The ships came in today, so there were more little carts in Teatro Square than on a regular day. I am looking for a particular vendor, so we went down to get some lunch and see if she was there. She wasn't, but I did get a few things including some carved wooden spoons, and Del got a small carving of a troll or some such. The young man who had carved the spoons and the little troll guy was in his early 30's and very eager to talk to us. A key chain that was in the shape of a hand forming the letter /t/ in the deaf alphabet caught my eye and without stopping to engage mind before putting mouth in gear, I asked him why he had carved the letter/t/ from the deaf alphabet. He looked at me a little funny and said several times that it wasn't bad, it wasn't bad, not like saying __you (using the universal finger sign for that to illustrate his explanation) not bad, just a Lithuanian way of expressing when someone asks for money and you don't give it or something like that. He really looked quite distressed over the whole conversation, but was trying to answer the question I had asked. I mean, how many times do you think he has had that discussion with grandmotherly American women. I did manage to get away from the stall before the losing it all together, and I confess that the first thing that came to mind was that this would certainly perk up BLOG. I mean you can't make this stuff up, or I can't, anyhow.
We had lunch at a pretty little restaurant overlooking the square. I had a chicken and mushroom dish and Del had a pork dish. They were both good, but not so much to our taste as other restaurants we have tried. I'm glad we didn't take Mark and Sandy there.
By the way, they reported that they were the only people on their all day tour of Iceland and that one of the stops was the codfish museum. I wonder if the aroma of cod wafted down the halls of the museum. I have been quite disconcerted by the aroma of fish sandwiches in the food area of the Atlanta aquarium. It just seems wrong, somehow. Sandy brought up an interesting thought the other day. Why do we say tuna fish and cod fish but not most other kind?
One of the new freebies from Amazon for EJH, Jr. is a travel story called "YOU'VE GONE TOO FAR THIS TIME, SIR. by Danny Bent. He rode his bike named Shirley from his home in London 15000 K to India for a charity called Action Aid. This was in 2009. I haven't gotten terribly far, but I'm really enjoying it. Love those freebies. Some are good stuff, and some are just junk, but they are free, so who cares.
We joined Audrone, Vladas and Joris for bubble night in the square. It was full of young famiies, lots of strollers and lots of pregnant ladies. Del was sitting on a ledge blowing bubbles for Joris who was standing on the ledge when a little girl came up and started talking to Del a mile a minute. It was clear she wanted him to blow bubbles for her too. Her parents were right there and seemed okay with it, Daddy was taking pictures of them with a big camera, so he blew them for her to pop, too. At one point a toddler friend of Joris' family started wandering off and I followed, because it seemed the thing to do. Joris came after me talking a mile a minute. A lady about my age called out to me "Excuse me, woman, where you home?" I stopped to chat. She wanted to know if they were my grandchildren. I think it was confusing to her to see a child talking Lithuanian to a woman who was speaking English to him with a Lithuanian word thrown in now and then. I told her they were not, but my granddaughter will be coming soon. She kept saying she was sorry to bother me, but to have a good time and come back to Lithuania.
I am not sure what the internet situation will be in Rhodes, but we are taking a computer. A taxi will pick us up at 2 am to go to meet our charter bus to the airport about 2 and 1/2 hours from here. We are all packed and just about finished with the picking up around here. We are washing all our sheets and towels tonight and hanging them all over the place. It will be nice to have clean sheets without having to look at them hanging all over the place for 2-3 days.
This will be our first trip with Ryan Air, the ultimate in no frills flying from what I understand. It's also our first charter flight. We shall see what we shall see.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Day 126 Laundry, Laundry Everywhere!
Clothes certainly dried faster when the heat was on. The clothes I washed when we got up at 4 am on Sat. to see Mark and Sandy off is still damp and hogging the drying rack, so the additional loads we have washed since then are hanging from door knobs and over the doors. It's a jungle in here. I plan to fling my arms around my dryer and hug its little neck when we get home.
We got our first dryer at an auction sale our first winter in Macomb, Illinois, 1981, I think, and we replaced it about 10 years ago in Akron. We got our first washer in Chapel Hill. Some of the apartments we rented had laundry rooms in another building, which certainly beat trecking to the laundromat. Pampers had been invented when David was born, but they were strongly scented and his skin would not put up with that or with simple washing of clothes. The doctor told me to wash all his stuff three times - first in Ivory Flakes, then in vinegar water and finally in plain water. That was a pain, but at least I did not have to boil diapers on the stove as Mother did. In my brother's day diapers were ironed, but they had changed that custom by the time I came along 12 years later. Can you imagine boiling diapers on a wood stove, drying them on a clothes line outside or on the back porch and then ironing them with a flat iron heated on the wood stove? I saw "sad iron" on a card in a museum one time and never gave it much thought, seeing as how it woud make me sad to have to use such a thing. The word does not refer to emotion, however, but rather derives from the Old English word for solid.
We were invited up to Christine's for dinner tonight. She is our third floor green door neighbor. She made yummy spaghetti, and salad, and I made banana pudding for dessert. It is not what you woud call authentic when you make it with star shaped ginger cookies, but they make a pretty good substitute for vanilla wafers. We had a nice evening. She has been down here a couple of times, but when I'm in charge of feeding six of us, plus there's a baby to play with, I don't get to spend much time visiting with individual adult people, so it was good to have a chance to get to know her better.
When we got home, I started to pack away some more things we can do without until we get home, and got up a bag of stuff to take to Humana.
Oh, because I don't want to forget, I saw a bride with a rather bright pink veil the other day. I think it would be fair to say pepto pink. It was from a distance and I couldn't get a picture, but her gown seemed to be white.
Have a good Memorial Day.
We got our first dryer at an auction sale our first winter in Macomb, Illinois, 1981, I think, and we replaced it about 10 years ago in Akron. We got our first washer in Chapel Hill. Some of the apartments we rented had laundry rooms in another building, which certainly beat trecking to the laundromat. Pampers had been invented when David was born, but they were strongly scented and his skin would not put up with that or with simple washing of clothes. The doctor told me to wash all his stuff three times - first in Ivory Flakes, then in vinegar water and finally in plain water. That was a pain, but at least I did not have to boil diapers on the stove as Mother did. In my brother's day diapers were ironed, but they had changed that custom by the time I came along 12 years later. Can you imagine boiling diapers on a wood stove, drying them on a clothes line outside or on the back porch and then ironing them with a flat iron heated on the wood stove? I saw "sad iron" on a card in a museum one time and never gave it much thought, seeing as how it woud make me sad to have to use such a thing. The word does not refer to emotion, however, but rather derives from the Old English word for solid.
We were invited up to Christine's for dinner tonight. She is our third floor green door neighbor. She made yummy spaghetti, and salad, and I made banana pudding for dessert. It is not what you woud call authentic when you make it with star shaped ginger cookies, but they make a pretty good substitute for vanilla wafers. We had a nice evening. She has been down here a couple of times, but when I'm in charge of feeding six of us, plus there's a baby to play with, I don't get to spend much time visiting with individual adult people, so it was good to have a chance to get to know her better.
When we got home, I started to pack away some more things we can do without until we get home, and got up a bag of stuff to take to Humana.
Oh, because I don't want to forget, I saw a bride with a rather bright pink veil the other day. I think it would be fair to say pepto pink. It was from a distance and I couldn't get a picture, but her gown seemed to be white.
Have a good Memorial Day.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Day 125 Just the Two of Us
After 3 and 1/2 wonderful days with friends Mark and Sandy, we had to let them go this morning. Despite my fears that my poor Lithuanian/English mix would not result in a taxi at 4:45 this morning, it arrived and off they went. Del rode to the airport with them, and I waved from the green door. They have updated us on their progress via email and are now in Iceland preparing for a 10 hour tour tomorrow.
We have had a quiet day. We both did laundry, and I admit to two naps - one of them longer than the usual definition for nap allows. I also walked over to the square to the amber carts to see if they had anything new and visited a couple of shops. There were no ships in, so the square was quiet. Maybe tomorrow.
We had been told that real amber floats in a 10% salt water solution, so I stirred up a batch to test one of the pieces I bought from a vendor while Sandy was here. It floated, so it must be real. I'm relieved the vendor who crossed herself and swore it was real is in no danger of being struck down by lightening or something. I knew from the price that this could not be top of the line amber, but that's okay with me. I just don't want plastic.
Dave emailed that they planned to go to Villa Rica today to get our car so they can leave it at the airport for us when they fly out to see us. That makes the time we have left here seem really short. I can hardly wait for them to get here. I hope the short time they have here will be enough for them to get some idea of why we have been so happy here.
Travel tip: We love our hand held scale for weighing luggage. It certainly beats standing on the bathroom scale with a heavy suitcase cradled in your arms. Such a gentle way of expressing an action almost guaranteed to leave you with a pain somewhere, don't you think? And our hotel rooms never have scales, so we can't even do that coming home. We paid around twenty five bucks for it several years ago, if I remember correctly, and it lives in our big suitcase. We are always underweight, or our luggage is, leaving home, but the scale has helped us rob Peter to pay Paul when packing to come home. We didn't have too much weight in total, but it was not distributed properly between the suitcases.
It will be interesting to see what our baggage situation is going home. We haven't bought all that much, although I do confess to an issue with shawls. I probably will arrive in Villa Rica wearing a long down coat, because I don;t have a suuitcase to devote to it, but we will leave some stuff here at the Humana, I'm sure.
We have had a quiet day. We both did laundry, and I admit to two naps - one of them longer than the usual definition for nap allows. I also walked over to the square to the amber carts to see if they had anything new and visited a couple of shops. There were no ships in, so the square was quiet. Maybe tomorrow.
We had been told that real amber floats in a 10% salt water solution, so I stirred up a batch to test one of the pieces I bought from a vendor while Sandy was here. It floated, so it must be real. I'm relieved the vendor who crossed herself and swore it was real is in no danger of being struck down by lightening or something. I knew from the price that this could not be top of the line amber, but that's okay with me. I just don't want plastic.
Dave emailed that they planned to go to Villa Rica today to get our car so they can leave it at the airport for us when they fly out to see us. That makes the time we have left here seem really short. I can hardly wait for them to get here. I hope the short time they have here will be enough for them to get some idea of why we have been so happy here.
Travel tip: We love our hand held scale for weighing luggage. It certainly beats standing on the bathroom scale with a heavy suitcase cradled in your arms. Such a gentle way of expressing an action almost guaranteed to leave you with a pain somewhere, don't you think? And our hotel rooms never have scales, so we can't even do that coming home. We paid around twenty five bucks for it several years ago, if I remember correctly, and it lives in our big suitcase. We are always underweight, or our luggage is, leaving home, but the scale has helped us rob Peter to pay Paul when packing to come home. We didn't have too much weight in total, but it was not distributed properly between the suitcases.
It will be interesting to see what our baggage situation is going home. We haven't bought all that much, although I do confess to an issue with shawls. I probably will arrive in Villa Rica wearing a long down coat, because I don;t have a suuitcase to devote to it, but we will leave some stuff here at the Humana, I'm sure.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Day 124 Part 2 Another Great Day With Friends
We had decided last night while eating our snupper that today we would have brunch and then go back to Stora Antis for dinner. Mark and Sandy liked it as much as we did and wanted to go back before leaving us. We had sort of an odd assortment incuding egg salad, bacon lettuce and tomato sandwiches, pieces of Lithuanian sausage, peanut butter toast, strawberries, coffee, tea and hot chocolate. People just sort of picked out what they wanted of what was available. We sat around the flat and solved the problems of the world for a while until the rain slacked a bit and then headed to a nearby museum of local history and the backsmith's museum.
After that, we came home, took a little rest, checked on plane reservations and headed out to the sculpture park for the poetry reading Sondra, my felt teacher, was leading in the park. I had told her we would come, and was glad we did. We were a few minutes late, so she was already talking to the group when she saw me. She introduced me to the group and I introduced the others. Obviously, we didn't understand the poetry, but we enjoyed seeing the statues and stayed with the group for a good while before peeling off to go to dinner.
We got to sit in my favorite room in the restaurant and the food was excellent as we knew it would be. Del and Sandy had salmon, Mark had a chicken dish and I had a turkey dish that is famous there. I cansee why. It was stuffed with nuts and fruits and had a cranberry sauce. It was served with rice pancakes. The owner came in to talk with us. He has owned the restaurant for 10 years, and it is more a hobby, since it is only open 115 days per year. I'm glad it has been open most of the time while we have been here. It has been in business for more than a hundred years, however.
Having Mark and Sandy here has been such a wonderful thing. Now we have to let them go home.
After that, we came home, took a little rest, checked on plane reservations and headed out to the sculpture park for the poetry reading Sondra, my felt teacher, was leading in the park. I had told her we would come, and was glad we did. We were a few minutes late, so she was already talking to the group when she saw me. She introduced me to the group and I introduced the others. Obviously, we didn't understand the poetry, but we enjoyed seeing the statues and stayed with the group for a good while before peeling off to go to dinner.
We got to sit in my favorite room in the restaurant and the food was excellent as we knew it would be. Del and Sandy had salmon, Mark had a chicken dish and I had a turkey dish that is famous there. I cansee why. It was stuffed with nuts and fruits and had a cranberry sauce. It was served with rice pancakes. The owner came in to talk with us. He has owned the restaurant for 10 years, and it is more a hobby, since it is only open 115 days per year. I'm glad it has been open most of the time while we have been here. It has been in business for more than a hundred years, however.
Having Mark and Sandy here has been such a wonderful thing. Now we have to let them go home.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Day 124 Part 1 - Hello, Out There!
This is a beside the point sort of post prompted by friend Mark's question about whether I had any way of knowing who reads the BLOG. Frankly, I sort of assumed it was only my nearest and dearest who read daily because they love me and out of fear that the last blog entry will be a quiz. (It will be, but don't worry, it's an open blog test.) How would anyone else even find the thing? Although maybe friends of my FB friends might have read about it on there.
Anyhow, it would be a real kick for me to know who and where you are and how you found this thing. I think the comments section is turned on, so if you wouldn't mind and it's not too much trouble, would you sign in and just tell me where you are and how the blog came across your radar screen?
As Brenda (The Closer) says, "Thank you, thank you so much."
Anyhow, it would be a real kick for me to know who and where you are and how you found this thing. I think the comments section is turned on, so if you wouldn't mind and it's not too much trouble, would you sign in and just tell me where you are and how the blog came across your radar screen?
As Brenda (The Closer) says, "Thank you, thank you so much."
Day 123 Fun Day With Friends
We started the day with a pick up sort of breakfast and then headed out to the Old Market. I introduced Sandy and Mark to my friends at the stalls - the sock lady and the suspender man. My other lady was not there today but will be back tomorrow. After we looked at all the stalls and visited all the vegetables stands and bought some veggies and fruit, we went into the meat market to buy some bacon from my bacon man. When he saw me he called out "sese, ne baconas." "Six, no bacon". He calls me sese because I often order 6 slices of bacon. He also said that the souse was not very good that day. So, since he let us down, we bought stranger bacon, and will try it tomorrow for blts. We also bought some saugages and turned down the opportunity to eat raw bacon. A nice man helped us figure out what sausages to buy.
