Again and still...small World

April 30/10.....3:36 p.m.

Did you marvel about my previous post? Well, friends, there is more not so spectacular, but nevertheless. - When I was a teenagegirl, I had a girlfriend. You know how it mostly is, one takes all and the other is the timid drag-along, that had been me. So my friend made me walk around lunchtime ever so often along famous "Königsallee" in our city. At that time already the avenue was famous for expensive shops, and among others there could be found an antique shop and having his lunchbreak, one of the salesmen used to stroll along the street and my friend, having a terrible crush on the guy, wanted to give him the eye. So they glared at each other, but never spoke. Me, the little dragger-along, of course was not noticed. - Years later,in the meantime I was married and had moved to Vancouver B.C., my husband went to a photoshop and was greeted by another customer, a friend he knew from his former motorbike club in Germany. Turned out this friend was visiting with some other German friends, a couple, also living in Vancouver. Of course they decided to meet the same night at our place and the friend asked, if he could bring along his friends. And...who walked into our place along with his pregnant wife? The guy from the Antique shop, my girlfriend had been so keen on. Of course we talked about those "old " times and he remembered very well my girlfriend, but not me, the drag-along. We had lots of drinks and later on my husband's friend, who had been so drunk that we put him into our conjugal bed to sober up , puked into our bed - the pig! -
We became friends with the couple, they had kids, moved to San Francisco, got divorced and he became a very successful interior designer. We are still friends with his former wife, she lives now in Carmel .We lost touch with the puker and with my former girlfriend I lost touch too, that's the way it goes.

Small World

April 26/10......10:20 a.m.

When a very old friend's befriended daughter of an old, now deceased boyfriend is incidently the sister of two school friends of our younger daughter - and we have been meeting those boys travelling highway No. 1 in the nineties during our Californian trip with our younger daugther by coincidence on and off (and we gave them "shelter ,shower and dinner" in our motel for one night, since they slept in their car) and the family had been neighbours of our son-in-law and that young woman now is the wife of a this year's Oscar winner for songwriting I call this a small world.

Center Parc Fun-----F U N ?

April 5/10......1:44 p.m.

Vaccation cut out for the needs of small fry....forgotten so fast, when small fry has grown up but reliving with small fry of now big offspring is quite an experience. Our young family is taking a short holiday in a Center Parc in the Netherlands, just across the dutch border from us - not such a long drive - and yesterday we decided to pay them a visit. Actually the whole complex is quite nicely situated, in the middle of a forrest, with ponds and playgrounds, and of course those indoor facilities which Center Parcs are famous for. Our granddaughter claims, that four days are the limit to be overrun by the indoor activities and the continious acoustic irradiation and her husband ran, when the parents were summoned to do the "Ententanz" (duck dance) together with their offspring, he claimed he had done his duty during a previous stay last year, and..no never again do I make a fool of myself up there on the stage! (O-ton). Well, the kids are fascinated and love it, and that is, why the parents endure it. Aside from that, the living quarters are not bad, houses scattered in the forrest all over the places and you even have a fair amount of privacy. Before we left, we decided to have dinner together, but rather did not take in one of the "market place" restaurants. So we made a reservation at a restaurant outside- wise choice to have made the reservation, because 80% of the dutch people must have decided to frequent the place, it had been packed, but the service had been efficient and fast and the food very good. Little Miss Sunshine behaved very well too, except for one temperfit, where I had the brilliant idea to take her to look at and "torture" (pet) tiny chicklets jointly with half a dozen other kids. That distracted her and then our food came and eating is one of her favourite pasttimes, so no problem any more.-

When we came home, we were greeted by a rather annoyed Herr Hund, having been left alone for such a long time.To make up with him I took him for a long walk in the dark and now he talks to us again.

EASTER 2010

Wishing everyone a

H A P P Y .... E A S T E R !

Young Boat - Old Passengers

March 30/10.....7:24 p.m.

To be honest - the other way around I would prefer, even better - young boat and young people. Since we are not youngsters anymore ourselves, I prefer to encounter younger folks when I travel, this trip had a bit of a touch of an old age home. We have been travelling the river Rhine from Cologne to Bale, Switzerland and there is nothing to be said about the scenery, enjoyable, even if we have seen it times and times before. We lived at the rhineside in Oberlahnstein for two years and all major errands had to be done at Koblenz, but going ashore in Koblenz for a little sightseeing, it must have been another Koblenz we had been living close to, I did not recognize a damned corner, no deja-vu, and where I walked around it had been the old part of town,which sits there unchanged more or less for centuries. I also took a bustour to Strassburg, unknown to me up to then, I liked it very much and what really amazed me had been the nesting storks by the dozens if not more, our guide told us,they do not migrate south any more, beeing fed with chickens during wintertime,they have adapted to the easier way of life. Easy way of life you have also aboard, lots of good food, and since all servings are buffet style, you have to be careful of the ellbows of the hungry masses, must be an extended pleasure of old age..eating. I took part in one board game, called Jakkolo, a wooden board with little gates at the end, where you have to shoot kind of pucks into. And I won right away, my rivals were pissed off, especially a couple, where the wife had been the champ up to then. I had a laugh and made a big show, throwing up my arms and making the V-sign , that showed them, they took it so badly. -

The weather had been nice too, except for Bale, where we checked into a hotel and took part in the christening of the ship in the afternoon. It had been quite a spectacular affair and fortunately by then the rain had stopped. The next day we took a trainride back home and before we could even put down our bags, our daughter No.2, having kept Herr Hund showed up with Herr Hund and mad Max and now I am dogsitter in return, bad bargain, since they are gone for a week and we only had been away for 5 days. -

That's the way, the ball bounces.

