The More Things Change, The More Things Really Do Stay the Same… (Thankfully, actually!)
I 've written a lot here about upheaval, change and new experiences. Time to consider what hasn’t changed! Valentine’s Day is a good example. While there are no Valentine parties at school, we still exchange
Valentines with each other, Kris still got beautiful flowers from Gary, Gary and Kris had a fantastic dinner out alone at a great find of an Italian restaurant (and, right here in Konigstein) on Valentine’s Eve, and… we are all treated to Audrey’s Valentine “restaurant” on Valentine’s Day evening. Audrey loves to bake and cook and she periodically treats us all to a restaurant experience for special occasions. Tonight has been a week in the planning and it’s an Italian theme – a menu with four choices of main dish, several salads, champagne and a homemade heart-shaped cake! All a surprise for the family (with the exception of some grocery shopping support from mom). Glad this periodic tradition has not changed!
SNOW, SNOW and more SNOW 
Well, whether we are here or if we were still in Indiana, it is the snowiest winter in decades, it seems. Here in Konigstein it is reportedly the worst in 30 years. At one point, we had at least 18” in the yard. It has melted off, re-snowed and is snowing as I write.
There is no longer anywhere to go with the shoveled snow. The car has been stuck in a snow bank once
and nearly stuck at least four times. Nearly stuck is nearly has nerve wracking. I confess what I miss most this winter is the ability to park inside a garage. Cleaning off the snow and ice from the car early each morning and often once or twice more during the day does get old quickly!
So, we still get snow days, the kids still love them just as much and, they still race out to build snow men! This snowman is Harry Potter – I don’t know if the picture does him justice. That’s a Hogwarts t-shirt, there is a twig scar on his forehead and just the right glasses!
Well, whether we are here or if we were still in Indiana, it is the snowiest winter in decades, it seems. Here in Konigstein it is reportedly the worst in 30 years. At one point, we had at least 18” in the yard. It has melted off, re-snowed and is snowing as I write.
There is no longer anywhere to go with the shoveled snow. The car has been stuck in a snow bank once
and nearly stuck at least four times. Nearly stuck is nearly has nerve wracking. I confess what I miss most this winter is the ability to park inside a garage. Cleaning off the snow and ice from the car early each morning and often once or twice more during the day does get old quickly!So, we still get snow days, the kids still love them just as much and, they still race out to build snow men! This snowman is Harry Potter – I don’t know if the picture does him justice. That’s a Hogwarts t-shirt, there is a twig scar on his forehead and just the right glasses!
The Cat
There hasn’t been word of the cat since her heroic story of survival. You’ll all be glad to know she has adapted very well and loves this house. Her favorite activity, as an “indoor cat,” h
as always been to watch the outside world through the windows. This house is filled with windows along the back and the yard provides plenty of “nature” activity to keep her running from window to window to chase the small animals, blowing leaves and snowflakes! An added luxury feature of this house is that the windows all have wide windowsills that sit just above the radiators. So, she has a nice toasty perch at each window, too!
The wintergarden, our glass-enclosed “patio” provides great entertainment for her when it rains or snows, too. She sits and watches the activity on the “roof” of windows.
She and Gary’s USC garden gnome have frequent stare-downs as you can see here. The garden gnome always wins! A word about the garden gnome – it was a Father’s Day present given just before we moved. You can’t live in Germany and not have a garden gnome, right?!
Work
I feel fortunate to continue to do freelance work in partnership with colleagues that go way back. We have fun working together and the work itself is always new and interesting. This winter I’m working with a team of editors to write and launch the new website for a local Indy hospital. Health care writing has become part of my stock and trade but its fun to learn the ins and outs of writing for and launching a web site.
