March 13/09 .....10:22 a.m.

Herr Husband has the habit of putting his little pill plastic cup into the pocket of his bathrobe. So about every second time I wash the robe, pillbox gets washed along with it. No harm done. Happened so again yesterday and when Herr Husband wanted to fill it up for the next day he called from the bathroom: "There is still water in it!". Now, Landfrau, just having brushed her teeth, presumed he had been talking about the waterglass and called back:" I just drank out of it." Herr Husband, flabbergasted: " what are you , a dwarf?" - Landfrau almost peed into her pants from laughing.

Gloom and Doom

March 11/09 ...10.12 a.m.
I simply hate this weather we are having right now!
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Text:
I see the bad moon arising.

I see trouble on the way.I see earthquakes and lightnin.I see bad times today.

Chorus:Dont go around tonight,Well, its bound to take your life,Theres a bad moon on the rise.

I hear hurricanes ablowing.I know the end is coming soon.I fear rivers over flowing.I hear the voice of rage and ruin.

ChorusAll right!Hope you got your things together.Hope you are quite prepared to die.Looks like were in for nasty weather.One eye is taken for an eye.

About Dog Poop and too much Rain

March 10/09.....7:14 p.m.

We still have a lively E-mail connection with our dear friends living in Vancouver B.C. We have met at the time we had been staying in that beautiful city and there are times we reget that we ever left, but then, you can not turn back time and I should not complain about the time we have lived here in Europe since we came back from Canada. Had been very nice and interesting times too, with lots of traveling abroad. Now what I want to talk about today for a bit is the 4 year old granddaughter of our friends. She is such a doll and we are supplied with cute stories about her by the proud grandparents. So also today, when we were informed, that for her 4th birthday her strongest wish had been a plastic dog poop. Well, actually the only person up to now I know of who is continiously talking in her blog about dog poop is that (ex?) Mormon (can you be an ex, or is it once a Mormon always a Mormon?) woman Dooce, but I think that right now reporting about her pregnancy takes the upper hand. So, the little one of our friends is in good company. That depends of course whichever way you want to look at it. And I refer to the dog poop, not the pregnancy - mind you. Anyway, she got her dog poop and had been a very happy birthday child. -
Other subject, the rain.There is that song "Has there ever been so much rain, man " continiously twirling around in my head and every time Herr Hund takes me walking on the levee I regard the rising river suspiciously. And if all that snow in the mountains starts to melt within a short time, we are in for something. There are plans to reconstruct our dike this year in summer, but that will be of no help now. Up to now we always have been lucky, so lets hope our luck holds for the time being once more, otherwise we are in for some very wet feet.

The Everending Story

March 7/09 .....2:47 p.m.

where I had been afraid that it might be a neverending story. What I am talking about? You have read me before (hope so *g*), the book grandson gave me for X-Mas "Grandma, tell me..." , which had been a pain in my neck ever since, the Damokles sword for sure. Same book had been given to the other grandma and as I told grandson yesterday that I have the book finished I got an answering e-mail "so you have outdone your competition M." Am I ever proud! That kid really is something, good for a laugh very often. Now I only hope that my efforts pass inspection. - Other efforts have been made today to plant some flowers which had been sitting around for days, just did not feel up to garden slavery in pouring rain. But today there is that nice smell of spring in the air again, had a longer biketour with Herr Hund, passing by my former riding stable. I very seldom drop in there, getting fed up with people asking me "Don't you miss your horse, don't you miss riding? " - Of course, fatheads, I do so, very much ,but decisions have to be made between the head and the belly, although belly sometimes is a bit rebellious. But, alas...Too many things are to be considered, if I could handle it the way my twitter friend Kimberly in Texas does it, having the horses close by on own ground it would be fine, but that is out of the question around here. So I stick to my nowadays equipment, the "Drahtesel" (wiredonkey) as we say in Germany. And that wiredonkey Landfrau is going to saddle right now and Herr Husband (with electric bike) and I are driving to our little village, 3 kms, to visit a bakery coffeeshop and we shall feast on delicious cake like homemade and a milkcoffee grande - and never mind the calories.

I am your DJ

March 5/09 1:11 p.m.
Nothing to say, something to sing (little joke, friends ;-) )

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The Day I talked to Jerry Lewis

March 1/09........3:43 p.m.

During my bike tours with Herr Hund a lot of things cross my mind, sometimes I don't even know why. So today, when I remembered my phone conversation with Jerry Lewis. You do not believe me? Cross my heart and hope to die, it's true and happened like this:
At the time Herr Husband still had been a busy global traveller, he got stuck at one of his international flights in a business lounge, waiting for his connection. He then usually tried to phone home, kind of to pass time. Also said day and during our phone conversation he told me that he was sitting next to Jerry Lewis. I did not believe him, thought he was pulling my leg, so he went up to Mr. Lewis with his phone, introducing himself and asking him to confirm that they were both in the lounge. Now Mr. Lewis had been very nice, asking him "what's your wife's name?" and then talked to me on the phone, confirming he was really Jerry Lewis. Flippant me had been on the verge of saying that he might as well be Donald Duck, would I know? But I held my tongue , thought if the guy was so accommodating I should not be a"comic". Besides,talking to a comedian,you should not try being funnier than the expert, it's like being holier than the pope. - Anyway, we chatted for a bit and I told him that it would be nice to see him if he ever showed up here in our hometown. He promised, but has not shown up yet, what a shame!

And I have another "celebrity" story up my sleeve, but that will have to wait for some other time. o.k.?