Mark took the groceries back to the flat and Sandy and I set off to do girl stuff - shopping. She ended up with Christmas gifts for most of the females in her family and a couple of things for herself. What fun.
We went back to the flat to find that Del had come up empty on getting the tickets to the Gypy performance tonight. He had gone to two different box offices in different parts of town. It should perhaps had been an omen, but none of us was clever enough to see it.
We went to a restaurant that we had never been to before for lunch. It turned out to be a Swiss style restaurant run by a very talkative, or perhaps very lonely Swiss gentleman. I was a little worried at first because the translations of the menu items did not make things seem all that appealing, but we had a nice meal. I think I should hire myself out to taste dishes and describe them on menus for the English speakers among us. And it would require that I taste each dish since I cannot rely on the Lithuanian description to guide me. Certainly I couled do better than pig paw or mold cheese. I had chicken and mushrooms with a quart of mash potatoes. Del had pork and mushrooms and what looked to be hashbrowns. Mark had a pasta, potato and cheese dish, and Sandy had chicken with apples and rice. I don't think I ever saw potatoes cooked with pasta, although I once worked in a school in Industry, Illinois, emphasis on dus, where every Wednesday they served creamed chicken with noodles on a pile of mash potatoes with green peas and a homemade roll the size of a bed pillow just dripping with butter. It was amazing, but the whole school population went around all afternoon looking as though it might slip into a carb induced coma at any moment.
We got home in time to rest our bones and set out to the Fisherman's theater to see if we could get tickets. We weren't hungry, so we decided to worry about dinner later. We could get tickets, and got seated to enjoy the show. The group of 3 musicians and two singer/ dancers had just begun their first number when the lights went out. They kept singing until the end of the number and then just sort of stood there a minute. Soon, a person with a flashlight came out and stood where he/she could iluminate the stage enough for the performers to get off stage without breaking themselves. I had sort of hoped they would continue the show by flashlight, but no such luck. It would have been like one of those old movies when Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland put on shows in the barn with the lights from their roadsters. At least I think they were the ones, but maybe I made that up. Anyhow, someone came out and made an announcement, but the only thing we understood was "electrics". Since only a small number of people left the theater, we felt pretty sure she had not said the word fire and that most people expected the show to go on at some point. After a while, Sandy and I went out to the lobby and she asked someone if they spoke English. The young woman called her friend who was standing in line to buy drinks because he spoke better English. He came over and explained that the lights were out in that section of the city and they expected them back on in 35-40 minutes. Sure enough, they eventually came back on, as, unfortunately, did the sound system. Now I know I'm old, but it was so loud I thought my ears would bleed. The hearing aid wearer among us took them out, Sandy covered her ears and I both stuffed mine with tissue and covered them to no avail. The singer kept motioning to the sound guy to up the volume. She also had a bit of a snit with a group of tweeners who were sitting on the corner stairs to the stage with their phones and cameras taking pictures. I was surprised that no one came up and made the girls go back to their seats. I was also surprised that the girls seemed completely indifferent to her finger shaking scolding.
I think we might have enjoyed the event if it had not involved so much pain, and we did get a kick out of it, but when the interact, as it is called, came, we got out of there. I generally stick it out to the end , no matter how bitter, out of courtesy to the performers, but my ears just wouldn't let me this time. They were still ringing when we got off the bus. I'm assuming no permanent damage was done. I do not want deafened by a band of Gyspies on my audiological report. We came home and had "snupper". That's Sandy's creative name for the combination snack and supper that we had.
Not being a Monty Python fan, I did not know why Mark was having such a good time with the names of the cheese I had bought, so they u tubed the cheese skit and we watched it while eating cheese, crackers, apples and egg salad. They told us that the men folks in their family can recite the skit word for word.
And now, off to bed. One more day with our friends. It will be hard to let them go.
Mark took the groceries back to the flat and Sandy and I set off to do girl stuff - shopping. She ended up with Christmas gifts for most of the females in her family and a couple of things for herself. What fun.
We went back to the flat to find that Del had come up empty on getting the tickets to the Gypy performance tonight. He had gone to two different box offices in different parts of town. It should perhaps had been an omen, but none of us was clever enough to see it.
We went to a restaurant that we had never been to before for lunch. It turned out to be a Swiss style restaurant run by a very talkative, or perhaps very lonely Swiss gentleman. I was a little worried at first because the translations of the menu items did not make things seem all that appealing, but we had a nice meal. I think I should hire myself out to taste dishes and describe them on menus for the English speakers among us. And it would require that I taste each dish since I cannot rely on the Lithuanian description to guide me. Certainly I couled do better than pig paw or mold cheese. I had chicken and mushrooms with a quart of mash potatoes. Del had pork and mushrooms and what looked to be hashbrowns. Mark had a pasta, potato and cheese dish, and Sandy had chicken with apples and rice. I don't think I ever saw potatoes cooked with pasta, although I once worked in a school in Industry, Illinois, emphasis on dus, where every Wednesday they served creamed chicken with noodles on a pile of mash potatoes with green peas and a homemade roll the size of a bed pillow just dripping with butter. It was amazing, but the whole school population went around all afternoon looking as though it might slip into a carb induced coma at any moment.
We got home in time to rest our bones and set out to the Fisherman's theater to see if we could get tickets. We weren't hungry, so we decided to worry about dinner later. We could get tickets, and got seated to enjoy the show. The group of 3 musicians and two singer/ dancers had just begun their first number when the lights went out. They kept singing until the end of the number and then just sort of stood there a minute. Soon, a person with a flashlight came out and stood where he/she could iluminate the stage enough for the performers to get off stage without breaking themselves. I had sort of hoped they would continue the show by flashlight, but no such luck. It would have been like one of those old movies when Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland put on shows in the barn with the lights from their roadsters. At least I think they were the ones, but maybe I made that up. Anyhow, someone came out and made an announcement, but the only thing we understood was "electrics". Since only a small number of people left the theater, we felt pretty sure she had not said the word fire and that most people expected the show to go on at some point. After a while, Sandy and I went out to the lobby and she asked someone if they spoke English. The young woman called her friend who was standing in line to buy drinks because he spoke better English. He came over and explained that the lights were out in that section of the city and they expected them back on in 35-40 minutes. Sure enough, they eventually came back on, as, unfortunately, did the sound system. Now I know I'm old, but it was so loud I thought my ears would bleed. The hearing aid wearer among us took them out, Sandy covered her ears and I both stuffed mine with tissue and covered them to no avail. The singer kept motioning to the sound guy to up the volume. She also had a bit of a snit with a group of tweeners who were sitting on the corner stairs to the stage with their phones and cameras taking pictures. I was surprised that no one came up and made the girls go back to their seats. I was also surprised that the girls seemed completely indifferent to her finger shaking scolding.
I think we might have enjoyed the event if it had not involved so much pain, and we did get a kick out of it, but when the interact, as it is called, came, we got out of there. I generally stick it out to the end , no matter how bitter, out of courtesy to the performers, but my ears just wouldn't let me this time. They were still ringing when we got off the bus. I'm assuming no permanent damage was done. I do not want deafened by a band of Gyspies on my audiological report. We came home and had "snupper". That's Sandy's creative name for the combination snack and supper that we had.
Not being a Monty Python fan, I did not know why Mark was having such a good time with the names of the cheese I had bought, so they u tubed the cheese skit and we watched it while eating cheese, crackers, apples and egg salad. They told us that the men folks in their family can recite the skit word for word.
And now, off to bed. One more day with our friends. It will be hard to let them go.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Day 122 Off to the Curonian Spit.
We set off this morning down to the docks to the foot ferry for the 10 minute trip to the Spit. When we got to the other side we hired a taxi to take us to Witches Hill, wait for us while we visited it and then take us to Nida. We could have taken buses, but it was more complicated and the timing had to be very precise. The day was beautiful, but just a bit chilly. This was the same trip we took with the library faculty a couple of weeks ago, and just as much fun this trip as last. We had lunch at a cafe in Nida, walked around a bit and toured the Amber museum. The taxi picked us up at 3 o'clock and we headed back to the ferry. It took about 45 minutes.
We had about a 10 minute wait until the ferry was ready for us to board, and Sandy and I spoke to some of the school kids who were also waiting. One boy returned our greeting and then walked off to say something to a group of his friends. In a second they came over to talk and then a few more and a few more. When we got on the ferry and sat down on seats on the deck, some girls came over. One said her grandmother lives in New York. They were 3/4 graders and all but one take English twice a week. She has lessons 3 days per week. The original boy told us they were on a school excursion. I said that we call it a field trip. A little later another boy came up and spoke of the school excursion and the first boy said "a field trip". It was so cute. We all talked and after we got off the ferry, another girl came up and said she was so glad to have someone to talk to in English. She was from England, but had lived in Lithuania for 6 of her 10 years. They seemed to be happy to have met us, but I know Sandy and I were thrilled to visit with them.
They wanted to know if we liked Lithuania, how we happened to be there and if we knew any Lithuanian. I told them some of the things I had learned, and one girl helped me with my pronounciation. I was excited by how much they knew and how well they spoke. They had a 2-3 hour bus ride back home to Kaunas.
We came home, took a little rest and then walked over to have dinner. Then we all decided on an early bedtime, because we were pooped.
We had about a 10 minute wait until the ferry was ready for us to board, and Sandy and I spoke to some of the school kids who were also waiting. One boy returned our greeting and then walked off to say something to a group of his friends. In a second they came over to talk and then a few more and a few more. When we got on the ferry and sat down on seats on the deck, some girls came over. One said her grandmother lives in New York. They were 3/4 graders and all but one take English twice a week. She has lessons 3 days per week. The original boy told us they were on a school excursion. I said that we call it a field trip. A little later another boy came up and spoke of the school excursion and the first boy said "a field trip". It was so cute. We all talked and after we got off the ferry, another girl came up and said she was so glad to have someone to talk to in English. She was from England, but had lived in Lithuania for 6 of her 10 years. They seemed to be happy to have met us, but I know Sandy and I were thrilled to visit with them.
They wanted to know if we liked Lithuania, how we happened to be there and if we knew any Lithuanian. I told them some of the things I had learned, and one girl helped me with my pronounciation. I was excited by how much they knew and how well they spoke. They had a 2-3 hour bus ride back home to Kaunas.
We came home, took a little rest and then walked over to have dinner. Then we all decided on an early bedtime, because we were pooped.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Day 121 Mark and Sandy Arrived!
What a wonderful day! Our dear friends arrived for a few days. They just finished a Balkin cruise. We want to hear all about it, and may stop running our mouths long enough to let them tell us.
They arrived about 3:30 and we were soon out to look around and check out my favorite shops. There is something about girl shopping that is special, so we are going to have to figure out how to ditch those boys one day. Dinner was at Stora Antis. We tried our old standards plus potato pancakes that Sandy declared tasted just like her grandma used to make. Delicious as always.
Having them here got me to thinking. I firmly believe that for most people, there are a few zip codes in which they naturally flourish, and it may not be near their zip code of origin. They find it later. Some people end up living much of their lives in zip codes quite unnatural to them because of job opportunity. Fortunately, most learn to adapt with at least some semblance of grace. Delicate flower that I am, I never accepted winter in Ohio, though I loved fall, and the gray days were often hard for me. I don't think it was the cold that bothered me as much as it was the snow or even worse, the threat of snow and the possibility that I would have to drive to or from work in it. We didn't take advantage of as many things in Cleveland during the winter because I was afraid of venturing "so far from home" in case weather got bad. Such a big baby. I found that when asked where I was from, I substituted the word "live" for "from". I think dread of winter colored my life all year round. and during winter I was one big whine. On the acceptance with grace scale, I had nothing to be proud of.
That said, I would not trade the opportunity of living in Akron for anything in the world. What wonderful friends we have from our time there. There are many definitions of the word friend, I'm sure. Here is the way I look at it. There are the more casual type friends that you love dearly and enjoy thoroughly but would feel shy to ask for a favor, even though they would be glad to do whatever you asked, and you would be glad to do the same for them. I have trouble with that asking part anyway, of course. Then there are the friends you feel comfortable (or as comfortable as you get in that situation) asking for a favor. I think Lyndon Johnston spoke of them as people you could ask to go to the well with you. Probably had to do with the olden days when times were bad between white guys and Native Americans, but I don't know.
In Akron and Tallmadge and Medina I was fortunate to make a number of friends that I could ask to go to the well with me and they would stop whatever they were doing and go. And besides that, they are smart, clever, not always the same thing, funny, fun, interesting, generous, loving people. Most have wicked senses of humor, which I love. They are also people who more than give back to their community, a trait I need to develop once we get back to Villa Rica.
When we add those friends to the ones wehave made during our previous stops on the road and our families, you just don't get much more blessed than we are.
Well, maybe there should be an offering or something at the end of this sermon.
They arrived about 3:30 and we were soon out to look around and check out my favorite shops. There is something about girl shopping that is special, so we are going to have to figure out how to ditch those boys one day. Dinner was at Stora Antis. We tried our old standards plus potato pancakes that Sandy declared tasted just like her grandma used to make. Delicious as always.
Having them here got me to thinking. I firmly believe that for most people, there are a few zip codes in which they naturally flourish, and it may not be near their zip code of origin. They find it later. Some people end up living much of their lives in zip codes quite unnatural to them because of job opportunity. Fortunately, most learn to adapt with at least some semblance of grace. Delicate flower that I am, I never accepted winter in Ohio, though I loved fall, and the gray days were often hard for me. I don't think it was the cold that bothered me as much as it was the snow or even worse, the threat of snow and the possibility that I would have to drive to or from work in it. We didn't take advantage of as many things in Cleveland during the winter because I was afraid of venturing "so far from home" in case weather got bad. Such a big baby. I found that when asked where I was from, I substituted the word "live" for "from". I think dread of winter colored my life all year round. and during winter I was one big whine. On the acceptance with grace scale, I had nothing to be proud of.
That said, I would not trade the opportunity of living in Akron for anything in the world. What wonderful friends we have from our time there. There are many definitions of the word friend, I'm sure. Here is the way I look at it. There are the more casual type friends that you love dearly and enjoy thoroughly but would feel shy to ask for a favor, even though they would be glad to do whatever you asked, and you would be glad to do the same for them. I have trouble with that asking part anyway, of course. Then there are the friends you feel comfortable (or as comfortable as you get in that situation) asking for a favor. I think Lyndon Johnston spoke of them as people you could ask to go to the well with you. Probably had to do with the olden days when times were bad between white guys and Native Americans, but I don't know.
In Akron and Tallmadge and Medina I was fortunate to make a number of friends that I could ask to go to the well with me and they would stop whatever they were doing and go. And besides that, they are smart, clever, not always the same thing, funny, fun, interesting, generous, loving people. Most have wicked senses of humor, which I love. They are also people who more than give back to their community, a trait I need to develop once we get back to Villa Rica.
When we add those friends to the ones wehave made during our previous stops on the road and our families, you just don't get much more blessed than we are.
Well, maybe there should be an offering or something at the end of this sermon.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Day 120 Another Lovely, Generous Lithuanian!
Today, I went to the museum for my felting class. Sondra met me there on her day off to give me the lesson, and I had such fun. She is a very interesting woman. Her degree is in literature, and a book she has written is coming from the publisher this week. Her day job for the museum is as supervisor of the Klaipeda Sculpture park. (I've put up pictures, so you know how wonderful it is.) She also does classes for children in felting and other crafts through the museum.
