Journey To The Highlands

Scottish Independance

2011-05-08T01:25:00.003+01:00

Yesterday was a good day. A landslide win for the Scottish National Party. For my American friends who (understandably) don't know the political workings over here, let me give you a wee primer...

Scotland was once a free and independent nation. In 1603 when the Scottish king, James VI, "inherited" the throne of England he also became James I of England and he moved his court to London. James VI/I ruled both countries from there, although each country retained its own parliament. History has shown that, from then on, in decisions made from London, Scotland usually got the short end of the stick. 104 years later, in 1707, the Scottish parliament was abolished (the reasons for this are complicated but many Scots still believe that Scotland was "bought and sold for English gold"). With the abolition of the Scottish parliament the parliament at Westminster in London made all decisions for the newly created 'United Kingdom". It was in 1707 that Scotland ceased to be an independent nation and became part of the UK, to the satisfaction of many modern day Scots but also to the very strong dissatisfaction of many others.

Calls for the re-establishment of the Scottish parliament (within the UK) began 'in earnest' in the 1970's by the Scottish National Party (SNP, founded in 1934) and in 1999 their efforts bore victorious fruit. The Scottish Parliament was re-convened after 292 years. Scotland remains a part of the UK but many of its laws are now decided upon by the parliament at Holyrood in Edinburgh. Many others, however, are still made in London. This is called devolution. The Scottish parliament at Holyrood has limited 'devolved' powers. Again, some Scots are happy with this, some are not. Those who are not will be happy with nothing less than full independence and a return of Scotland's historic position as a free and sovereign nation. This is the ultimate goal of the SNP. (end of primer)

This past Thursday (May 5th) Scotland held a routine election of members to the Scottish parliament. As in any election, each party hopes to take control of the governing body. There are 3 other 'major' parties in Scotland. Before yesterday, although the SNP had control of the parliament they didn't have a clear majority (unlike U.S. politics the first does not necessarily equal the second). Yesterday that changed. The SNP took 69 of the available 129 seats up for grabs. Their closest opposition took 37 seats. In fact the minister for our area got more votes than all of his opponents combined. Needless to say I know a lot of people who are on a really big high right now (It reminds me of the euphoria felt by so many of us when Barack Obama won the presidency in 2008). The reality of independence feels so close they can almost taste it. A majority in the Scottish parliament gives the SNP much more leverage to advance their goal of independence and gain additional support from the public. Currently a referendum is scheduled to be put to the Scottish voters in 2014.

This is where I make my disclaimer. I do not presume to know more about the desires of the Sottish people or the realities of their politics than they do themselves. This is simply my own perspective of the situation as someone who has lived here for a while and is keenly interested in the topic. Most who know me also know that I support Scottish independence 100%. The UK is not a homogeneous society, despite 304 years of amalgamation. Over the last three centuries and against all odds, Scotland has retained its culture, its national pride and its identity on the world stage. The people of Scotland deserve control of their own country, not just partial control as devolution provides, but complete. That being said, there is still a lot of work to do and a long road ahead before independence becomes a reality (and I believe it will).

Rather than re-writing what I've already written, here is a paper I wrote for my politics class last year on devolution and Scottish independence...

In the 1990’s John Major claimed that devolution would lead to
“ the break-up of the United Kingdom”. On the other hand, George Robinson believed it would “kill nationalism stone dead”. Eleven years after the re-convening of the Scottish Parliament neither extreme has yet happened. The United Kingdom remains intact, yet Scottish nationalism is alive and well. However, the future of devolution is still a much-debated issue in UK politics. The debate centers not on whether it should be continued; devolution is definitely here to stay. “The Scottish Parliament… has embedded itself in both the consciousness of the people of Scotland and the constitution of the United Kingdom.” Rather, the debate centers on how far devolution should be extended. Some would argue that the current balance between powers devolved to the Scottish Parliament and those reserved to Westminster is sufficient, at least for now. The Calman Commission has recommended that devolution be extended to give the Scottish Parliament more control over issues that directly affect the Scottish people. Yet the SNP led Scottish Government is calling for even further reaching changes toward full devolution and fiscal autonomy within the United Kingdom, which they see as an acceptable, albeit temporary, alternative to their ultimate goal of independence. To further complicate matters, in the midst of this debate sits the West Lothian Question: Should Scottish ministers in Westminster have the right to vote on matters that affect only England when like issues affecting only Scotland are now decided upon solely within the Scottish Parliament? Devolution may be ‘the will of the Scottish people’ but it is far from being ‘settled’.
In June 2009, the Commission on Scottish Devolution (or the ‘Calman Commission’ as it became known) published its review of Scottish devolution in a report that had been commissioned by the Parliament at Holyrood and supported by Westminster. The purpose of the Calman Commission was to explore ways of:

•“enabling the Scottish Parliament to serve the people of Scotland better;
•improving the financial accountability of the Scottish Parliament; and
•continuing to secure the position of Scotland within the United Kingdom.”

Among the issues considered by the commission in Part Three of the final report was a focus on “Strengthening accountability in finance”. The main recommendations in this area were:

“The Scottish Variable Rate of income tax should be
replaced by a new Scottish rate of income tax, collected by
HMRC, which should apply to the basic and higher rates of
income tax.
To make this possible, the basic and higher rates of
income tax levied by the UK Government in Scotland should be
reduced by 10 pence in the pound…

Income tax on savings and distributions should not be
devolved to the Scottish Parliament, but half of the yield should be
assigned to the Scottish Parliament’s Budget…”

“Stamp Duty Land Tax, Aggregates Levy, Landfill Tax and Air
Passenger Duty should be devolved to the Scottish Parliament…”

It was recommended that all of these changes should be reflected in a corresponding reduction in the block grant made from the UK Parliament, which should continue to make up the remainder of the Scottish Parliament’s Budget but it should be justified by need. The commission also recommended that:

“The structure of the income tax system…should remain entirely the responsibility of the UK Parliament.”

“The Scottish Parliament should be given a power to
legislate with the agreement of the UK Parliament to introduce specified new taxes that apply across Scotland.”

“Until such times as a proper assessment of relative spending need across the UK is carried out, the Barnett formula, should continue to be used as the basis for calculating the proportionately
reduced block grant.”

All of the commission’s recommendations were made with consideration of Scotland’s position within the United Kingdom, the constitutionality of such changes and the goal of bringing financial responsibility to the level of government closest to the people of Scotland.

In November 2009 Scotland’s SNP government published its own recommendations in what it called a ‘National Conversation’, a consultation process based on their previously published white paper titled ‘Choosing Scotland’s Future’ and aimed at addressing Scotland’s constitutional options. These options included:

•“continuing with the current constitutional settlement with no or minimal change;
•extending devolved power in Scotland in areas identified during the National Conversation; or
•taking the steps to allow Scotland to become a fully independent country.”

