The Cleverness Of A Little Maltese.

 Sharp as a whistle, stubborn as a donkey.

What now, you might wonder! Well, the weather gods have been and are being good to us by dumping oodles of rain upon us. We so desperately need rain. The ground is so dry it reminds one of a desert. Awful but hopefully now not anymore.

The only person who doesn't like the rain is our little prince, Maxi. During the morning I had to take him out for a pippi break and gosh darn it, he noticed the wet ground! Leg down and in he ran. Ran to his little bed under the television. His safe haven, his castle, his home. And there he has been whiling the time away.

Usually at about two o'clock he comes to see where I am in order to let me know that a bathroom break is high time. His major bathroom break, his long walk around the block and of course nature. Today, no surprise, he has been lying in his little bed looking everywhere but at me. Hiding away. Two hours longer than usual.

Once he got out to shoot the breeze with Bob ( he has a rain day-off ) until he heard me coming around the corner from the kitchen...his little legs couldn't carry him fast enough back to his haven. He just does not like the rain. He likes snow, but not rain.

Never mind, I have found a way to outsmart him. From experience I am well aware that taking a donkey for a walk would be child's play compared to him. A distance of 50 meters entails me pulling the leash whilst cajoling him, and he putting down all four of his feet. No budging him even an inch.

The only way he will brave the rain is if the matter is a matter of urgency. So with cunning I have waited those extra two hours until he came to get me. Suddenly his ablutions can be made quickly and succinctly and even mere meters from our gate. What a clown! What a sweetie!

The next few days will mean a break for me from walking him his daily three kilometres, and you know what, everyone is entitled to some laziness and eccentricity.

Biggi

The Pink Road Of Eisenberg.

 The collective bloom of the spectacular pink trees.

Granted the light isn't as bright as normally but they are predicting rain from this afternoon onward. No other chance to get a photo of this once a year pink bloom! It is such a treat to witness it year after year.

Aren't they fabulous? Nature again proves her magic.

You know, it isn't easy to take this photos....still early enough in the morning to warrant the occupants of these houses to look outside their window and see me loitering there with camera in hand!

This house at least stands empty and thus it was easy to take photos. A little bird house is dangling on a branch and completes this image.

Not pink but yellow! The chapel at the edge of Eisenberg is still as tranquil as can be...a bench inviting us to sit and reflect on the beauty of our lives.

Biggi

Some Cheerful Spring Images.

 Burgenland is again starting to shine.

The blossoms are waving their perfume about. It is such a pleasure to be able to walk past them. 

The yellow shrubs are dotting the landscape again. So cheerful, so beautiful, so reliable.

A mammoth tree trunk surrounded by pretty and delicate blossoms. I do so hope that this tree won't be felled by some thoughtless person.

Isn't it strange that wherever one turns a glass of wine is waiting? Ah, the beauty of Burgenland and its prolific supply of top class wines...

Finally, a bee hotel staying open despite corona! Check-ins, by the sound of things, were in full swing and non-stop.

Biggi

A Nice And Gentle Monday Morning.

 Village life...

Early, before the sun was even up I, sorry we, ran into an energetic and dapper octogenarian. He was dressed for the day going for his walk, whereas Maxi and I were mere minutes out of bed. A sight indeed.

We shot the breeze for a bit and then headed off into our separate directions. Fast forward an hour and a half...I had just come back from my solo walk and was turning into our street when I happened to pass the same man yet again. Only this time he was coming from the other direction.

    " Gosh, have you walked all this time? "

" Yes, I went to Deutsch-Schützen and back. Isn't it wonderful to be able to walk? "

What a fabulous person. He must have walked close close to 6 kilometres and to be honest, he didn't even look as though he had broken a sweat. As he told me; 

                                        " Wer rastet, der rostet / who rests rusts. "

Well, an inspirational start to the week indeed.

Later in the afternoon I took the boy yet again for his round and ran into a couple of our neighbours with their toddlers in tow. Gosh, at the top of my head I can think of at least 10 babies that were born this last year, on our block! What is happening? That is a Kindergarten class ready made!

As one does, I stopped to catch up on the latest news. There has been a lone walker, with crutches, backbrace and built up shoes which we didn't know how he featured into Eisenberg. Well, no longer. It turns out he the son of one of the Eisenbergers who is recuperating from an accident.

While I was standing there, one of the young mothers was fiddling with her top, a top that had a touch of maternity about it. I wasn't sure as nowadays these tops are trendy regardless if one is in the family way. It was a delicate moment which I chose to handle diplomatically by not asking if she was expecting. God forbid she had put on weight the normal way! Never mind though, the town crier will soon let me know if baby #11 is on the way...