She started me with the basics, which is good, but also showed me some more complicated projects. When we finished, I laughed and asked for saskita, which in a restaurant is the check. She declined payment and short of coming to blows, there was no changing her mind. Fortunately, I had stopped at the wool store and bought several packages of wool roving, so I made her take some of them. It was not easy to get her to do it, but I told her I could not come back unless she took the yarn, so she did.
One other thing Sondra did was tell me about her creative writing teacher, who is a Lithuanian American who has written some interesting stuff. Her name is Laima Vince Sruoginis. She chose to come back here during Soviet times to study and because she was fluent in English and Lithuanian, she was asked to serve as interpreter for some of the political protest speeches. Much of her writing involves the turbulent times of Lithuania, but she has also written a children's book set in the house she and her children lived in off the coast of Maine. I enjoyed reading about her and seeing her interviewed on the internet. My little addiction to the internet issue is worse than ever, I fear.
On Friday night, Sondra is leading a tour of the sculpture garden with poetry, etc. and has asked us to join in. I accepted for Mark and Sandy. Hope they don't mind. Del and I have grown accustomed to listening to people speak or read in a language we don't understand, but the sculpture is interesting enough to make it worthwhile, I think.
Again, I just have to say it, people are so nice. I always knew it, but not nearly as clearly as I know it now.
Can't wait to see Mark and Sandy! I hope they enjoy their brief stay in this wonderful country.
By the way, blogs work better if you remember to hit publish. Yesterday's blog just sat around waiting for me to get a clue.
This picture is of Sondra. Isn't she pretty!
https://picasaweb.google.com/Williams.BMR/Sondra?authkey=Gv1sRgCMynm8XkoOmQ3QE
She started me with the basics, which is good, but also showed me some more complicated projects. When we finished, I laughed and asked for saskita, which in a restaurant is the check. She declined payment and short of coming to blows, there was no changing her mind. Fortunately, I had stopped at the wool store and bought several packages of wool roving, so I made her take some of them. It was not easy to get her to do it, but I told her I could not come back unless she took the yarn, so she did.
One other thing Sondra did was tell me about her creative writing teacher, who is a Lithuanian American who has written some interesting stuff. Her name is Laima Vince Sruoginis. She chose to come back here during Soviet times to study and because she was fluent in English and Lithuanian, she was asked to serve as interpreter for some of the political protest speeches. Much of her writing involves the turbulent times of Lithuania, but she has also written a children's book set in the house she and her children lived in off the coast of Maine. I enjoyed reading about her and seeing her interviewed on the internet. My little addiction to the internet issue is worse than ever, I fear.
On Friday night, Sondra is leading a tour of the sculpture garden with poetry, etc. and has asked us to join in. I accepted for Mark and Sandy. Hope they don't mind. Del and I have grown accustomed to listening to people speak or read in a language we don't understand, but the sculpture is interesting enough to make it worthwhile, I think.
Again, I just have to say it, people are so nice. I always knew it, but not nearly as clearly as I know it now.
Can't wait to see Mark and Sandy! I hope they enjoy their brief stay in this wonderful country.
By the way, blogs work better if you remember to hit publish. Yesterday's blog just sat around waiting for me to get a clue.
This picture is of Sondra. Isn't she pretty!
https://picasaweb.google.com/Williams.BMR/Sondra?authkey=Gv1sRgCMynm8XkoOmQ3QE
Day 119 Catch Up Around the House Day
We slept in this morning, more unusual for me than Del. My eyes seem to pop open with the change in light, not to say that I don't sometimes go back to sleep. This morning I slept until 8:30.
Nothing much to talk about, unless you like to hear about laundry, fridge cleaning and such like. I also made a grocery list and took two naps. Woohoo!
We are so excited that Mark and Sandy will get here on Tuesday for a few days. I have my fingers crossed and prayers sent that the Cloud of Iceland will not put a crimp in any of the travel plans we all have. I know they don't want to get stuck in Lithuania forever after such a long trip already, we don't want to miss Rhodes and it would break our hearts if Rosa missed out on this beautiful country.
Speaking of Mark and Sandy, the post about Vienna sausages reminded me of potted meat and canned corn beef. Did your mothers turn either of those into a meat salad sort of like chicken salad? We occasionally had deviled ham, but I think that was more expensive. I haven't had any of those for years, but deviled ham sounds pretty good right now.
I have to ask Mark how his family pronounced Vienna sausages. We said it with a long first /i/ at home, but when I went to school, I learned that "town people" pronounced it like the city.
I also recall that Del came home to report that Mark ate a bologna sandwich in a little diner in Akron with mayonnaise on it. MAYONNAISE I'm saying, and the bologna was sliced almost an inch thick. I always said and spelled boloney, of course.
We had a fun Skype with the kids. Rosa had spent the night with Sally and LeRoy, lucky girl, and had come home with a series of hats her mother and Aunt Stacy had worn. She modeled them all and looked so cute. I know she had a great time.
Have a good week!
Nothing much to talk about, unless you like to hear about laundry, fridge cleaning and such like. I also made a grocery list and took two naps. Woohoo!
We are so excited that Mark and Sandy will get here on Tuesday for a few days. I have my fingers crossed and prayers sent that the Cloud of Iceland will not put a crimp in any of the travel plans we all have. I know they don't want to get stuck in Lithuania forever after such a long trip already, we don't want to miss Rhodes and it would break our hearts if Rosa missed out on this beautiful country.
Speaking of Mark and Sandy, the post about Vienna sausages reminded me of potted meat and canned corn beef. Did your mothers turn either of those into a meat salad sort of like chicken salad? We occasionally had deviled ham, but I think that was more expensive. I haven't had any of those for years, but deviled ham sounds pretty good right now.
I have to ask Mark how his family pronounced Vienna sausages. We said it with a long first /i/ at home, but when I went to school, I learned that "town people" pronounced it like the city.
I also recall that Del came home to report that Mark ate a bologna sandwich in a little diner in Akron with mayonnaise on it. MAYONNAISE I'm saying, and the bologna was sliced almost an inch thick. I always said and spelled boloney, of course.
We had a fun Skype with the kids. Rosa had spent the night with Sally and LeRoy, lucky girl, and had come home with a series of hats her mother and Aunt Stacy had worn. She modeled them all and looked so cute. I know she had a great time.
Have a good week!
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Day 118 Artificial Ice, Stilt Skates - Will Wonders Never Cease?
What a day! Joris and family (Audrone and Vladas) came over for lunch. I made barbecue, cole slaw, mushroom casserole and boiled potatoes. The barbecue wasn't bad, if I do say so. Two handed sandwiches were new to them, I think, but they were good sports and dug in. When we had our picnic at the Spit, the sandwiches were tiny, pretty, tasty sandwiches that I associate with tea parties, or Scandivavia.
After lunch we walked down to the old ferry area to see the ships, military exhibits and crafts stalls. On the walk, I saw a statue I had not seen before. It is a ghostly figure rising from the sea. I am so glad I commented favorably about it, because Vladas, his architecture partner and the 2 sculpturers had designed it. It really is wonderful, though Joris says it is too scary.
The military, both army and navy were out in full force with gun exhibits, hummers, inflatable gun boats, largest boats to tour, etc. Big boys and little boys were having a great time having their pictures taken with weapons. There were also a number of exhibits about ecology, including living exhibits. Young women had on elaborate dresses made from light bulbs, aluminum cans, drink can tabs, and other bits and pieces. They had on bikinis underneath, and not much else. Poor things were covered with goose bumps. It was a windy day and quite chilly by Lithuanian standards.
After a couple of hours, we all went home. Del and I had a nap, got dressed and headed out to meet the Balse family at the fisherman's concert hall for the Moscow Ice Circus. On the way to the bus stop we passed, or more correctly were passed by a slew of motorcycles. I didn't start counting until they had been going by two or three abreast for at least ten minuttes, and I counted 305, so I'm guessing at least 600. They were headed to the old Klaipeda airport for a rally.
But now for the main attraction of the day! The Moscow Ice Circus. And lest you get your hopes up, there were no hippos or monkeys on skates. I know, I was a little disappointed, but don't tell PETA.
We had been to several events at the Fisherman's Concert Hall, including the ballet, and hadn't been able to visualize how they would put down ice. Little did we know that there is a surface that seems rather like a huge cuting board that can be put down and skated on. In fact, I looked it up, and you can have an ice rink in your own backyard for a couple of thousand on up, depending on size and thickness of the polymer.
Based on the performances, most of the people were acrobats who learned to skate. There were a couple of large skating numbers that were not of the quality of the pairs who skated or the acrobatic acts. It was amazing to see people do many of the same acts I have seen in a circus except on skates. I loved it all, but several stood out in my mind:
Three women in beautiful costumes skated on stilts that had skate blades made into them. It was amazing how well they could do. I'm thinking they were at least 4 feet off the ice.
A young woman skated on stage with a partner and proceeded to do a a series of quick changes behind pieces of fabric of various sized that boggled my mind. Each change took only a second. The time element would have been enough, but the costumes did not go from bigger to smaller. The last change was from a typical bathing suit sized costume to a long gown. I would love to see how that act was constructed. Of course they skated together between changes.
There was a rope jumping routine that ended up with about 15 people jumping. There were long ropes going perpendicular across each other with more people jumping and turning ropes for other people to jump who were holding shorter ropes still and jumping. Maybe it makes sense.
Men, if you are squeamish, avert your eyes. Others, forgive my lack of delicacy. The juggling acts were really great and of course the twirling from ropes from the ceiling etc., but the other thing that truly amazed me is how the young women could do the acrobatics wearing costumes that were one piece but ended in a thong arangement. Which would have been beyond uncomfortable in and of itself, I would think, but they were wearing the costumes over flesh colored tights. I'm thinking they should have gotten hazardous duty pay for the resulting war of the undergarments.
It was a full day, and I was worn completely out. So much so that I turned down the opportunity to walk 10 minutes back down to docks to see the fireworks when it got dark at 11 o'clock. You know I'm tired when I turn down fireworks. I was fast asleep and did not even hear them.
Oh, thanks to friend Mark for sending in a food report. His family must have mashed carrots and rutabagas or turnips, equal parts for Thanksgiving and Christmas, no sweet potato concoctions, bless their hearts. As a child he ate green pea soup with Vienna sausages in them, or a combination of tomato soup and green pea soup without sausages. Thanks for sharing family secrets, Mark and Sandy. I'm thinking our other friends are still wandering around in denial, bless their hearts. How will I ever write my future best seller, Food Secrets of the Middle Class and Not Particularly Well Known? My own issues will only fill 98 pages. Maybe if I type big I can stretch it to 110. Plus, I'm just the inquisitive type. Doesn't that sound better than nosy or nosey?
Family brag note. Tracy was just awarded Mableton Community Day Citizen of the Year. Nobody works harder than she does. I'm thinking the School Board could use a little of her energy and skill.
After lunch we walked down to the old ferry area to see the ships, military exhibits and crafts stalls. On the walk, I saw a statue I had not seen before. It is a ghostly figure rising from the sea. I am so glad I commented favorably about it, because Vladas, his architecture partner and the 2 sculpturers had designed it. It really is wonderful, though Joris says it is too scary.
The military, both army and navy were out in full force with gun exhibits, hummers, inflatable gun boats, largest boats to tour, etc. Big boys and little boys were having a great time having their pictures taken with weapons. There were also a number of exhibits about ecology, including living exhibits. Young women had on elaborate dresses made from light bulbs, aluminum cans, drink can tabs, and other bits and pieces. They had on bikinis underneath, and not much else. Poor things were covered with goose bumps. It was a windy day and quite chilly by Lithuanian standards.
After a couple of hours, we all went home. Del and I had a nap, got dressed and headed out to meet the Balse family at the fisherman's concert hall for the Moscow Ice Circus. On the way to the bus stop we passed, or more correctly were passed by a slew of motorcycles. I didn't start counting until they had been going by two or three abreast for at least ten minuttes, and I counted 305, so I'm guessing at least 600. They were headed to the old Klaipeda airport for a rally.
But now for the main attraction of the day! The Moscow Ice Circus. And lest you get your hopes up, there were no hippos or monkeys on skates. I know, I was a little disappointed, but don't tell PETA.
We had been to several events at the Fisherman's Concert Hall, including the ballet, and hadn't been able to visualize how they would put down ice. Little did we know that there is a surface that seems rather like a huge cuting board that can be put down and skated on. In fact, I looked it up, and you can have an ice rink in your own backyard for a couple of thousand on up, depending on size and thickness of the polymer.
Based on the performances, most of the people were acrobats who learned to skate. There were a couple of large skating numbers that were not of the quality of the pairs who skated or the acrobatic acts. It was amazing to see people do many of the same acts I have seen in a circus except on skates. I loved it all, but several stood out in my mind:
Three women in beautiful costumes skated on stilts that had skate blades made into them. It was amazing how well they could do. I'm thinking they were at least 4 feet off the ice.
A young woman skated on stage with a partner and proceeded to do a a series of quick changes behind pieces of fabric of various sized that boggled my mind. Each change took only a second. The time element would have been enough, but the costumes did not go from bigger to smaller. The last change was from a typical bathing suit sized costume to a long gown. I would love to see how that act was constructed. Of course they skated together between changes.
There was a rope jumping routine that ended up with about 15 people jumping. There were long ropes going perpendicular across each other with more people jumping and turning ropes for other people to jump who were holding shorter ropes still and jumping. Maybe it makes sense.
Men, if you are squeamish, avert your eyes. Others, forgive my lack of delicacy. The juggling acts were really great and of course the twirling from ropes from the ceiling etc., but the other thing that truly amazed me is how the young women could do the acrobatics wearing costumes that were one piece but ended in a thong arangement. Which would have been beyond uncomfortable in and of itself, I would think, but they were wearing the costumes over flesh colored tights. I'm thinking they should have gotten hazardous duty pay for the resulting war of the undergarments.
It was a full day, and I was worn completely out. So much so that I turned down the opportunity to walk 10 minutes back down to docks to see the fireworks when it got dark at 11 o'clock. You know I'm tired when I turn down fireworks. I was fast asleep and did not even hear them.
Oh, thanks to friend Mark for sending in a food report. His family must have mashed carrots and rutabagas or turnips, equal parts for Thanksgiving and Christmas, no sweet potato concoctions, bless their hearts. As a child he ate green pea soup with Vienna sausages in them, or a combination of tomato soup and green pea soup without sausages. Thanks for sharing family secrets, Mark and Sandy. I'm thinking our other friends are still wandering around in denial, bless their hearts. How will I ever write my future best seller, Food Secrets of the Middle Class and Not Particularly Well Known? My own issues will only fill 98 pages. Maybe if I type big I can stretch it to 110. Plus, I'm just the inquisitive type. Doesn't that sound better than nosy or nosey?
