Wedding Day

Hangin'

Today, I’m going to address a subject which I find very painful and unpleasant: draperies, as in draperies and curtains. No matter how you approach them, the feeling in the end is not a good one. For example, when I moved into my first apartment here in Munich, where draperies must be furnished by the renter, I foolishly thought that I would be able to pick up some cheap drapes for under 100 euros. Wow! Was I ignorant.

As I quickly found out, to properly outfit the apartment with drapes would cost a bundle, at least a thousand euros, possibly more. Now, I’m glad to output some big bucks for things that I like (just ask Alice about my expensive Venetian pig), but for draperies???????!!!!!! I had no idea that draperies were that important in life!!!!

The most painful part about the whole draperies-purchase-process is that no matter which solution I chose, I knew I would be unhappy with it. For instance, there are so many choices of prints and fabrics to choose from, that no matter which one I finally went with, my brain would never stop pestering me with the thought that I should have picked the other print, the brighter one, the one with the lighter fabric. Plus, dealing with a pushy saleswoman who knew EXACTLY what I want without ever asking me made it all even a greater ordeal.

In the end, I gave up and chose the cave-man solution: I bought a large sheet of black plastic sheeting and made curtains for all the windows. It was not elegant, but it did the trick. To the horror of my neighbors, once they found out. But,if I had cared what they thought, I would have purchased the $3000 bright-flower-print which the saleslady proposed and which I completely disliked.

decisions, decisions, decisions

I’m currently focused on my next project: an extended trip through ITALY!!! I have about 6 weeks of vacation time to take, and I’m going to use as many as those days as possible traveling through my favorite country.

So far, I have planned a week in Pompeii followed by a week in Sicily. I’m currently analyzing locations on the east coast of Italy as possible destinations for a 3rd week. If possible, I would also like to spend a week in Venice (I can’t get enough of that place!). Given the time I am on a train, I’m looking at a total of 4 weeks in the country.

I know very little about the east coast of Italy. It’s certainly not one of the tourist sites you hear a lot about, but I think it has a lot to offer. I’m considering visiting the cities of Bari, Trani, Foggia, Rimini, Ravenna. To be honest, I have heard of any of them. But I bought a very good tourist book that introduces me to all of them. Now, I will have to begin to pare down my list. To see everything would take months.

That may sound overwhelming, but my personal rule as a tourist. Never try to see everything that a place has to offer. Instead, leave some for a second or third visit. It will be worth it!

Dreams of a Non-Smoker

Last night, I had another flying dream. This one lasted for a long time. I was flying from one situation and location to another. All the flying got me in trouble a couple of times. In one situation, I was scheduled to go to dinner with a couple from my job, but I was so busy flying that I completely forgot about it until midnight, at which point the couple had long given up on me.

But another situation was very pleasant. I was flying above bundles of freshly cured tobacco. In fact, the tobacco was still warm and giving off enough heat that I felt the warmth even though I was 50 feet high. But the best part was the aroma. The smell of the just-out-of-the-barn tobacco was rich and lovely. This sort of surprises me because I generally detest anything related to tobacco. The odor of cigarettes and cigars is enough to make me go ballistic. I just have to escape as fast as I can. But in the dream, I let myself drift and float above the tobacco for a long time, just enjoying the moment and the aroma.

Water Wonder

The bathroom in my apartment is very small, with only enough room for a shower. Usually, that is just fine with me. I never was much of a tub bather. A quick shower is all I need.

However, there are times when a tub bath is the perfect medicine for a ragged soul. Just the luxury of lying there in warm water, letting you spirit relax.

So I found myself on a mission to get a tub in my bathroom. But I didn’t want to go to all the trouble of having to get a permit to install one. To find a solution, I headed down to a Home Depot-like store here to see what they had.

There was nothing suitable in their bath department. Everything there would have required a plumber and a lot of headaches.

So I decided to see what might be available in the garden center. Indeed, I saw several large pails and buckets that might do, but they were all just a bit small.
Then my eyes fell on a large, solid, plastic pail that is supposed to be used as a water reservoir in fountain installation. It is round, a little more than a yard wide and 20 inches deep. It was big enough for me to crouch down in and also to lie down in.

I immediately bought the thing, brought in home on the bus (lots of concerned stares), set it up, and filled it with hot water and a sudsy bath soap. It proved to be perfect: deep enough to soak in!

Here are a few pictures of the water wonder:

Together Forever

When I was a child, I received a tiny little black chick as a pet. She was indeed completely black and a little beauty. I named her Little Bit (although I probably should credit my mother with coming up with the name). She was just what I had been wanting.

But I soon grew worried that she might feel lonely sitting in her pen all by herself. So my mother did some of her magic and pretty soon a tiny yellow duckling appeared in the pen as well. Although a duckling is not a chick, that did not seem to bother either Little Bit or the duckling, who, of course, soon received the name Donald.

Anyway, Little Bit and Donald bonded as if they were true sister and brother. When they grew big enough to leave their pen and to begin leading a farmyard life, they stayed together the entire time. We had other chickens in the yard, and Little Bit and Donald also roamed around with them, but they still stuck together no matter what. It was a fascinating bond to watch, two different species tied together by some unseen spirit.

This went on for several years. They roamed the farmyard together each day, never more than a few feet apart. At night, Little Bit would fly up into the walnut tree to roost with the other chickens, and Donald would sit at the base of the tree, and sleep with his head stuck under his wing.

Of course, all magical things come to an end sooner or later. And after a few years, Donald disappeared one night. We figured that a night critter of some kind, a fox maybe, grabbed him while he was asleep under the walnut tree.

After that, Little Bit stuck pretty close to the other chickens. I have no idea whether she missed him or not, because I have no idea what goes on inside a chicken’s head and heart.

Little Bit lived to a graceful old age for a chicken. Once she passed away, my main hope was that she and Donald were reunited somewhere up there in farmyard heaven.