Biggi

A Few Quotes About Dogs.

 They are so cute...

" A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself. "

Josh Billings

" The greatest fear dogs know is the fear that you will not come back 

when you go out the door without them. "

Stanley Coren

" When the dog looks at you, the dog is not thinking what kind of person you are.

 The dog is not judging you. "

Eckart Tolle

" You can usually tell that a man is good if he has a dog who loves him. "

W. Bruce Cameron

" Everybody should have a shelter dog. It's good for the soul. "

Paul Shaffer

" Dogs don't rationalize. They don't hold anything against a person. 

They don't see the outside of a human but the inside of a human. "

Cesar Milan

" My little dog - a heartbeat at my feet. "

Edith Wharton

" My idea of absolute happiness is to be in bed on a rainy day with my blankie,

 my cat, and my dog. "

Anne Lamott

" There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face. "

Ben Williams

" If you think dogs can't count, try putting three dog biscuits in your pocket

 and then give him only two of them. "

Phil Pastoret

Biggi

A Few More Glimpses Of The Blossoming Spring.

Soul soothing.

 An abandoned house down our street. Personally, I love this house or rather the barn as the house is out of frame on the right. 

Here a pear tree is sprouting seeds.

Soul soothing, isn't it? How magnificent is Mother Nature?

The trees of the forest are almost ready to join in the spring movement.

A lonely hunter's lookout strategically placed so that one can oversee one part of Eisenberg, church included.

A few of the trees are sporting their spring bloom but regardless, a most inviting sight.

Part of my walk this morning. There are so many valleys similar to this one in our neighbourhood. Makes me wonder what is underneath those hills? Celtic graves perchance?

The delightful fir, always there, always alive and always evoking thoughts of Christmas...

Biggi

For The Might Of Wheat.

 The world will finally step in.

The war is now into its second months. Unthinkable suffering, unthinkable destruction and an unthinkable situation. For us. We, who are only the spectators although slowly it is touching our lives more than the emotions it wrings from us when seeing it daily on our screens.

The planting season is here. The seeds have to go into the ground now so that the harvest is secure. Wheat mainly and mainly in those regions where the war is raging. Yes, Ukraine and Russia are the world's bread basket and at the moment that is under threat.

Will the farmers be able to do their work? When one takes in the bigger picture, it becomes frightfully apparent that not only people locally will be affected but also millions of people in Africa and other places around the world. Their daily bread is being threatened by the continuation of this war.

And that is where the world will step in. The powers that be have already realized that a shortage of wheat worldwide has tremendous knock-on effects. People starving, people fighting and people migrating. Millions of people. That is not good for the stability of the world order we are used to.

So yes, this conflict will start to change if it isn't already in the process of stopping. In this day and age, a time of climate crisis that automatically means food scarcity, it is extremely reckless and irresponsible to put even an inch of food supply at risk. No when, but or ifs.

The world needs to pull together and protect the little we have left. Stupid fights over property should not even be a part of anyone's mental landscape. What good is a full wallet when their is no food to spend it on?

The western world is going to step up to put an end to this conflict. The risk of it carrying on is just too great for world stability and of course, peace. It should have acted sooner or at least it should have sent a whole lot of 007's to sort it all out...and I think they have!

Biggi

Common Sense Returns.

 Gosh, it isn't that hard to understand, is it?

At the beginning of March the powers that be decided to lift almost all corona strictures and as it turns out, more to appease popular sentiment than to underscore medical certainty.

Fair enough, some modicum of freedom might have been okay, but the one thing that could have made a difference was ignored.  One thing that would have hurt nobody and seeing that we have had two years to get used to it, bothered nobody either.

The FFP-2 mask. The one and only proven goalie between the covid bug and our noses and throats. All along it was said that this mask can reduce exposure to the bug by up to 90 %. Great odds; big return for little input. Even though it was deemed that this mask was no longer needed, I kept on using mine when out shopping and in crowded areas.

Most ditched them though and now we have the dilemma. Almost everyday for the past two weeks the daily new corona infections have been between 40 000 and almost 60 000 cases! Austria is a relative small country with only close to 9 million people. No wonder our incidence number is the highest in Europe if not the world.

Well, finally last night the government issued a decree whereby everyone has to wear this FFP-2 mask indoors, while shopping and in crowded places. Hallelujah. About time. A little mask is a small price to pay in order to stop people from getting sick. A lot of people think it is a harmless bit of a cold, and for some it is, but many others are and will be afflicted with long covid.

Let's hope this new measure will get our infection numbers down fast, because 50 000 a day could easily morph into 100 000 a day in no time at all.

Biggi

Back To The Eighties.

