21

Today is Ross's 21st birthday! We aren't there to help him celebrate this milestone, but we will celebrate when we see him. Very soon! It may seem like it was a long time coming for him, but it got here way too quickly for some of us!

Happy 21st Birthday, Ross!

All Around The Tuin

Tuin - pronounced sorta like town, but not exactly. Our street has this same "ui" combination (Luikersteenweg) and there is no equivalent in English. Which is why when we say our address people take on this confused look and then say "Ah, Luikensteenweg!" in a way that our mouths just won't do.

When we began looking for this huis (there's that combo again) on Luikersteenweg, the main requirement was a tuin. That's a garden here and what we Southerners call a yard. Mostly for the hondje, but also for me. I love working in the yard and my specialty is moving things from place to place. Nothing ever gets a tap root because I move it before it has a chance.

In our initial purchases for the house, we bought a hark (rake), a weed-eater (in lieu of a lawnmower) since our "yard" is about the size of your dining room rug, and some snoeiers (pruners). So this past weekend we did a little shopping for some additional tuin essentials: a grill, Adirondack chairs, big pot for flowers, etc. "Check" on the grill and a big pot, but the Adirondack chairs have eluded us.

Jim built the ones we have on our front porch in Jefferson, but building chairs here just isn't an option. We do love Adirondack chairs though.

And in case you're interested in a little history . . .

There is a town on the edge of Lake Champlain, by the Adirondack Mountains, called Westport. The first Adirondack chairs, called Westport chairs, were named after this town. Each summer in Westport, New York, a man named Thomas Lee enjoyed time with his large family at their home called Stony Sides. They had a shortage of patio furniture and in 1902, on the lawn in front of the house, Thomas Lee began nailing boards together, crafting new chair designs for his 22-member family to sample. With family feedback, Lee created a unique new chair with a slanted back and seat and the now well-recognized spacious armrests.

Thomas Lee showed his new creation to a carpenter he knew, Harry Bunnell who predicted that the yearly residents who flocked to the region during the summer would appreciate Lee's chair. In 1904, Bunnell requested a patent, calling the Adirondack chair the Westport chair. In 1905, without Lee's knowledge, Harry Bunnell secured the patent for what would become one of the most recognized furniture pieces ever. The chairs which were made of hemlock, painted either dark brown or green and signed by the carpenter became popular all around the region. Today, Bunnell's original chairs sell for about $1200 each, but were originally sold for around $4.00.

Unfortunately, we were unable to find Adirondack chairs or even comfortable wooden chairs, but we did find some nice ones and I'm looking forward to wearing them out!

Incidentally, while we were waiting to load our patio furniture, this car was in front of us. Now pretty much everyone in Belgium has a small car and I've seen only one or two pick-up trucks in 8 months. Maybe 5 or so full-size SUV's. So it wasn't a complete surprise that we saw this:

. . . sheer determination. And she was off!

Mode - niet alleen kleding, toch?

Fashion - not just clothes, right?

This past weekend was Fashion Weekend in Hasselt. Although I should have marked my calendar, I completely forgot about it. I know, I know, what is wrong with me?

Notice the English - universal

We were taking a walk Saturday evening (and by "we", I mean us and Winslow) and happened upon this style show. Winslow took notes so he can be of future assistance and I thought you might also find it interesting what people here think Spring fashion will be.

Vrouwen

I saw purple, a little lime green, and neutrals. And you won't believe this 'cause if I hadn't been there wearing it I wouldn't believe it myself. I actually had on a purple jacket with a lime green scarf. AND I almost wore my khakis, but I thought it was too early for khakis! It was almost embarrassing :)

Sorry, I know my filming skills are in need of improvement. I didn't get a still shot of those outfits, but suffice it to say it is really tight white jeans, white shoes, white suit with pleated skirt, white shoes again. A lot of white with a little bit of hot pink accent.

Mannen

Did I mention my filming skills are in need of improvement? I know it sounds crazy, but I kinda like that plaid suit with the ankle-length pants and black patent shoes. Not sure it would do anything for me, though. Winslow?

And as is most always the case, I have no idea what she is saying, but I think at the end she said something really great :/

Leuven

1) Since the weather was really beautiful,

2) we've never visited the city of Leuven, only a half hour away,

3) it's one of the options for Ross to attend graduate school, we decided to take a drive and check it out.

We found Leuven to be a bustling, historic, and beautiful city. It has a population of about 93,000. Bigger than Hasselt (75,000), but not so big as Brussels (2 million). Here's a little interesting info on Leuven . . .

Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium and is located 26 kilometers (16 miles) east of Brussels. The earliest mention of Leuven is from 891 when a Viking army was defeated by the Frankish king Arnulf.

In the 15th century a new golden era began with the founding of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in 1425. It is now the largest and oldest university in Belgium and the oldest Catholic university still in existence.

In the 18th century, Leuven became even more important as a result of the flourishing of the brewery now named InBev. Anheuser-Busch InBev is the world's largest brewing group and one of the top five largest consumer goods companies in the world. In fact, InBev's Stella Artois brewery and main offices dominate the entire northeastern part of the town.

In the 19th century the city became an industrial, but also an intellectual centre. In the 20th century, both World Wars inflicted major damage to the city. Upon German entry in World War I, the town was heavily damaged and the university library was deliberately destroyed by the German army on August 25, 1914. Hundreds of thousands of irreplaceable volumes and Gothic and Renaissance manuscripts were lost. The world was outraged over this and the library was completely rebuilt after World War I with American charity funds and German war indemnities. After World War II, the burnt down University library had to be restored again. It still stands as a symbol of the wars and of Allied solidarity.

Given the presence of the KULeuven, an important European institution for academic research and education, much of the local economy is concentrated on spin-offs from academic research.

Nowadays Leuven is a real "student city", as during the academic year many residents in its centre are students. Leuven sports one of the liveliest bar scenes in Belgium. Besides boasting the "longest bar" in Belgium, it's also the proud home city of Belgium's smallest bar, Onder den Toog. Dozens of bars and cafes are crammed into a central square known as Oude Markt.

University library

St. Pieter's Cathedral

Town Hall

These lanterns hang over many of the streets. I want to see these at night!

This canal runs through the town.

Couldn't resist buying a bouquet of these :)

It is indeed a bustling, historic, and beautiful city and we need to find the longest and smallest bars in Belgium, so we will definitely be back!

Painters

Our house was freshly painted when we moved in and now, the painters are back. Yep, the same ones who painted our bathroom door that nice neutral shade of blue. This is in fact the color of our bathroom door. Keep in mind that when we said neutral, we assumed it would be one of the same neutral colors as the rest of the house which are white and beige.

Anyway, they were back to paint the back door - not blue! And they've been here 3 days this week. They don't speak a word of English and well, you know how much Flemish I speak so we've gestured a lot. Although their main job is as a schilder, they apparently double as elektriciens and loodgeiters. Now you probably know now that a schilder is a painter and well, elektriciens is obvious, but you must be asking yourself . . . what is a loodgeiter? No, it's not that. It's a plumber.

So, we have this strange funk emanating from the first floor badkamer and being that the schilders are also loodgeiters we ask them to take a look at it. Now Jim has done everything short of filling the room with "great stuff" to eliminate this bouquet - to no avail.

So the first move is when one of the pseudo-loodgeiters removes the toilet and water runs everywhere and he calls out to me "hallo, doek, doek?" Now I'm trying to conjure up the meaning of this word. I'm sure I've heard it before. I run to see and no words need be spoken - he needs a towel to catch all the water running out onto the floor. Incredibly stinky water, I might add.

I try to tell him the multitude of things Jim has already tried in his futile effort to rid our half bath of all its funk. Gesturing beyond belief and using the only word in the whole room I know - plafond (ceiling), I tell him Jim removed the ceiling and looked down behind the toilet. I gesture to see if he would like to do the same. I can tell by whatever he's saying he wants to know what Jim saw behind the toilet and of course I have no idea. So I tell him I will text Jim to come home from work. I feel this is crucial since Jim has been near obsessed with getting rid of the stench. The schilder/loodgeiter seems relieved that he can now deal with someone besides me.

I text Jim and he says he will come home. He arrives, we crowd around the tiny badkamer, and the loodgeiter immediately begins prattling on in Flemish. Jim is listening attentively. I begin to laugh because I now realize why he was so eager for Jim to come home. I go ahead and burst that bubble and I announce that Jim doesn't speak Flemish either! He throws up his hands and goes next door to fetch the translator/huisbaas/pharmacist, Annemie. Now we're getting somewhere.

Even with a translator no solution is proposed. The schilder/loodgeiter will denk about it and let us know next week when he comes back to do some elektrische work. Perhaps I should brush up on my elektrische terms - phrases like "That won't shock me will it?" and "You gonna leave those bare wires like that?" Just in case the translator is busy.

