The Underground Halloween Bash

Our Underground group had a halloween party for the little ghosts and goblins this past weekend. It was a huge success and everyone had a great time. There were several bees this year.



A couple of kitty cats.



This one came as a Parisian college student.



OMG This gal was scary realistic against the H1N1 virus. Oh yeah she really was feeling yucky.



Not sure about the green fairy though.

Fall Pumpkin Fest

Well it is definately Fall here. The fall festivals are everywhere.

We attended one recently and saw really big pumpkins.

Lots and lots of pumpkins,

And more pumpkins.

We even saw a house coming un zippered.

Normally Tuesday Is Luncheon Day

I am part of a group of women that came together out of loneliness. We are an Internet forum of local ladies that interacted on the "Net." We have taken the next step and are now interacting on a real life level and meet for several types of activities.

We do luncheons, coffees, a book club, and children's play groups. We had an end of Summer picnic and are in the throes of putting together a children's Halloween party.

I am looking forward to having a Christmas party

Normally Tuesday is luncheon day.

I am very involved with these Moms and their children. I am a Mother/Grandmother figure to many of the gals. So today when I wasn't at the luncheon I received several queries concerning my whereabouts.

I am touched that my absence was so noted.

I don't know if I am sorry or glad to have missed the luncheon today. One of my favorite gals who always seems to make me laugh wrote this about the luncheon today.

Her daughter was playing in the play area of our luncheon location and decided to just drop her drawers and pop a squat. This now mortified mom gets to clean poop off the playground equipment and her daughter. Seems the little lady is terrified of the automatic toilets in this facility. Luckily, with so many other moms at the luncheon, wipes, pullups, sanitizer and poop bags were readily available. Can you say moms springing into action??????

OMG.... I would have busted a gut if I was there at the time.

Dinner With Old Friends

Its getting cold here. Too cold for this early in the year. Spousal Unit and I got up late this morning and lazed about for awhile before getting cleaned up an then ran a couple of errands.

I made chicken noodle soup yesterday for a girl friend. Her whole household has had the creeping crud that has been going around here. Knock on wood, we haven't been affected in our house yet.

Well I gave most of the soup away and now I have a really big Jones for the soup. So I will probably have to make another batch later this week.

Back on subject. So I wanted to go to the Farmer's market and get some cheese and fresh bread. We ended up having a "brat" for lunch and I found some really good Gouda with caraway and a Swiss fine herb cheese. The gals at the stand wanted to learn the English word for caraway and we told them. Did a good deed for the day.

We delivered the soup, and then picked up a new Tupperware catalog. I'm thinking about having an "old school" Tupperware party in a couple of weeks. Might be fun.

All in all a nice day, and am looking forward to going out to dinner. My ex bosses are in town and they like to keep in touch when here. Should be a good dinner with old friends.

I Did Mention That I Am Not A Hiker

Well, we arrived in the Black Forest and started here. Triburg. The highest falls in Germany. Disputed, but who really cares, the area is beautiful and worth visiting.



At the bottom of the falls in Triburg. We are in the center of town. Not much really goes on in this town other than visiting the falls.

We are walking up the path to the top of the falls. It is really pretty and green and misty and slippery in places. I get to stop every 20 meters to admire the lovely countryside. (In otherwords my calves are killing me and I can't back out of doing this. OMG I want to die.)


Spousal Unit. Mr. Studly. Didn't break a sweat. I really want to just kill him sometimes.

OMG I made it to the top of the falls. (Think mountain.) I hurt like Hell. Yes, I said Hell in print. I usually say He"doublehockeysticks" but this really deserved the Hell designation. I hurt everywhere.

I did mention that I am not a Hiker?

They Just Coordinated The Rest Of The Bathroom

As you have seen in the past, when Spousal Unit and I travel, I tend to find tweeks in the rooms we rent.

This trip is no exception. Here are the beds. Clean and bright white. Crisp linens that ended up being very snuggly.


The bathroom harkened back to the 70's, ... Avocado green, with pink accents.

And more pink accents.

Even the towels were pink.

Actually we both think that the towels started out as white.

Since many innkeepers do their own wash they tend to wash and hang their laundry.

The towels end up like sandpaper.

