We Had Snow

We had snow. Lookin' out on the back yard

I envy his wood pile. Cheap heat.

Snow in Germany during Christmas market season. Priceless.

Even If You Don't Have Any Cockles

I LOVE Christmas Markets. The decorations going into town. Not quite dark enough for them to be lit.

St. Nicolas hands out oranges (Clementines) to the children.

This is one of the stands. It serves Gluhwein. (Glue wine) Gluhwein is a spiced mulled red wine that warm the cockles of your soul. Even if you don't have any cockles. I LOVE Gluhwein. I've been making Spousal Unit take me to a Christmas market every Sunday so I can get so cold that I need a mug of Gluhwein.

A kindergarten class provided the music for this market. The teachers then went around and gave out cookies that the children helped to make for the guests to their concert. They sang like angels. They were really that good.

This is a pizza oven, powered by a wood fire. It is also made from a beer keg. How fun is that?

This is another market and the music here was also very good. Lots of wind instruments. And of course more Gluhwein.

Sons #1 & 2 will arrive in a couple of days to spend the holidays. I anticipate that we will spend more time investigating lots of markets and of course, Gluhwein.

Flashbacks

Today, while sitting on the Yard Sale site that I use to amuse myself and keep me occupied in the mornings, I was refreshing the site for updated items and I came across this item offered for sale.

Its a Creepy Crawler factory. Kinda like an Easy Bake Oven for the for the non Suzy Homemaker set.

We had one of these when we were kids. You would squirt the liquid provided into the forms and then "bake it" to make all sorts of bugs and assorted insects in various colors. I loved playing with this toy and creating new creepy crawlers.

As I recall the liquid was called Goop, or Super Goop. For some reason, lost in a dead brain cell, I started calling my youngest sister, Goop or Goopie. The name stuck in our family. I still call her Goop.

She even named her blog The Super Goop.

Talk about flashbacks.

Possibilities

I went for my interview. It felt pretty good. I like the two ladies, with whom I spoke. I still need to speak with Spousal Unit this evening to find out how he feels about me traveling. The probability of week long trip/s is a very real possibility.

• They wanted to know if I would be comfortable going to a place that I hadn't been before. Yes.


• Do I realize that I can't make a living at this type of work. Yes.



• If there was any time that I would not be available, as in Spring Break for my children. No.

They then invited me to go to a couple of Christmas markets to get the feel of what it is like to be a tour guide. So this Saturday I'm going to Nuremberg and Rothenburg odt.

Nuremberg. The Hauptmarkt, which provides a picturesque setting and famous market for gingerbread. Nuremberg's star attraction is the Gothic Schöner Brunnen (Beautiful Fountain) which was erected around 1385 but subsequently replaced with a replica (the original fountain is kept in the German National Museum. The unchanged Renaissance bridge Fleischbrucke crosses the Pegnitz nearby. *

Rothenburg odt. The building on the town square is the Ratstrinkstube and contains a clock which re-enacts the historic meistertrunk daily. According to legend, the meistertrunk commemorates the event in 1631 when the walled town was under siege by the Imperial forces of Count Tilly. On a lark, Count Tilly told the city that he would spare them if anyone could drink a tankard containing about one gallon of wine in one draught. Mayor Nusch took the challenge and was successful, and the city was saved. The clock re-enacts the event hourly from 11:00 to 15:00 and 8:00 to 22:00. Rothenburg celebrates this rescue each year on Whitsun with a festival performance, a grand army march, and a field camp.*

And next Sunday its off to Cologne.

Cologne. The Cologne Cathedral (German: Kölner Dom) is the city's famous landmark and unofficial symbol. It is a Gothic church, started in 1248, and completed in 1880. In 1996, it was designated a World Heritage site; it houses the Shrine of the Three Holy Kings that supposedly contains the relics of the Three Magi . It is interesting to note that the residents of Cologne call the cathedral "the eternal construction site" (Dauerbaustelle). They predict that, by the time the renovation of the building has finished, the end of the world will be upon us!*

*The town information is provided by Wikipedia.

Suzy Homemaker Revisited

Being all Suzy Homemaker today I wanted to bake cookies.

The butter was frozen, so I needed to thaw it out. Cookies generally need thawed butter to assimilate into that baked goodness that pads our thighs and clogs our arteries. Me, being the very intelligent "She Who" that I think I am, I decided to thaw the butter on the radiator. Also, being the very ADD "She Who" that I am, I took a break to go upstairs to blog and catch up on current events on the Internet.

