Christmas Season Wrap-Up

Busy? Yes and no.  Nevertheless sitting down to write and edit photos somehow wasn't so very high on the ToDo list. 

The snow has not gone away.  Some has evaporated, some has melted, more has fallen.  I have never seen so many icicles! (These are not soooo big, but they were on our house.) We've stuck the car a couple of times just getting to the house but thank goodness nothing dramatic (except for my reactions).  Tomorrow is trash day and Werner is trying yet another method of loosening up the stuff so it isn't frozen in the can - and subsequently stays there!  Snow is fun and not fun.

The camera somehow did not find its way to the Christmas Eve dinner with Mutti and Christoph, maybe because Mutti was feeling so, well, not in the spirit.  It's been harder than usual for her lately and the creaky bones are creakier.  Though she had to be talked into getting out and coming to dinner, she - and we - did enjoy it:  parsley root soup with seared scallops, tenderloin of beef, potato gratin, brocolli, and for dessert French chocolate tart.  We declared it delicious. 

Christoph and Claudia received a unique birdhouse from Werner for their yard (each is unique!) and Mutti was happy to have lotions and soaps and feminine things.

Christmas day we had a quiet breakfast and then opened our gifts.  Here, the four candles and this year's egg cozy.  Cute, huh? 

It was nice, just the two of us - and my recycle-bone was really tickled by the Yatzee game that Michelle found and sent!  We'll use it first on New Year's Eve with our friends and then later I'll take it to my English class.  What re-fun!

Later, Nickolet joined us and we went to Ursel's for dinner.  Earlier plans to share a goose with the neighbors got nixed by a flu bug, but we compensated with carrot and coriander soup, beef Stroganoff, salad and orange cheesecake.  Naturally, Ursel had beads for us and Nickolet chose one she liked best. 

The day after we had brunch with friends, I laid myself down in the snow and made a snow angel in the cemetery (what better place), and please don't forget we had to return to the fitness center after all that food.  After our workout, there was time for the sauna.  I think that was yet another present.

And we've begun NEW PROJECTS! Love new projects.  Werner's is house-related, mine is needle-related.  Actually, a few more snow days would do us well  - we have enough to keep us busy/happy at home.

Happy New Year.  Peace to us all. 

P.S.  Werner did up the trash really good. You can't imagine how excited we were to have empty trash cans this morning! Ah, small pleasures. 

Let it snow.  And snow.  And snow.......

So, this global "warming" thing is funny.  Most of us agree that it is becoming too warm in our world and the ice caps are melting.  At the same time, the winters in north Europe, which used to be gray and rainy wet for the most part, are now wet in a different way.  It has been snowing again and the weather people who get  paid to predict, albeit predictably poorly, predict a cold, cold winter.  We're off on the right foot. (This is the church in our neighborhood whose bells we hear each Saturday at 6 PM and Sundays at 8 and 10 AM.  The sound is particularly clear in the winter.....)

Snow has multiple angles, so to speak. There's the poor slob who has to schlep to work, dig out the car, deal with the horrid traffic backups, leave home in the dark and get home in the dark.  And then there's us, mostly retired and located where we can do most of what we must by foot or bike or public transport.  I like being me in this situation. 

Today we woke up to sunshine and new snow and blue skies (!!) and after walking to the outdoor market to buy essentials for the next few days, we went out again to soak up the sunshine and snowy ambience.  A few impressions.

The promenade along the river.

We opted for a virtual rest on the bench.

Ice in the harbor.

The whale bone sculpture at the harbor.

Our snuggly house...

... and Werner sweeping the entrance.  Civic law requires residents to keep the sidewalks and entrances free of snow.  The sound of shovel on concrete wakes me up faster than an alarm clock. And with more irritation.

After our walk we had a bit of shopping to do and I ran into Santa!  He was so gracious to have his picture taken with me.  I asked him for an MP3 player to help me get through the cross trainer work out.  Hint hint.

At home, Werner made us some mulled wine to warm our toes.  I don't think it gets much better than this. 

Third Advent

Amina loves a fair.  The rides.  The rides.  And, oh, the rides.  She will eat a Bratwurst, she'll deign to look at a few stalls, but she loves the rides.

It was a short overnight - they arrived Saturday after the shop closed, we headed to the Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Fair) and after sleeping and breakfasting, they were off again to home.  But it was fun! 

At the fair, there's the Artic Express and the old Ferris wheel.  I leave the Express to everyone else, but I do like a Ferris wheel!  It was cold but not too and a little mulled wine at the end gave us an extra glow to take home!

Second Advent

I got my act together.  The Advent Wreath was arranged and we had a rather organized and tranquil Sunday Second Advent Breakfast.  What a relief!

There'd been some snow in the meantime, twice actually. The Key West pelican was feeling rather chilled.

The boxwood I've nursed since it was a twig sports a new coat.



And Werner couldn't resist building a snow person.  I think it's a man person, but sometimes we aren't sure.  But it's cute and lends a certain air to the season.