 Telepathy  and books.

It started yesterday morning at about half past seven. The internet went off and along with it all modern entertainment! Perhaps our modem was on the brink and so I did the faithful trick of ' switch-off/switch-on ' 

Normally that works although it takes an age to reload. Never mind, I had other stuff to do and I could wait. Well, wait I did. There was a red light on the modem indicating a problem and it stayed all day. By lunchtime I tried phoning mum to check in with her only to realize that our landline was dead too along with all cellphones, television ( we only stream ) and of course computer. Nice.

So now my mind went into overdrive. Did we forget to pay our bill or were the nefarious Russian hackers on the prowl? You know, being cut off from all from of communication lets one be rather ill-informed in regards to topics de jour.

In the afternoon I had to do some work for the local shop and when I got there, I asked whether they had internet. Thank goodness they didn't. It wasn't just us. No, it turns out that a couple of villages in our area were off the internet and basically off-grid. Even the shop couldn't place there supply order.

How dependent have we become with our love of internet? You know, yesterday was pretty much spent reading ( feeling a tad unwell and was home anyway ), reading and reading. Flashback to my youth. A time with no internet, no streaming and no cellphone.

A good time really. Less problems, more time and less worry. News were gotten once a day in the evening and while reading the daily paper. Old school really!

The evening ahead would be strange indeed. No television, no internet! Oh well reading it would have to be. Bob got home at around half past five and after he had shaken off the daily work-grind I told him about the lovely evening in store....only to be beaten by the red dot on our modem. It disappeared at the right time heralding the return of our internet. 

Biggi 

And There We Are, The First Day Of Spring.

 A new season, new beginnings. 

Yeah, finally winter is over and done with. Although quite a few die-hards are adhering to their convictions that an extremely cold spell is still ahead. Oh well, just like the one the newspapers predicted at the start of this winter - they mentioned the coldest winter yet - making us all rush out to batten down the warmth hatches. Still waiting, still happy.

Like clockwork the sun is out with a great show of strength and solidarity for this spring ahead. May it bode well for everyone. The mornings are of course still slightly on the chilly side but one can't have it all.

The season of drying one's laundry out for all and sundry to see is here and I love it. Nothing more soothing than to go up to hang out the washing and nothing more depressing at the start of winter realizing that many months ahead the washing will be wrangled over a drying horse. 

The birds have been tweeting at the top of their lungs since yesterday and mistakenly I thought they too were happy about the change of seasons. No, when I happened to glance outside to their feeding platform I couldn't believe my eyes. There one of our feral lodgers had taken up residence. Sitting mightily pretty on the outer rim of this bird-feeding-house. To lazy to hunt she thought she'd just sit and wait for supper to fly into her mouth. No wonder that our bird community were screeching at the top of their lungs at this affront!

This spring we can all hope and pray that life will return to normal for a country. To pray that certain individuals will finally come to their senses and stop this madness. What does it say about humanity that these acts of horror and evil are happening in front of our eyes if we are lucky and if not, are happening to us. History will not judge our generation well, and perhaps there is a small glimmer of hope for peace with the new season ahead.

Biggi

Bob And Maxi.

 Battle Of The Wills.

Having felt a bit poorly I asked Bob if he would take Maxi for his afternoon constitutional. Bob of course did take him but I forgot to mention the various peculiarities that Maxi tends to exhibit on our daily excursions.

Needless to say, the two of them were back within minutes, Bob mumbling something about the stubbornness of a particular dog and the dog in question sporting a winning smile. The business of going to the loo had been neglected. Beginner's mistake, one I have made often. The dog is not the boss!

Maxi tends to at times run like a deer and at other times stop like a brick. Stop and stare at the world refusing to go any further...but only for a moment or so because if one waits it out, a mere nudge at the leash will make him walk again. He is an elderly man and needs to be coaxed and cajoled. Bob took his refusing to budge at face value and gave in and turned around to go home.

For the following walk I primed Bob about his boy's tactics and I have to say that it went much better than I thought. The two of them had a nice time and walked a long way. Not as long as I would have wanted ( Maxi does need to exercise ) but the two of them seemed to be fine with their status quo.

The minute the boy gets back from his long afternoon walk, either with Bob or me, he expects his treats. He knows exactly how many are on the cards and woe to whoever doesn't give him as many! They have to be placed in a particular order too. The first one into his awaiting mouth, the second behind his basket and the third one a meter in front of it.

It is so nice to see the two of them bonding even further. Maxi will trundle up to Bob, sit at his feet and lean into him. Just so cute! In the morning he will jump out of his basket once he hears that Bob's awake in order to greet him. Absolutely special, absolutely magical and proof again that life with pets is the best.