The Scottish Government, through the National Conversation, addressed the recommendations of the Calman Commission point by point agreeing with the commission’s list of additional powers that can and should be devolved. The National Conversation, however, took the process further by expanding that list to incorporate other powers it believes should be devolved or, in a few cases, shared with the UK Parliament, leading to full devolution within the United Kingdom. The preference of the current Scottish Government is first and foremost independence, with full devolution being seen as an acceptable stepping-stone to that end.
In considering full devolution the National Conversation addressed many issues including full fiscal autonomy for the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Government rather than the piecemeal proposals of the Calman Commission. They should be responsible for “raising, collecting and administering all (or the vast majority of) revenues in Scotland. "A remittance or subvention from Scotland to the United Kingdom would be required to cover common United Kingdom public goods and services, such as defence and foreign affairs.” A fully devolved benefits system is also recommended, citing devolved child support, social security and pensions in Northern Ireland. This would be dependent on “appropriate levels of fiscal autonomy in Scotland”. Further devolution on Transport is proposed, including Fuel duty and vehicle excise duty. This is in contrast to the Calman Commission’s single recommendation of a devolved Air Passenger Duty. The Calman Commission gave no recommendations for the further devolution of Scotland’s very limited responsibilities in the area of Energy. The National Conversation calls for extensive devolution in this area including the oil and gas industry and the Fossil Fuel Levy Fund to encourage renewable energy.
While the Calman Commission took no consideration of an independent Scotland, The National Conversation put it forth as the ideal alternative in every area: “Under independence Scotland would assume the rights and responsibilities of a normal sovereign state. This would include all decisions on economic and fiscal affairs, currency, the constitution, foreign affairs, security and defence. Scotland would be recognized as a state by the international community and be a part of the European Union as a full member state.”
Though the status quo of Scottish devolution was used, in both reports, as a reference point in relation to the proposed changes, it was never suggested as an option. There is, however, a minority population decidedly in favor of the status quo. In response to the recommendations of the Calman Commission Dr. Norman Bonney, of the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, believes the argument that ‘further powers of taxation would make the Scottish Parliament more fiscally responsible’ is an argument that is often asserted yet “rarely justified”. Bonney argues that the Scottish Parliament should be required to show that they have “effectively managed the spending responsibilities they have before there should be consideration of additional taxation and spending powers”. He asserts that, until it can be shown that the money spent on healthcare per person in Scotland has “led to greater gains in health…compared to the period 1990-1999 in Scotland prior to devolution” as well as that local government expenditures have been more effective since devolution, “it is difficult to demonstrate that additional powers will result in improved outcomes for the Scottish people”.
Further devolution is likely to give rise to further discussion of the West Lothian Question. According to one constitutional expert, Bernard Crick, who addressed the WLQ in advance of devolution in 1995, the only “rational answer is a federal constitution with an English Parliament as well as a United Kingdom one”. That proving very unpopular with the English people, other options have been put forth, such as the Conservative proposal to restrict Scottish MP’s voting privileges on legislation that would affect only England. The counter argument to this proposal is that Scottish MP’s are full members of the UK Parliament and have every right to vote on all matters brought before the House of Commons. To exclude them from any stage of the legislative process “would create a two-tier Parliament, with Scottish MP’s turned into second-class members of the Commons”.
Devolution is a process, not a one-off constitutional settlement, perpetually set in stone. It remains to be seen, though, just how far that process will go. It is only natural that, over time, as the Scottish Parliament finds its footing it will believe itself entitled to more control over the issues and legislation that affect the Scottish people. But there is a limit to what powers can realistically and, more importantly, constitutionally be devolved while Scotland remains part of the United Kingdom, the position currently favored by most Scots. The Scottish National Party, however, will undoubtedly continue to push the boundaries of devolution in its efforts toward independence and it remains to be seen whether John Major’s prophesy of doom for the United Kingdom will eventually be proven correct. Either way, devolution is, most assuredly, ‘unfinished business’ and will remain so for some time to come.

Bibliography:

Commission on Scottish Devolution, Serving Scotland Better: Scotland and the United Kingdom in the 21st Century, [15 June 2009]. http://www.commissiononscottishdevolution.org.uk/

Bonney, N., ‘Looming Issues for Scotland and the Union’ Political Quarterly, vol. 79 no. 4 [2008].

Chidwick, R., “Conservatives deny they plan West Lothian veto”, politics.co.uk. [15 April 2010]. http://www.politics.co.uk/news/general-election-2010/conservatives-deny-they-plan-west-lothian-veto-$1371420.htm

Crick, B., ‘Ambushes and Advances: The Scottish Act 1998’ Political Quarterly, vol. 66 no. 4 [1995].

Devine, T., “Old Scotland took the high road. New Scotland is upwardly mobile” The Independent on Sunday [online]. [11 May 2008]. http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/old-scotland-took-the-high-road-new-scotland-is-upwardly-mobile-825850.html?cmp=ilc-n

Jeffery, C., ‘An Outbreak of Consensus: Scottish Politics after Devolution’. Political Insight Magazine, [online] [April 2010]. http://www.politicalinsightmagazine.com/?p=28

Kirkup, J., “David Cameron to ban Scottish MPs from voting on English laws”, Telegraph.co.uk. [30 June 2008]. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/conservative/2223956/david-cameron-to-ban-scottish-mps-from-voting-on-english-laws.html

McSmith, A., “The Big Question: What is the West Lothian question, and can it be resolved satisfactorily?”, The Independent [online]. [4 July 2006]. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/the-big-question-what-is-the- westlothian-question-and-can-it-be-resolved-satisfactorily-406571.html

This was an academic paper so I had to be very careful to avoid my own bias when I wrote it but I can tell you that for every point made in the Calman Commission's Report concerning certain powers that they felt should be retained by Westminster, the SNP responded with solid and responsible reasons why they should be devolved. Of course the commission did not consider independence as an option at all but the SNP, in their response, put it forth as the best option in every situation.

Here's the problem though. The Scottish people themselves are divided on the issue of independence. There is a minority who actually believe that there is no need for a Scottish parliament at all and that the UK parliament at Westminster should make all laws pertaining to the entire United Kingdom. There are others who think devolution is a good thing but that no further changes are necessary. Still others believe that more powers should be devolved to the Scottish parliament but they don't support full independence. Even those who desire independence are divided. The Scots who have been on a high since Thursday want independence and they want it NOW. Others would 'ideally' like to see Scotland gain its independence from the rest of the UK (which includes England, Wales and Northern Ireland) but they don't believe Scotland could survive and grow economically on its own so they prefer to remain part of the larger union. It's these people that the SNP needs to target! They need to be convinced that it is possible; that Scotland DOES have the capability to be politically and economically independent.

There are other small European nations who have flourished economically after independence. Certain tax breaks and incentives could be extended to draw international business and foreign investment to Scotland but under the current conditions Scotland does not have the power to make those changes. Those are some of the powers 'reserved' to Westminster. Many people site the oil industry as Scotland's cash cow. Unfortunately the oil industry is a diminishing resource and can't be relied on in the long term. But Scotland has other industries that, if it had full control over, could help to secure its independent economy.

As I said before, I love the Nationalist headiness that I have seen over the last couple of days but I believe the patriotic duty of every Scottish citizen who dreams of independence is to educate themselves so they can effectively lobby their fellow citizens when the subject of independence comes up. I should probably duck when I say this but... I don't think independence is an immediately workable situation. In my opinion, independence tomorrow would leave Scotland floundering. There is not the economic platform in place at the moment to support it. The better option would be to push for full devolution and fiscal autonomy which would then equip Scotland to go it alone economically. Although it has to said that, for that to happen, there are provisions that would need to be made which CANNOT be made until independence is achieved. That's where the leap of faith comes in!

The Calman Commission's Report can be found at
http://www.commissiononscottishdevolution.org.uk/

The SNP response to it can be found at
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/11/26155932/0

So that's my 2 cents. I applaud anyone who has gotten through my entire rant!

