done?

Will this have been winter's last present? Or are there more surprises to come this spring?

Meanwhile, we were enjoying some spots of sunshine and blue-ish sky today.In the very early morning on my way to pick up the newspaper I saw a beautiful full moon.

 This time of year the evening light slants into the kitchen during dinner preparations.

Now if only the snow would disappear and my sweet funky Mila would re-appear.

as it turns out

My love's preparations did pay off. Thijs is safe and sound in his dorm where I dropped him off after a great ride there (talking) and back again (70's hits).  All cats are in - hopefully Mila is indoors somewhere as well. People are in and well fed after a Sunday dinner accompanied by libations.  We can hunker down. Until tomorrow at least.

I am grateful on days like this. For a warm home, for awesome kids, for feline companions. For fresh veggies and the fact that I can make bread with my own hands. Basic pleasures that I would wish for everyone.

Gus is a total daddy's boy

I remind the girls that we would have snow storms in Colorado on their birthday in April, but they don't remember. Also, we would have enjoy-outdoors-in -your-tshirt-days in January on Thijs's birthday. And more days of sunshine than San Diego (in CO, not IN). But I should not share this secret...

Hoping you are all safe and warm.

preparing

My love has taken the ax to the wood in preparation for the predicted snowstorm. Who knows if it will really  dump 9 inches on us, this would not be the first time that the clouds blow over on their way to farther and better places. Today is a gorgeous day and we are enjoying it. For the most part. The part where Mila has not come home for three days and two nights is not fun.

I also started the spring ritual of going through the clothes in the closet and getting rid of unwanted and (more frequently) non-fitting items. I found it interesting that for a professed winter-lover like myself, I turned out to own up to 12 pairs of capri/short length pants and only two pairs of jeans. Some of those summer pants are 10+ years old, most 5+, but still.

With the perhaps-snowstorm in mind, I will hold of on the yard preparations. Not that I know what I am doing in that respect, and when I finally looked it up I learned that I should have cut back most plants in the fall (I can never determine the right time in the fall, not too early, not too late...).

Other preparations need to be started for a spring break trip which is coming up shortly (not telling when, last time we had unwelcome visitors). This time it will be the four of us. After an almost-year of work, I am very much looking forward to some space in my mind for nothingness, relaxation, reading perhaps, ocean breeze, and lots and lots of walking.

found on the internet

constant companion

It is my hip, the right one. Most days it will comply and only hurt in the mornings. Today it does not seem to want to leave my side. It whines a little, then yells if I keep ignoring it. That is one of the more aggravating issues with aging, although I feel way too young for such nonsense.

Due to some changes at work, I have more days off at the moment. Perhaps a nice side effect of something very serious. In any case, I have some time, and the decision is mine on how to spend it (not as easy as you would think! I end up running around doing multiple projects at once and never finishing anything). My love encouraged me to re-engage in one of my hobbies.

And I will, after some spring cleaning. I guess that is what is making my hip yell, it is not used to the running around so much anymore. And yet that is apparently the best way to conquer the yelling. By moving. So some nights, when it is only whispering, I walk on the treadmill and read. My love uses the stationary bicycle.

Because this whole hip thing was not on my itinerary. I was supposed to go hiking in the mountains.

Emma has caught the spring cleaning bug as well and has organized several kitchen cabinets. She is perhaps practicing for next year when she will likely have to make do with very little room. I love how she just throws out stuff that I would have agonized over what to do with. I am hoping to follow suit, it will be so nice to keep house when there is less junk to worry about. That will give me more time for my hobbies, right?

within a week

Time has always been a vague concept for me to grasp. I'm no good with years at all- so when people are telling a story and they include that kind of information, I am easily impressed. For me time is elastic, some days fast other days a varying speed. Was something only two months ago or was it more than a year?

This was actually last week, of that I'm pretty sure.

 And this was today! The prediction was quite different and so my girls and I had planned a shopping expedition. The shopping was hugely unsuccessful. Spending time together was great.

This month will be the anniversary of our 'coming to America'. Which year it was I can only determine when I think about how young the kids were during that move, Thijs just 2 and Vera and Emma 11 months.

Trying to put all my thoughts and emotions about way back (and not so long ago) in words on this blog seems impossible. The first year was not easy at all. Thijs and I both had Heimweh, Thijs begging me to speak German with him and telling me (in Dutch) "mamma, ik ben klaar met wonen hier, kunnen we nu weer bij Frau Appelt op bezoek?' / "mommy, I'm done with living here, can we go visit Mrs. Appelt? "

Yet here we still are, the kids acculturated and Robert and I probably more so than we realize. Although I will always keep my accent, and my 'European-ness'.

tagged

I was tagged by my friend Julie  http://julierowanzoch.wordpress.com/author/julierowanzoch/  as a person who could answer 11 weird questions then tag 11 people to do the same.

 Now, I can answer weird questions no problem, even though they did not seem that weird to me- which should tell you something- but the tagging of 11 people I can't do. So I am cheating and just answering the questions. It also postpones the two tasks still waiting for me: folding laundry and exercising.

1. What is the strangest thing you have ever eaten in public?

If I only knew! Oh wait...I guess some people would think those crunchy roasted ants weird...including me, and this was long before I turned vegetarian.

2. If you had to go on an adventure, with elves, dwarves, or hobbits, who would you take and why?

My first thought is elves of course, wood elves. Never dwarves. But then again, hobbits...they definitely know how to enjoy the good things in life.

3. You are at a rural retreat lodge somewhere deep in Wisconsin or Canada. You are approached by a taxidermist who hands you a stuffed badger and asks you to put it in your lap. What do you do next?

Uh, yuk- but always polite, I would do it, then likely end up absentmindedly stroking it while having a conversation with the taxidermist.

4. If you were given biscotti, would you prefer it with coffee, tea, or hot chocolate

Depending on the time of day, coffee in the morning, tea after noon, and alas, hot chocolate makes me ill.

5. In your opinion, who is the funniest man or woman alive today (comedian)

It is very hard to make me lol as a comedian, but I love joking around with my family and friends. Life is funny, or it can be. It is better to see the humor in everyday happenings.

6. If you were given thirty seconds on television to say something, what would it be?

Not good at public speaking- and with that kind of pressure...I would love to introduce someone who eloquently can make a point in that amount of time. 

7. What is your idea of the most romantic date setting ever?

Somewhere remote in nature, the mountains or the California hills/ocean... absolutely not tropical- and the whole day and night to enjoy it

8. If you could go on one date with a movie or television star, who would it be and why?

Can I pick an author? How about Steinbeck?

9. What is the worst song you have ever heard?

Must be some number that my son's roommate played in the car on the way back to their dorm, thankfully no idea what it was called or by whom, but certainly was excruciating.  

10. If you could live anywhere else, where would it be?

Somewhere where they have universal Health Care. And if they would have it everywhere and I could pick then, it would be difficult to choose, but it would have to have beach with cliffs and mountains close by. And somewhat windy and not too many mosquitoes. 

11. Who- in your opinion- was the greatest person to ever live?

Nobody was/is/will be the greatest. 


Thanks Julie!