Biggi

Tickling Our Memory Gland.

 All it takes is a bite.

The other day I bought two packets of dried figs because they were marked down by 50% and because I thought that perhaps Bob might like them. I am not too fond of them but will have one now and again.

So, after supper that day I gave Bob two of these dried figs as a desert. He bit into the first one and suddenly his whole face changed. He looked happy, almost ecstatic. What on earth? Bob closed his eyes and munched in mulched in happy memories.

That one bite he took brought him right back to a time in Kindergarten where he was given a dried fig. Happy times, exciting times and a time where his whole life was still an unwritten slate. His memory of that day had kicked in and it literally had made his day.

There is a tv channel that carries old faithfuls. American series from the 70's and 80's and as a bonus one can watch it in its original language. Love it. Earlier this afternoon I happened upon a couple of episodes of Cagney and Lacy. The iconic cop series from the 80's which of course now, seeing it from a modern standard looks rather silly. 

Never mind the weak story lines...seeing this program took my mind back to when I saw it originally. Back in the 80's. Who ever thought that time would go by so fast and that now I am re-watching it almost four decades later? Again, it was a time where my whole life was still ahead of me and if anyone had told me back then that before I knew it, decades would pass, I wouldn't have believed them.

Memories are fabulous things. It means that we have lived life, it means that we have experienced life and it means that we have anchors that keep the pillars of our character firmly anchored by our side.

Biggi

Daring To Defy The Sell-By-Date.

 Discovering long forgotten goods.

In the fridge of course. The vegetable tray to be exact and a punnet of soup vegetables. You know, this thrown together quartet of yellow carrot, orange carrot, flat celery and a twig of parsley. Seen in every vegetable aisle during winter and loved by Bob.

He enjoys making soup and usually when he comes along to shop the first thing he gets is  one of those punnets. Fair enough and jolly good as that means I have one less meal to make. But then again, best laid plans and so forth. Often he forgets and sadly the vegetables go off.

Well today I made a hearty soup and looked for extras to put into it while at the same time taking care of left overs. Bob's long forgotten punnet came to the fore and even I was surprised that most of its residents were still fine to use. Can you believe that the sell-by-date was the end of January? Yikes.

A few edges had to be discarded but on the whole there was nothing wrong with the vegetables. Made me think about the amount of times I have thrown away perfectly good food because someone had determined a date for their demise. An advertising ploy?

Makes one wonder who determines these official dates. One extra day, one extra week would save a lot of vegetables from being thrown away needlessly. Often we are like perfect little soldiers and follow orders instead of relying on our sense of what is still good enough to cook with and what's not.

So far so good with regards to our soup, and honestly, it should have made itself known by now. On to supper and maybe some further past their sell-by-date ingredients.

Biggi

A Little Bit About Courage.

 History, a learning ground.

" What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything? "

Vincent Van Gogh

" Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go. "

T. S. Eliot 

" Courage is being scared to death...and saddling up anyway. "

John Wayne

" Courage is grace under pressure. "

Ernest Hemingway

" Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. "

Anais Nin

" Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace. "

Amelia Earhart

" He is a man of courage who does not run away, 

but remains at his post and fights against the enemy. "

Socrates 

" Courage is doing what you are afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you are scared. "

Eddie Rickenbacker

" Fate loves the fearless. "

James Russel Lowell

Biggi

A New Norm, Corona Norm.

 When a cold was just a cold.

Isn't it funny or rather sad, that the minute we start to have a scratchy throat, blocked nose, sneeze attack or odd cough we immediately think we are stricken with corona. Nobody dares to talk about having a plain old cold.

Bob started to have a scratchy throat over the weekend and the first thing he did was a corona test. Thankfully we have oodles of the at-home-test-kits and thus he checked. No, not corona. A plain old cold it is.

Bob is doing the right thing and staying home in order to get well and also not to inflict the cold bug on his work mates. That is how one should do it and if all his work mates had adhered to this, Bob wouldn't have caught this bug!

So, now I have a husband afflicted with man-flu at home. His words not mine. I try to be a good nurse and make him many cups of tea, nutritious soups and favourite dinners. Nothing worse than suffering from a cold. I don't like it either.

Corona has made itself comfortable in our midst, minds and psyche to such an extent that thinking of a life without it seems strange. Even when watching movies I catch myself thinking about safety when actors embrace or talk to each other without the required meter and a half distance. Weird!

Austria is at the moment having a torrid time with new corona cases daily yet, all corona sanctions are being lifted. Perhaps the powers that be know more than we do, or they haven't got the will to keep us, the populace, masked and alert. I do hope the coming winter season won't be a repeat from the last one as it would be nice to have a normal old fashioned Christmas season ahead....