Imagine my surprise when I finally disconnected myself from the computer, several hours later to go downstairs to find......

Butter. Ready for Lobster dipping, maybe, but not for cookies. Melted thoroughly. The wrappers were empty. Not having more butter to thaw, I measured it out.

And refroze it outside.

The cookies took forever...... I am still figuring out the oven. 9 minutes, 11 minutes, they just aren't quite what I am used to making. They were flat.

Maybe I should just make fudge.

Suzy Homemaker

From Dictionary.com

Main Entry: Suzy Homemaker
Part of Speech: n
Definition: a housewife who manages a household, esp. with enthusiasm; also, the sterotype of any woman who chooses a traditional female role
Etymology: from a doll of the 1960s

Hello All,

Today was really busy for me. I had my day all planned out.

Lets see.... I did all the laundry, dusted the furniture, cleaned the baths, straightened the downstairs, re-started organizing the 2nd floor, met with the rolladen repairman, volunteered for the Wounded Warrior dinner, did the dishes and made myself a turkey club sandwich for lunch.

I am now waiting for the butter to soften so I can make cookies, and will also make cinnamon ornaments.

How is your day going?

Love,

Suzy ("She Who" Homemaker)

I'll Keep You Posted

I have been boring, boring, boring recently. Hence no posting. I really need to get a life. I hope that I will, soon.

I was cruising the net a couple of days ago and came across a travel site that was looking for travel guides. I emailed for further information and gave short synopsis of my capabilities:


Sir/Madam,

I read on the web page that Your Travel Company is looking for tour guides. I am newly in country and looking for a part time position. This is my fourth tour in Germany and while I am reacquainting myself with the European lifestyle I find I have not forgotten much of the country.

I am very people oriented and an expert in customer service. I recently left a position, held for nine years, that required me to interact with all levels of military members. One of my many responsibilities was booking travel arrangements for a training team that traveled world-wide to all military bases.

When I was an active duty spouse, I put together shopping tours for squadron spouses through out Germany. These tours included researching areas for factory outlet shopping, booking hotels, arranging transportation and finding good restaurants.

If I sound like the type of person you might consider for a tour guide, please forward further information.

Sincerely,

She Who

************************************************************************************
Dear She Who,

Thanks you for your kind letter. We would really be interested in seeing you as a free-lance tour guide.

Have a look at the bus tours Your Travel Company Travel offers their customers. You can find our tours online here: Link deleted for all sorts of reasons.

If you have been on group tours before, please let us know which ones and what your experiences have been.

Do you have an outgoing personality? Do you love to do new things?

Please let us know if you feel you meet the following qualifications:
1. You like to travel with groups of people and share your knowledge about history, culture and destinations.
2. You can speak enough German to converse with German bus drivers, Polizei and some vendors on location. (Or you will learn the language quickly as you go along!)
3. You are available weekdays and weekends for Your Travel Company tours that you will be scheduled for.
4. You realize that you can’t “make a living” being a tour guide, but have fun and make a little money on the side.
5. You are willing to have a German small business ID and a German business registration number to work as a “free lance” tour guide for Your Travel Company .
6. You will provide your own medical/liability insurance to cover your work as a “free lance” tour guide. (Your Travel Company can give you information on this.)
If you are willing to do tours for us under these conditions, and learn the Your Travel Company Tours with us, please contact us for more information on becoming part of our team!

Sincerely,

Maybe My New Boss

************************************************************************************

Ms. Maybe My New Boss,

I read the information in your email and feel that I meet the requirements for a free lance position. I speak some German, though not at a conversational level at the moment. I have not conversed in German for 16 years, so it is a little rusty.

I enjoy people and interact well in groups. I studied European history in college and was privileged to be able to visit many of the locations I studied.

I am in Germany for this fourth tour because I urged my husband to apply for his position because I was ready for more adventures. I am available for days and weekends.

I am interested in meeting at your convenience, to further discuss this exciting possibility for freelancing.

Sincerely,

She Who

*************************************************************************************

Dear Mrs. She Who,

Thanks for your fast response! We’d love to meet with you and see what your impressions are. Can you come in to Your Travel Company Travel on Tuesday, 9 December at 10:30?

My colleague, Roxanne, and I would like to sit down and answer any questions you may have at that time.

Please let us know.

*************************************************************************************

Maybe I will soon have a job, travel, and have some adventures. I'll keep you posted.