My Mother's Letter

2011-03-12T14:57:00.000Z

My mother died when I was 7 years old. I was adopted and raised by my grandmother. One of the pictures in our house was a framed 8x10 of my mother when she was about 19. One day when I was 15, I decided to take the frame apart so I could clean the inside of the glass. A letter fell out and I recognized my mother's handwriting. My grandmother knew instantly what it was. She said,"I forgot all about it. I put it there after she died for safe-keeping." This is the letter my mother wrote for my brother and me when she knew she was dieing...

My Children

Who is eloquent enough to set on paper what a mother's children mean to her? Not even the pens of poets, and composers and scholars; for there are no words which convey enough depth to relate that love which I feel for my precious son and daughter.
...and though I write volumes tonight, tomorrow they would be obsolete for my devotion is multiplied each day.
They are the whole of my every dream. They are priceless. There is no amount of money that I would trade for one freckle on my daughter's funny little nose or one flash of my son's impish dimple.
How can I say what I feel when they smile? When they wrap both soft arms around my neck and say, "I love you, Mommy."? When they insist that I take a bite of their candy? When my son says, "Lean all your weight on me, Mom. I'm strong enough." When my daughter brushes my cheek and says, "I'd do anything to make you well, Mommy."
There just are no words

This letter is my most precious possession and is kept in a scapbook dedicated to my two mothers. The scrapbook was in one of the boxes that suffered during our water leak this past week. I am so thankful that it was not ruined and lost forever.

We Never Met But I Loved You Anyway

2011-03-02T00:14:00.003Z

Would we have been close?
Would I have thought you were a pest?
Would you have adored me?
Would I have trusted you with my car?
Would you have come to me for advice?
We never met but I loved you anyway.

The fates that conspired against us.
The adults who made all the decisions.
The course of life that was set for us.
The years that were lost.
The memories that were made apart.
We never met but I loved you anyway.

So excited when I found you.
So nervous making that first phone call.
So curious about your life.
So glad to hear that you had grown up with love.
So sure that someday we would meet.
We never met but I loved you anyway.

We would go to a baseball game.
We would have dinner.
We would laugh together.
We would exchange silly stories.
We would hug.
We never met but I loved you anyway.

We sent pictures.
We made phone calls.
We exchanged emails.
We wrote Christmas cards.
We wished happy birthdays.
We never met but I loved you anyway.

There will be no happy meeting.
There was a phone call.
There was a heart condition.
There was no warning.
There will be a funeral.
We never met but I loved you anyway.

I will think of you.
I will remember you.
I will dream of you.
I will cry for you.
I will treasure you.
We never met, little brother, but I loved you anyway.

Wild Weekend In London!

2011-01-25T20:53:00.001Z

The boys were invited to play at Hootananny in London this past weekend in honor of Burns' Day (today Jan. 25th). So a few of us decided to go along for the fun. Rory and Kelly offered to drive down so they could haul the band equipment and Sandra, Gordy, Ursula and I flew with the guys. Round trip flight was less than £50 and the hostel above the pub was only £14 a night. What a deal!

Dougie played taxi with a 9 passenger van and came round to pick each of us up on Friday morning and shuttle us out to the Inverness airport. Flight was, of course, delayed but only about 30 minutes, so not too bad. Unfortunately, sitting at the Inverness airport was the last time poor Sean ever saw his iPhone! Never figured out exactly how he lost it but nevertheless it was no where to found the next time he reached for it.

After landing at Luton airport just outside of London we took the airport shuttle bus to the train station, and from there the train into London's Victoria Station. Hootananny is located in Brixton just a few stops on the underground from there. Gordy and Ursula left us at Victoria as they had accommodations elsewhere. We arrived at the pub late in the afternoon and after getting settled in we took off to explore the city after dark. The guys ended up at the Duke of Argyll pub in Soho (of course!) and Sandra and I went to Trafalger Square and Tower Bridge. It was after 11pm when we got back so we didn't stay up much later as she and I planned to get up early to see the sights. I've been to London before but that was a few years ago. Sandra has also been to London several times but always for work and never really had time to play tourist. Although we were in bed just after midnight there was a band on downstairs and the music didn't stop until 3am! Not exactly a good night's sleep since we had our alarms set for 7.

We meant to be on our way the next morning by 9:30am but waited for the guys to get their butts in gear. After an hour we decided to leave without them. We walked to the underground, boarded the train and waited...and waited some more. Finally the announcement came informing us that the station was being completely closed. So everybody streamed off the trains and outside to find bus transportation. We emerged from the underground to find that the whole street had been blocked off with police lights flashing at either end of couple of blocks each side of the station! Never did find out just what had happened. As we were deciding which bus to take Kenny called to say that he and Stuart were on their way to catch up with us. So we waited...again. With all the delays it was 12:30 before Sandra and I got to Westminster Abbey (Kenny and Stuart headed for the Duke of Argyll again)! The Abbey and the Tower of London were the two places I really wanted to revisit on this trip. After the Abbey we headed for the Tower of London...which unfortunately was closing 35 minutes after we arrived so we decided to do the 30 minute river cruise down the Thames instead. We hadn't taken time to eat all day so by the time we got back to Hootananny we both really hungry. They have 'not too bad' Mexican food there (I had the chimichanga the night before) so we decided on burritos and Copperberg cider for dinner and then it was upstairs to get ready for the evening. Schiehallion was the headliner so there were two bands on before them. We didn't hear the first band but the second one was called Stax Dempsey...kind of Indy Rock. I really really liked their music (was talking to Stax, the singer, at the end of the night and he said I can find their music online). After Stax Dempsey we were treated to a, shall we say, burlesque dancer. She was pretty good and needless to say the guys paid VERY close attention!

The crowd was well warmed up when our boys took the stage and they received a resounding welcome. A bit of trouble with the sound equipment on the first couple of songs but once that was worked out they set the place on fire! Of course, everyone went wild for the piper! Callum said he felt like a rock star. You would have thought they were by the way the crowd reacted during and after every song! LOL...although there was one girl behind my on the floor who didn't look too pleased when the guys launched into '1320' (a very patriotic Scottish song that is not too flattering to the English) but everyone else just ate it up. Schiehallion always has been able to fire up a crowd but there was something magical about this night. The small town boys go to London and rock the house! It's wonderful to see your friends up on the stage in a strange town and getting such an electrifying reaction from a really big audience. The smiles on Kenny, Stuart, Callum and Sean's faces said it all. We were all on quite a high by the end of the night.

Of course, the night didn't end with the end of the music. After the gig Sandra and the boys and I all collected in the common room of the hostel upstairs to continue the party with 'refreshments'. There were already some other hostelers in the lounge enjoying their own 'refreshments' when we got there and we had quite the
after-party. At about 5am Lex, the manager of the hostel, came in to tell us all that we really had to keep the noise down. LOL! She ended up just joining the party! Evidently a hostel above a pub is used to a bit of noise! Sandra and I finally went to bed at 7am (Kenny had disappeared some time earlier) but Callum, Sean and Stuart stayed up for another hour with Tess (a cute young girl from New Zeland).

We were determined to see at least some of the sights so Sandra and I were up at 10am. One of the other girls in our room came into the bathroom while I was getting ready and said to me, "Connie, there's a guy in a kilt asleep on one of the couches in the lounge." "That's Callum" I said, "our piper." She nodded and said, "Yeah, I thought he probably belonged to you." I went in to check on Callum to be sure that he hadn't compromised his dignity but his kilt was modestly in place so I left him to sleep. Sandra and I were finally out the door at about a quarter past 11. We didn't make it to the Tower of London until 1pm because of all the maintenance work that is done on the weekends on the different Tube lines. We had to go "all the way around Robin Hood's barn" as my grandmother used to say, just to get to where we were going. After a tour of the fortress by one of the resident Yeomen Warders and some wandering on our own for pictures we left to catch the 'Jack the Ripper' walking tour (I love local walking tours!). When the walking tour was over we decided to go join the guys, who, of course, had found their way to the Duke of Argyll in Soho again! Rory, Kelly, Gordy and Ursula had also arrived and by the time we all left everybody was well buzzed (some more than others)! A quick stop for food and then back to Hootananny for an 8:45pm start. Schiehallion was the only band playing that night. A much smaller crowd because it was Sunday but I think we were all OK with that.