Biggi

Bits Of Nature, Cheerful And Bright.

 Burgenland awakens to spring.

The floating pot-pourri of nature. One can firmly hear the crispness of those leaves. Dots of colour leading us into a peaceful spring.

The blueness of our sky is something to behold, not to mention the eons of vines.

New beginnings, circular hypnosis! I could look at this field for hours. Very soothing indeed.

The beautiful dot of a poisoned fruit! Bright and attractive and thankfully only to our avian friends.

For some reason the attractive dots of landscape do know how to position themselves for maximum attractiveness. Very cheerful.

Biggi

Where Do The Weekends Go?

 How can two days seems so endlessly long yet wiz past in a jiffy?

The anticipation each and every Friday afternoon is huge. A prelude to a most divine mini-holiday. In our house we celebrate properly by eating pizzas or hamburgers. Putting us into weekend mood. As if that was necessary!

Saturdays are made up of the same amount of hours as a Wednesday or a Monday yet, at the start of it one feels an endless supply of hours for doing nothing at all or everything imagined. Plans are spun about like cotton candy and are as see-through as it too. Most of our plans dissipate once we realize how comfortable our couch is and how gripping our books are.

The weekend feels different for the ' kids ' too. Maxi is thrilled to have Bob home all day long and Mausi lives for her Saturday and Sunday afternoon snoozes with Bob. He'll announce a bout of reading in bed and all of us know that within ten minutes he is fast asleep with Mausi by his side. It doesn't matter what she is doing or where she is dozing, the minute she hears Bob head through to the bedroom she follows him and stays with him.

We have also established a habit of eating the same foods on weekends. Breakfast on a Sunday always entails toasted cheese and tofu scramble. We love it. Day time we each eat what we feel like eating but supper times we usually opt for a curry on Saturday night and a pasta dish on Sunday night. I know, slightly boring but we like the feeling of routine it give us. Kind of calming in these current uncertain times. A good life doesn't need to be filled with luxuries.

Now we are at the cusp of next week and again, I can't fathom where the time has gone. So many plans still there for next weekend, and so many books still to be read.

Biggi

The Gardeners Our Out On Masse.

 A new season.

Despite the early morning chill-today it must have been minus 8-the neighbourhood has turned into a thriving gardening community. Wherever I go there is a body labouring away in their garden.

Our next door neighbours are planting another crop of vegetables and I have to say, if I didn't know that they have a camera mounted, I might be tempted to unearth a carrot or two. Yes, they don't want anything to be taken and living in a small community means spying on each other. Either openly or through the lens of a camera. Much nicer to sit on one's veranda or window sill in order to find out what's what and who's with who!

Bob for some reason has been gripped by gardening fever and today we went to get several bags of manure. What he has in mind I am not so sure about but seeing that he loves watching episodes of Chili Klaus ( some torture event where contestants have to eat the hottest chilies on earth ) there will be hoards of chili bushes growing in our garden. As long as they are co-planted with tomatoes and herbs.

Both of our track record for growing vegetables is not that great. Except for one year where we had oodles of zucchini and come to think of that, I think we should plant some. The prices of them in the supermarkets are outrageous so that it has been months since I cooked with zucchini. Funny how some seasons certain vegetables are cheap in all the various supermarkets and the next season double the price. If every vegetable had doubled in price I would understand, but when it is a selection, a uniform selection, then it does seem strange.

The slowness of gardening is a wonderful stress reliever and keeps us grounded in such uncertain times. Keeps us in suspense and best of all, keeps us fed too...

Biggi

The Price Of Wheat & Grain.

 Time to go vegan.

The war in Ukraine is horrible enough but now the news segments are starting to be inundated with reports about food shortage. Ukraine being the region that grows grains for a lot of us. Yes, scary but then when one takes it a level deeper, one discovers that a lot of the wheat and grain from Ukraine is being used for feedlots.

Feeding cows, chickens and pigs that end up as some form of fast food or steak on your plate. Being vegan cuts out the middle man. When you go vegan, and even if it is only until this food and war crisis has passed, you ensure that everyone will get enough to eat.

From an environmental standpoint it is the only solution to ensure food availability for most of the world. Going vegan. Not feeding endless quantities of wheat, grain, soy, and maize to animals would make such a huge positive impact on our environment. Saving water, saving rain forests, saving lives. Stopping climate change.

    In 2007 42% of the Ukrainian wheat production was used for feedlot in the EU

So many tell me, once they find out I am vegan, that they only eat meat occasionally. They are missing the point. It isn't about the occasional piece of steak but more about the leather shoes, leather car seats, eggs, fried chicken and the most awful of all, the dairy products. All of those use up unbelievable amounts of resources, which are not necessary because we can survive and thrive much better without them. We being the almost 8 billion people of the world.