Family brag note. Tracy was just awarded Mableton Community Day Citizen of the Year. Nobody works harder than she does. I'm thinking the School Board could use a little of her energy and skill.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Day 117 Earl Hamner, Jr. Can't Do Everything
You know how I love my Kindle, (EH,Jr,) but I would have to admit that it is not worth a darn for swatting flies. We have had two pesky flies that have been driving me nuts for a couple of days, and having neither newspapers, magazines nor any other makeshift swatting material, we have just had to live with them. They seem particuarly fond of the warm computers and my arms. I just realized that I wrote pesky flies. Mother never said the word fly without pesky in front of it. So, today, when I went to the market, I stopped by my sock lady and my former English teacher lady to see if either knew where I could buy a fly swatter. They consulted each other on the matter, wrote down the name of those old fashioned curly, sticky fly catchers you hang from the ceiling and sent me to the Belaruse market. They did have them. I had stopped at several places and acted out fly swatting, but either they don't use them or my acting was not up to the task. I remember that we used to hang those curly things on the back porch at home. Once I got home, deciding where to put it was a quandry. We can't reach the ceiling and we don't want it anyplace too obvious, so we hung it from the door jam of our bedroom. Strangely, we have not caught any flies, but the two that were bothering us are gone. Maybe they reached the end of their lifecycle and new ones have not yet hatched.
We are so excited. Mark and Sandy will be here on Tuesday. It will be wonderful to see tham.. Then we go to Rhodes and then David and Tracy and Rosa will be here and then home on June 26.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone. Especially Tracy and Stacy who are having birthdays today and Enzo who had his yesterday.
We are so excited. Mark and Sandy will be here on Tuesday. It will be wonderful to see tham.. Then we go to Rhodes and then David and Tracy and Rosa will be here and then home on June 26.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone. Especially Tracy and Stacy who are having birthdays today and Enzo who had his yesterday.
Day 116 Del's Last Class Day
Thursday was another of those days where I was too tired from doing to write about it. I got up early to make food for Del to take to his last class meeting. Mushroom palmieres, spelling may be wrong, but the technique is from Barefoot Contessa, American style kepta duana (cheese, mayonaise, garlic and onion rolled up in tesla), pesto parmesan twists and a mint chocolate marscapone dip. Some of the students were curious about the recipes and the use of puff pastry for things other than sweets. I told them I thought I could probably build a house if I had enough tesla sheets. I got done cooking just in time to get my cold shower and shampoo and get ready to go to school. Del got his shower about a half hour after me, and had hot water. Where is the justice?
We knew that there was to be coffee after his class and they wanted me to come and sign the certificates for my class, but neither of us realized that they were having a real party with my students as well as Del's. We added the food we had brought to the party food they had provided and had a really good time. There were toasts and gifts and little speeches. My students gave me a necklace, bracelet and pin made of felted wool. Two of the students made it, and I was so touched because they had heard me say how much I love felted art and remembered. I confess to some tears. Del's class gave him an amber tree and an amber decorated letter opener and a book about the University. We were honored that they came out for the party.
Audrone had to bring Joris with her because Vladas had to go to get his award from the Architects group. I had emailed her that I would be glad to stay with him while she went to class if he woudn[\'t mind. He was okay with that, and we had a good time, reading books, and playing in the school courtyard with bubbles and playing hide and seek. I thought it interesting that a student stood at the window for about 15 minutes watching us play. Maybe he was not accustomed to seeing little old ladies squating down behind bushes and jumping out at a small child. Anyhow, at the party, after the first toast, Joris started to talk. They said he was saying a little poem. We don't know why, maybe he just thought it was what was expected of everyone.
We had lots of fun, but we will miss everyone.
We knew that there was to be coffee after his class and they wanted me to come and sign the certificates for my class, but neither of us realized that they were having a real party with my students as well as Del's. We added the food we had brought to the party food they had provided and had a really good time. There were toasts and gifts and little speeches. My students gave me a necklace, bracelet and pin made of felted wool. Two of the students made it, and I was so touched because they had heard me say how much I love felted art and remembered. I confess to some tears. Del's class gave him an amber tree and an amber decorated letter opener and a book about the University. We were honored that they came out for the party.
Audrone had to bring Joris with her because Vladas had to go to get his award from the Architects group. I had emailed her that I would be glad to stay with him while she went to class if he woudn[\'t mind. He was okay with that, and we had a good time, reading books, and playing in the school courtyard with bubbles and playing hide and seek. I thought it interesting that a student stood at the window for about 15 minutes watching us play. Maybe he was not accustomed to seeing little old ladies squating down behind bushes and jumping out at a small child. Anyhow, at the party, after the first toast, Joris started to talk. They said he was saying a little poem. We don't know why, maybe he just thought it was what was expected of everyone.
We had lots of fun, but we will miss everyone.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Day 115 Was My Face Red!
Those of you who know me well know that I am obsessive over punctuality. Maybe it comes from the fact that early in our marriage we had to attend military events which required that you arrive early and ride around the block until the exact minute to make your entrance. Or maybe I was just born that way, I can't remember. I do know that it has been an on going issue between you know who and me since 1968.
Well, today, the last of my English classes, I had a senior moment,or at least I hope that's all it was, bless my heart. I arrived 45minutes early as usual, but somehow convinced myself that the first class got out at 10. I kept the first class until 9:45, thinking I was letting them out early. They did sort of bolt for the door, seeing as they were due back at work, but it all went right over my head. I then took the left over goodies I had brought for them down to my friend the coffee lady and we and several others had a little party there. At 10:10. I started back to the classroom only to be met by Audrone who was looking for me. I was 10 minutes late for my second class. but in my mind, I was 20 minutes early.
I am blaming it on the fact that I was up late cooking goodies to take to class and then did not sleep well. Plus there is that whole cold water thing. Or maybe I'm just getting doty.
After class Daiva drove me to Kretinga, a nearby city where Del was having his conference. We had been invited to visit a church and Franciscan monastary from 1600. I had not known how old it was and on the drive, I pointed out a church to Daiva and commented how old and beautiful it was. She said that it was not very old, only 200 years, she thought. Perspective is everything, isn't it?
We were met at the church by a friar who had spent some years in the US as a missionary in Florida. If I understood it all, some of the younger priests had been sent before WW2 to the US and Canada to protect them from the Germans and they have maintained a presence in several places, including Kennebunkport, Maine. In gratitude for the protection they received, the Order continues to send priests and friars to the US to help out now that there is such a shortage of priests. This young man, who seemed in his late 40's or early fifties, had the responsibility of transfering the monastary, room by room, back into a true monastary after the second independence in 1991.
The church, The church of the Annunciation, had amazing carved doors, that were carved in 1600 and featured the coat of arms and carved faces of the family who established the church. In both those carvings and in portraits inside the church, the man was quite handsome, the woman, not so much. He looked rather like Donald Sutherland in beautifully trimmed beard and mustache. I'm guessing that either the artists made him handsome whether he was or not because he was paying the bill, or her daddy had a boatload of money.
We had a full tour of the church, including the cript. Several members of the founding family were buried there. The woman's coffin was rather ornate, but the men's were plain. The friar joked that it was Bibical that women's clothing, should cost more than men's because at the time of Adam and Eve's being cast from the Garden of Eden, it took only one leaf to clothe Adam but three for Eve. Barumpbum!
About 20 paintings on wood of martyrs from 1600 had been restored. The carving around each painting had had 7 coats of paint. It took 5 rears for the restoration. Some additional paintings had been under the floors during Soviet times and were not restored. The paint was removed from the carving and the wood worms killed, but it was felt that the portraits should be left untouched.
The friar spoke briefly of the mass killing of the Jews. Many were herded into the synagogue and burned. In the process, half the city was destroyed by fire. The Germans arrived June 24 and all the Jews were killed by August. We googled when we got home, of course, and learned that 64 of 77 businesses in the city and 18 of 26 factories were owned by Jews before the war. You might want to read more about it, but it is horrible, as so much of that time was.
On a lighter note. As we were walking up to the door of the church, we saw a long haired, skruffy looking young guy in long plaid shorts and t shirt going in ahead of us. You guessed it. A few minutes later we saw him in his robes, if that is the proper name.
I didn't take any pictures, thinking it would be disrespectful, but a librarian who is such an active member that she has a key to the church, did take some. I think she will send them to us in a day or two. It truly was a special opportunity that came because we met one of the friars at that all night reading event at the public library.
Well, today, the last of my English classes, I had a senior moment,or at least I hope that's all it was, bless my heart. I arrived 45minutes early as usual, but somehow convinced myself that the first class got out at 10. I kept the first class until 9:45, thinking I was letting them out early. They did sort of bolt for the door, seeing as they were due back at work, but it all went right over my head. I then took the left over goodies I had brought for them down to my friend the coffee lady and we and several others had a little party there. At 10:10. I started back to the classroom only to be met by Audrone who was looking for me. I was 10 minutes late for my second class. but in my mind, I was 20 minutes early.
I am blaming it on the fact that I was up late cooking goodies to take to class and then did not sleep well. Plus there is that whole cold water thing. Or maybe I'm just getting doty.
After class Daiva drove me to Kretinga, a nearby city where Del was having his conference. We had been invited to visit a church and Franciscan monastary from 1600. I had not known how old it was and on the drive, I pointed out a church to Daiva and commented how old and beautiful it was. She said that it was not very old, only 200 years, she thought. Perspective is everything, isn't it?
We were met at the church by a friar who had spent some years in the US as a missionary in Florida. If I understood it all, some of the younger priests had been sent before WW2 to the US and Canada to protect them from the Germans and they have maintained a presence in several places, including Kennebunkport, Maine. In gratitude for the protection they received, the Order continues to send priests and friars to the US to help out now that there is such a shortage of priests. This young man, who seemed in his late 40's or early fifties, had the responsibility of transfering the monastary, room by room, back into a true monastary after the second independence in 1991.
The church, The church of the Annunciation, had amazing carved doors, that were carved in 1600 and featured the coat of arms and carved faces of the family who established the church. In both those carvings and in portraits inside the church, the man was quite handsome, the woman, not so much. He looked rather like Donald Sutherland in beautifully trimmed beard and mustache. I'm guessing that either the artists made him handsome whether he was or not because he was paying the bill, or her daddy had a boatload of money.
We had a full tour of the church, including the cript. Several members of the founding family were buried there. The woman's coffin was rather ornate, but the men's were plain. The friar joked that it was Bibical that women's clothing, should cost more than men's because at the time of Adam and Eve's being cast from the Garden of Eden, it took only one leaf to clothe Adam but three for Eve. Barumpbum!
About 20 paintings on wood of martyrs from 1600 had been restored. The carving around each painting had had 7 coats of paint. It took 5 rears for the restoration. Some additional paintings had been under the floors during Soviet times and were not restored. The paint was removed from the carving and the wood worms killed, but it was felt that the portraits should be left untouched.
The friar spoke briefly of the mass killing of the Jews. Many were herded into the synagogue and burned. In the process, half the city was destroyed by fire. The Germans arrived June 24 and all the Jews were killed by August. We googled when we got home, of course, and learned that 64 of 77 businesses in the city and 18 of 26 factories were owned by Jews before the war. You might want to read more about it, but it is horrible, as so much of that time was.
On a lighter note. As we were walking up to the door of the church, we saw a long haired, skruffy looking young guy in long plaid shorts and t shirt going in ahead of us. You guessed it. A few minutes later we saw him in his robes, if that is the proper name.
I didn't take any pictures, thinking it would be disrespectful, but a librarian who is such an active member that she has a key to the church, did take some. I think she will send them to us in a day or two. It truly was a special opportunity that came because we met one of the friars at that all night reading event at the public library.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Day 114 Cooking for Last Day of English Classes
It was another rainy day. I got up at six, just because I woke up, but soon decided a nap was in order. When I got back up around 7:30 I did some cleaning, read some and did a little knitting. Del has a small conference tomorrow, so he was busy getting all his slides, etc. ready. When there was a break in the weather, I walked over to the little IKI to get the fixings for a little treat for my classes tomorrow. I decided to make apple cinnamon buns , mint cream cheese dip, except made with marscapone because there was no cream cheese, and cheese onion garlic twirls. It's sort of a take of on that Vidalia onion dip Del loves so much,except not so much mayonaise. The dip calls for equal parts of mayo, grated Vidalia onion and swiss cheese, baked at 325 until it sets and browns and has a slick of grease on top from the mayo and cheese. I blot that up with a paper towel. These things I made today have a combination of the cheese I had, swiss, sharp cheddar and parmesan, chopped onion, garlic powder and enough mayo to moisten well but not be sloppy. I rolled out puff pastry, spread on the cheese mixture, rolled it up, cut into half inch slices and baked until golden. The butter in the puff pastry is probably as bad as the fat from the mayonaise in the baked dish, but the potential to eat too much is limited by the small size and the fact that I only made two per person.
Fortunately the dishwasher heats its own water, because I seemed to mess up a lot of dishes. Right now I'm trying to figure out some way to wash my hair by sticking my head in the dishwasher after it fills up but I can't seem to visualize it. Enough whining from me. There are too many people with lots of problems that are serious. No hot water for 5 days is a small thing. And it has come at a time before the Auburns get here, so that is good.
We are so looking forward to seeing Mark and Sandy. I hope they enjoy Klaipeda as much as we have.
Regarding use of Del's word "linner" for combined lunch and dinner. He also says "lupper" sometimes. In answer to Tom, the late lunch dinner combo is often followed by late night popcorn if I have a choice. When I used to make Sunday dinner at lunch time I frequently served popcorn for supper. It's a custom handed over by our friends the Faries back in Illinois. So odd to me that people here don't eat much popcorn.
Fortunately the dishwasher heats its own water, because I seemed to mess up a lot of dishes. Right now I'm trying to figure out some way to wash my hair by sticking my head in the dishwasher after it fills up but I can't seem to visualize it. Enough whining from me. There are too many people with lots of problems that are serious. No hot water for 5 days is a small thing. And it has come at a time before the Auburns get here, so that is good.
We are so looking forward to seeing Mark and Sandy. I hope they enjoy Klaipeda as much as we have.
Regarding use of Del's word "linner" for combined lunch and dinner. He also says "lupper" sometimes. In answer to Tom, the late lunch dinner combo is often followed by late night popcorn if I have a choice. When I used to make Sunday dinner at lunch time I frequently served popcorn for supper. It's a custom handed over by our friends the Faries back in Illinois. So odd to me that people here don't eat much popcorn.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Day 113 Those Bus Cops Don't Mess Around!
As we were getting on the bus to go out to KU for a special pregraduation event, we had to wait for 3 security people to get on before us. As we punched our tickets, they went to each passenger and asked for a ticket or bus pass. A college aged looking kid in the back seat looked thought all his pockets and his bag but came up empty. He was escorted off the bus and put into a security car. A bus ticket costs 1.8 lita and the fine is 100 lita. Even I can do that math. The thing I really don't understand is why the guy didn't plan ahead and have an old ticket in his bag for just such an occasion. I get on the bus, punch my ticket and throw it down into my bag so I might have a dozen of them. They are not date stamped or anything. I guess he just isn't the sharpest crayon in the box.
Later in the day I got to see my first Hari Krishna parade. There were about 10 or so, some in robes and some in civvies following a guy holding a standard with a red banner and gold crest. They marched down the street singing "Hari Krishna, Hari Krishna" over and over again, no other words. When they got close to the entrance of the old market they stopped and an older guy with a microphome started giving a rousing speech. Two police officers, one a man and one a woman were standing off to the side observing. A side note: They had no problem passing the police must be pretty test. I assume from our experience earlier this morning that if you aren't pretty, you become a bus cop instead.