It was a nice night for things to be not quite so crazy too because I was looking forward to seeing a friend who happened to be in London at the same time and was coming to the pub that night. As some my friends will remember, I spent a month in Berlin a couple of years ago on a teacher training program (in fact, I just checked back through my blog and I was there exactly two years ago. I posted about Burns' Day from Berlin). Although everyone on the course got along very well, there were a few with whom I really bonded. Chad, my fellow American from Tennessee, and Charlie, Daniel and Tom...three young English lads. When the program was over and I returned to Mannheim, where I was living that year, I really missed these guys a lot. We've stayed in touch (hooray for FB!) over the last couple of years and I was very excited to learn that Tom is currently in London while he waits for his new teaching job in Vietnam to begin in March. That will put all of my Berlin boys in the same part of the world. Chad is in China, Charlie is in Thailand and Daniel is in Japan. But this weekend Tom was in London! So we planned to meet at Hootananny on Sunday night. There are some people who come into your life for only a brief time but you just know that you will always be friends. That's how I feel about these guys and I can't express how wonderful it was to see Tom again!

After the gig Sandra and the guys and I ended up back upstairs in the lounge again. Except somehow we never seemed to get around to going to bed at all that night! We needed to be packed and out the door by 7am to get to the airport the next morning so, at around 4am, we just decided to stay up. The disadvantage of that decision was that no one had the chance to sleep off the drink! Sandra and I were tired but sober as we all headed for the tube station but our guys were a little worse for wear. LOL! It was a very entertaining trip to the airport, to say the least! It wasn't until we got to the airport and all got some breakfast that everybody really sobered up. Good thing, too. I was afraid that Kenny and Callum might be denied boarding!

We were caught off guard by how long the line was to go through security. After a mad dash from there to our gate we were a bit frazzled but relieved when we were finally all on board. A few minutes later a family just sorted of strolled onto the plane. They didn't run(?) Then the pilot made an announcement to inform us that they were holding the flight because there was a long line at security and they wanted to give folks time to get to the plane! We killed ourselves running through the airport for nothing. And not exactly in our best form either! Ah well...

Dougie was waiting for us with the van when we landed in Inverness. As tired as we all were Kenny talked (almost) everyone into going to the Gellions for a few before going home! After a couple of hours I came home and finally fell into bed about 6:30. Slept until 10 this morning! There was a fair bit of sleep to catch up on considering I got a total of only 7 hours on Friday and Saturday nights combined and then, well, nothing on Sunday night. But what a weekend! We all had such a good time.

Some memorable quotes from the weekend that I'm sure no one who wasn't there will understand or think funny...

Kenny:"Sean, it's good that you've come out of the closet this weekend."

Kenny: "Look at my face." Everyone else: "Priceless!"

Callum and Sean: "POTATO!"

Callum to me: "We've had way too much physical contact this weekend not to have bonded."

Kenny to Sandra and me: "Did you enjoy the weekend?" Sandra and me: "Yeah, it was great!" Kenny: "It was (throws up jazz hands) fabulous!!"

Kenny: "The ankle is quicker than the elbow."

Me to Sean: "Sean, baby!"
Sean to me: "Connie, baby!"

Sandra: "There has been a lot of 'inappropriate' going on this weekend."

And remember everyone...You can lead a horse to a trough but you can't make toast in a washing machine!

America's Wakeup Call

2011-01-11T16:06:00.002Z

As my friends well know I lived in Tucson, Arizona for 15 years before moving to Scotland. I lived in Gabrielle Giffords congressional district and and my vote was one of the many that elected her to her first term as a United States Congresswoman in 2006. And so, the tragedy of last weekend hits very close to home for me.

I have been following the events online for the last couple of days and even posted a video on Facebook of Keith Olbermann's comments concerning the vitriolic political rhetoric that many are blaming for Saturday's shooting of Representative Giffords and 19 other people, six of whom were killed. While I agree with everything Olbermann said in his "Special Comment" segment I don't think he went far enough. Like most on the left he laid the blame squarely at the feet of people like Sarah Palin and others on the right who have used violent imagery to further their political causes. He only gave cursory attention to the same actions of those on the left...including President Obama who, in a 2008 speech said, "If they bring a knife to the fight, we'll bring a gun". And what does it say about me, as an American voter, that upon hearing that speech from the politician whom I admire more than any other, I didn't even bat an eye?

No one seriously believes that Sarah Palin actually intended for her followers to shoot sitting congressional members in order take back those democratic held districts when she used cross hairs to highlight them on a map on her website or that she meant it literally when she said in a campaign slogan, "Don't retreat. Reload!" Just like nobody actually believed that President Obama was advocating Democrats to "bring a gun" to the fight. But the fact remains that political rhetoric on both sides has escalated and become more and more violent and that we as American voters have become so used to it that it doesn't shock us when we hear it. Only when something horrific like the Tucson shooting happens do we sit up and take notice. Even then, everyone jumps on their own bandwagon and points the finger of guilt at the other side. Democrats saying that it's all the fault of Republicans because they encourage and incite this kind of action with their constant political references to guns and violence and Republicans saying that there is no proof that the shooter had any political leanings to the right and accusing Dems of using this to further their own political agenda of making all Republicans the personification of evil.

The fact is that there is enough blame to go around. If you read both liberal and conservative editorial and opinion articles, as well as blogs and other articles you'll find a plethora of examples citing inflammatory and violent rhetoric by both parties. Enough is enough! When will it end? Instead of stomping, screaming and pointing fingers like little kids, all of us, politicians and citizens alike, should simply make a promise to ourselves and our nation that we will no longer participate in hateful rhetoric.

I don't believe Sarah Palin is evil (incompetent to hold office and more than a bit of a whack-job...yes, but not evil). I believe she is as shocked and repulsed as the rest of us by the actions of a clearly mentally unstable young man. I also believe that it is unfair to single her out in this situation when there are so many others who are just as guilty as she is (in both parties) for pandering to this ugly dimension of the American psyche.

Why does this kind of political rhetoric work so well in America? There are those in other countries whose only exposure to American life is what they see on television or in the movies churned out by Hollywood. I think their answer to my question would be "Because America is a violent culture" but that's too simplistic. My life, nor the lives of anyone I know, is not even remotely mirrored by what Hollywood produces. If you judge America by what you see on television and in the movie theater then as far as I'm concerned you don't even belong in this conversation. I have lived in Scotland for a year and a half now and have spent that time studying the history of this country, including its culture, its wars and its politics, and not for one second would I ever presume to tell a Scot what is wrong with their country or what they should change. Every society has crime and bad people and negative aspects to its culture. America is no more guilty of these things than Britain or France or Germany or Russia or Italy! But it's crime and violence that sells movie tickets...not just in America but in other countries too... so that's what Hollywood puts out.