Here We Go!

March 22/10 .......4:44 p.m.

About time to have a change of scenery!

Embarrassing Moments

March 16/10....8:17 p.m.

No, folks, I am not talking about grinning at people all day long and then noticing while looking into the mirror in the evening that you have a piece of spinach sitting right between your front teeth, a good one for the ladies is also having the hem of your skirt stuck in the waistband of your panties, ugh - no - I am talking about my own personal embarrassing moments like yesterday, when I had to drive my car to the dealer , where you find besides a plush sales room, where all the employees sit behind desks among nice new cars , also the body shop. So Herr Husband and Landfrau decided to meet at the shop, because I needed a lift back home. Herr Husband takes a route,which in my opinion is longer, I took my shortcut, but missed a right turn and the one I then took looked exactly like the one I should have taken, only I kept on driving wondering when the darn shop would show up and then realizing that I had taken a road which plum took me on the way to downtown.So I had to drive for quite a distance before I could make a U-turn and instead of being first, I was missed already by Herr Husband, my phone ringing when I was about to enter the shop. Once inside I was eyed by everyone, Herr Husband, aggravated " I thought you had an accident!" (gosh, as if I drive around having accidents all the time) being told by a smirking salesman "you have been missed already" me - mumbling redfaced something like "took the wrong turn, had to circle around" and then stumbling over the carpet. - And to top it off, I had to go back in from the parking lot when we wanted to leave, because I noticed my car sitting there with its window halfway down in the rain, so I had to get the keys back,which I had handed over. So, when I left for the second time, I turned around, smiled at all the grinning faces and told them "bye, today you won't see me any more, that's a promise".
And Landfrau kept her promise, there!

My Doubts confirm themselves

March 13/10....11:09 a.m.



The previous post gives me the willies and the one before that...I do not know if slowly but surely my shower turns into my enemy. This morning I grabbed my shampoo, put it on my hair and have been wondering why the darn stuff did not foam. Bingo, reaching for the rinse what did I have in my hands? Three guesses....the shampoo. - Touches of senility start with small things, I have been told. So folks - beware. (Not of me, yet - I hope)

What a Perspective!

March 13/10 ...... 8:36 a.m.

Found this early in the morning and it really made my day:

NOW I REALLY HAVE MY DOUBTS

March 7/10......9:45 p.m.

So Landfrau has been scrubbing shadows, next step is that Landfrau must love to scrub her face. Yesterday morning I went into my daily routine, washing my face and putting on my makeup. Then I went to take my shower, telling myself: do not wash you face, you are finished with that, opened the shower door, grabbed the washcloth and scrubbed my face. When I realized what I had been doing I told myself dumb ass silly woman - and then I had a terrible laughing fit. - So, you see it is hard to beat the old routine, normally face comes last, takes the most time and more so every year.

Hunting Shadows

March 2/10.....7:02 p.m.

I must be a natural nut. Herr Husband often says so, I do not always believe him, but this time... Well, for days I have been annoyed at an ugly spot in our upstairs carpet, right when you enter the door to the little office. Gave Herr Hund already the evil eye, him walking around with dirty paws all over the place. I tried to brush it off, no way, then I went at it with a cloth,water and some liquid soap, no way. I took a knife and tried to flush up the, already a bit worn over the years, carpet, the spot still was there. Then yesterday, leaving the office, I switched off the light, the spot was gone. Darn it... I switched the light on again, the spot was there. It turned out it had been the shadow of the electric cord of my portable radio,which I carry around where ever I want to listen to it. So it has been a fast repair, which can not be said for the damage caused by Landfrau kissing another car while backing out of a parking spot. First it looked like minor damage , only the frame of the licence plate broken, now the complete bumper seems to be a goner. Cars nowadays are not what they have been in former times. Bumpers are there to be hit, that's why they are called bumpers, right?

And in case you miss my weather pixie at the bottom of my page, I miss it too, I will put it back as soon as it reappears in the world wide web.

Well done, Guardian Angel!

February 24/10.....9:35 p.m.

So our little angel had a bad concience after all and really made an effort. Herr Husband does not need another operation and it turned out that his heart is doing fine. The doc said that it is an old heart on the weak side . Well, we all get there, eventually. All those good thoughts of great friends, real and virtual ones, helped too, that I am convinced of. So, thank you all from the bottom of my (hopefully still strong) heart!

Result of Insomnia

February 22/10....1:49 a.m.

Groundhog Day

February 22/10.....7:42 p.m.