But then it got warmer.  And then it rained.  But it wasn't soooo warm that the poor thing melted completey away.  It just got
w e i r d. 

Stairway to .....

not Heaven.  Just the upstairs.  And those of you who've been here know upstairs isn't big, so it doesn't need a grand entrance.  But a little upgrade wouldn't hurt.

Werner's thought for some time that the very ordinary handrail along the wall needed replacing.  He's right.  In fact, he had already upgraded it by simply sawing the ends so that they were cut at 90° to the floor and not at 90° to the rail.

Here in Bremen there are so many old houses and buildings that are either being upgraded or re-decorated or torn down that there's a shop for old building parts.  Perfect!

They have doors.  (That'll be a project, too.)

They have phones.  (Not on my list.)

They have newel posts, but we don't need one of those. 

Need a key?  They have those, too.

Wednesday he'll pick up the new/old hand rail and has already thought that the hand rail on the other side should be returned to the natural wood.  I agree.  I'll let you know when it all gets done!

 First Advent

Can I say I am not ready? Good grief, here's the Advent wreath - some assembly required.  Maybe Tuesday this thingy will get put together and we'll light the first candle a couple of days late.  Maybe I will even get Christmas gifts to the US sent.  We can always hope.

Today, it was off to Ohlendorf for the annual First Advent Feast at René and Rima's.  Mutti was reluctant to go and even called a couple of days ago to say, No, I don't think I can.  Why, Mutti.  Oh, it's just so much trouble for everyone else.   So she needed a little convincing and I told her how disappointed everyone would be if she weren't there and she was somewhat swayed but then Amina called (a little bird told her to) and said how much she wanted her Ur-Omi there and my goodness can you resist the request of your great-granddaughter?  No, you can't.  So off we went with Grandma in tow.

It's cold here, today barely over freezing and overnight the hoar-frost descended and though it hadn't snowed, it was white.  If you're warm, it's quite pretty.

Unlike me, Rima had decorated and it all looked Christmasy.

Before we started, René got the second half of his birthday present - a chef's jacket - and we were tickled that he really liked it and wore it the whole time! 

This meal is the ultimate definition of German Comfort Food and comfort it did.There was chicken soup with custard royale.  Salad with fresh sole.  Slow roasted beef with a yummy gravy.  Brussels sprouts.  Boiled potatoes. 

Between courses, Amina was entertained by assorted adults and assorted adults entertained each other.

After a short break to move around and throw bits of snow at each other and make a snow angel or two (albeit very small), there was coffee and cake.  I contributed zucchini bread with crunchy lemon glaze and cranberry nut upside-down pumpkin cake.  Ooh.  They were good, too.

Mutti declared it was worth the effort and of course it was.......

Thanks to the host and hostess for another wonderful family event!

The Problem with Thanksgiving is ...

... it is only one day.  One meal. 

One of many good things about Thanksgiving is you do it over and over and have lots of chances to get it just right.  Or right lots of times. 

Once again, the usual crew gathered and once again a different pair were asked to join.  We were so lucky that Nicole and Jeremy were free to come from Berlin and that they are such easy, pleasing guests.  I get to discuss American stuff in general politics in particular with Jeremy - in English! - till we're blue in the face.  Werner and Nicole get to talk about (other stuff) - in German - till they're blue in the face.  And we all cook and eat like it's going out of style and have a wonderful time talking politics or whatever. 

So, back to Thanksgiving.  This year we opted to try the brined turkey.  Recipes for the brine are all over the place, but we had to consider where this bird would sit for 24 hours.  Those who've seen our fridge know that that was not an option.  Neighbors to the rescue - a tub of the proper proportions, supported by ice in bags and we have a mini-fridge.  It helps when the temp outside is in the low 40s and could act again as the ersatz fridge.

Of course Werner and I had done as much as possible beforehand, but Nicole is a happy cooker helper and we put her right to work. 

And after the work, she and Jeremy had a moment's respite before the others arrived. 

Guests were greeted at the door with the decorated pumpkin ....

and then greeted at table.....

and the we greeted the bird......

First of course was the first course, the mystery soup.  Lots of guesses combined finally landed on the right combination:  potato parsnip soup (with smoked salmon strips and a sprinkle of chives that was easy enough to recognize!).  After that, we satisfied ourselves on the turkey, sweet and mashed potatoes, beans, black-eyed peas, cornbread, cranberry sauce and turkey gravy. Comparisons are difficult when there's a year (or 15) between those being compared, but the consensus was that brining was a pretty good idea.  I have to agree.  The turkey was moist and tender and veryyyy tasty.  Definitely worth the effort.

Taking a walk along the harbor and river got us ready for dessert.  Pumpkin cheesecake and pecan pie.  Both were outstanding if I do say so myself. 

After another couple of hours nibbling and chatting, the locals left and we were left with the clean up. Eight hands made the work a lot easier.

The next morning after a big American-style breakfast, Nicole and Jeremy packed up and built a couple or three turkey sandwiches for sustenance along the way and left us after a short but wonderful and yummy time. 