I lived, for most of my 53 years, in the country of my birth. Our culture and our people are as flawed and as perfect as that of any country. There are good and bad people. There are criminals and law abiding citizens. There are those who will steal and those who will give. There are those who would take a life and those who would give their own life in defense of another. The ordinary American is no different than someone from any other country. The people I know are kind to their neighbors, will go out of their way to help a friend, care about the welfare of others and would stop to help a stranger in need. We want security in our lives and a safe future for our children. So why does the vitriol of recent politics work so well on a nation of basically decent human beings? I don't even have an answer to my own question. It would take someone much better trained in the field of human psychology than me to answer it with any authority. I just know that something has to change in our political system!

I also believe that last weekends event highlights the need for stricter gun control laws in the U.S. This is an issue that polarizes us as a nation. There are people who will immediately cite the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." At the time that the Constitution was written we were a nation that had just fought for its freedom...much of that fighting having been done not just by the regular army but by militias; an army of ordinary citizens rather than professional soldiers. It is my belief that the founding fathers also meant that people should have a means of protecting not just their new nation but also their families and property. However, times have changed. We don't live in the times of the Revolutionary War or the Wild West anymore. I have never owned a gun nor have I ever felt unsafe in my own home without one tucked away in the top drawer of my bedroom dresser.

That being said, the right to "keep and bear arms" IS in the Constitution and will likely remain so (making changes to the Constitution is not impossible but it is a difficult and complicated procedure). Nor would I necessarily like to see the Second Amendment changed. But I do believe with every fiber of my being that gun ownership should be much more strictly regulated! There are many law abiding citizens in the U.S. who are avid hunters. Hunting is definitely not my cup of tea but that's not the point. So I can see the need for rifles. A rifle can also be used in defense of one's home or family if the need should arise. What I can't see is the need for handguns. Handguns have only one purpose and that is to kill people. The same goes for automatic and semi-automatic weapons. Their purpose is solely to kill people. Sure, there may be a percentage of crimes that are committed with shotguns but their numbers are way fewer than those committed with hand guns. I see no good reason for hand guns, automatic or semi-automatic weapons to be legal.

Even if handguns are never completely outlawed the laws governing gun ownership should be very strict. NO ONE should be able to just waltz into a store and buy a gun! A 3 day waiting period is a joke. If someone has murder on their mind 3 days isn't going to deter them. Anyone wanting to buy a gun should be thoroughly scrutinized. The gun owners I know are all decent people and have nothing to hide. I'm sure they don't want crazies or criminals to get a hold of a gun any more than I do. Most of the massacres like that which took place in Tucson a few days ago have been shown to have been committed by mentally unstable people. If the U.S. had stricter gun laws then these people would, in all probability, have been prevented from obtaining a weapon in the first place. I also think that there should be laws governing how guns are stored in the home. Arizona has laws that say you must have a 6 ft. fence with a child-proof latch on the gate to prevent a child from getting to your pool. What about laws protecting them from their parents guns?

I think Saturday's tragedy highlights two very important issues that need change in our country. Even if the shooter was not in the least motivated by the current political rhetoric his actions have brought it to the forefront of the collective American conscience. It is a subject of public awareness now and I'll bet you dimes to dollars that, in the future, our politicians will be more careful about the messages they put forth...at least I hope so. Gun control is another matter. We are a country divided on that one and I see no solution in the near future. I just hope that one of my loved ones, or yours, is not the next victim of a gun crime.

Hyperbole and a Half

2011-01-04T15:14:00.001Z

I have recently discovered a hilarious blog (thanks to Shauna). Every time I think it can't get any funnier I read another past post and find myself writhing with laughter and struggling to breathe. Enjoy...

Hyperbole and a Half: This is Why I'll Never be an Adult

Christmas 2010 Part One - The Adventure of Getting There

2011-01-03T19:39:00.000Z

Every year we hear about someone's nightmare adventure trying to get from point A to point B or people stranded for days at some airport or another. I've always been fairly lucky with winter traveling. Always seemed to avoid the mayhem and get where I was going with very little fanfare...until this year.

My travels plans were to take a bus from Inverness to Edinburgh, fly from there to Heathrow airport in London and then on to Frankfurt. From Frankfurt it's a 30 minute train ride to Mannheim and then a short Taxi ride across the river to Nikki's place in Ludwigshafen.

What should have been a 13 hour door-to-door trip turned into a 3 day odyssey! When I checked my flight status online before leaving home I got conflicting info about the flight from Edinburgh to London but I knew I had no chance of getting anywhere by just sitting at home so I figured I'd at least get to Edinburgh and then hope for the best.

The Edinburgh airport was a madhouse. Almost nothing was flying. Everyone was trying to get rebooked and the lines at the service counters were soooo long! I really didn't think I was going to get out of Edinburgh that night but a few of us got wind of a flight going to London City airport. Nothing flying into Heathrow or Gatwick but the smaller airport was operating? Hmm...

Landed in London about 9pm. Nikki had found me a hotel room near the airport. I shared it with a young girl whom I had met at the Edinburgh airport who had also decided to take the same flight. She studies at Edinburgh University and was trying to get home to her parents' house in Ohio for Christmas. She has flown, of course, but had never experienced the confusion of severe weather and canceled flights so she was a little overwhelmed and not quite sure how to navigate the madness. So we kind of 'buddied up' for as long as we could. We ended up saying good-bye at Heathrow the next morning - different airlines, different terminals. I was happy to get a text from her later on saying she had managed to get on a flight to Chicago that was leaving within the hour.

I was not so lucky. British Airways was doing nothing for their customers at the airport. If you didn't have a confirmed flight that was leaving within the next 3 hours you were asked over the loud speaker to leave the airport(!) and contact BA over the phone or on their website for a refund or a rebooking. Fat lot of good that was going to do anyone! People trying to get through on the phone were finally giving up after more than 2 hours on hold and the BA website alternately crashed or said to see someone at the airport for rebooking!

I realized that if I was going to get out of Britain before Christmas it was not going to be by plane so...time for "Plan B". Plan B was hopefully to get a train from London to Paris, then from Paris to Mannheim. Hmm....evidently the first part of my Plan B was also the first part of everyone else's Plan B. The trains from London to Paris were completely booked until after Christmas. Okaaay....Plan C! Rush to the Victoria Coach Station in hopes of getting a bus to Paris. Stood in line for quite a while (but I was used to that by now) and held my breath as I finally reached the counter and asked the nice lady for a ticket to Paris on the next available bus (crossed fingers, crossed, toes and by that time I'm pretty sure crossed eyes, too, although that part had less to do with superstition and more to do with traveler's mania I think). Before she could answer me her pushy colleague approached her from behind (holding a ticket) saying that her brother wanted to rebook his trip to Paris for Wednesday. Nice lady #1 looks up from her screen and says, "Perfect! Then I'll just give his seat on tonight's bus to this lady." Huzzah! Thanks, pushy colleague! Nice lady #1 had been just about ready to tell me that there were no seats available until the next day. Nice lady #1 and Pushy Colleague coordinated very carefully the cancellation of "Brother's" ticket and the issuance of mine so it wouldn't slip away from us in the computer. When Nice lady #1 handed me my ticket I felt like I had just won the lottery! The last seat on the last bus to Paris leaving at 10:30 that night. Of course, being sure that everyone behind me in line was also trying to get to Paris and had overheard our conversation I was careful to clutch my precious document close to my bosom and not to make eye contact as I scurried past them to the door.