The event at school was neat. They call it the last lecture day and each department has a little ceremony where the professors each say a few words to their students and the team leader student says a few words to the professors. Del was asked to say the first few words, and I was asked to say the last few words. We both kept it short. The faculty gives token gifts to the graduates and they give a plant to the department.
Then the whole college goes to the auditorium where the dean and various ones speak. A student from the political science department spoke and then one of the journalism students. Not speaking the language, I don't know what they said, but was told that the journalism student said she wanted to pass around the college's lucky bell, because they would need luck in getting jobs. She grabbed it up and started passing it around. The dean laughed and responded to the effect that journalists needed to be assertive. If they couldn't get in by the door, they should try the window and if that didn't work they should come down the chimney.
The students had decorated with lots of balloons and crepe paper garlands. Del thought it looked like a lot of work considering they put up the decorations early this morning and took them down right after the event ended, about 1 o'clock. They were so excited. Now they just have exams.
On the way home from the bus stop we went to see our childrens' librarian friends. We had a nice visit. They are in the middle of doing some minor remodeling and painting. I was sort of disappointed to see that they had taken out the cage where the late owl lived. I guess it was wasted space, but it was kind of fun even with only a stuffed owl there. We met the brother of one of the librarians who was visiting from the UK. He sounded quite British, so I guess he has lived there for a long time.
By this time it was about 3 o'clock so we stopped to have "linner", as Del calls it, at a little restaurant he had never been to. It won't be our favorite, but it was pretty good.
My bargain of the day was the cost of the repair to the ring I had cut off a few weeks ago. The shop was on the way home, and I figured my sore joint had gone down as much as it was going to, so I went back to the jewelry master to have it fixed. For the grand sum of 60 lita or 24 US dollars he put it back together. Equally amazing was that I was able to pick it up 2 hours later. He did a good job. I should have brought the broken jewelry I have at home to be fixed.
Tomorrow I will cook some goodies for our last classes and we will heat water for all hot water necessities.
Later in the day I got to see my first Hari Krishna parade. There were about 10 or so, some in robes and some in civvies following a guy holding a standard with a red banner and gold crest. They marched down the street singing "Hari Krishna, Hari Krishna" over and over again, no other words. When they got close to the entrance of the old market they stopped and an older guy with a microphome started giving a rousing speech. Two police officers, one a man and one a woman were standing off to the side observing. A side note: They had no problem passing the police must be pretty test. I assume from our experience earlier this morning that if you aren't pretty, you become a bus cop instead.
The event at school was neat. They call it the last lecture day and each department has a little ceremony where the professors each say a few words to their students and the team leader student says a few words to the professors. Del was asked to say the first few words, and I was asked to say the last few words. We both kept it short. The faculty gives token gifts to the graduates and they give a plant to the department.
Then the whole college goes to the auditorium where the dean and various ones speak. A student from the political science department spoke and then one of the journalism students. Not speaking the language, I don't know what they said, but was told that the journalism student said she wanted to pass around the college's lucky bell, because they would need luck in getting jobs. She grabbed it up and started passing it around. The dean laughed and responded to the effect that journalists needed to be assertive. If they couldn't get in by the door, they should try the window and if that didn't work they should come down the chimney.
The students had decorated with lots of balloons and crepe paper garlands. Del thought it looked like a lot of work considering they put up the decorations early this morning and took them down right after the event ended, about 1 o'clock. They were so excited. Now they just have exams.
On the way home from the bus stop we went to see our childrens' librarian friends. We had a nice visit. They are in the middle of doing some minor remodeling and painting. I was sort of disappointed to see that they had taken out the cage where the late owl lived. I guess it was wasted space, but it was kind of fun even with only a stuffed owl there. We met the brother of one of the librarians who was visiting from the UK. He sounded quite British, so I guess he has lived there for a long time.
By this time it was about 3 o'clock so we stopped to have "linner", as Del calls it, at a little restaurant he had never been to. It won't be our favorite, but it was pretty good.
My bargain of the day was the cost of the repair to the ring I had cut off a few weeks ago. The shop was on the way home, and I figured my sore joint had gone down as much as it was going to, so I went back to the jewelry master to have it fixed. For the grand sum of 60 lita or 24 US dollars he put it back together. Equally amazing was that I was able to pick it up 2 hours later. He did a good job. I should have brought the broken jewelry I have at home to be fixed.
Tomorrow I will cook some goodies for our last classes and we will heat water for all hot water necessities.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Day 112 Rainy, Stay at Home Kind of Day
This was not a day to be out and about unless you had to be, so we stayed home. There is no more church until fall semester, so we had bsolutely no outside responsibilities. Del got lots of work done and rested his leg some, although it is much better today. I packed up some winter things so we will have more room in our closet and wardrobe, snuggled up on the couch to read and cooked dinner, for a change. It just seemed like a day for that.
The book I'm reading is SPIDER WEB, one of a series by Earlene Fowler. Each book has the name of a quilt pattern as the title. The main character is a younger woman, but her fiesty grandmother and the women in a retirement home quilt guild she organized are prominently featured along with her cop husband. I was tickled to hear that the oldsters were taking a self defense class called cane fu, and thought it quite clever of her to think that up. The more I thought about it, the more I felt the need to Wikipedia, and what do you know. It is a real thing. Seniors go to class to learn to use their canes to protect themselves. There is some concern that people who really need canes might get knocked off balance, but some people who not actually need very much support use the cane anyway so they will have a readily available, legal weapon. So look out bad guys, I'm armed with a Leki, and I've watched the videos.
I made something for dinner that I don't think I have ever cooked before, ribs. They were pretty good, considering they were cooked inside with my made up barbecue sauce. I also made cole slaw and a casserole with some of the mushrooms I bought. We had strawberries for dessert.
My Rick Steves correspondent emailed to see if we knew of a laundromat in Klaipeda. They had been unable to find one in Vilnius. We emailed back that they could use our washer but would have to take the wet clothes back to their hotel to dry. A couple of hotels listed laundry service, so maybe they will find something.
I know you didn't sign up to expose your eating peculiarities to my world, but I had hoped some of you would confess to at least one odd eating habit.
Tomorrow starts cold water week, so I am going to wash hair tonight. Day old hair is not a good look for me, but it makes one less day of cold water on my head or heating water and pouring it over.
The laundry problem reminded me of the way we handled things on our 3 week trip several years ago. I put together a concoction based on several pieces of advice I read. It did not make holes in my clothes, but it would take the spots off a leopard, I think. I combined Fels Naptha bar soap, travel sized oxi clean spray and a small shot of fabreeze to hand wash a few things each time we spent two nights in a hotel. I carried along a couple of those microfiber quick drying towels to wring the water out. Sometimes I wrapped the clothes in the towel, put them into the empty bath tub and used the I Love Lucy grape stomping method to get even more water out. I also bought blow up hangers to take along because they take no room in the suitcase and keep the front and back of a shirt from touching. One of those round rubber things for putting over the drain in the sink was helpful, as was a little clothesline for the shower.
The book I'm reading is SPIDER WEB, one of a series by Earlene Fowler. Each book has the name of a quilt pattern as the title. The main character is a younger woman, but her fiesty grandmother and the women in a retirement home quilt guild she organized are prominently featured along with her cop husband. I was tickled to hear that the oldsters were taking a self defense class called cane fu, and thought it quite clever of her to think that up. The more I thought about it, the more I felt the need to Wikipedia, and what do you know. It is a real thing. Seniors go to class to learn to use their canes to protect themselves. There is some concern that people who really need canes might get knocked off balance, but some people who not actually need very much support use the cane anyway so they will have a readily available, legal weapon. So look out bad guys, I'm armed with a Leki, and I've watched the videos.
I made something for dinner that I don't think I have ever cooked before, ribs. They were pretty good, considering they were cooked inside with my made up barbecue sauce. I also made cole slaw and a casserole with some of the mushrooms I bought. We had strawberries for dessert.
My Rick Steves correspondent emailed to see if we knew of a laundromat in Klaipeda. They had been unable to find one in Vilnius. We emailed back that they could use our washer but would have to take the wet clothes back to their hotel to dry. A couple of hotels listed laundry service, so maybe they will find something.
I know you didn't sign up to expose your eating peculiarities to my world, but I had hoped some of you would confess to at least one odd eating habit.
Tomorrow starts cold water week, so I am going to wash hair tonight. Day old hair is not a good look for me, but it makes one less day of cold water on my head or heating water and pouring it over.
The laundry problem reminded me of the way we handled things on our 3 week trip several years ago. I put together a concoction based on several pieces of advice I read. It did not make holes in my clothes, but it would take the spots off a leopard, I think. I combined Fels Naptha bar soap, travel sized oxi clean spray and a small shot of fabreeze to hand wash a few things each time we spent two nights in a hotel. I carried along a couple of those microfiber quick drying towels to wring the water out. Sometimes I wrapped the clothes in the towel, put them into the empty bath tub and used the I Love Lucy grape stomping method to get even more water out. I also bought blow up hangers to take along because they take no room in the suitcase and keep the front and back of a shirt from touching. One of those round rubber things for putting over the drain in the sink was helpful, as was a little clothesline for the shower.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Day 111 Nice Day in Old Town
I don't know what happened to blogsppot, but for a couple of days there, things didn't post and then day 109 disappeared. It came back today, twice. Technology. It wasn't a great loss for me, because I just put my fingers on the keys and ramble without the need to stop to draw breath or take conversational turns. My favorite blogger, however, lost a major project on Thursday. She sets a beautiful table herself, takes pictures for the blog and invites fellow bloggers to do the same and post them to her blog. Unfortunately, the burp or hiccough or whatever it was made all that hard work vanish. I don't know how real bloggers do things, but it must have been disappointing to all concerned. Her work also reappeared, so all is well, You might want to check out her blog if you like to see elegant, traditional decorating. She does things as I would do them if I had her eye, and her energy. Until recently she did the blog while working full time as a caseworker for the elderly. Between Naps on the Porch is the name of her blog. It is amazing.
I slept in this morning and headed out to the market for fruit, veggies and meat. We are going to be eating a boat load of mushrooms because I somehow thought that a kilo was sort of a pound. I was so proud that I thought to use the word, too bad I didn't know what it meant. When I got home, Del commented that I had bought a lot of mushrooms and got a laugh when I said that mushrooms are even lighter than I thought because this was only a kilo. He was somewhat surprised when he asked me how much I thought a kilo was and I said around a pound. I also bought a kilo of strawberries, but not a kilo of garlic, bless my heart.
After a lunch of blt's, we set out for a walk around the neighborhood. The little carts around the square have really multiplied. A young woman told us it was because today was the beginning of the cruise ship season. Most of the carts were selling amber items, but one woman was selling knitted and felted items. I asked if she gave lessons, but she said she was an art teacher in secondary school. I asked if she knew anyone who gave lessons and she got out her needle felting tools and gave me a demonstration. We continued talking about this and that and it turns out that her daughter returned from NY yesterday after graduating from The New School. She originally went as a Fulbrighter but after that funding was over she worked in a restaurant and was a nanny to continue her education. I told her that we were here because Del is a Fulbrighter and the next thing you know, she gave me her card and invited me to come to her flat to learn to make felt and fabric flowers. I was so excited. She also gave me a demonstration on how to wear the scarf I bought. I don't know where all the reserved people who supposedly populate Lithuania have gone. I've been looking, thinking they must be here somewhere.
Del started feeling a little gimpy so we cut our walk a little shorter than planned. He thinks he stepped on a cobblestone wrong. We stopped by the IKI for water and were in the line behind a woman with a little boy about 2 years old. He started flirting with me, and we had a fine game of peek a boo and uh oh. I am not a good influence on Lithuanian children who are expected to be quite grown up.
Our friend Audrone emailed to share good news. Her husband Vladas won first prize in a competition for designers of ecologically friendly houses. He has won quite a few awards for such a young man.
Niece Sarah mentioned Thai food on FB, and I could not get it off my mind, so we went over to the Thai Fun for dinner. It is not particularly authentic, but then again, neither is the Thai restaurant in Douglasville. Their mojitos are quite authentic, however, and I do love a mojito. Del does too, actually. My drinking tastes do run up the dinner bill. Beer is as cheap or cheaper than bottled water, but wine and liquor are expensive, but only by Lithuanian standards. Our bill, with appetizer, two entrees and two mojitos was 82 litas - which is about $34. Then there was the tip, of course, but still. The mojitos were 18 litas each, by the way, only a lita or two less than the entrees.
Tomorrow I will have to wash everything that is dirty because there is a sign on the green door that we think says no hot water from the 16th through the 20th. I need to get down there and double check with the dictionary to be sure. Minor inconvenience when you consider the flooding people are going through, of course.
Happy weekend.
Note: And I thought I didn't learn mudh in Lithuanain class. No hot water. Second time in a couple of months.
I slept in this morning and headed out to the market for fruit, veggies and meat. We are going to be eating a boat load of mushrooms because I somehow thought that a kilo was sort of a pound. I was so proud that I thought to use the word, too bad I didn't know what it meant. When I got home, Del commented that I had bought a lot of mushrooms and got a laugh when I said that mushrooms are even lighter than I thought because this was only a kilo. He was somewhat surprised when he asked me how much I thought a kilo was and I said around a pound. I also bought a kilo of strawberries, but not a kilo of garlic, bless my heart.
After a lunch of blt's, we set out for a walk around the neighborhood. The little carts around the square have really multiplied. A young woman told us it was because today was the beginning of the cruise ship season. Most of the carts were selling amber items, but one woman was selling knitted and felted items. I asked if she gave lessons, but she said she was an art teacher in secondary school. I asked if she knew anyone who gave lessons and she got out her needle felting tools and gave me a demonstration. We continued talking about this and that and it turns out that her daughter returned from NY yesterday after graduating from The New School. She originally went as a Fulbrighter but after that funding was over she worked in a restaurant and was a nanny to continue her education. I told her that we were here because Del is a Fulbrighter and the next thing you know, she gave me her card and invited me to come to her flat to learn to make felt and fabric flowers. I was so excited. She also gave me a demonstration on how to wear the scarf I bought. I don't know where all the reserved people who supposedly populate Lithuania have gone. I've been looking, thinking they must be here somewhere.
Del started feeling a little gimpy so we cut our walk a little shorter than planned. He thinks he stepped on a cobblestone wrong. We stopped by the IKI for water and were in the line behind a woman with a little boy about 2 years old. He started flirting with me, and we had a fine game of peek a boo and uh oh. I am not a good influence on Lithuanian children who are expected to be quite grown up.
Our friend Audrone emailed to share good news. Her husband Vladas won first prize in a competition for designers of ecologically friendly houses. He has won quite a few awards for such a young man.
Niece Sarah mentioned Thai food on FB, and I could not get it off my mind, so we went over to the Thai Fun for dinner. It is not particularly authentic, but then again, neither is the Thai restaurant in Douglasville. Their mojitos are quite authentic, however, and I do love a mojito. Del does too, actually. My drinking tastes do run up the dinner bill. Beer is as cheap or cheaper than bottled water, but wine and liquor are expensive, but only by Lithuanian standards. Our bill, with appetizer, two entrees and two mojitos was 82 litas - which is about $34. Then there was the tip, of course, but still. The mojitos were 18 litas each, by the way, only a lita or two less than the entrees.
