ST.NICK"S DAY

 December 6th is St. Nick's Day.

 In my childhood years this day was a very special one because it was one of the rare days that we were given gifts of hard to get sweets like ginger bread and chocolate. There was often a mandarin orange added to our individual treat plates that were especially made for this yearly

event. It is still a festive time for children in parts of Europe but it seems that the modern Santa Claus coming at Christmas time has spread globally making today a more minor festivity in those areas. 

When I was a young mom I could find European delis selling the plates and goodies readily. Not any more. The delis hare almost all gone. Now our local super grocery store has a new version, a cellophane bag filled with a foil covered St. Nick chocolate along with some small tree ornaments in the Christmas goodies' section. What is unusual is that it comes from China not Europe. And I tend to not trust the ingredient list as I once did. Times have really changed. 

But my memories of this festive time in my youth remains in tact.

Happy St. Nick's Day to anyone who likes a reason to have some fun  a and who enjoys chocolates and assorted sweets. Perhaps a cocoa liqueur might be what you crave or a spiced red wine?

HUMBLING AND EXHILARATING

  On the 6th of October my sister, a born Canadian, joined me on a journey to my birth country. We decided that it was time to visit our elderly aunt once again. My daughter chose this time as a great opportunity to fly over from the UK to join us. It turned out to be a very busy ten days.

   Since the flight into another time zone is a challenge I opted to upgrade to a higher class for the flight over there. The larger seat space did make the trip a bit more comfortable. There was no direct flight so we chose to land in Amsterdam and then take a train to Hannover. By the time we arrived at our Aunt's it was already 10:30 pm on October 7th. She greeted us in the lobby and after just a quick hello we parted. Her place of residence has guest rooms with kitchenette's. We settled into our room for a good sleep ready to meet Aunt for breakfast in her place. It felt all so familiar. We have done this several times over the past 4 years. It felt good.

   Aunt is our mother's sister and has reached the age of 93. She goes swimming 6 days a week. She still walks to he local grocery shop to pick up what she needs. She enjoys bowling every two weeks and joins in the events of her residence as she sees fit. She's been there for 25 years now. During that time her husband passed away. She found a new companion and he too recently passed away at the age of 101.
   The residence has kept up with the times and we were able to get wifi from the lobby. She finds it amazing that we can store photos on tablets and phones. She cannot grasp how they are so easily accessed. Her photo past is all on slides! UGH!! Nor can she grasp texting though she sees it being done all around her even by the newest 87 year old friend she's managed to find for herself. What a lady! And he carries a title of nobility. We had to meet him for tea time on the first day with her.

   On the 8th late at night daughter arrived and joined us in our room. An extra bed was added making it cosy. Sis and I had already been to the local Rewe shop for some groceries because we wanted to relax and eat breakfast in our room since Aunt was up too early for us. On the 9th we all met up for lunch at 11:30 followed by coffee and cake at 3 with more family visitors. 
   I'm always fascinated at what new tidbits one learns about one's family on these occasions. Hans and Ruth joined us. They are siblings. Both are widowed and are grandparents. Hans is 90 and still drives. Ruth at 87 is very fit. Both are very alert with great memories. Good to know that there are family members with a gene that can survive well for a few extra years.

 Aunt is to the very left, then Ruth , Sis and daughter.  Below is one with me.

The siblings are aunt and uncle to my aunt. Their father was my aunt"s father's brother. Their father had his children late. He was 72 when Ruth was born.

This dates back to the 1930"s. Ruth and Hans with parents.

Once again this was an event stretching four generations and it is humbling.

LEIF VAUPELL OLSEN, a Proud Danish Canadian

The news came over the internet.
Sadly Leif drew his last breath on Saturday September 27th in the morning after a long struggle with a lung transplant rejection.
In October of 2008 he was near death when a donor came along and the double lung transplant became a reality for him and all were delighted that he made great progress.
And in the past six years he was able to share much goodness with all of us. He was a big part in many great family events; family travels, weddings , birthdays, arrival of 5 grandkids and Christmases that he so loved and made very special. 
Leif came into my life after the 1978 sudden death of my brother who was married to Linda when Leif and Linda were high school teachers at the same school and had worked together on musical productions for the school. 
After some time Linda and Leif were drawn to each other by their common love for music. He was a guitarist and she was a piano player. Both enjoyed singing too. Their decision to join their lives met with some  opposition from the families since Leif had two sons and a wife. But he wanted out of his marriage and he wanted Linda. 
In October of 1983 he married Linda and they had two lovely children together. Leif and Linda were always around for the boys from his first marriage. The couple continued to teach on a shared plan, meaning they would teach a couple of years at a reduced salary and then take a year off until they finally retired altogether.
Leif encouraged Linda to follow her dreams. She studied harp and became the proud owner of one. She worked at crafts and had a stained glass studio. He enjoyed painting and created lovely water colour and acrylic pieces. Both loved nature and have lived their time together in rural settings. One of many passions Leif had was to care for a variety of birds both in shelters and by way of bird feeders.
What I admired most about him is that he never shut my family out of their family life after Linda married him. In fact we were guests at the wedding. He did many things with our family over the years. He was a very loving and genuinely caring man. 
That he's left us has not yet fully set in. It's still too soon.