The next trick was to figure out what to do with myself for the next 6 or 7 hours. Too cold and slushy to wander the streets of London, especially dragging my suitcase which was extra heavy because I had carefully bubble-wrapped and boxed 6 pint bottles of selected Scottish beers for Bert, which had necessitated bringing the largest of my suitcases to accommodate said gift box and all my own bulky clothing for 10 days in the snow. I had expected to check my bag at the Edinburgh airport and be done with it...not drag the damn thing all over London and Paris! I kept thinking throughout the whole adventure, "Man, Bert better like these beers!" LOL! Steve said if it was him, he would have just drunk the beers!

In search of coffee and a warm place to sit and catch my breath for a few minutes I ended up at Victoria Place, a nice little shopping mall connected to Victoria Station, which should not be confused with Victoria Coach Station. I had earlier realized this after circling Victoria Station a couple of times, inside and outside (through the slush), looking for the bus ticket counter (all the while dragging the beast behind me). After finally giving up and asking at a 'local tour tickets' office I was informed by a nice man that it was a common mistake and that the Victoria Coach Station was out those doors and about 3 blocks down.

So, having found the Victoria Coach Station and managing to obtain the scarce and coveted transport ticket out of Britain and being in great need of something hot to drink I settled at Costa Coffee with an obscenely over-sized cuppa. From there I called my friend, Larry, who lives in London. Larry and I grew up together in Salem and have remained good friends through the years. I was hoping that he would have a free evening and we might be able to get together. They say there is a silver lining to every cloud and getting to have dinner and spend a few hours catching up with a dear friend was certainly an unexpected treat for me that day. Larry and I share the same social and political ideology so the conversation was enjoyable and interesting. I felt rejuvenated and ready to tackle the next part of my adventure.

When I arrived back at Victoria Coach Station the place was packed. More long lines and anxious travelers. Checked in by 10:00pm and, of course, the buses to Paris were late arriving from the great beyond. As the first two buses arrived a wave of people flowed toward them in hopes of getting a 'good seat'. It was then that we realized that we had each been assigned to a specific bus. Folks began scrambling to retrieve their luggage from the wrong bus and find the right one. "This is 'O' bus" "What bus are you on?" "I'm on 'P'." "Where is 'B'?" Is that 'O'?" "'O' is over there? Where is 'W'?" "What bus are you on?" My seat was on the "W" bus. The "P" bus loaded its passengers and luggage as did the "O" bus. As they pulled away the rest of us stood in the cold like anxious puppies waiting for the "B" and "W" buses. By 11:00 the lucky "B" bus passengers were on their way but the mysterious "W" had yet to appear. We waited and waited...and waited. A bus would pull in and we would all crane our necks to see the destination. "Manchester" or "Edinburgh" would elicit an audible sigh and after a while more than one groan. Eventually we just started laughing. Finally the "W" appeared and we actually cheered.

After loading 'the beast' into the luggage compartment I managed to get a window seat on the bus and waited for the rest of my fellow travelers to settle in. I was immensely relieved when at last we pulled out of the parking lot. The guy who sat down next to me turned out to be a young U.S. Air Force officer who had only just arrived in Europe about a month ago and was stationed at Geilenkirchen Air Base in Germany. He and his friend were traveling for the holidays. You could see his surprise when he found out that this middle aged woman sitting next to him was ex-Air Force. We talked for about an hour and then both decided to try to get some sleep. About 90 minutes into the trip the driver pulled into the "Euro-Tunnel Center", something like a really big rest stop. It was 1am and we had to wait there until it was our turn to be loaded on the train going through the tunnel. I remember when the tunnel was being built so I was kind of excited about finally getting to experience it. Unfortunately, we were told that we would have to wait for about 5 hours before our turn to cross! Most people just stayed on the bus and tried to sleep but some of us got off and went inside for coffee or in search of electrical outlets to charge various electronic gadgets.

When it was finally our turn to cross, it was...well, creepy. The driver drove the bus into something that I can only describe as a boxcar. No windows and only about 3 feet wider than the bus itself! So the ride through the 'Chunnel' was on a bus, in a box, on a train, in a tunnel, under the water. I don't have many phobias but I do have to admit to a certain amount of claustrophobia so this was more than a wee bit unnerving. The crossing took about 35 minutes and then - Voilá - we emerged in France and eventually arrived in Paris. What should have been an 8 hour bus ride turned into 13 hours. However,I was slowly but surely getting closer to my destination!

From the bus station in Paris I made my way on the subway to the Gare de l'est train station (dragging the beast of course) where I bought a one way ticket to Mannheim, Germany. There were seats available on the train that was leaving in less than an hour but only in 1st class. The difference in price between 1st and 2nd class easily convinced me to wait for the 5:17pm train. No matter, though. I had gotten very good at waiting. So I found one of the many sandwich stands in the train station, bought a sandwich and a coke and found a place to sit, eat my sandwich and people-watch. I love the baguette sandwiches in France. Somehow the bread just tastes different. "Jambone et Fromage, si vous plait." As 5pm approached I began watching the board to see which track my train would leave from. As I continued to watch...no track number, no track number, no track number aaaannnnd.....train delayed. Then train delayed again...and again! Waaaaa!!!! I'm so close!! Finally the train arrived and just before 6pm we pulled out of the station. It was a smooth and uneventful ride to Mannheim. I really wanted to try to sleep but I was afraid I would oversleep my stop. I think it says something about travel fatigue that it didn't occur to me to just set the alarm on my phone! So I read instead. I had started a new book on my kindle as I left Inverness on Sunday morning and finished it just before arriving in Mannheim Tues night! As the train pulled in about 9:30pm I put away my kindle and wrestled 'the beast' off the train, through the train station and out to the taxi rank. "Now let's see. Where did I put those German language brain synapses? Oh yes, there they are!" I had a nice conversation with a very friendly taxi driver who delivered me to my final destination where I was met outside by a happy daughter who had been following her mother's odyssey via text messaging for the past 3 days. We lugged the beast up to her apartment where there were more hugs from Bert and Steve. After about 30 minutes of excited chattering between us all (and a shot of tequila for me!) the ever thoughtful Bert told me that it was time for me to relax and pushed me toward the bathroom. His arrival gift to me...a hot bath had been drawn and the bathroom was glowing softly in candle light. Oh the bliss! I carried in another shot of tequila with me and Nikki sat on the floor chatting while I soaked away the all the travel miles. When I emerged from the bathroom all clean and relaxed and in my 'comfy' clothes Bert got another big hug. That was so thoughtful of him!
Just a few minutes later Shauna arrived from Zürich. Steve was working in Munich so he had arrived earlier in the day. More hugs and kisses and chatter and laughter. It was well after midnight when we finally all fell into bed.

I had made it to Ludwigshafen just in time. Our train reservations were for 6am the next morning! Steve and Bert took Bert's little car filled with everybody's luggage and all the stuff we would need for the next 10 days. The girls and I took the train to Leipzig to pick up Michael who was landing there at noon. He flew from the west coast of the U.S. and HIS travel all came off without a hitch! Then the 4 of us continued on the train to meet up with the boys at the house we had rented for the holidays in the very small village of Cranzahl, a stone's throw from the Czech border in Saxony. Bert grew up in the town of Sehma next to Cranzahl and was excited to show all of us where he came from. Nikki has been there many times but this was the first time Bert had brought home the 'whole passel' of Ami's. It was beautiful. So, at last, we were finally all together and our Christmas celebrations could begin...

Frozen Britain

2010-12-02T11:49:00.000Z

Why does this weather seem to bring Britain to a grinding halt when other countries such as Russia and the Scandinavian countries simply carry on? Last year the gov't promised to learn by their mistakes but seem to be taking the same knocks this year! I can understand if flights are grounded because of weather conditions but not because the airport ran out of de-icer! I can understand why the Forth Bridge was closed most of yesterday. A semi jackknifed and it took time to clear the pile up of snow that accumulated during the fiasco. But the road closures all over the country are ridiculous!