Tomorrow I will have to wash everything that is dirty because there is a sign on the green door that we think says no hot water from the 16th through the 20th. I need to get down there and double check with the dictionary to be sure. Minor inconvenience when you consider the flooding people are going through, of course.
Happy weekend.
Note: And I thought I didn't learn mudh in Lithuanain class. No hot water. Second time in a couple of months.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Day 110 Goodbye Neighbor
I set the alarm for 5:30 so I could give our neighbor Susie a hug as she left for the US. Bless her heart, she feels so strongly that God means for her to be here - so strongly that she is willing to spend the summer raising money to pay her salary to come back, but she does miss her family and friends. I think it must have been terribly hard for her to give up her job and strike out over here alone. She said she cried every day the first semester, but has been less homesick since she got back after Christmas. It's probably even harder because she is a small town girl who had never lived far from home before. Tomorrow she will be home.
Today was a rainy day here, so I stayed home to do chores. Del went out to settle final details for our trip to Rhodes. I had laundry all lined up to do, so did several loads even though it will take a bit longer to dry with the rain. I persuaded Susie to let me do her sheets and towels instead of getting up extra early to do them herself, so we have stuff hung up all over the place. Fortunately, the front loader only uses what looks like a cup or two of water and spins really well, so there is no dripping. I do wonder just how clean things are when you don't drown them in water, but I've probably commented about that before. The kitchen also needed a polish.
I would have thought that having slept most of yesterday, I would have tossed and turned last night. Not so. I slept like a log. The rain must have taken care of some of what was making me drip and sneeze, because I am much better today without drugs.
We have planned a quiet week end. I need to go to the market because the fridge is getting bare. I can't wait to see what vegetables the vendors have this week. I wonder if they grow asparagus here and when it comes. Hopefully the berries will come in before we leave. I understand they are wonderful, and I want more of those delicious mushrooms. If it stops raining, we want to take a walk. There are still a couple of sculptures we have not seen. One must be hidden in plain sight, because we know the address of it, but just can't seem to see it.
One of my Rick Steves correspondents is sitting out the bad weather in Vilnius. He had planned to spend the week end here biking the spit, but postponed hoping for clear weather. I have my fingers crossed. You do meet up with the nicest people on that website. I enjoy browsing it every few weeks, cause I do worship at Rick's feet, you know. Del calls him St. Rick because when we were planning the trip to Rome and Florence, I quoted him every other breath. He can laugh, but Rick never steered us wrong, and neither did his groupies. They seem to be so eager to help others and do not get snippy like the people on the Forbes site. I finally just stopped looking at it because people just seemed to want to get their noses out of joint.
I think I had posting problems the last couple of days. I got a message that they were posted, but I'm not sure they were. Something about blogspot having an issue. I still can't find Thursday.
Have a great week end.
Today was a rainy day here, so I stayed home to do chores. Del went out to settle final details for our trip to Rhodes. I had laundry all lined up to do, so did several loads even though it will take a bit longer to dry with the rain. I persuaded Susie to let me do her sheets and towels instead of getting up extra early to do them herself, so we have stuff hung up all over the place. Fortunately, the front loader only uses what looks like a cup or two of water and spins really well, so there is no dripping. I do wonder just how clean things are when you don't drown them in water, but I've probably commented about that before. The kitchen also needed a polish.
I would have thought that having slept most of yesterday, I would have tossed and turned last night. Not so. I slept like a log. The rain must have taken care of some of what was making me drip and sneeze, because I am much better today without drugs.
We have planned a quiet week end. I need to go to the market because the fridge is getting bare. I can't wait to see what vegetables the vendors have this week. I wonder if they grow asparagus here and when it comes. Hopefully the berries will come in before we leave. I understand they are wonderful, and I want more of those delicious mushrooms. If it stops raining, we want to take a walk. There are still a couple of sculptures we have not seen. One must be hidden in plain sight, because we know the address of it, but just can't seem to see it.
One of my Rick Steves correspondents is sitting out the bad weather in Vilnius. He had planned to spend the week end here biking the spit, but postponed hoping for clear weather. I have my fingers crossed. You do meet up with the nicest people on that website. I enjoy browsing it every few weeks, cause I do worship at Rick's feet, you know. Del calls him St. Rick because when we were planning the trip to Rome and Florence, I quoted him every other breath. He can laugh, but Rick never steered us wrong, and neither did his groupies. They seem to be so eager to help others and do not get snippy like the people on the Forbes site. I finally just stopped looking at it because people just seemed to want to get their noses out of joint.
I think I had posting problems the last couple of days. I got a message that they were posted, but I'm not sure they were. Something about blogspot having an issue. I still can't find Thursday.
Have a great week end.
Day 107 Road Trip
The dean of the humanities faculty allowed the Library faculty to have a day off, a van and a driver to take us on a tour of the Curonian Spit. It's a 90 k long and narrow penninsula that connects with Kalingrad, an outpost of Russia they kept after Soviet times. We could not go across the border, of course, but unlike a former candidate for national office, we really could see a part of Russia, and our cell phones claimed we were actually there. The spit divides the Curonian Lagoon from the Baltic sea, and is magnificent. The part we could visit was the municipality of Neringa which is one long skinny politican entity with several little towns taken into it. They say the main street is 50k long. The area has long been a mecca, as they say, for artists.
We started our trip at 9 o'clock by taking a car ferry from Klaipeda. Our first stop was at the Hill of Witches. During Soviet times artists wanted to make a beautiful scupture garden, but were limited in choice of subjects by the Soviets. Since the Soviets did not mind witches and legends, they decided to carve them. Now there are more than a hundred sculptures.
After a picnic, we walked most of the way up the gray dunes, but one of the older librarians took pity on us , and perhaps herself and suggested that time was getting short and we should go on to Nida. It is a beautiful village with an amber museum and the former summer home of Thomas Mann. Up on the hill you can look in one direction at the lagoon and in the other to the Baltic Sea.
Amber is brought from the sea and is made of resin. I had not known that it comes in many different colors depending on the circumstances of its creation. White has lots of air bubbles, for example. We also saw examples with insects, etc. captured in it. Amber is believed to have healing properties and to bring luck. One of the librarians has had bronchitis, and she was wearing a dark amber necklace which is supposed to be especially good for respiratory ailments. We were taught how to make an elixer of amber soaked in 80 proof alcohol for a month, and given some to taste. The museum curator said that after a month it is no longer alcohol, it is medicine, and a shot glass a day will guarantee good health. It certainly did taste like medicine of the nastiest kind.
If you ever want to know if amber is real, put it in a 10% solution of salt water. If it floats, it's real.
We also learned about the painted wooden weathervanes that ships had to have in order to identify them. We were told that you would have been ale to look at the weather vane and tell all about the owner of the ship, down to how many children he had. Now people set the weathervanes on tall poles as yard decorations.
We got home around 6:30 and collapsed. Fortunately, our picnic, the cake and cookie break and ice cream at the ferry landing meant we needed no dinner. Once again, I was too tired from doing to talk about it, so this is late.
The ladies were so funny. We try to pay for as much as we can because their salaries are small. I just tell them it's Del's turn to cook or that Uncle Sam or the government is paying. When we planned this trip, they told me that the government was not invited and they would play. The last time we went out, I had stopped and paid when I went to the bath room, so when we stopped for coffee and I went got up to go to the bath room, Audrone said "Ha, we already paid." and they laughed and laughed. We were on our best behavior regarding letting them pay.
The weather was just beautiful, sunny and warm. Our little friend Joris had prayed for good weather for us, and he did a god job.
Included with the pictures in this post, you will see an example of the most creative parking I have ever seen and the inside of the taxi I took to work this morning.
We started our trip at 9 o'clock by taking a car ferry from Klaipeda. Our first stop was at the Hill of Witches. During Soviet times artists wanted to make a beautiful scupture garden, but were limited in choice of subjects by the Soviets. Since the Soviets did not mind witches and legends, they decided to carve them. Now there are more than a hundred sculptures.
After a picnic, we walked most of the way up the gray dunes, but one of the older librarians took pity on us , and perhaps herself and suggested that time was getting short and we should go on to Nida. It is a beautiful village with an amber museum and the former summer home of Thomas Mann. Up on the hill you can look in one direction at the lagoon and in the other to the Baltic Sea.
Amber is brought from the sea and is made of resin. I had not known that it comes in many different colors depending on the circumstances of its creation. White has lots of air bubbles, for example. We also saw examples with insects, etc. captured in it. Amber is believed to have healing properties and to bring luck. One of the librarians has had bronchitis, and she was wearing a dark amber necklace which is supposed to be especially good for respiratory ailments. We were taught how to make an elixer of amber soaked in 80 proof alcohol for a month, and given some to taste. The museum curator said that after a month it is no longer alcohol, it is medicine, and a shot glass a day will guarantee good health. It certainly did taste like medicine of the nastiest kind.
If you ever want to know if amber is real, put it in a 10% solution of salt water. If it floats, it's real.
We also learned about the painted wooden weathervanes that ships had to have in order to identify them. We were told that you would have been ale to look at the weather vane and tell all about the owner of the ship, down to how many children he had. Now people set the weathervanes on tall poles as yard decorations.
We got home around 6:30 and collapsed. Fortunately, our picnic, the cake and cookie break and ice cream at the ferry landing meant we needed no dinner. Once again, I was too tired from doing to talk about it, so this is late.
The ladies were so funny. We try to pay for as much as we can because their salaries are small. I just tell them it's Del's turn to cook or that Uncle Sam or the government is paying. When we planned this trip, they told me that the government was not invited and they would play. The last time we went out, I had stopped and paid when I went to the bath room, so when we stopped for coffee and I went got up to go to the bath room, Audrone said "Ha, we already paid." and they laughed and laughed. We were on our best behavior regarding letting them pay.
The weather was just beautiful, sunny and warm. Our little friend Joris had prayed for good weather for us, and he did a god job.
Included with the pictures in this post, you will see an example of the most creative parking I have ever seen and the inside of the taxi I took to work this morning.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Day 109 Through the Coricidin Haze or Daze
I had sneezed all day yesterday, amusing the young people who use the square across the narrow street from us as a gathering (drinking) place. They had a wonderful time imitating my sneezes as they heard them through the open windows. I don't get a bad feeling from the people at all, maybe because if they live in flats as small as ours, they need a place to gather. Our place is probably the size of our guest bedroom. They leave by midnight on weeknights but stay later on weekends. They are quite careful to leave the place clean when they leave, most of the time. Either because it's the right thing to do or because you can turn in bottles for money. I pretend that only drinking is going on out there, but I can't swear to it.
Anyhow, I woke up this morning with my eyes streaming and one sneeze after another. I didn't have any responsibilities that couldn't be put off, so I took a coricidin, knowing that as a consequence, I would spend the day examining the inside of my eyelids. And that's pretty much what I did. I would wake up briefly, like when I smelled the toast Del made for p&j for lunch or when he said goodbye when he left for class but not again until he called out from under the window asking me to come let him in at the green door because he forgot his key.
It would have been a very productive day if I could have harnessed my dreams. I spent my dream day shopping for and cooking a full Thanksgiving meal. I would rouse up and say to my self that this is stupid and go right back to dreaming where I left off. If you are wondering, we had turkey, roasted after a long debate with myself over the possibility of looking for a fryer, Mother's dressing balls, a gallon of gravy ( it should be a beverage), homemade cranberry sauce, string beans, beets, sweet potatoes sort of like Del's mother made them but not so much butter, Eunie's pecan pie, lemon chess pie and a pumpkin pie I was just taking out of the oven when Del called up to be let in. Everything was being made in Lithuania, so gathering the ingredients was a bit of a problem, and baking in an oven that turns off every 20 minutes or so was a pain. For some reason there was no Virginia ham. Too bad, now I can't have a turkey and ham sandwich with Dukes mayonaise on one side and cranberry sauce on the other with pepper and a big glass of milk for my dream breakfast.
I have a very detailed dream life. Want me to describe Quincy Jone's beach house kitchen? I can do that, down to the colors on the dishes. Del stopped being willing to hear about my dreams after that one.
Thanks to departing neighbor Susie, our dinner tonight will be one of the most delicious meals we have had since we got here - hot dogs burned in a dry skillet with OLD FASHIONED CHEAP YELLOW AMERICAN MUSTARD, like Frenches, only a store brand. She brought down some more goodies last night, and when I saw the yellow mustard I was beyond delighted. Seems when she went home at Christmas, she wrapped some up and brought it back with her, tucked in with her clothes. She said life is too short to do without yellow mustard.
Our hot dogs will be served in an individual baguettes, because they don't have hot dogs buns here, with mustard and onions. I would have loved to add chili and cole slaw, but you have to make those from scratch, and my coricidin stupor is not condusive to scratch cooking. We are fortunate to have as our nutritious side dish, Lays salted potato chips with no unpleasant additions such as chili, cheese, vegetables, sour cream, bacon, tomato, lime and several other flavors. These salted chips are a rare find, and only at Hyper Maxima. They've only had them twice when I went there, so I have been saving this bag for a special occasion. It beats me how people who barely use pepper love those potato chip flavors.
After dinner note: I just have to tell you, our hot dog dinner was wonderful. I may have put a little too much mustard on mine, but I'm pretty sure the hot dog was still in there. When we get home, I feel a trip to the Varsity in my future. It's an amazing hot dog place in Atlanta and in Athens that has people lined up out the door. There are 4 other locations around somewhere. The counter people stand at the registers calling out "What'll ya have? What'll ya have?" It was started in 1928 and is supposedy the world's largest car hop place. 800 people can eat inside and they have parking for 600 cars, right in downtown Atlanta. Nipsey Russell was a car hop there. When Tech plays at home 30,000 people come to the varsity. PBS did a special several years ago.
Coricidin seems to be wearing off, only 2 naps since dinner.
Anyhow, I woke up this morning with my eyes streaming and one sneeze after another. I didn't have any responsibilities that couldn't be put off, so I took a coricidin, knowing that as a consequence, I would spend the day examining the inside of my eyelids. And that's pretty much what I did. I would wake up briefly, like when I smelled the toast Del made for p&j for lunch or when he said goodbye when he left for class but not again until he called out from under the window asking me to come let him in at the green door because he forgot his key.
It would have been a very productive day if I could have harnessed my dreams. I spent my dream day shopping for and cooking a full Thanksgiving meal. I would rouse up and say to my self that this is stupid and go right back to dreaming where I left off. If you are wondering, we had turkey, roasted after a long debate with myself over the possibility of looking for a fryer, Mother's dressing balls, a gallon of gravy ( it should be a beverage), homemade cranberry sauce, string beans, beets, sweet potatoes sort of like Del's mother made them but not so much butter, Eunie's pecan pie, lemon chess pie and a pumpkin pie I was just taking out of the oven when Del called up to be let in. Everything was being made in Lithuania, so gathering the ingredients was a bit of a problem, and baking in an oven that turns off every 20 minutes or so was a pain. For some reason there was no Virginia ham. Too bad, now I can't have a turkey and ham sandwich with Dukes mayonaise on one side and cranberry sauce on the other with pepper and a big glass of milk for my dream breakfast.