In a grotesque way it is like a deja-vu, Herr Husband is in the Krefeld Hospital again, his heart is playing crazy once more. Last year had been a lucky year, no hospital visits, this year we start with a heart catheter and hopefully this will not be followed by another bypass operation. Landfrau told his guardian angel that he ows him!

There They Go Again!

February 13/10.....9:28 a.m.

Yes, friends, the smallest "Karnevals Zug" (mardi- gras parade) is on the go again tomorrow. Just to give your memory a little push and for my new reader friends, here is the link: http://landfrau.blogspot.com/2008/02/somewhat-listeless.html -
They skipped last year, much to the regret of many people, but it needs a lot of work and organizing, and there just had not been the time for that last season. But this year they are going to battle the cold and are inspite of the nasty temperatures hopefully being cheered by a big crowd. It will be cold beer - brrr -and hot spiced wine (the stuff where you have two heads ☺☺ the next day, if you drink too much ) and Landfrau regrets that she can not participate with her Farm Ville float, but the chickens gave their veto, too cold, they said.
And maybe there will be a report about the event within the next few days. So keep tuned!

P.S. ...and here is the weather for today! http://weatherpixie.com/index.php

Monday, Monday....

February 8/10.....12:45 p.m.

Just a song, to show you how I move on mondays!

The Mischievous Guardian Angel

February 2/10.......12:42 p.m.

Last night we got attacked by an angel, Herrn Husband's guardian angel as a matter of fact. How come? Well, let me tell you...

As a present daughter no.1 supplied her parents with guardian angels - well meant! -

Now, Landfrau's is (safely secured) hanging over her bed, Herrn Husband's is sitting on his nightstand. So far, so good. Yesterday Landfrau, while housecleaning, dusted the angels. The nighttable one, from here on called the devil angel, has , as you can see in above pics, a spring in his inside, so he can move back and forth, but he is not supposed to take flights and that is what he did in the middle of last night. Only explanation, the spring must have gotten stuck somehow and then loosened itself later on. We both were awaken by a big bang which made us sit upright in our beds. First thought was that Herr Hund had knocked something over. Then, after switching on the light, Landfrau discovered the angel, with broken off feet, right next to her bed. Now, mind you, the thing is made of sheet metal with a solid stand! Devil angel must have flown with such a force over our beds, that he did not even touch us. That would have made a brilliant headline: Person killed by Guardian Angel! - But maybe devil angel just meant well and wanted to protect its master so strongly ,that he shot over his aim. Whatever, since I fixed him with instant glue and got the stuff onto my fingers inspite of being very careful, I do not trust devil angel any more and I keep checking if he starts to grow little horns.

Holy Smoke!

January 19/10....8:59 p.m.

..is what Herr Hund said and where is the tree ? when he smelled Landfrau baking X-mas cookies. Yes, you have not been misreading. A bit crazy , I know, baking X-mas cookies in January but there is an explantation to everything. There still had been sitting half a box of cookie mix on the shelf, and since these butter cookies are the favoured ones of our grandson, I promised him to bake another batch. - Now, poor Herr Hund, he is in for hard times now-a-days, the construction of our new levee has started with the clearing of all the old trees, orchards, willow trees and meadows. So he lost his roaming grounds and we lost beautiful landscape, which had been growing for ages. Well, safety first, but there are always two sides to a medal and it is a shame to loose all that beauty. - When I went for my shopping drive today, I promised Herr Hund to bring him a goodie, he once a while agrees to open the front door, but he has been lazy lately, but today he could not wait to let me in and he almost crawled into my shopping basket for his treat.

Aside from that there are not so many news, except I finally got my new glasses and you now can call me "eagle eye" - I am thrilled!

P.S. Above pics are before and after, the lonely willow is now also a goner - so sad.

EAT DRINK SWEAT

January 6/10.....7:31 p.m.

That transfers it in short words, how we have been "sliding" into the New Year. We had a terrific Sylvester dinner, after a few drinks at the bar we started dining at 8:30 p.m. and only stopped shortly before midnight. Of course the menu had been accompanied by great wines. And at midnight, everybody started kissing everybody, 3 times, the french way, even the waiters joined in, two of them reminded me strongly of butler James in "Dinner for One", they must have been hiding a bottle in the kitchen. Very funny. Landfrau sneaked out shortly after midnight, wanted to see some fireworks - big dissapointment, I heard some in the valley beneath the hotel but did not see a single one. Hope this is not a bad sign for the year to come, I am a bit superstitious. Otherwise our leasuretime had been like always, except that it was wintertime. I took my daily walks with Herr Hund, somehow the so inviting shadow spending forrest seemed sinister and dismissive, especially at night. A bit spooky. - I finished a whole book in a jiffy, here at home it takes ages, swam in the pool till I almost sank - outside, breathing that terrific clean air, there is nothing like a heated pool to swim in outside in winter, pure luxury. And I treated myself to a massage. I felt spoiled, round about. Besides that, we ate. The food at that place is out of this world. -

We had snow when we arrived, then, overnite, it had been gone and when we looked out of our window the last night, it had started to snow again. But driving home with our 4-wheel drive had been not a problem whatsoever.

Now Landfrau is back in the chaingang - such is life.

Gone with the Wind!

December 29/09