Ahh....Summer! Even if the Rhododendron and Azaleas are just a memory and the Vergissmeinnicht are finished as well, our garden is still blooming with all kinds of other pretty flowers I don't know the names of. We've got some Hortensie (German spelling), Gänseblümchen (daisies), and roses, and of course it's been Furztrocken (dry as a fart) in our village for a long while, so we have to water most evenings. Everyone else seems to grumble about rainy days, but I do not!
It was beautifully cool the last week or so, which I find I like better than stifling heat - to me that's anything above 27°C (I'm a bit of a wimp). The heat will start to pick up now, and I'll be yearning for fall before long.
I thought I would write a general post about what I've been getting up to lately, just because. So here is what I have been...
making
homemade deodorant! I saw this on our noon show, ARD-Buffet, and I decided to give it a try. I don't like the fact that most anti-perspirants have aluminum salts in them (that's what turns your shirt armpits off-color, and smearing a metal on our skin every morning can't be good for us), and this is a simple recipe! I used 100 ml Hamameliswasser (witch hazel) and 3 ml Odex. The first day I used it I wasn't sure, but by the second day I was pleased with the result. It's very neutral, and I'm assuming mild and good for the skin. I'll have to see how well it works when the temps rise above 25°C, but the woman who showed how to make it said she has used in all her travels, including in Africa.
writing
birthday cards and postcards to my children. They both live in Pennsylvania now, though they are still 6 hours apart by car! Their birthdays are 3 days apart in July.
re-reading
the Razor's Edge, by W. Somerset Maugham. It's an old favorite, and it's possible this is my second time re-reading it.
sending
two exchange students home three weeks early due to...let's just say misdeeds.
re-thinking
the value of the exchange program. I just don't know if it's worth it to take a chance we'll get more kids who pull what those kids did. Apart from that, one in particular was a huge pain in my neck and shockingly immature. This is volunteer work for me; I should not have to put up with that crap.
eating
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| lamb chops - the taste of Scotland |
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| Lachsburger und Pommes |
When my salmon burger came, I asked the waitress for some ketchup before trying the curry-mustard dip that came with it. I could have saved her the trouble, the curry dip was so delicious! And I don't even really like curry.
growing
cherry tomatoes! I love tomatoes, M hates them, but luckily for me he likes growing vegetables. We've got some peppers growing in the same Hochbeet and Kopfsalat in another one, but the tomatoes are what make me happy. My snack yesterday afternoon was a few too many Tomaten-Mozzarella-Basilikum Spieße.
feeling guilty about
the amount of sleeping I do! I swear, I nap as much as a useless cat. We're pretty sure I was a cat in a former life, which keeps us wondering what on earth I did to get down-graded to human in this one.
daydreaming about
SCOTLAND!!!! Our next trip to Mull is happening in September, and we're both looking forward to it. I've done my share of gallivanting this year, but it's M's only time away from the office.
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| Isle of Mull looking north over the sea |
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| Highland coos on Mull |
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| Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness |
What have you been up to?
I'm sorry you had to make the decision to send kids home and even more that whatever happened is making you think that the exchange program might not be worth it moving forward. It is a shame that the actions of a few have such tremendous consequences, but that is so true of the world these days. It seems as though the work we are trying to do as teachers is one step forward, two steps back...
ReplyDeleteI agree. And with teacher-bashing being a near sport in the US (Wisconsin, at least), it really makes me wonder why we bother. I have had many memorable (in a positive way) students over the years, and those are the ones I need to remember. with the exchange, interest in Wisconsin is dismal anyway and has been for years, so giving it up would be mainly just facing reality. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteOh you're coming back to Scotland soon? How exciting! We're off to Germany soon to Münster for a birthday party of a close friend. Excited to see more of this lovely country!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your update! I finished coursework through the A2 level and am making lists of tourist sites to see during the remainder of the summer... and considering purchasing my first Dirndl.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear about the problems with the kids. You're right, you shouldn't have to be dealing with that, and hope they at least learned something.
ReplyDeleteOn the bright side, Scotland! ;)