I have a very detailed dream life. Want me to describe Quincy Jone's beach house kitchen? I can do that, down to the colors on the dishes. Del stopped being willing to hear about my dreams after that one.
Thanks to departing neighbor Susie, our dinner tonight will be one of the most delicious meals we have had since we got here - hot dogs burned in a dry skillet with OLD FASHIONED CHEAP YELLOW AMERICAN MUSTARD, like Frenches, only a store brand. She brought down some more goodies last night, and when I saw the yellow mustard I was beyond delighted. Seems when she went home at Christmas, she wrapped some up and brought it back with her, tucked in with her clothes. She said life is too short to do without yellow mustard.
Our hot dogs will be served in an individual baguettes, because they don't have hot dogs buns here, with mustard and onions. I would have loved to add chili and cole slaw, but you have to make those from scratch, and my coricidin stupor is not condusive to scratch cooking. We are fortunate to have as our nutritious side dish, Lays salted potato chips with no unpleasant additions such as chili, cheese, vegetables, sour cream, bacon, tomato, lime and several other flavors. These salted chips are a rare find, and only at Hyper Maxima. They've only had them twice when I went there, so I have been saving this bag for a special occasion. It beats me how people who barely use pepper love those potato chip flavors.
After dinner note: I just have to tell you, our hot dog dinner was wonderful. I may have put a little too much mustard on mine, but I'm pretty sure the hot dog was still in there. When we get home, I feel a trip to the Varsity in my future. It's an amazing hot dog place in Atlanta and in Athens that has people lined up out the door. There are 4 other locations around somewhere. The counter people stand at the registers calling out "What'll ya have? What'll ya have?" It was started in 1928 and is supposedy the world's largest car hop place. 800 people can eat inside and they have parking for 600 cars, right in downtown Atlanta. Nipsey Russell was a car hop there. When Tech plays at home 30,000 people come to the varsity. PBS did a special several years ago.
Coricidin seems to be wearing off, only 2 naps since dinner.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Day 108 5:30 Came Early This Morning!
I gave myself an extra half hour of sleep this morning, but it was certainly hard to pull myself out of bed after yesterday's road trip. I was whipped. The taxi that showed up to get me this morning was a sight for sore eyes. Check out the picture on the trip blog. I fiddled with the camera, changing the battery and taking a picture out the window in hopes the driver would not think I was being rude, though I was, of course. The seat covers were fuzzy fake fur in a design that may have been meant to be tiger, but not one I've ever seen in a zoo or on Animal Planet. I have to tell you that it was good to get out of that taxi. It looked clean, but it gave the same feeling as a cheap motel, and I try to avoid them as well.
Anyhow, we had our next to last classes, learning about emotion words. It's hard to define the slight differences between some of the meanings and interesting to learn some of the ideas the class members had about some words. Just as I had assumed that certain Lithuanian words meant the same thing as a word that sounded similaar in English, they assumed that English words that sound similar, like sign and sigh mean the same. My acting out of some of the words got a few laughs. I was particularly proud of my temper tantrum, sobbing, giggling and frowning. The disgusted sigh plus rolling of eyes wasn't bad either. The yawns weren't acting, I was just sleepy.
After class, I skipped coffee and came straight home. I drug or dragged myself up the stairs to the flat, said "hello" to Del and lay down for a short nap. This short nap lasted 2 1/2 hours and didn't do much toward perking me up. Del is too smart to wake me up from a nap unless specifically instructed to do so because it can get ugly, so I just slept on and on. Tomorrow will be my do something or do nothing day. I'll decide tomorrow. Yea! And we are planning a quiet week end.
We had left over chicken for dinner with sliced tomatoes. That was that. There are no leftovers for tomorrow. How does grilled cheese or bacon, lettuce and tomato sound? I haven't seem the bacon man since before Easter. I do miss the convenience of take out, especially the delivery part. I just want to see a smiling face at my front door holding a container of something not good for me.
Anyhow, we had our next to last classes, learning about emotion words. It's hard to define the slight differences between some of the meanings and interesting to learn some of the ideas the class members had about some words. Just as I had assumed that certain Lithuanian words meant the same thing as a word that sounded similaar in English, they assumed that English words that sound similar, like sign and sigh mean the same. My acting out of some of the words got a few laughs. I was particularly proud of my temper tantrum, sobbing, giggling and frowning. The disgusted sigh plus rolling of eyes wasn't bad either. The yawns weren't acting, I was just sleepy.
After class, I skipped coffee and came straight home. I drug or dragged myself up the stairs to the flat, said "hello" to Del and lay down for a short nap. This short nap lasted 2 1/2 hours and didn't do much toward perking me up. Del is too smart to wake me up from a nap unless specifically instructed to do so because it can get ugly, so I just slept on and on. Tomorrow will be my do something or do nothing day. I'll decide tomorrow. Yea! And we are planning a quiet week end.
We had left over chicken for dinner with sliced tomatoes. That was that. There are no leftovers for tomorrow. How does grilled cheese or bacon, lettuce and tomato sound? I haven't seem the bacon man since before Easter. I do miss the convenience of take out, especially the delivery part. I just want to see a smiling face at my front door holding a container of something not good for me.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Day 106 1/2 Muddle Revisited
My friend John of Emporia days saw my entry about Muddle on FB and asked for the recipe. He said his dad used to make it often, stirring in any cigarette ash that might find its way into the pot. John has spent his adult life out at the University of Illinois, so he probably hasn't had much muddle in recent years.
I thought some of you might want to give it a try, so here is the recipe, or more accurately, the process. The first column is Woodrow Pollard's recipe as Daisy gave it to me. They assumed that anyone who would try to use it could fill in the missing information. The second column is my attempt to cut down the amount. I can't tell you how much it makes. I just use my biggest pot, and if it gets too full as I start adding things, I pull out my second largest pot and shift part of it over. I try to even things out as I add the remaining ingredients. If it doesn't seem quite right, I get out a third pot and use it to mix some from each of the first two pots. Then I combine what's left in the first two pots and finally combine the whole mess into the two big pots.
Woodrow's Recipe My Adjustments
3 hens 1 hen
5 lbs. potatoes 1 2/3 lb.
3 lbs. onions 1 lb.
3 lbs. onions 1 lb.
3 qt. butter beans 1 qt
3 quarts corn 1 qt
2 lb. bacon or side meat ½ I actually use less
4 qt. tomatoes 1 1/3
salt salt
black pepper black pepper
red pepper red pepper
Here's what I do:
chop the bacon and cook until crisp in my biggest stock pot.
add the hen, cover with water, canned broth or a combination of the two and stew with the top on until done.
take the chicken from the pot, let cool enough that you won't burn your fingers, remove skin and pick meat off bones. Tear into shreds.
add chicken back to the pot with chopped onions, potatoes and still frozen butterbeans (baby limas)
put in some salt, and both peppers - It will take a good bit, but be careful
cook until vegetables are tender.
use potato masher to smash some of the potatoes a little, but leave most as they are.
add chopped tomatoes with juice.
use low heat and stay nearby to stir frequently, being sure to scrape the bottom of the pot each time to prevent scorching. Stir more often as it gets thicker. Taste for seasoning and check for the traditional color. Add some more tomatoes if it looks pale.
when it starts getting thick, add frozen corn.
cook until there is probably no nutrition left and the spoon will stand up in the pot.
place pot in an ice water bath to cool, adding more ice as needed and stirring frequently.
put in appropriate sized containers for your family, refrigerate over night and then freeze.
Just because I like yall, I'm also going to tell you how to make fried corn bread as mother used to make it. I don't make this very often. Once a year at the family beach bash and the first time or two I serve muddle for company each fall, but it certainly is good, though not good for you.
Buy plain, white unbolted corn meal - Johnson's used to be the brand, but I don't know now (Quaker just won't do, so don't even try . Get a friend to send you some real meal or just use white corn tortilla chips)
Dump some meal into a bowl
Add some salt and black pepper
Add water until quite soupy more runny than pancake batter
Let sit for a few minutes because it will absorb water and may need a bit more.
Put enough oil in a well seasoned iron frying pan to cover the bottom, or use a teflon pan with oil.
Stir the meal mixture and put serving spoon sized amounts in pan.
Mixture will begin to brown and make little bubbles.
Turn the little patties and remove to paper lined plate when crisp and brown.
Prepare to fight for your share.
So, there you are friends. John, I hope this will give you at least a beginning place for your muddle adventures. It really is more a process than a recipe. I just keep tasting and adding until my memory begins to jangle and then I quit. Sometimes I cook the chicken ahead and refrigerate overnight, by the way.
add chicken back to the pot with chopped onions, potatoes and still frozen butterbeans (baby limas)
put in some salt, and both peppers - It will take a good bit, but be careful
cook until vegetables are tender.
use potato masher to smash some of the potatoes a little, but leave most as they are.
add chopped tomatoes with juice.
use low heat and stay nearby to stir frequently, being sure to scrape the bottom of the pot each time to prevent scorching. Stir more often as it gets thicker. Taste for seasoning and check for the traditional color. Add some more tomatoes if it looks pale.
when it starts getting thick, add frozen corn.
cook until there is probably no nutrition left and the spoon will stand up in the pot.
place pot in an ice water bath to cool, adding more ice as needed and stirring frequently.
put in appropriate sized containers for your family, refrigerate over night and then freeze.
Just because I like yall, I'm also going to tell you how to make fried corn bread as mother used to make it. I don't make this very often. Once a year at the family beach bash and the first time or two I serve muddle for company each fall, but it certainly is good, though not good for you.
Buy plain, white unbolted corn meal - Johnson's used to be the brand, but I don't know now (Quaker just won't do, so don't even try . Get a friend to send you some real meal or just use white corn tortilla chips)
Dump some meal into a bowl
Add some salt and black pepper
Add water until quite soupy more runny than pancake batter
Let sit for a few minutes because it will absorb water and may need a bit more.
Put enough oil in a well seasoned iron frying pan to cover the bottom, or use a teflon pan with oil.
Stir the meal mixture and put serving spoon sized amounts in pan.
Mixture will begin to brown and make little bubbles.
Turn the little patties and remove to paper lined plate when crisp and brown.
Prepare to fight for your share.
So, there you are friends. John, I hope this will give you at least a beginning place for your muddle adventures. It really is more a process than a recipe. I just keep tasting and adding until my memory begins to jangle and then I quit. Sometimes I cook the chicken ahead and refrigerate overnight, by the way.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Day 106 Quiet Day at Home
Today was a quiet day at home for me. There was the ever present laundry, preparing for my next to last class, a nap, preparing snacks for the trip to the spit and cooking dinner. I had bought beautiful mushrooms at the market on Saturday and turned some of them into a chicken and mushrooms dish. Quite yummy, if I do say so myself.
Del had an extra lecture today, so he worked this morning and headed out to school.
I read an entry on FB about muddle tickets that took me back. When I was a girl every organization in the county seemed to sell muddle to raise money for this and that. Our Girl Scout Troop certainly raised a lot of money selling it and selling Claxton fruitcakes. We actually got to ride the train to Savannah to juliette Gordon Lowe's home. I never cared for the fruit cakes, but I still love muddle. It goes by the name Brunswick stew in other places, although I think muddle is a little thicker. You can eat it with a fork. Every community had a couple of men who cooked the muddle for the groups to sell, and there was some disagreement as to who made the very best. Other people just made it for friends and famiy. We used to make muddle every year in a big black iron pot over a fire. The women cooked the chicken, pulled it off the bones and got the vegetables together and the men stirred the pot constantly for hours until it was done. Daddy had whittled out a paddle that looked very much like a boat paddle. Keeping the fire hot enough to cook, but not burn the muddle and keeping it stirred all the way from the bottom was a big responsibility, because scorched muddle would ruin your reputation. Stirring was a hot job, so the iced tea flowed. In our family you had to sweeten your tea yourself if you wanted it that way, because Mother liked hers plain.
If you haven't had muddle, it is basically a thick stew of chicken, side meat or bacon, butterbeans, corn, onions, potatoes and tomatoes seasoned with salt and lots of black and red pepper. Each muddle maker had variations. Some people put in some sugar and some put in cracker meal at the end for thickness. We didn't. I have Woodrow Pollard's recipe and after cutting it down, manage to make a pretty good muddle in a big pot on the stove. When the first hint of fall comes, Del asks when we are going to have muddle. I make a big pot and freeze it in quarts for later. Come to Ga. this fall, and I'll make you some. We'll have fried corn bread.
Sometimes we had squirrel muddle. I really couldn't tell much difference in taste, but I did hate it if a piece of shot was missed and I bit down on it. Squirrel muddle was just for home eating, of course.
I guess all the muddle makers I knew are gone now. I wonder who they passed their paddles to.
Tomorrow is our road trip to the spit. I'll tell you all about it when we get home.
Del had an extra lecture today, so he worked this morning and headed out to school.
I read an entry on FB about muddle tickets that took me back. When I was a girl every organization in the county seemed to sell muddle to raise money for this and that. Our Girl Scout Troop certainly raised a lot of money selling it and selling Claxton fruitcakes. We actually got to ride the train to Savannah to juliette Gordon Lowe's home. I never cared for the fruit cakes, but I still love muddle. It goes by the name Brunswick stew in other places, although I think muddle is a little thicker. You can eat it with a fork. Every community had a couple of men who cooked the muddle for the groups to sell, and there was some disagreement as to who made the very best. Other people just made it for friends and famiy. We used to make muddle every year in a big black iron pot over a fire. The women cooked the chicken, pulled it off the bones and got the vegetables together and the men stirred the pot constantly for hours until it was done. Daddy had whittled out a paddle that looked very much like a boat paddle. Keeping the fire hot enough to cook, but not burn the muddle and keeping it stirred all the way from the bottom was a big responsibility, because scorched muddle would ruin your reputation. Stirring was a hot job, so the iced tea flowed. In our family you had to sweeten your tea yourself if you wanted it that way, because Mother liked hers plain.
If you haven't had muddle, it is basically a thick stew of chicken, side meat or bacon, butterbeans, corn, onions, potatoes and tomatoes seasoned with salt and lots of black and red pepper. Each muddle maker had variations. Some people put in some sugar and some put in cracker meal at the end for thickness. We didn't. I have Woodrow Pollard's recipe and after cutting it down, manage to make a pretty good muddle in a big pot on the stove. When the first hint of fall comes, Del asks when we are going to have muddle. I make a big pot and freeze it in quarts for later. Come to Ga. this fall, and I'll make you some. We'll have fried corn bread.
Sometimes we had squirrel muddle. I really couldn't tell much difference in taste, but I did hate it if a piece of shot was missed and I bit down on it. Squirrel muddle was just for home eating, of course.
I guess all the muddle makers I knew are gone now. I wonder who they passed their paddles to.
Tomorrow is our road trip to the spit. I'll tell you all about it when we get home.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Day 105 Happy Mothers' Day
Warning: This entry may be off putting because it is not about the trip at all. I got to thinking, and next thing I knew, this entry had taken on a life of its own. Feel free to skip today.