There hasn’t been word of the cat since her heroic story of survival. You’ll all be glad to know she has adapted very well and loves this house. Her favorite activity, as an “indoor cat,” h
as always been to watch the outside world through the windows. This house is filled with windows along the back and the yard provides plenty of “nature” activity to keep her running from window to window to chase the small animals, blowing leaves and snowflakes! An added luxury feature of this house is that the windows all have wide windowsills that sit just above the radiators. So, she has a nice toasty perch at each window, too!The wintergarden, our glass-enclosed “patio” provides great entertainment for her when it rains or snows, too. She sits and watches the activity on the “roof” of windows.
She and Gary’s USC garden gnome have frequent stare-downs as you can see here. The garden gnome always wins! A word about the garden gnome – it was a Father’s Day present given just before we moved. You can’t live in Germany and not have a garden gnome, right?!
Work
I feel fortunate to continue to do freelance work in partnership with colleagues that go way back. We have fun working together and the work itself is always new and interesting. This winter I’m working with a team of editors to write and launch the new website for a local Indy hospital. Health care writing has become part of my stock and trade but its fun to learn the ins and outs of writing for and launching a web site.
Thank goodness for the era of the internet -- it makes the transatlantic partnership nearly seamless. An occasional conference call at 10:00pm my time is the only “inconvenience” to the arrangement. And, turns out, doing the conference call then is actually easier because it never conflicts with the errands and kid chauffeuring that are just as big a time commitment in my days here as they were in Zionsville.
Combine this web project with my ongoing effort to learn German with a tutor and my brain is being pushed to act 20 again with all its new learning! It is my fond hope that when I’m 80 my brain will likewise, act 50!
Speaking of being 80
Those of you that are Indy friends will be familiar with Sunrise Living retirement living – luxurious condos and assisted living complexes. There is a very nice facility at 86th and Ditch not too far f
rom Zionsville and on a frequently travelled daily route for the Geipel chauffeur!
Those of you that are Indy friends will be familiar with Sunrise Living retirement living – luxurious condos and assisted living complexes. There is a very nice facility at 86th and Ditch not too far f
rom Zionsville and on a frequently travelled daily route for the Geipel chauffeur! Turns out, that Sunrise is a multi-national company – and in one of those unexpected coincidences, there is also a very nice Sunrise facility less than a mile from our house here. I drive by it every day taking the kids to school here as well. I move part-way around the world and find that the landmarks of my daily driving route haven’t even changed! (Okay, the mountains and castle views are different… )
Here’s a great difference that the American Sunrise facilities can take a lesson from. We received a direct mail piece (something else that is just the same as at home – a mailbox full of junk mail!) the other day advertising the charms and benefits of living at Sunrise. You’ve all seen this kind of mailer for retirement places: “Do you wish new friends and a safe, secure place you will love?” it asks on the cover… You can predict the pictures – nice little old ladies gardening, kindly white-haired gentleman strolling or sitting on a bench in nicely manicured grounds, perhaps a bridge game – you know, all those nice, gentile “retirement” activities..
Okay, here’s the mailer we received here. I think it might perk up business in the US to consider this. Check out the little old, spritely lady on the Vespa motor bike!! An
d, she is raring to go, judging by her expression.
So, when you are to the age of contemplating a “home,” where would you like to go – where there is always a good bingo game or where your new friends all ride Vespas?? For anyone unfamiliar with the Vespa – over here it is famously the way to dart through congested traffic in Rome or Paris, and most often the vehicle of choice of sexy, Euro-chic 20-somethings!
d, she is raring to go, judging by her expression.So, when you are to the age of contemplating a “home,” where would you like to go – where there is always a good bingo game or where your new friends all ride Vespas?? For anyone unfamiliar with the Vespa – over here it is famously the way to dart through congested traffic in Rome or Paris, and most often the vehicle of choice of sexy, Euro-chic 20-somethings!
I guess, as with most things, its important to keep a fine balance -- enough things in life that are familiar and comfortable and just enough other things to keep you guessing or learning.
Off now to shovel some more snow... !
what a great experience! fun to read!!
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