Right now Yogi is burying a chew-bone under Dwight’s bed pillow. Silly animal pulled back the pillow with his paw, spat out the bone, then used his nose to push the pillow over the chew-bone There, he says, it’s gone. Apparently, he likes American chew-bones better than the Dutch variety because he eats them right up. It looks like he is holding off eating this one to see if something better comes along.
This morning at breakfast, our nice landlady, who is in her 70s, told us of a book she had written about her father, who had spent 3 years in prison for being a Nazi sympathizer in WWII. Her mother never agreed with her father’s point of view but stayed with him through it all. Our landlady told us that she had been very angry at her father for a long time so she spent a year writing down the family’s war history to make sense of her feelings. He was her father, she loved him as such but couldn’t reconcile her love with his deeds. Her grown children encouraged her to write more and she finally had “My Father’s Jacket” published. Unfortunately for us, she wrote the book in Fries, the language used around here but the book is now being published in Dutch so that it can be exhibited aboard a train that will be touring all around the Netherlands to commemorate certain events of WWII. And to think, a celebrity has been cooking our breakfast. How lucky is that?
Not only is she a published author but she is way too energetic for her age. Last weekend she participated in a 55km bicycle ride and this morning she is rushing off to play tennis with her friends. We had a visit this evening from our landlady’s 20 year old grandson. He had been an exchange student in his last year of high school and lived with a family in Wisconsin. Small world, huh?
Jan was doing a little bragging about his grandmother and confided to us that she had been a champion speed skater. When we asked her about her medals, she modestly pointed out that she’d only won silver medals, which she has displayed in her living room. She admitted that she cannot do the turns anymore, confessing “That is over now.”
This afternoon when we returned for our last night at her B&B, she had a present of blankets waiting for us. Not liking anything the local Ikea had to offer, we had asked her if she knew of a good place to buy blankets. She just happened to have a couple she never used, so now we have blankets for the boat.
Her speed skating days with Apolo Ohono-like turns may be over but her kindness and generosity aren’t. Neither Dwight nor I know what we did to deserve this terrific karma but we agreed that we will try to keep on doing it…whatever “it” is.
And then what happens……….
Thursday, April 1, 2010
We know how the Dutch celebrate April Fool’s day. These fun loving people wait until the Americans are pedaling away on their bicycles and then they arrange a small sleet storm, followed by a freezing rain downpour which thoroughly soaks two foolish old folks and their groceries.
With our heads down against the almost hurricane force winds impeding our pitiful forward progress we persevered while the Dutch cyclists whizzed by us, defiantly sitting straight up as if to say, “This is how it‘s done wimpy old Americans.”
We moved aboard the boat Monday night. Tuesday morning it turned cold. Neither Monday night nor Tuesday morning or Tuesday night or Wednesday night did we know how to turn on the boat’s heater. Well, that and it wasn’t working right, so really, it wasn’t all our fault. We did, however, know how to turn on the propane stove which kept us a little warm, a very little. To think, we left Southern Arizona for this.
Poor Yogi is cold too. Last night, even he was shivering. Thank goodness for nice heavy blankets. We all snuggle underneath them and keep warm. I once read a book about the settlers of Greenland which told how the first inhabitants simply went to bed at the beginning of winter and stayed there until spring. Our only question is, when is spring?
It’s strange to be onboard a boat again. Familiarly irritating. Why would you leave a comfortable house with hot and cold running water, heat, plenty of room, conveniences like a big shower and a real toilet to move aboard a wet, drippy, cold, tiny apartment that moves? I don’t know, ask me again in another month when the weather turns reasonable. Right now, I am missing Woodfield Court big time. We knew we were arriving too early. Another month would have been better, not for the airfare though. Oh well, a little hardship never hurt anybody….. as the survivors of the Donner party kept pointing out.
And then what happens……..
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