We are always interested in Hidden Europe articles. I think you will find this one worth your reading on Good Friday.
http://www.hiddeneurope.co.uk/a-season-of-grace
http://www.hiddeneurope.co.uk/a-season-of-grace
Friday, March 29, 2013
And Then There Was Snow!
I give up! We are nice and warm here in the Beltway apartment. We have eaten well and slept well. What more could you want?
Well, warm spring weather would be nice.
But we have ice and snow on this Good Friday!
Can you say "Bah Humbug" at Easter?
Well, warm spring weather would be nice.
But we have ice and snow on this Good Friday!
Can you say "Bah Humbug" at Easter?
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Hard Water Rings Away!
One of my best read posts was about "the pink slime" in your toilet and shower.
Now I am attacking the drip stains and hard water rings in our toilet pots in the Beltway apartment.
Those nasty brown rings have driven me crazy since I moved to the Netherlands back in the late 1970's. I have tackled them head-on in every house we have lived in.
Probably the worst was the commode (Papaw's word) in our old Dutch farmhouse in Zoeterwoude. A good dose of chloor (chlorine) seemed to clean that up, so maybe that was not really hard water. :(
Since we began overseeing the Beltway apartment back in 2010, I have tried lots of tricks of the trade to get rid of the hard water rings in the commodes. My mother told me a couple of years ago that my brother's cleaning lady always used a pumice stone for such jobs. Well, I finally found the miracle stone.
It is called Pumie Scouring Stick and distributed by the US Pumice Company in Chatsworth California. I think I bought mine at Walmart or Walgreen's, but Home Depot sells it, too.
Directions on the package:
Pumie must be used with water. First wet the stick. Then rub the edge of the stick on the surface you wish to clean using back and forth strokes. The paste buildup helps to clean and polish. Wash cleaned surface of residue. To clean stick hold under water faucet.
We finally cleaned away the unsightly toilet bowl rings!
Now I am attacking the drip stains and hard water rings in our toilet pots in the Beltway apartment.
Those nasty brown rings have driven me crazy since I moved to the Netherlands back in the late 1970's. I have tackled them head-on in every house we have lived in.
Probably the worst was the commode (Papaw's word) in our old Dutch farmhouse in Zoeterwoude. A good dose of chloor (chlorine) seemed to clean that up, so maybe that was not really hard water. :(
Since we began overseeing the Beltway apartment back in 2010, I have tried lots of tricks of the trade to get rid of the hard water rings in the commodes. My mother told me a couple of years ago that my brother's cleaning lady always used a pumice stone for such jobs. Well, I finally found the miracle stone.
It is called Pumie Scouring Stick and distributed by the US Pumice Company in Chatsworth California. I think I bought mine at Walmart or Walgreen's, but Home Depot sells it, too.
Directions on the package:
Pumie must be used with water. First wet the stick. Then rub the edge of the stick on the surface you wish to clean using back and forth strokes. The paste buildup helps to clean and polish. Wash cleaned surface of residue. To clean stick hold under water faucet.
We finally cleaned away the unsightly toilet bowl rings!
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
First Winter, Then Summer? Your Weather Report
Most of our relatives (wherever they are on this Globe), are experiencing the same temperature as we are at this moment. 1degree Celsius or 34 degrees F! Just on the freezing point!
For some of us on this east side of the Atlantic, the temperature will gradually move up a notch or two the next 10 days. Anyone know where I can find earmuffs?
For those of you west of the Mighty Mississip, you will have summer very soon. Look for your shorts and swimsuits and sunglasses.
In the meantime, enjoy the sun, if you have it like we do. ;))))
For some of us on this east side of the Atlantic, the temperature will gradually move up a notch or two the next 10 days. Anyone know where I can find earmuffs?
For those of you west of the Mighty Mississip, you will have summer very soon. Look for your shorts and swimsuits and sunglasses.
In the meantime, enjoy the sun, if you have it like we do. ;))))
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
On Foot
We are giving the Dutch city life a real test.
We still do not have an automobile. The borrowed car is in the shop having the brakes repaired, and we are walking.
Today we left around 11:00 am to go check out the Tuesday street market not far from the Beltway apartment. The weather is still cold and windy, but the sunshine is glorious. We just bundled up and made sure to walk between the houses where the wind wasn't too strong.
The market was only a few stalls (a couple of fruit/veggies, one fish, one butcher, one flower, and one Vietnamese egg rolls stall). Most of the stalls were protected by thick plastic windscreens to block out the cold. We peeked in to them, but then we went to Aldi. I wish I had had my camera, since now I can prove that Trader Joe's and Aldi are the same. I think the peanuts that my hub picked out said Trader Joe's on the sign. Next time I'll have my iPhone to produce the evidence.
Aldi was virtually empty, so we could browse the foods and other items. We always have the most fun checking out the non-food items on the center aisles. Today we bought a huge bag of chocolate Easter eggs and a Teflon oven floor protector (http://shop.nostik.com/#). I have already "googled" the protector for English instructions, and I sampled the Easter eggs!