It's not just a matter of personal convenience. It's a matter of economic and public health. Work hours are lost. Delivery trucks can't get to their destinations. Drs. can't get to hospitals...never mind the people in need of medical care. How about the people who depend on public transportation? I am reminded of life in the Rocky Mountains. It's a rare occasion when I-70 is actually closed and they certainly get more severe weather than what we are experiencing! The local bus system in Vail, Colorado, high up in the Rockies, runs with very little interruption all through the winter season.

I don't buy the excuse that this is the worst November snow fall on record. Were they suddenly going to be prepared when the calender flipped over to December but the fact that the snow came a week early is the problem? Well, the calender has flipped and the country is still a mess. People being stuck on a stranded train for eight hours is inexcusable in an industrial country! Like I said, I understand when flights are canceled because of weather conditions but there is no excuse for not being prepared with the necessary resources to keep the buses and trains running.Get it together Britain!

Post-Thanksgiving Update

2010-11-27T12:54:00.000Z

Well, another Thanksgiving has come and gone...my second in Inverness. I had the regular crew over for dinner again this year. It pleases me that they have all so enthusiastically embraced my holiday. The only thing that bothers me is that I just don't have the room to be able to invite everyone I'd like to. But I have managed to feed several more people after the fact. I delivered three meals yesterday and three more today. The constraints of a small house! But I have a plan. I need to confirm it still but I may have someplace larger as well as very convenient to hold next year's feast. I'm very excited about the prospect of a really big Thanksgiving gathering next year! It will be even more special since Nikki and Shauna will be here along with both of their sweeties!! I think I'll get others involved in the cooking, too, so it will definitely be a group effort next year.

We woke up to a winter wonderland this morning. The snow has been teasing us over the last few days but started coming down in earnest last night. There are several inches on the ground already and snow is in the forecast for at least the next week. I hope the council is better prepared for it this year than they were last year. More grit and plows are definitely needed!

We made some improvements to the kitty condo. I decided that it needed a roof to help keep everything dry. Dougie rounded up a piece of plywood for me and took it over to Stuart, who cut it to the size I needed. We covered it in plastic and put it on top of the box with weight to hold it down. It's large enough that it extends out over the edges of the cabinet that the box sits on. That way when it rains (or snows!) the water will run off to the ground rather than to the top of the cabinet and around the bottom of the box. I also re-did the box a bit. We had originally just wrapped it in plastic to keep it dry but I decided that it needed to be warmer so I took it out of the plastic and wrapped a towel around the box before re-wrapping it in several more layers of plastic. The towel falls down over the front hole so our little kitty girl can still find her way in but there will be a bit of protection over the entrance once she's in. We also added a small mat to the towel inside to make it a wee bit warmer. One of the housemates laughed and asked when I was going to add central heating. I would if I could!

The Kitty Condo

2010-11-18T11:54:00.000Z

We have a really sweet neighborhood kitty that hangs around the back of our house. She's black and white and looks a lot like my Lucy did in her younger days. Whenever any of us steps outside she hears our voices and comes to say Hi and get pets. Technically she belongs to a guy who lives in the flats behind us. I know he feeds her cause she looks really healthy but he never lets her inside. With winter coming on the temperatures have dropped significantly around here. Add to that the winds that have kicked up lately and you can imagine the chilly days and really cold nights. Nighttime temps hover just above freezing.

And then there is this poor sweet kitty who is outside at all hours of the day and night, no matter what the weather. So Sandy (one of my housemates) and I decided to give her some kind of shelter. I cut a hole in a cardboard box yesterday, then covered the box with plastic to keep it dry and put a fluffy towel inside. Since kitties prefer to be up high, we put the box on top of a metal cabinet that sits outside our back door where the side fence meets the corner of the house. We've actually seen our little kitty friend sitting up there before so we were hoping she would find the box there. We had no idea if she would actually use it but it was worth a try.

When I came home from class this afternoon Sandy said, "Guess who's using the box?" He said she was in it when he stepped out there about 7 this morning. She poked her head out and meowed at him as if to say hello but wouldn't leave the box. I was so excited that she had found it and was actually using it. I went out to look and sure enough, there she was...all snuggled in her box! I reached in and petted her and she talked back to me but showed absolutely no inclination of wanting to come out.

We'll come up with something a little sturdier and more permanent when we can but, at least for now, we know she's warmer than she was before with no shelter at all.

Summer Walkers

2010-09-07T13:41:00.000+01:00

Besides this being the name of one of my favorite traditional songs, it also describes my latest adventure in this beautiful country. Nikki, Shauna, Amy and I just completed one of Scotland's amazing long distance walks called the West Highland Way. To an American the word 'walk' implies a leisurely stroll. Hiking is not a term that is used over here but that certainly is what this was. The 95 mile trail took us from just outside of Glasgow, north to the town of Fort William, through glens (valleys) and forests, alongside beautiful Loch Lomond, up and over small mountains, and through the incredibly stunning and desolate Rannoch Moor. We took 8 days to do it, averaging 12-14 miles a day. And, NO, we didn't camp! I think the hike itself is enough of an accomplishment without carrying everything on my back and sleeping on the hard ground. We ended each day in whatever small town was nearby and slept in a B&B each night. On a couple of occasions there was no town, just an inn that catered to walkers...walkers from all over the world. We met people along the Way from Germany, England, the Czech Republic, Australia, America, India, and of course, Scotland, to name a few. Some people camped. Some stayed in hostels and some, like us, used B%Bs. I was definitely grateful for a hot shower and a comfy bed at the end of each day!

I'm still amazed at how lucky we were with the weather. We carried jackets and rain gear every day but never needed them. Not a drop of rain in 8 days! (Scotland?) Perfect hiking temps. Maybe mid 50s in the morning and rarely getting above 70 in the afternoon. We couldn't have chosen a better week if we'd used a soothsayer!

The scenery was incredible. A couple of times we were sure we had made it to Mordor(!) and, more than once, we felt as if we were walking through a fairy forest. We stopped to eat our packed dinner one evening on a peaceful beach alongside Loch Lomond. On another day lunch was eaten atop a mountain with wide open views that boggled the mind and still another lunch break found us sitting peacefully next to a small stone bridge that crossed one of the innumerable little streams along the way. Every day offered new bounties for our visual feast and reminded me how incredibly lucky I am to live in such a beautiful country.

To spend so much simple and uninterrupted time with my girls and share this experience with them was a gift beyond measure. We are already talking about doing another hike next Spring called the Great Glen Way. It's 75 miles starting where we left off in Fort William and ending practically at my doorstep in Inverness. I hiked about a quarter of it with my friend Marie earlier this summer.

When the girls and I returned to Inverness from Fort William, the day after we finished, we went to the Gellions for what we dubbed our 'victory celebration'. It was a Sunday afternoon and of course Schiehallion was gearing up to play and a bunch of my friends were there (it's our normal practice on a Sunday). As we walked in, the pub erupted in a round of applause for us. What a very sweet and unexpected surprise that was! Everyone was very congratulatory and the drinks started flowing! Kenny lived up to his promise and sang Summer Walkers for me. It's one that he rarely sings live (not really a 'pub song') but my favorite of everything I've ever heard him sing. He sang it for me last year on my birthday and promised to sing it again this year but he was out of town that night. The title was especially appropriate upon our return from the West Highland Way. It's a beautiful song about treasuring the history and geography of northern Scotland. Kenny sings it acappella with just the beat of his hand on his acoustic guitar during the chorus. It is such a special treat for me to hear him sing that song. I'm pretty sure he knows by now that I will ask for it every year on my birthday!