These towels were definitely sandpaper. They took off the top layer of our skin.

They just coordinated the rest of the bathroom... to the newly colored towels.

I Really Do Have Pics To Prove It

We made it back and are still in one piece.

We did a little "ain't no mountain high enough, ain't no valley low enough."

We had some really stiff towels that scuffed off the top layer of skin.

We had awesome breakfasts and dinners.

Saw some things we hadn't imagined before. Those silly Germans have a sense of humor.

I have pictures to show the adventures, and will load them as soon as Blogger get its "stuff" in order to let me upload.

Peace out and thanks for all the prayers. I felt the prayers as I climbed the mountains for the views.

The prayers helped me get through letting Spousal Unit have some good guy time on this trip; that and the braggin' rights to be able to say that I really did do this stuff.

I really do have pics to prove it.

I'm Off

I'm off to have some adventures in the Black Forest.

Hopefully I will return refreshed with loads of pictures of pastoral valleys, roaring waterfalls, cuckoo clocks galore, and dinner delights.

In other words... pray for me. This is a hikers dream vacation. I am not a hiker.

I Gotta Figure Out A Better Way

I am so sorry for my lack of posts in the recent past. For awhile there I just didn't have too terribly much to say for lack of, Ahem, any sort of life.

The first few months here were informative, and I posted about them, but then a lull set in and I really didn't have anything to say that wasn't totally repetitive.

Now I have, what I consider a really awesome life thingee going on and the logistics are against me.

I have always posted in the early evening while getting the dinner on the table and waiting for everything to finish up. I have always posted on the fly.

Well the ole puter is on the third floor of the house and posting on the fly is a thing of the past. I have to figure out what I want you all to know about before the end of my puter time or take time away from the Spousal Unit and our time.

Decisions, decisions. I haven't figured out how I am gonna pull this one off, but I miss getting on here and letting you all know what's going on.

I'm not one to let a little thing like logistics, bandwith, pings optimal distance get me down. I don't know if anything other than logistics are applicable but they all sound good.

I'll figure something out. Nighters for now.

I Was A Witness To A Miracle Part II

This family has two girls. A 16 YO and a 9 YO.

The girls are adorable and you can tell the Momma put in the right amount of love, and hard work to raise them properly.

Well... the Momma and Daddy have been trying to have a baby for several years. Things haven't been going exactly as planned or desired. They tried several options including the obvious. And there wasn't any babys in the foreseeable future.


Time, being that it is, tends to slip away and other issues cropped up and well, it became obvious that having a baby of their own would not be possible.

So the Momma and Daddy decided to adopt a little one. They started to attend adoption seminars and conferences. (Before I met them I didn't even realize that there were adoption conferences. Who'da thunk. Silly me.)


The family had recently moved here when I met them and they were in the process of starting the seminars and conferences circuit again in this part of the world. Networking is a big part of a possible adoption, especially if it is a local adoption.


So tongue in cheek, I was asked if I knew any young unmarried pregnant girls that wanted to give up their baby for adoption.

Actually no I do not.

TO BE CONTINUED.

I Was A Witness To A Miracle

I was a witness to a miracle.

The past couple of months I was honored to be a part of a miracle in the making.

It started when I met a gal on the Internet chat boards locally here.

So from the beginning:

Early Spring: I asked for a couple of flower pots several months back on a Freecycle site. I received a response that just totally overwhelmed me. I received more pots than I could use in several lifetimes. The gal was moving to Turkey, ran out of time to get the pots cleaned up before the movers came and was left with all sorts of flower pots. It being a Freecycle board I promised that I would Freecycle what I couldn't use.

Being the "SheWho" that I am, I kept my promise.

I used what I needed and advertised on the boards for free flower pots.

A gal emailed me back and requested the pots. She showed up at the Ohmbachsee for me to lead her to the house since many of the roads into town were closed at the time.

We came to the house and she and her younger daughter took the flower pots and we chatted and decided that we might like to get together again for socializing.

She and her family have since become dear friends to our family.

TO BE CONTINUED.

A 6-7 Day Down-time For a Fix

We are three adults down to one car.

This is distracting, disturbing, frustrating, and just plaid driving me nuts.