We are so lucky to not have to go through the torrid, horrid and evil time being thrust upon Ukrainians, so I think it isn't be too much to ask that we try and live a vegan lifestyle for as long as this crisis continues. Every bit  helps and if we mostly eat a vegan diet then the prices wouldn't skyrocket, which in turn would prevent other refugee crises due to hunger and food shortage from happening.

Biggi

The Sheer Joy Of Making Space In My Freezer.

 Time to defrost!

The best investment we ever made was to buy a fridge freezer. After having to deal with that tiny cubicle atop our small fridge, the luxury of spreading stuff over three drawers of frozen landscape is absolutely fabulous.

Frozen bananas, frozen peas, frozen pizzas, frozen vegetables and a smorgasbord of frozen bread varieties. I have made it a habit of buying extra bread and freezing it for a rainy day, or rather a comfortable afternoon. Like today, honestly, it firmly screams of bretzen. Luckily we have some in our freezer.

Bob should be home soon and will be greeted by the magical aroma of freshly baked bretzen. A favourite in our house, a delicatessen and a rarity. Well, more a case of now you see them now you don't! 

Having been raised the Bavarian way, I can only eat a bretzen with dollops of butter atop it. There is no other way as that is how I learnt. Well, not so my darling husband who is prone to put the most outlandish spreads atop them. I think the other day he even tried them with peanut butter. Yes, the Bavarian mind boggles and as I like to tell him;

         " Herr Soeder sends his regards and is severing your Bavarian ties! "

Imagine that; peanut butter and bretzen!!!

Our freezer will serve us well in these tougher times ahead. By freezing food we can cut back on our shopping trips. These next few weeks we are going to have to empty enough space in our freezer in order to accommodate the most precious food for summer. Yes, ice cream! Lately I have been inundated with advertising of the newest vegan creation; A Langnese Vanilla Ice Cream. Apparently it is so tasty that we will have to make room for at least two tubs of it. Just in case...

Biggi 

Paying Homage To A Generation Mostly Gone.

 The resilience of the WW2 Generation becomes only now apparent.

We've seen movies, read books and learnt about them at school. The generation who had to endure the second world war. Not just for a few weeks but for six years. My mind still grapples with that. 

All of us the world over are now finally paying attention to what war does. That war hurts, robs, destroys and kills. We see it all day long and don't know how to sort it in our minds. As abstract as it seems, it feels as if it could have been us.

Our grandparents are an unbelievable generation, one that we took for granted, one that we never really took the time to listen and thank them for those long years of horror that was called the second world war. 

It now makes sense that theirs was a generation that didn't waste. In fact they hated waste because they had to make do with almost nothing trying to keep them and their children alive. I remember my grandfather never throwing stale bread or rolls away. No, he only bought fresh bread once the old one was gone. I could never understand and admit that when I stayed with my grandparents for a few months, I used to sneak out to buy fresh bretzen and rolls at the bakery down the street. Now I understand.

This generation rebuilt cities that were totally destroyed. Imagine what strength of character it must have taken to start from scratch, often by picking out the bricks still usable from the rubble. The Trümmerfrauen. This was a generation that didn't believe in debt. Cash only. Buying things only if they had the cash for it. Mending clothes, refurbishing furniture and using bicycles or going by foot. 

Holidays, if they even had any, were taken close to home. None of this incessant flying on budget holidays. In fact, our grandparents' generation could teach us a thing or two about how to tackle climate change, and more importantly, how to be happy with whatever we have, be it little or a lot.

Biggi

War Through The Ages.

 Will humanity ever learn?

" In peace, sons bury their fathers. In war, fathers bury their sons. "

Herodotus

" I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones. "

Albert Einstein

" The most shocking fact about war is that its victims and its instruments are individual human beings, and that these individual beings are condemned by the monstrous conventions of politics to murder or be murdered in quarrels not their own. "

Aldous Huxley

" Older men declare war. But it is the youth that must fight and die. "

Herbert Hoover

" An unjust peace is better than a just war. "

Marcus Tullius Cicero

" My first wish, is to see this plague of mankind, war, banished from the earth. "

George Washington

" What a cruel thing war is...to fill our hearts with hatred instead of love for our neighbours. "

Robert E. Lee

" Man has no right to kill his brother. It is no excuse that he does so in uniform; he only adds the infamy of servitude to the crime of murder. "

Percy Bysshe Shelley

" In war, whichever side may call itself victor, there are no winners, but all are losers. "

Neville Chamberlain

" I cannot believe that war is the best solution. No one won the last war, and no one will win the next one. "

Eleanor Roosevelt

Biggi

A Chilly Wind Outside.