Mothers' Day seems very different to me this year. It occurred to me that since my brother's death in October, there is no longer anyone who was loved and influenced by Mother as I was and who remembers her as I do. I expect, however, that no two people remember a person in exactly the same way, especially when one is a son and one a daughter and they are twelve years apart in age.
For the first fourteen years of my brother's life, Mother kept house in a house without electricity or water except for a pump on the back porch, so life was harder for her then. She also had more people to look after until the other men in the family married.
REA came through when I was two years old, so she had electricity. Thank you, Mr. Roosevelt. (always pronounced /oo/ in our house) I remember when we got real running water, but we didn't get an indoor bathroom until Bubba was in college. Mother and Daddy had a huge garden and canned or froze most of what we ate. I remember going to town to the frozen food locker to put in or take out food, and we went to Stony Creek to the school to can large batches of string beans and tomatoes and I suppose other things as well. We also canned at home. She also loved her flowers and had a huge garden of those as well. She called them her therapy.
Mother made just about everything I wore, often making skirts for me out of the good part of pants that were outgrown or worn out. I could never keep my "soul and body together", as she said, so she sewed buttons on my blouses and put a button hole in a little square of fabric that she sewed into the waist band of my skirts in an attempt to keep me neat. I think I was in school before she got an electric sewing machine. That had to be a blessing. She also taught me to sew, and while I don't that much anymore, it certainly did help in our early years. She also did embroidery, quilting and crochet. Her hands were never still.
I did not get my temper and impatience from my Mother. She was far too good natured. Del said he married me because he thought I would get more like my mother as I aged, but the joke was on him. The only time I know of when she got angry enough to tell someone what she thought was when I was in high school and attended a dance that was mentioned in the local newspaper. The minister, Mr. E., read about it, figured out that was why we missed revival that Saturday night and on Sunday morning, from the pulpit,scolded an unnamed person for putting dances ahead of attending church. Since I was mentioned by name in the paper, it was quite clear who he meant, and Miss Rosa did not take it well. She called upon Mr. E. after church that day, and while I don't know what was said, she seemed to feel better when she came out of his office.
Mother had several expressions that I remember fondly. She once said of someone who had a overly friendly, sort of oily personality that he was so slick you wouldn't have to grease his ears to swallow him. She also told me when I was going through my overly protective mother of frequently sick child phase (The phase lasted only 20 years or so.) that children needed love and watching over but they also needed some loving neglect, and mine wasn't getting any. I think she thought I spent too much time walking around behind David with a stethescope.
Occasionally she gave hints that were more or less subtle. She once saw me reading when I should have been working on something and said,"Reading can be a sin, you know." And after her handwork was displayed in the Senior Citizens case at the local library, she told me that maybe one day I could have a display of my half finished projects. It was beyond her understanding that a person could start another project before finishing the previous one.
Mother didn't get to finish high school, and, sadly, I don't think she ever realized how smart she was. She was also shy and not very confident around people she felt knew more and had more world experience than she did. People she thought knew how to do things right. She studied up on how things were done, so she could teach me, and I think that's why she and Daddy worked so hard to see that my brother and I had as many opportunities as possible.
I would be remiss (I've always wanted to say that), if I did not mention that I was also blessed in the mother in law department. When Del was in Vietnam and David was so sick, I could not have asked for anyone to be more supportive than she and Mr. Williams were. I really do not know if the 24 year old me would have made it without them. Mother was not able to do what she would have done because my daddy was in the process of dying from a heart condition and we didn't want him to know how sick David was. Plus, her hands were kind of full. It was such a relief to her to know that I was not having to do everything on my own.
Well, you read someone's blog, expecting travel news and all of a sudden they just tell you more than you ever wanted to know. Way too much information.
Moving on. We had a great Skype with the kids today. Rosa has only 13 more days of school, and they will be here in a month. Can't wait. She showed us her latest sewing project, a lined vest. Her teacher must really be good to have taught her so much in such a short time, and she must be a good student.
We also celebrated by taking the bus out to McDonalds. The coke was not as good as in Prague, but the yellow mustard was a treat!
I dressed for the occasion in a short sleeved t shirt and sandals and was perfectly comfortable. On the way back to the bus stop we saw a toddler dressed in bibbed ski pants, a thick sweat shirt and a hat. Most children don't pay much attention to us, but this baby kept running back toward us just grinning. His parents would get him going in the right direction and back he would come. My theory is that he saw how I was dressed and figured if he could get to me I would save him from heat exhaustion. Who knows what he had on under the layer we could see.
So, happy Mothers' Day, Moms, and to repeat what I said to my FB friends, to all those who provide mothering and guidance whether they are called aunt, older sister, teacher, friend, or sometimes even Daddy.
Mothers' Day seems very different to me this year. It occurred to me that since my brother's death in October, there is no longer anyone who was loved and influenced by Mother as I was and who remembers her as I do. I expect, however, that no two people remember a person in exactly the same way, especially when one is a son and one a daughter and they are twelve years apart in age.
For the first fourteen years of my brother's life, Mother kept house in a house without electricity or water except for a pump on the back porch, so life was harder for her then. She also had more people to look after until the other men in the family married.
REA came through when I was two years old, so she had electricity. Thank you, Mr. Roosevelt. (always pronounced /oo/ in our house) I remember when we got real running water, but we didn't get an indoor bathroom until Bubba was in college. Mother and Daddy had a huge garden and canned or froze most of what we ate. I remember going to town to the frozen food locker to put in or take out food, and we went to Stony Creek to the school to can large batches of string beans and tomatoes and I suppose other things as well. We also canned at home. She also loved her flowers and had a huge garden of those as well. She called them her therapy.
Mother made just about everything I wore, often making skirts for me out of the good part of pants that were outgrown or worn out. I could never keep my "soul and body together", as she said, so she sewed buttons on my blouses and put a button hole in a little square of fabric that she sewed into the waist band of my skirts in an attempt to keep me neat. I think I was in school before she got an electric sewing machine. That had to be a blessing. She also taught me to sew, and while I don't that much anymore, it certainly did help in our early years. She also did embroidery, quilting and crochet. Her hands were never still.
I did not get my temper and impatience from my Mother. She was far too good natured. Del said he married me because he thought I would get more like my mother as I aged, but the joke was on him. The only time I know of when she got angry enough to tell someone what she thought was when I was in high school and attended a dance that was mentioned in the local newspaper. The minister, Mr. E., read about it, figured out that was why we missed revival that Saturday night and on Sunday morning, from the pulpit,scolded an unnamed person for putting dances ahead of attending church. Since I was mentioned by name in the paper, it was quite clear who he meant, and Miss Rosa did not take it well. She called upon Mr. E. after church that day, and while I don't know what was said, she seemed to feel better when she came out of his office.
Mother had several expressions that I remember fondly. She once said of someone who had a overly friendly, sort of oily personality that he was so slick you wouldn't have to grease his ears to swallow him. She also told me when I was going through my overly protective mother of frequently sick child phase (The phase lasted only 20 years or so.) that children needed love and watching over but they also needed some loving neglect, and mine wasn't getting any. I think she thought I spent too much time walking around behind David with a stethescope.
Occasionally she gave hints that were more or less subtle. She once saw me reading when I should have been working on something and said,"Reading can be a sin, you know." And after her handwork was displayed in the Senior Citizens case at the local library, she told me that maybe one day I could have a display of my half finished projects. It was beyond her understanding that a person could start another project before finishing the previous one.
Mother didn't get to finish high school, and, sadly, I don't think she ever realized how smart she was. She was also shy and not very confident around people she felt knew more and had more world experience than she did. People she thought knew how to do things right. She studied up on how things were done, so she could teach me, and I think that's why she and Daddy worked so hard to see that my brother and I had as many opportunities as possible.
I would be remiss (I've always wanted to say that), if I did not mention that I was also blessed in the mother in law department. When Del was in Vietnam and David was so sick, I could not have asked for anyone to be more supportive than she and Mr. Williams were. I really do not know if the 24 year old me would have made it without them. Mother was not able to do what she would have done because my daddy was in the process of dying from a heart condition and we didn't want him to know how sick David was. Plus, her hands were kind of full. It was such a relief to her to know that I was not having to do everything on my own.
Well, you read someone's blog, expecting travel news and all of a sudden they just tell you more than you ever wanted to know. Way too much information.
Moving on. We had a great Skype with the kids today. Rosa has only 13 more days of school, and they will be here in a month. Can't wait. She showed us her latest sewing project, a lined vest. Her teacher must really be good to have taught her so much in such a short time, and she must be a good student.
We also celebrated by taking the bus out to McDonalds. The coke was not as good as in Prague, but the yellow mustard was a treat!
I dressed for the occasion in a short sleeved t shirt and sandals and was perfectly comfortable. On the way back to the bus stop we saw a toddler dressed in bibbed ski pants, a thick sweat shirt and a hat. Most children don't pay much attention to us, but this baby kept running back toward us just grinning. His parents would get him going in the right direction and back he would come. My theory is that he saw how I was dressed and figured if he could get to me I would save him from heat exhaustion. Who knows what he had on under the layer we could see.
So, happy Mothers' Day, Moms, and to repeat what I said to my FB friends, to all those who provide mothering and guidance whether they are called aunt, older sister, teacher, friend, or sometimes even Daddy.
Day 104 A Glorious Day in the Neighborhood.
https://picasaweb.google.com/Williams.BMR/SpringInKlaipeda?authkey=Gv1sRgCMyQrqOg_53QwAE
Saturday was the most beautiful day! It was as though spring arrived in full force. I needed something at the Old Market, so I got an early start and was so excited at the hustle and bustle. There were more vendors than I had ever seen before in the covered market, and the fresh vegetable sellers had multiplied. Most fun were the stands set up to sell flowers, trees, shrubs, seeds, bedding plants and bulbs of all sorts. I even saw bags of seed potatoes with all those funky eye growths just waiting to be cut up and planted. There were herbs, especially dill and gobs of tomato plants from tiny to very well established in pots for the balcony, I guess.
I was surprised at how many of the flowers I recognized from gardens in the US -- holly hocks, nastursiums, geraniums, pansies, those tiny things that look like pansies, impatience, hydrangia, begonias, zinnias, flox (I think), petunias. Masses of color. There were also people selling cut flowers - roses and tulips, especially. People were going out lugging large boxes of bedding plants and hanging baskets, probably to the bus stop.
Del went out later for a walk and to pick up some things at the Iki and found the source of the beautiful music coming through our open windows. There was jazz going on in front of the jazz club, and little bands set up on corners and in the square. He also say an outdoor piano recital and some children doing folk dances.
I did some cooking for the birthday party we attended in the afternoon at the home of one of the long term couples at LCC. They will be going home in two weeks to Harrisonburg and to visit churches, as missionaries do during the summer. It was lovely to be in their back garden with the apple trees just beginning to come forth. They are also in the process of oving out of this house after six years. Betsy said they came to Lithuania 9 years ago with 2 suitcases each, but it is going to take a truck to move them from the house. Most of the people we knew from the semester have already left, but we met some new people who are here to teach a summer course. A pair of twin brothers, both retired professors, are back for the 12th time, and we met a young man from the Atlanta area. None of their wives came. That makes them sound like polygamists, doesn't it?
We left the party just in time to get ready to go to the puppet show. It was about George, who had various adventures and was based on three Lithuanian stories, and a hat. We recognized a word or two, but were again just fascinated by the visual. The puppeteers were actors who were always visable and often appeared to be participating in an old fashioned radio show. All the puppets were made of newspaper, and were amazing. They were so simple, and yet so effective. There was a man, a small child, various spirits and monstors, even a fedora made of newspaper. If you look up Pagal Jurgi ir kepure you can see some pictures.
I was delighted to catch a glimpse of the pantomime artist from the night before. He is just as beautifully homely without white face as with. I do wonder if the wonderful lines in his face are because of the way he uses his face or if his face just made his profession an obvious choice.
Again, I came home with my brain too tired from doing to think about writing about it, so today's entry is again a day late. I think my energy level is waning, or has done waned, but I do want to write down things so I can remember them. One of the professors knows someone we knew in Akron, but none of us could remember his last name. I thought it started with either a /w/ or some other letter of the alphabet,but today at 1:30 in the afternoon, when I was thinking of something else all together it came to me. Started with an /h/, but of course I was right, since it did indeed start with some other letter of the alphabet. Can't say I don't cover my bases.
Saturday was the most beautiful day! It was as though spring arrived in full force. I needed something at the Old Market, so I got an early start and was so excited at the hustle and bustle. There were more vendors than I had ever seen before in the covered market, and the fresh vegetable sellers had multiplied. Most fun were the stands set up to sell flowers, trees, shrubs, seeds, bedding plants and bulbs of all sorts. I even saw bags of seed potatoes with all those funky eye growths just waiting to be cut up and planted. There were herbs, especially dill and gobs of tomato plants from tiny to very well established in pots for the balcony, I guess.
I was surprised at how many of the flowers I recognized from gardens in the US -- holly hocks, nastursiums, geraniums, pansies, those tiny things that look like pansies, impatience, hydrangia, begonias, zinnias, flox (I think), petunias. Masses of color. There were also people selling cut flowers - roses and tulips, especially. People were going out lugging large boxes of bedding plants and hanging baskets, probably to the bus stop.
Del went out later for a walk and to pick up some things at the Iki and found the source of the beautiful music coming through our open windows. There was jazz going on in front of the jazz club, and little bands set up on corners and in the square. He also say an outdoor piano recital and some children doing folk dances.
I did some cooking for the birthday party we attended in the afternoon at the home of one of the long term couples at LCC. They will be going home in two weeks to Harrisonburg and to visit churches, as missionaries do during the summer. It was lovely to be in their back garden with the apple trees just beginning to come forth. They are also in the process of oving out of this house after six years. Betsy said they came to Lithuania 9 years ago with 2 suitcases each, but it is going to take a truck to move them from the house. Most of the people we knew from the semester have already left, but we met some new people who are here to teach a summer course. A pair of twin brothers, both retired professors, are back for the 12th time, and we met a young man from the Atlanta area. None of their wives came. That makes them sound like polygamists, doesn't it?
We left the party just in time to get ready to go to the puppet show. It was about George, who had various adventures and was based on three Lithuanian stories, and a hat. We recognized a word or two, but were again just fascinated by the visual. The puppeteers were actors who were always visable and often appeared to be participating in an old fashioned radio show. All the puppets were made of newspaper, and were amazing. They were so simple, and yet so effective. There was a man, a small child, various spirits and monstors, even a fedora made of newspaper. If you look up Pagal Jurgi ir kepure you can see some pictures.
I was delighted to catch a glimpse of the pantomime artist from the night before. He is just as beautifully homely without white face as with. I do wonder if the wonderful lines in his face are because of the way he uses his face or if his face just made his profession an obvious choice.
Again, I came home with my brain too tired from doing to think about writing about it, so today's entry is again a day late. I think my energy level is waning, or has done waned, but I do want to write down things so I can remember them. One of the professors knows someone we knew in Akron, but none of us could remember his last name. I thought it started with either a /w/ or some other letter of the alphabet,but today at 1:30 in the afternoon, when I was thinking of something else all together it came to me. Started with an /h/, but of course I was right, since it did indeed start with some other letter of the alphabet. Can't say I don't cover my bases.
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