Prolific Pruning

Have you ever heard the term crape murder? Well, that's when some idiot lops off the top of a crape myrtle tree. Leaving it with no choice but to droop to the ground when in full bloom the following year. It really should be against the law. Of nature if nothing else.

The proper way to prune a crape myrtle is really quite simple. Prune so you can "see throughit" not "over it". I repeat, "see through it" not "over it". Most novice, muttonhead, would-be-gardeners commit crape murder pretty regularly. A pity.

Our neighbor on the right talked to our neighbor on the left and they resolved to prune the only trees that could be considered "our" trees. We actually have no trees of our own. Once again creative pruning at work. Here's his progress, but mercifully nightfall came and he had to quit. No doubt he'll be back to finish it off.

Back to crape murder . . . I've seen no crape myrtles in Belgium, but there's plenty of creative pruning going on. It's amazing how one can turn a sycamore into a few knobby arms. Strangely enough I'm even beginning to like the look of this weird vegetation. Here's the "now" on just a few of the hundreds around town. I plan to go back in mid-Summer to have a look at the "later". I'll keep you posted.

And by the way, it's Pop's birthday. Happy Birthday, Pop!

Cooking -101 (that's a negative 101)

Okay, so I never did much cooking before we moved to Belgium, but now not only do I have excuses, I have good reasons as well. Aside from the Thanksgiving dinner that went nowhere, even the simple gourmet foods I used to make, like Rice Krispies treats, elude me.

Not that everything we used to cook had a can of cream of mushroom soup in it, but it's a pretty common ingredient. A staple, if you will. Not here. And if marshmallows exist, I haven't seen them. And forget making a pie crust with graham crackers or banana pudding with vanilla wafers.

Jim says to improvise, but my favorite foods are kinda like McDonald's. I want them to taste just like they've always tasted. There's just no substitute for Nabisco graham crackers, Kraft jet-puffed marshmallows and Nilla wafers. You culinarians hear me.

Our neighbors have had us over several times to give us a taste of authentic Belgian food and we would like to return the favor. We did send over some of our shrimp creole and they said "it was good" . . . followed by "and spicy". I can't say I'm a real fan of authentic Belgian food yet. Mussels and endive take some getting used to. Sorta like having Thanksgiving dinner in, say Wyoming. You know what I mean.

Fiets

I am the proud owner of a new used fiets (that's Flemish for bike). It doesn't have the banana seat I was looking for, but it was only € 50 and that's practically free. The entryway of our house has gone from a Winter beer and butter 'frig. to a Spring fiets garage.

Jim disassembled Ross's bike, packed it in a box, brought it back from the States and reassembled it. So it was only fitting that I get a bike too. Jim's (aka Ross's) fiets has 21 gears. Mine has 3 - which in fact may be 2 too many.

Today I braved the traffic, pedestrians, hondjes (Flemish refresher - that's "doggy"), and other fiets (Flemish for - see paragraph one). I can't say I enjoyed it, but I did survive it so that's something. It was actually pretty unnerving. I no doubt need to do some serious studying up on the rules of the road before I venture much further than the entryway again.

It's almost embarrassing that men and women 25 years older than me use this as their only mode of transportation. I haven't ridden a bike since . . . well, frankly I guess the last one was at the gym. And I'll just say that was several years ago.

The uncanny thing about it was forcing myself stay in the bike lane. For all these months I've kept out of that lane so to avoid being "belled" at or worse, getting mowed down. These people are serious about getting from point A to point B.

Our neighbor asked if I was going to get a basket for Winslow. Ha. I can't even imagine risking his life along with my own. It just doesn't seem right. Innocent hondje and all. Which reminds me . . . there is this older guy who's always impeccably dressed and has a dog about Winslow's size. He rides with this dog in a basket on the front of his bike. He whizzes by going about 20 mph (I don't know what that is off the top of my head in kilos per hour, but assume it's fast 'cause it is). This guy is moving. The dog is a real pro, looking ahead with ears flying back. A sight to see. I have got to get this on film. I definitely don't see this scenario in mine and Winslow's future. Plus, this guy's way more fashionable than me and if me and Winslow start doing stunts like that someone may film us and . . . well, you get the picture.

So it seems everyone in Hasselt has a fiets. And now we do ook.

De groove

After our little trip abroad, I'm trying desperately to get back in de groove, but I will admit it isn't easy. And BTW, did you know that Europeans consider going to another country within Europe "traveling abroad"? That's like when we go from Ruston to Longview - AKA a trip abroad.