 A Monday heralding a continuous winter.

It is bright and sunny enough to belie the chilled air. Looking out the kitchen window one would imagine it is the middle of May. The birds are tweeting, the clouds are racing and the sky is a vivid blue. Until one goes outside.

Taking the boy for his afternoon round was a chilling experience. For him and for me. I thought his warm winter coat would be too much for such a seemingly cheerful afternoon and wrong I was. If I hadn't made him walk at a very brisk pace he would have frozen. Look we made it into a nice and warm house and for all I know dogs don't feel the cold as we do.

The wind was howling and that was the problem. The harsh fingers of many a gust of wind were darn awful and extremely biting. Just bone chilling. What a change to the recent warm weather we've been having. Wicked weather teasing us with warm and sunny afternoons, so warm that even my careful neighbours have already planted their summer flowers. Daringly foolish me thinks!

Monday again. The first week of March gone. A third of the year gone. It was just the other day that we were celebrating Christmas and now, Easter and the spectacle of chocolates is moments away. Oh, I forgot about Lent. A whole lot of people are at this moment denying themselves alcohol, sweets and treats. Many  grumpy people about I think.

Well, the week has started and may we make the best of it.

Biggi

The Lovely Chore Of Making Supper.

 Keeps me grounded.

It starts already in the morning during my walk. A sort of plan of what to make for supper. A mental check through of all our larder residents and of course a mental check through of what I would like most to eat. Cook's privilege, isn't it?

Food gives us comfort. Food makes us comfortable and food keeps us sane. The world as we know it has changed and like the genie out of the bottle, I can't imagine that we get that blissful time pre-corona, pre-war back. It would be nice but I am not holding my breath.

So, what to make for supper tonight? Perhaps a curry or alternatively nice veggie burgers. Homemade of course as I have to be honest, those hyped about Beyond Meat burgers aren't to my liking. Too expensive and too many ingredients. Look, they are fine for those who literally want to replace a meat burger with a vegan one that looks the same, but once you've made your own bean burger, there is no going back.

The routine of cooking is marvelous and keeps me from stressing myself out too much worrying about this conflict. Somehow it is going to be sorted out and in Ukraine's favour. China might be the super power that will reign in this rogue Russian man and make him ride quietly off into somewhere where he can't do any more harm to his people, to the world. 

Yes, tonight I am going to make homemade burgers and in the manner of most cooks, change the recipe to suit whatever we have on hand. Nice, mundane and oh so therapeutic not too mention yummy.

Biggi

Maxi Had His Fur-Stylist Appointment Today And Off We Went En Family!

New family traditions?

The only reason we gave in and took him to the stylist was the love of my fingers and his joy at trying to take mine off the minute I get too close to his eyes. Not worth the trouble and quite frankly, none of us liked our parents cutting our hair when we were teenagers. Drama deluxe!

It was his second appointment today and the three of us headed off to Oberwart. He and I sat in the back while Bob taxied us about. Very spiffy. She booked off two hours for the old boy and I got to say, Maxi tends to get more spoiled than either of us. Apart from his short back and sides he got a bath, massage and blow-wave. 

On the way in we passed several petrol stations and predictably and alarmingly the price per liter had gone up by over twenty cents within a week. Talking to people one can't help but hear a collective moan and groan but honestly, even if it was a euro per liter more, it is still a better outcome than having to abandon your house, family and country. Ukrainians would give anything to have the luxury of moaning about having to pay a lot more for fuel. It's all relative, isn't it?

Hopefully this increase in petrol prices will curtail people's needless driving about. Time to aggregate our trips, time to stop driving and start walking, cycling or staying in. The environment can only benefit from this, and it will again show us how little these superficial things mean. I can't help but constantly compare my life with that of an ordinary Ukrainian. How fortunate am I to still have a home, family and normal life. Time we all start to be grateful and thankful for our abundant life.

Biggi

The Best Way To Help, How To Donate.

 An ongoing crisis.

Our local fire departments have asked for donations of food and hygene items for the people of Ukraine. They are to be collected tomorrow at the local hall and with that in mind I went through our larder to find items I can donate.

Canned goods, dried goods and of course some dried lentils are at the moment filling two big bags waiting to be donated. But then someone got me thinking about what the best way to donate is. Goods or cash?

I went home to check it out online and some of the arguments presented make sense. Donating food items that then still have to be transported and sorted takes up a lot of time, effort, paperwork and logistics and shockingly enough, apparently 50 % of items from donation drives for catastrophes end up in landfills.