Thanks again to all my German "family" for sitting as family for the family feast that means so much to me. 

Hard Work

I don't have to tell all of you that Thanksgiving is around the corner but our corner is coming faster.  Saturday our usual group will gather for turkey and all the trimmings and we're all looking forward to it.  Our special guests this year are Nicole and Jeremy from Berlin.  Jeremy, the American of that duo, is particularly looking forward to a real traditional feast. 

Preparations get underway well in advance, and last week and this we had some serious work to do - wine tasting.  I said serious, not difficult.

There were so many lovely, tasty dry rosés in France last summer and I liked them all.  Our local shop didn't have so many French rosés, but a good selection from Spain and Germany, too. OK, but which one??

Were they all good?  Of course.  But we decided on the French one - dry, with a luscious bouquet, and maybe a hint of cranberry.   

Antique Show

People love antiques here as much or more as they do in the USofA, even though you could comfortably say that there are lots more old, old, old things to be had here.

My interest in antiques has grown since we moved to Bremen, and I think it has a lot to do with our house.  It is a real antique, so it seems older things are at home in our home.

Last Sunday there was a show at one of the local malls; since the shops are closed on Sundays, malls are a nice venue for antique shows fill up the broad high aisles. 

We haven't gone to a show for ages, so it was time. 

There's silver,

there's general stuff,

there're tools,

old needlepoint pillows go here to die,

 

and there're heritage linens. This is my weak point but I try to be strong!

It's fun just  looking at this old stuff, but we're also kinda - sorta looking for a table to replace the one in the kitchen.  Our current table has done us well since we moved here - round, stable, 70 cm in diameter; we've had unnumbered breakfasts and lunches across from each other.  But we don't eat there so much anymore and would like a bit more space for getting ready to serve and getting ready to clean up.

We found one that we're considering.  It's actually a game table, but it can be half the size of its whole.  For our little kitchen, that's big.

But we found something to bring home as well.  Fish cutlery.  Well, yeah, not what everyone is looking for.  But they are so charming, silver with bone handles, and we do eat a lot of fish.   AND since this was a setting for three (three???) it was a deal.  Don't know where the third person is coming from.  Any takers?



Trash?

Back to the recycling thing.  So, we recycle as you well know. Or rather, if you have to throw something away, I am going to give it a second look.  Werner gives me a second look every now and again when there's a pile of stuff in front of someone's house and I give the stuff a second look.  Stuff means things they don't want anymore but are perfectly good for something.  You can imagine, he gets a bit embarrassed around me.  Nothing new.  Just ask Michelle and Lee.  I can be an embarrassing person. 

(But don't forget, our wonderful Garden House is mostly recycled stuff.)

But it seems my attitude has sneaked (snuck?) into Werner just a teeeny bit.  When he went to visit Mutti the other day, the neighbor across the street had put out her "stuff" to be sent to the trash never-never land.  "Ohhhh," Werner said to himself, "Sharon would just hate it if I left what looks like a perfectly good sewing machine on the trash pile to be thrown away!!"

Of course he was right. Werner is (almost) always right.  This baby is old but in great shape.  It is totally steel and metal and heavy.  It only goes forward and backward.  But it does that very,very well. 

Our neighbor directs several projects at the local social service center and, wouldn't you know, in one of the projects she teaches women to sew so they can make a little money from their work or provide something for their families.  Hey, Erika, need a sewing machine?  "YES!! she said.  "Thank you."

You're welcome. And, well, thank you, Werner, for rescuing another useful thing.

Birthday Present

You all know -- since everyone who reads this blog is either a close personal friend or an immediate member of my immediate family -- that I had a semi-significant birthday last month. 

65. 

SIXTY-FIVE.

Take a breath. 

Sixty-five is an inbetween sort of number, but since it has, for lots of years, been associated with "official" retirement it does seem a biggie.  But it isn't one of those "O" years that stick out.  But...it's a biggie.

I wasn't with my honey for my birthday, though I was with some significant others - Lee and Crissy - fun!  But Werner sent a hand-made and thoughtful card with rememberances of our last year. He is, as you know, Werner the artist. Isn't it wonderful?

Our house.  The limosine to Barry and Ginny's 50th.  Michelle and Joey's boat that we take to Shell Island.  And of course the Eiffel Tower - for the family trip to end all family trips. 

All I expected was the card since we have everything we need and want and have long agreed that presents are a bit too too.

But silly man gave me a present.  It takes up no space, it has no calories, and it's fun.  And I have wanted it for a long time.

Dancing lessons!

We're going to Casa Danza. I asked Werner for this when he retired (however long ago that was) but now he's decided the time has come.  Last Friday night we went to Casa Danza and tried to learn to dance.

This may take a while.  Not as easy as it sounds.  "You're moving too fast!"  "You're not keeping time!"  "Let me lead!"  We have lots of room to try this out.

Three months.  I hope we make it.