I have a little riddle for you. Today is the last day of what the locals call the fifth season, a season that starts on November, 11 at 11:11 and comes to an end on Ash Wednesday. Can you guess what this season is called? Carnival! Yes, Carnival. In this region of the world, it […]
American Health Care. For Europeans.
After posting two weeks ago, I realized that it mostly explains to my American friends what we would loose going there. It lacked in explaining to my European friends how expensive health care in the States is. I am not an expert enough to give you all the ends and outs. But two personal examples […]
Head over Heart. And its reasons.
I am sitting in a waiting room, waiting for Willem’s speech therapy to end and just looking outside is depressing. The sun hasn’t even come out at all today. In this – what I consider- most depressing time of the year, it is good to make plans for the future, something to look forward to. […]
All I want for Christmas are Rights!
Last year, it was everywhere: GDPR. At least in Europe. If you are one of the very few who has never heard of it: It stands for General Data Protection Regulation and it is a European law that regulates what can be done with personal data. If you are one of those who had to […]
How PSI RUNs Our Life.
For the first time in weeks, I am able to sit down and write a blog post. And it feels great. But it also feels like I owe you an explanation. So, here it comes. For the last two months, PSI has run the show, a yearly recurring event in this family that can last […]
Celebrating the Beginning of School. For Kids.
This post was meant for Mid-August, as it is about the first day of school! It did not happen then, because my Grandmother passed away around that time. You read it right, my American readers. School started again -in this region of Germany- 12th of August, after the traditional six weeks summer break! In Germany, […]
Sandra Nys. A Store Owner.
Sandra is a close friend. Her husband was my neighbor, then my friend, and then, we each had significant others moving in, multiplying our friendship times two. To make life easier, we introduced Thursday Dinner Nights: Instead of cooking for two, you cook for four people, every first Thursday, and you don’t have to cook […]
Agnes, my Agnes. A Eulogy for my Grandmother
My Grandmother Agnes died 17th of August this year. She died of heart failure in the house she was born in 95 years ago while warming a crepe she was about to have. I read a shorter version of this eulogy at her funeral last week. Agnes was the daughter of the butcher, she was […]
Cleaning is messy business.
Last Saturday, Frederik and the kids left for a week of visiting family and friends in Belgium. As I already spent some marvellous vacation days in Seattle, I unfortunately could not join them now (but I am doing so next Saturday). They literally had not left yet and I was doing what I had planned […]
Fates and Furies. By Lauren Groff
A thick drizzle from the sky, like a curtain’s sudden sweeping. The seabirds stopped their tuning, the ocean went mute. House-lights over the water dimmed to gray. Two people were coming up the beach. She was fair and sharp in a green bikini, though it was May in Maine and cold. He was tall, vivid; […]