Anyway, back to de groove and it isn't easy, and all that. I guess I may be feeling a little sorry for myself at once again being 8,000 kilos from home. You metricists will appreciate that since you know that is WAY more than 5,000 miles.

Yes, I'm back contemplating ironing my sheets and asking the dog what he thinks of my outfit.

We returned to our Flemish classes. Naturally, we forgot everything we didn't even know before. I'm not even sure how to say "I am Kadden" anymore.

I know, I know, it will just take a little time. After all, time heals all wounds, right? I mean, you take a serious gash, slap a little Neosporin on it, cover with a Band-Aid, and in no time it's all better.

Soooo, maybe I just need a little Neosporin and a Band-Aid. Or maybe I just need some time.

I know it's crazy. The dog doesn't know anything about fashion trends. And in no time, everything will be back to "normal".

DST

DST. That's acronym lingo for Daylight Savings Time.

I've always wondered why we do this, but never took the time to find out. I really thought it had something to do with farming. It doesn't, but it would make a whole lot more sense if it did. I remember in the Fall of last year when Europe's DST (or the end of DST - whichever) didn't start at the same time as the U.S.

So, the U.S. moved their clocks forward in mid-March and we in Europe don't do this until the weekend of March 28. So for 2 weeks we are only 6 hours ahead of CST rather than 7 hours ahead.

Anyway, just a little trivia on DST. All countries in Europe (except Iceland) and all states in the U.S. (except Hawaii and Arizona) observe DST. So if you've ever wondered, thought it had something to do with farming, and really want to know the history of DST . . .

Here's what Wikipedia says:

Modern DST was first proposed by the New Zealand entomologist George Vernon Hudson, whose shift-work job gave him leisure time to collect insects, and made him aware of the value of after-hours daylight. In 1895 he presented a paper to the Wellington Philosophical Society proposing a two-hour daylight-saving shift, and after considerable interest was expressed in Christchurch, New Zealand he followed up in an 1898 paper. Many publications incorrectly credit DST's invention to the prominent English builder and outdoorsman William Willett, who independently conceived DST in 1905 during a pre-breakfast ride, when he observed with dismay how many Londoners slept through a large part of a summer day. An avid golfer, he also disliked cutting short his round at dusk. His solution was to advance the clock during the summer months, a proposal he published two years later.

Willett lobbied unsuccessfully for the proposal in the UK until his death in 1915. Starting on 30 April 1916, Germany, its World War I allies, and their occupied zones were the first European nations to use Willett's invention as a way to conserve coal during wartime. Britain, most of its allies, and many European neutrals soon followed suit. Russia and a few other countries waited until the next year and the United States adopted it in 1918. Since then, the world has seen many enactments, adjustments, and repeals.

So . . . we go to all that trouble to change the clocks worldwide 'cause of a bug collector, lazy Londoners, and a rabid golfer. I'm still not sure it makes a lot of sense and there have probably been numerous "reasons" and justifications for it since the beginning.

I suppose this goes right along with the "reason" for summer vacation for school kids. It supposedly was originally given for kids to work on family farms (there's that farming thing again), but that doesn't quite jibe with Spring planting and Fall harvest ??

Change is difficult . . . even when it makes perfect sense.

Family Time

Ten days just isn't long enough! Here are just a few pictures from our recent trip home.

A little shopping.

A few margaritas.

Frazier and Uncle Jimmy

Me with my brothers Jimmy and Tommy

Frazier and Big Jim

Lunch with Opa

Frazier and Uncle Ross

Randi, Oma, Frazier, and Opa

One of my favorites.

Did I mention 10 days just isn't enough?

NYC

On our way back to the States we did a little stopover in NYC. My first trip to the Big Apple.

I took a lot of pictures and if you've ever been there, these won't do it justice and if you've never been there, these won't do it justice. I did a little internet search for things to see in NYC if you only have a day or two. One website said something like "don't worry, you'll be back" and I agree.

I had no idea how big this place really is. The Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island are huge and we never even left Manhattan!

Little Italy and Chinatown

Central Park

(843 acres right in the middle of Manhattan - it is really something to see)

World Trade Center site

the Brooklyn Bridge

Park Ave, Wall St, Madison Ave, 5th Ave & Broadway

Grand Central Station

Only Jim would notice the worn floor where

countless people have walked through that door.

Times Square

From the top of Rockefeller Center

Central Park

We will definitely be back.