Leif and his new baby girl visiting us in the "80"s

Leif with his grandchild just newly born in '13..

We shall pay our respects tomorrow at his memorial.

May he rest in peace.

A New Season Begins

It's been a busy spring and summer. We travelled a lot and I just could not convince myself to sit down with a device to compose anything sensible. And since I had little time to read your blogs I was sure it would be best to pause a bit . 
But now fall is arriving. 
Buddy has put on his clothes that have fall colours and he set out fall themed napkins. 
It's always fun to be around him , watching him get into the spirit of things. Seasons are very relevant to him. He likes to be in the moment and he keeps me pacing along.

We are back on track with blogging now and will visit with you regularly we hope.

A detailed post of our events is being worked out. 

Happy FALL to you.

A REAL GEM

   It was July 9, 1954. I was living with Ruth and Alfred Mänzer in Kassel, Germany. Alfred picked me up from Lehrte, my birth town, where an aunt who had been minding me since the beginning of February but preferred a childless life style. Alfred was a very close friend of my father's. Because of the war He and his wife were not able to have children. Ruth was sterilized by the Hitler movement as she had some Hebrew ancestry.  When my father had to replace my aunt and uncle with new care givers for me he thought that Ruth might enjoy the chance to have a little girl around. She agreed to try this.
   No one asked me. It was my fourth move in a very short time. It was hard. My parents had moved to Canada in may 1953 hoping to have us follow but getting immigration for us children proved harder than they had anticipated. At first my father's sisters and grandpa came to care for us in shifts but it became too challenging over time so by mid summer my father sent my mother back to care for us until she could bring us to Toronto with her.
   My Father fell seriously ill in January 1954. In a hurry my mom quickly sent my brother to her aunt and me to her sister so she could fly to care for him. It was thoughy this arrangement would be short but it was not. As April came to an end my mom's sister had been asked by her husband and his mother that I be sent to a different family member. My welcome was over.
   My father wasn't happy to have to find me another placement but he dealt with this. He wrote to Alfred. Soon, with my small bag of nice clothes that my aunt had managed to amass during my stay, I was picked up by Alfred. After a long train ride I found myself in his apartment. I was given the living room couch by night. I was with strangers. I missed my parents and my brother. I missed all my aunts and my grandpa but I was told not to be ungrateful. I was to be a happy delightful girl. It was tough.
   Ruth worked very hard to make each day special for me. She helped my with homework and with the making a few local friends whom she allowed over for brief visits. She was affectionate and knew how to prepare meals that children would like. She even served them in interesting varied ways. I was given lessons in culture and geography of Kassel, a gorgeous city with hills and fountains.
   On That July day the sun up early , its beams shining on the treetops that were visible from the balcony making them glisten from the morning dew. The breakfast table was set outdoors with a bit of extra fanfare and my eyes gleamed with anticipation. It was a special day, my eighth birthday and I was feeling excited. I had hoped to find mail from my family. I really missed them. Mail was my only connection to any of them. But I did not find an envelope on the table near my place as I went to sit there. I could feel my eyes tear up but I tried to hide that from Ruth. I was hoping my tears would go unnoticed. 
   Ruth was sensitive. She understood pain. Hemce she could read my disappointment. Looking back I now suspect she had known then this would happen and she was prepared. Before I could retreat from the balcony she had her arms around me. With a big hug and gentle words she had me seated in my place fairly soon. Then she served me some fresh pancakes covered with powdered sugar and dotted with strawberries and whipped cream. She poured me a cup of "kids's" coffee and sat down across from me. She was having a plain slice of bread. It made my meal really appear more delightful to me. Brilliant and so thoughtful.
   When we had finished eating she cleared the table herself asking me to remain seated, a kind gesture since I was usually expected to lend a hand.
Then she returned with a small decorated paper cone filled with sweets. I loved my gift and jumped up to hug her but she motioned me to sit down again.So I complied without hesitation. And then she put a pretty small box in front of me. I was surprised. Gifts usually only came on very special days. I usually got a new outfit or something practical. This box suggested by its size was not the usual type of gift. Carefully I opened it. What a beautiful sparkling object appeared! It was to be my very first piece of golden jewellery. 
   Ruth gave me a child sized necklace with a tiny horseshoe pendant on it. It was perfect. Ruth was a gem. She made that day so memorable that I can feel the joy even now.

PS Today I celebrate my 68th and here's a plant I bought for myself because my family is not inclined to show affection in a traditional way. Emails and texts just aren't the same for an oldie like me but I do know how to care for just me and I thank my aunts for that.

Isn't it a beauty??