Spousal Unit took the van to work this morning, thinking that he was saving me from gettin up and driving him in for work and letting me sleep a little. Yes, I did sleep in a little. But, I hear him shut the front door and start the car and pull away and I am then wide awake.

So... I go downstairs, putz a little, turn on the water for coffee, put in a load of laundry, rinse a dish the boy put in the sink last night and put it in the dishwasher.

I sorted some recycleables and YUP I have nothing to do for the rest of the day.

Oh, I can make a list of all the things I need to do. That have nothing to do with being at home. The house is clean, the laundry is mostly done, the garden weeded. I don't even need "Calgon to take me away." I need a life.

I miss my van. I don't always need to go out, but the option is afforded me if I so choose. I go bonkers when I don't have wheels.

I love living in Germany. Germany is one of the Greenest countries in the world.

But... a little, tiny, eensie, teensie, almost un-noticeable oil leak should not flunk a Mercedes that leads to a 6-7 day down-time for a fix.

My Baby Is Really Growing Up

We took the boy out looking for a car.

He needs to get a job and we will be attending a job fair this week to find one. There are 90 positions to fill and the Services people are hoping that maybe 50 people will attend the job fair so its pretty good odds that the boy will get a job.

That said, we found a really good used car on the Lemon lot that will fit his needs.

He test drove the car and it is sweet for him. A little pricier that he wanted, but a good car. He called the dude back after coming home and talking to his father and me and decided that he wanted to get the car.

Heavy pacing and anguish in the house, he is growing up. "How can I afford the money? I don't have a job. That's a lot of money. I have never bought a car before."

The "First National Bank of Momma" will help.

He made the decision that he really wanted the car and insisted on calling the dude back and negotiating the deal. Coached of course. The deal was accepted and it is affordable for all. Sweet.

So Wednesdayis the drop dead day.

Job Fair, purchase car, get license, and good growth of son.

My baby is really growing up.

Did I Mention That It Is In My Town

Have I ever mentioned how much I love living here? Probably never. NOT.

Well, the Ohmbachsee fest is going on this weekend. I love the Ohmbachsee.

I really, really like the Seefest.


We got to see munchkins flying through the air.

What seems to be two foot long sausages cooking on a grill. Boy, were they long.

Glowing beer bottles.


Two of my favorite men in my life. They are grinning because the beer fairy came down and visited them.

This standee uppeee guy kept waving at me.

People sitting down for long periods of time. Bad form of course. Need to keep moving to find the perfect beer and band. And to stay sober.

Dancing in the beer stand. The vendors like having fun too.

Love is in the air. Well, on the tush in this case. He was doing some major patting. Kinda in time with the music. LOL.


Aaaaaaah. The fireworks.

AWESOME. Lighting of the lake.

I really enjoyed this fest. OBTW. Did I mention that it is in my town?

OMG The Town Is Rockin'

I think I may have made a mistake staying home tonight.

The town is rocking and I am not a part of it.

The music that is filtering up is so good.

The climb up the mountain is still scary, but with enough beer in me, I might be fearless coming home.

Oh well, tomorrow is an even better rocking, living in Germany night.

I soooo love German fests. Especially when they are in my little town.

I Will Keep Ya Posted On That One

OK, I know its been forever since I have posted, but I have one of my dribs and drabs sorta posts to do. Life is really crazy lately. Got lots of stuff to fill ya in the next few days.

The boy has definately settled in. We are past the honeymoon period and at each others throats. Not really, but are acknowledging that he needs to make some decisions about where his life is going to go. And get out of each others space for a couple of hours each day. Momma loves him, he loves Momma, we both need a little space.

I can't blame him. He is living with the Momma 24/7 and I drive him nuts. I keep telling him its a short trip and he just rolls his eyes.

He has been living on his own for the past year so living with the parents again is a tad stressful. Ya think????

He doesn't have a car and can't drive ours so he cleaned up the bicycle in the shed to get away at times. The only problem is that we live on a mountain. Fun going down, not so fun going up.

Good news is that the public transportation in Germany is really good. We will investigate public transportation this weekend.

The really good news is that the Dad and he went down to the fest by the Ohmbachsee this evening. I kinda wanted to go but the climb up the mountain to get back home scares the Bejesus out of me. Once again, going down is cool, the climb back up is scary.