It boggles the mind to think of it but then in a strange way it makes sense. Wouldn't it be far easier to donate money to an aid organization who then can use it on site? They have so much experience gathered throughout their years of helping.

It would also be easier on the climate. Transporting stuff for thousands of kilometers isn't very environmentally sound, much better to donate the cash and buy the necessary items close to where they are needed. Less wastage too I should imagine.

After all it is more important to give the people what they need as opposed to appeasing my sense of compassion because to be honest, it was more a  case of me feeling good collecting food items off our shelves. There are going to be many more times where my compassion is needed, not just at the  beginning when it is fresh on everyone's minds. The sad thing is that most of us will start to forget about all this suffering once it loses its breaking news luster...

Biggi

Hoovering, At Pets' Displeasure.

A united front.

Isn't it funny how one little move sets them off? For Mausi it is the point when I lift the carpet runners off the floor in preparation for a hoover. From the deepest of sleeps she awakens and dashes to safety from the big bad hoover wielded by her mum.

Since the boy has moved in it transpires that he too, is far from fond of it. How does he know? Well he can hear it but see it he can't. The moment I push the on button his little head lifts up and within moments he does a dash to another room. Anywhere but here! Too funny.

The irony is that I don't like the hoover either. Not because of it looking and sounding nefarious but more mundanely due to it translating to a bit of housework. Hoovering followed by mopping the floor. Of course once the two of them are aware that the hoover has gone back to its hiding place ( behind the bedroom door ) they get very excited by the cloth being pushed forward and backward on the floor. A new game?

Maxi only has one functioning eye and at times, especially during the hoover-affair, it tends to turn into a beady eye watching my every move. Gosh at times I wonder if I should even go close to him...but no, he is as good as gold, only a bit afraid of the machine.

So, in order not to upset our animals too much I tend to limit my hoover excursion to a minimum! Oh, what parental sacrifices one does...

Biggi 

Time To Call In Our Guardian Angels.

 All we have to do is ask!

" Be an Angel to someone else wherever you can, 

as a way of thanking God for the help your Angel has given you. "

Eileen Elias Freeman

" Angels mend our patchwork hearts with threads of love. "

Terri Guillemets

" All God's Angels come to us disguised. "

James Russell Lowell

" Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is rest 

and let your Angels wrap you in their loving wings. They've got you covered. "

Anne Taylor

" Angels understand our prayers even if we don't find the words to say them. "

Anonymous

" Music is well said to be the speech of Angels. "

Thomas Carlyle 

" Make friends with the Angels, who though invisible, are always with you. "

St. Francis  de Sales

" Open your mind to listen and your eyes to see 

and let your Angels guide you to where you should be. "

Mary Jac

" Calling upon the Angels when we are in need, 

helps the Angels fulfill their heavenly mission. We are truly co-creators with them. "

Eileen Anglin

" The Angels are so enamored of the language that is spoken in heaven that they will not distort their lips with the hissing and unmusical dialects of men, but speak their own, whether their be any who understand it or not. "

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Biggi

The Beautiful Minutiae Of An Ordinary Life.

The sameness makes all the difference.

Granted, we all grew up being surrounded by adverts advising us to use XYZ in order to life a most extraordinary life. A life of film stars, a life of travel and a life of glamour. Who didn't get ideas of rushing out to buy a box of Styvesant cigarettes or a bar of Lux soap in order to live the life of overseas glamour?

It struck me just now as I was taking Mr for his afternoon perambulations that my life is rather ordinary, normal and much of the same day in day out. What a pleasure to be able to live a life like this. There is such beauty in knowing how the day unwinds. In repeating the minutiae of a day over and over again. Perhaps it has to do with owing pets. They need to be seen to regardless of what's on the cards.

So there we were amid a lane seen over by two sides of a forest, enjoying the birds tweeting the beginning of spring, the dull roar of a tractor doing whatever they do and the odd sound of a child playing somewhere. Normal stuff. Normal life and a life suddenly so precious because it might not carry on this way.

I saw a news segment about this young Ukrainian mother who said that on Wednesday her husband went to work as usual, she stayed at home doing normal housewifely things; life was grande and then on Thursday everything changed. No home, no stability, no husband and perhaps no country to have a future in. Just like that everything changed.

One never knows how mad despots will behave and whereas at the moment I can cry and absorb this young woman's pain and in fact so many others' pain secure in the knowledge that I have this wonderful ordinary, secure and some might say boring life. But is it? 

Tomorrow is the start of lent and instead of giving up smoking, drinking, eating or even swearing we should all make some donation or contribution to those poor Ukrainians who have had the misfortune of living next door to an evil neighbour.

Biggi