As we were packing up our purchases in our shopping bag, the cashier began complaining that we needed to hurry up and pay before bagging. There was not one single soul in line behind us, but he needed us to pay so that we could all finish at the same time. Something about we all "needed to work"? Beats me what he was mumbling about!
"Have a good day," said the cashier as we walked away. Service with a smile. ;)
We still do not have an automobile. The borrowed car is in the shop having the brakes repaired, and we are walking.
Today we left around 11:00 am to go check out the Tuesday street market not far from the Beltway apartment. The weather is still cold and windy, but the sunshine is glorious. We just bundled up and made sure to walk between the houses where the wind wasn't too strong.
The market was only a few stalls (a couple of fruit/veggies, one fish, one butcher, one flower, and one Vietnamese egg rolls stall). Most of the stalls were protected by thick plastic windscreens to block out the cold. We peeked in to them, but then we went to Aldi. I wish I had had my camera, since now I can prove that Trader Joe's and Aldi are the same. I think the peanuts that my hub picked out said Trader Joe's on the sign. Next time I'll have my iPhone to produce the evidence.
Aldi was virtually empty, so we could browse the foods and other items. We always have the most fun checking out the non-food items on the center aisles. Today we bought a huge bag of chocolate Easter eggs and a Teflon oven floor protector (http://shop.nostik.com/#). I have already "googled" the protector for English instructions, and I sampled the Easter eggs!
As we were packing up our purchases in our shopping bag, the cashier began complaining that we needed to hurry up and pay before bagging. There was not one single soul in line behind us, but he needed us to pay so that we could all finish at the same time. Something about we all "needed to work"? Beats me what he was mumbling about!
"Have a good day," said the cashier as we walked away. Service with a smile. ;)
Monday, March 25, 2013
The Last Christmas Sweater
For many years, my friend Bonnie sent me a Christmas sweater every November. I still have them all in a basket in my crafts room waiting to be made into a quilt or throw.
As far as I can tell, she sewed all of the decorations onto the sweatshirts. Each one was unique and beautifully stitched, carefully wrapped, and mailed to me in The Netherlands. Bonnie and her dear husband lived in Pennsylvania where winters can be beastly cold and snowy. Our winters in Louisiana have very few cold days.
Ten years ago Bonnie passed away with breast cancer. She fought the disease for many years, but finally the cancer won the fight. The last Christmas sweater I received from her was "store bought," since Bonnie was too ill to be crafty. The white fleecy sweatshirt is much too warm for Louisiana temps, but it is snuggly warm here in The Netherlands. And the cute design on the front isn't too Christmassy, since it depicts cute birds enjoying the last of the winter snow.
Let's hope I won't have many more days to wear this shirt and can wash it and store it away for next winter.
As far as I can tell, she sewed all of the decorations onto the sweatshirts. Each one was unique and beautifully stitched, carefully wrapped, and mailed to me in The Netherlands. Bonnie and her dear husband lived in Pennsylvania where winters can be beastly cold and snowy. Our winters in Louisiana have very few cold days.
Ten years ago Bonnie passed away with breast cancer. She fought the disease for many years, but finally the cancer won the fight. The last Christmas sweater I received from her was "store bought," since Bonnie was too ill to be crafty. The white fleecy sweatshirt is much too warm for Louisiana temps, but it is snuggly warm here in The Netherlands. And the cute design on the front isn't too Christmassy, since it depicts cute birds enjoying the last of the winter snow.
Let's hope I won't have many more days to wear this shirt and can wash it and store it away for next winter.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Condolences
May he rest in peace.
On the day before Palm Sunday, our dear friend and husband of Hub's special cousin passed away. While we were out grocery shopping on foot (borrowed car has brake problem) this afternoon, we received the sad message that our beloved and respected family member had died on Saturday morning.
HW will always be remembered as an intelligent and compassionate true gentleman. And he was a great gardener and super cook. As he was German, I never read any of his works, but my hub said he was phenomenal in his philosophical writing. Visiting his and his wife H 's home was always a real treat, and the hospitality abounded.
Our condolences go to his loving wife, his doting daughter and his two sons, and their partners and four grandchildren.
We will be with HW's family for the funeral in Germany on Saturday. The day before Easter 2013.
On the day before Palm Sunday, our dear friend and husband of Hub's special cousin passed away. While we were out grocery shopping on foot (borrowed car has brake problem) this afternoon, we received the sad message that our beloved and respected family member had died on Saturday morning.
HW will always be remembered as an intelligent and compassionate true gentleman. And he was a great gardener and super cook. As he was German, I never read any of his works, but my hub said he was phenomenal in his philosophical writing. Visiting his and his wife H 's home was always a real treat, and the hospitality abounded.
Our condolences go to his loving wife, his doting daughter and his two sons, and their partners and four grandchildren.
We will be with HW's family for the funeral in Germany on Saturday. The day before Easter 2013.
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