I will keep ya posted on that one.

Just As I Have Always Done

I am no longer alone during the day.

Son # 2 arrived Monday afternoon. Fresh faced and excited about the prospect of living in Germany.

His father and I put together the studio section of the house for the boy. Actually the most of the third floor, so he could have some private living space. I found a bed on a local yard sale site and fashioned a room partition out of a clothing rack and a couple of hanging, closet sweater holders. Add in a covered off-season clothing storage bag.

Viola.... a room divider. Shaky at best, but it works for now and he has a private sitting room area along with his bed.

We will figure out the other small stuff when we come to it.

But..... the boy is having the time of his life.

We took him up the street Wednesday for a schnitzel dinner; he grinned the whole evening. Da Toni, the owner greeted him like he was the long lost son who had recently returned and was missed greatly.

I sent him outside to help one of the neighbors with a really labor intense chore and he was invited to stay for a beer afterwards.

He will find his own way, much the same as I found my way. I am just here to help guide him along the journey.

Just as I have always done.

Getting Off This Newly Acquired Lazy Butt

The gal across the street, out of the blue, knocked on the door this morning and asked if I wanted ride with her to the base where she works. I have been wanting to go, so of course, I said yes.

She is a teacher at the school there and I am interested in becoming a substitute teacher. All this leisure is wearing me down. I am not fond of being a lady of leisure. Or being a lady who lunches.

On the other hand I have not been wanting a traditional job. The time spent here in Germany is like a second honeymoon. A regular job, even part time, would not allow me to travel like I want.

Any who, I went with her and met the principal and had a nice chat. I can start some of the process online and finish up when the gals in the office get back from vacation.

We did a couple of errands and had lunch at Popeye's. The chicken is good and I just had a breast and a drink.

I am glad I went. I determined that the drive is do-able and the school is small enough not to get lost. Now, it is just a matter of getting off this newly acquired, lazy butt and start the process.

I love to sit out and admire my handiwork

What a glorious day today. The sun is shining and the garden is really coming along. We had the deluge a couple of days ago, which wasn't good for our Summer picnic but great for watering everything.

Anyways wanted to keep you up to date with one of my pet projects.

My garden.

Spousal Unit, that manly man I married, tilling the soil for me. He tills so good.

Here is the garden now. I have grass mulch on the tomatoes and peppers. The tomatoes are getting huge. The peppers not so much. But....I have two banana peppers that are almost ready to pick.

My lettuce, iceberg and red leaf. I have never grown lettuce before. I don't know why but haven't. Those little green things in the foreground are my bush beans.


This is supposed to be iceberg lettuce. It is starting to form a head. I tried some of the outer leaves and the texture is different than the iceberg I know. Very flavorful though

Here is my other garden. I have yet another variety of tomato in a pot here. It is a German balcony tomato I am trying as an experiment. I also have my flowers here. I love to sit out and admire my handiwork. While the Spousal Unit bar-b-ques of course.

I've Seen Soccer Balls Before

Today was one of those hodge podge days. I went on my usual Friday morning walk around the Ohmbachsee with my walking gal pal, Teri. We caught up on the past few days and wished each other's week end to be pleasant.

I was looking forward to the late morning because Spousal Unit was getting off work early and we were going to go exploring. I have been sick most of this week and stayed home. One of the benefits of not working is the luxury of staying home when one is sick. But.... enough already. I was starting to feel really cabin fevery. Is that a word? Whatever, I needed to get out of the house.

Last night Spousal Unit suggested that we go to Zweibrucken for the afternoon. I immediately zoned into the famous rose gardens. I lived there years ago and am ashamed that I never visited them. True, I had a newborn and a very young toddler, but still. To have never gone?

He countered back that he thought that going to the new designer outlet mall might be fun.

"Who are you and what have you done with my husband"? He just smiled and said that he thought it might be nice to go and look and to have lunch there. OK, I am always up for a shopping trip.

Well, we got some culture.

We had lunch. He chose a white wurst/sausage that came with mustard and a soft pretzel.

Yikes..... that is a white wurst. A little too obscene for my taste.

I chose the salad plate with fried potatoes. Really nummy.

The fun part of the day was coming across this cutie. I've seen soccer balls before, just not quite like these.