My precious girls left Inverness yesterday morning and I started my second year of classes in the afternoon. So summer is officially over and I shall, once again, have my nose buried in the books for the next several months, soaking up all I can about my favorite subject... Scottish History! I love my life!

Things I Like

2010-07-18T13:36:00.001+01:00

Taking a cue from Nikki's last blog post I decided to make my own list....

Uncontrollable laughter
Cuddling down under the covers in a chilly room
NPR
This American Life (best radio show ever)
Roadtrips
Ice cold Mountain Dew
My feet
The music of the ice cream truck coming up my street
Tender lovemaking
Frantic lovemaking
My national anthem
Walking
Flying. It usually means I'm going to see someone I love.
Walking through town and realizing that this is my home now
A meal that I didn't have to prepare
The sounds of children playing
A crackling fire
Cauliflower
Warm sunshine
Naps
Movies that make me cry
Old people who still hold hands
John Denver
Pictures of my children growing up
New love
A flower growing where it shouldn't
Seeing the bus come around the corner when I'm waiting
Live music
The way the house smells when something is cooking
Fluffy socks
Craig Ferguson
Fresh pineapple
Girls with pink hair
Being able to say, "No, I'm not a tourist. I live here."
Floating in a pool on a hot day
Knowing that my friends forgive my faults
Fresh bed linen
Feather pillows
Pumpkin pie
Laughing with someone about the night before
Stand up comedy
Scottish History :)
Realizing when my wounded heart has healed
To Kill A Mockingbird
Strangers who strike up a conversation on the street corner
A good book that calls you back..again and again
American football
Happy dogs
The chiming of a clock
Church bells
Pizza
When the sun comes out after a rain shower

Still The Greatest Country On Earth

2010-07-04T10:22:00.000+01:00

Being an "expat" is a very interesting personal situation. I live in Scotland, not by accident of circumstance or because I fell in love with someone from here or for any of the many other reasons that one may find themselves making a new life in a country other than that of their birth. I chose to live in Scotland because I fell in love with this country; its culture, its people, its history and its future.

That being said, though, I am still an American to my very core and always will be. I have heard some Americans admit that when they travel they let others mistakenly think that they are Canadian to avoid the controversy and ill feelings that may arise because of our sometimes dismal reputation throughout the rest of the world. I have never done that nor would I ever consider it. No offense to our nice neighbors to the north but I am appalled at the very thought. I wear my nationality with great pride. There is no country on earth that is perfect or does not have something in its history to be ashamed of. Ours is no different. From our deplorable treatment of the original native Americans to our history of slavery to our shameful foreign policy under the last administration, we have our share of wrongs for which we must bear responsibility.

However, I still believe that America is the greatest country on earth. It is the only country to be founded on an idea and not by accident of birth. To be a "red blooded American" does not necessarily mean that you can trace your family roots back to 12th century America. Americans trace their ancestry from all over the world. Throughout the past 234 years our ancestors have been the adventurers of the old world who left their native lands in search of new and better lives. We are made up of nearly every nationality from every corner of the globe. It doesn't matter if your forefathers sailed on the Mayflower or if they were already here when the Mayflower arrived or if your great-grandparents arrived at Ellis Island in 1897. Together we are all Americans...all 300 million of us. Ours is a country founded on the principles of freedom and individual rights.

The National Archives in Washington D.C. hold original copies of the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution. I had the honor of seeing these documents a couple of years ago and was surprised at what an emotional experience it was. They are the cornerstones upon which our country was built. We learn about them in school and they are an intrinsic part of our collective psyche. But to look upon those precious documents and the values that they set forth, values for which countless Americans have given their lives so that we can take them for granted, was a truly humbling experience.

In honor of our nation's birthday and of the men and women who believed so completely in its creation as to be labeled traitors to the King and to all of us who have so proudly called ourselves Americans for the past 234 years....

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776
The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

— John Hancock

New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton

Massachusetts:
John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery

Connecticut:
Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott

New York:
William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris

New Jersey:
Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark

Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross

Delaware:
Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean

Maryland:
Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Virginia:
George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton

North Carolina:
William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn

South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton

Georgia:
Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton

Father's Day

2010-06-20T22:44:00.000+01:00

I went hiking today with friends. It was a beautiful day and we hiked for about 5 miles around Rogie Falls. As I savored the scenery I was once again reminded of how happy I am to be here. And, today being Father's Day, I was reminded of my dad. Without him, I wouldn't be here.

I remember when I first met my dad in 1995. I spent 4 days with him at his home in California. We talked about everything under the sun, trying to make up for 34 lost years. He had not seen me since I was 4 years old. It was sometime during those 4 days that he told me I was and always had been a beneficiary in his will. I asked him why he would do that, knowing what I had been raised to believe about him. His answer was simple, "You're my daughter." We talked about why he made the decision to sign the adoption papers after my mother died and how difficult that was for him, knowing that it meant he would probably never see my brother and me again. At one point I was telling him about my childhood and how loved I had been. He looked at me with tears in his eyes and asked "So I made the right decision?" Almost 30 years after the fact he needed me to tell him that it was OK. "Yeah, Dad, you made the right decision."

My dad and I had 12 years together. I remember the adventure of buying a Father's Day card for the first time. Most of them didn't apply.'Thanks for teaching me how to ride a bike, even though you were so busy','Thanks for all the things you did for me growing up, even though I was an ungrateful brat most of the time', 'Thanks for not killing me when I crashed the car at 16'. We just didn't have that kind of history together. What we did have was the knowledge of how lucky we were to have reconnected after so many years apart.

As the years went by and it got more and more difficult for Dad to take of himself and the house I tried to convince him to sell the house and come to Arizona. I knew he would never be happy living in someone else's house but my backyard was huge and we could build a small guesthouse where he would be just a few steps away but still have his own space. He would always say it was a good idea but eventually I came to realize that he would never do it. He was stubbornly independent. Even after his stroke, some 20 years earlier, he was determined to regain his independence. The doctors told him he would not be able to return to his own home. The house had too many stairs. He spent the next 2 years in a rehab center, then at his brother's house and finally at his girlfriend's house, all the while learning to walk again. The day he finally got rid of the walker he called a taxi to take him home. The doctors were right, he couldn't walk up and down the stairs...so for the first year he crawled up and down them. He learned to take care of himself again and had another 20 years in the house that he had built with his own two hands. That was my dad and as I came to know him I realized that I had to accept his decision to stay in his own home, no matter how difficult it became for him. He was a grown man and had been making his own decisions since long before I came along.

Dad got sick and ended up in the hospital in July of 2007. The doctors and Adult Social Services finally convinced him that he would not be able to continue living on his own. It was time to sell the house and make other arrangements. It was time to let go of his independence and I think that's when he decided that he was done with this life. My dad died on August 11 of that year. Life on his own terms all the way to the end.

I miss my dad every day and I will be forever grateful to him for making it possible for me to have this new life in this magnificent country. More than that, though, I am grateful for the 12 years we had together. I wish we could have had more.

No Particular Destination

2010-05-23T01:08:00.000+01:00

I just had the nicest day. My friend Kevin is a musician from Glasgow who comes up to play at different venues throughout the Highlands on a fairly regular basis. Whenever he's in Inverness, if he stays overnight rather than making the 3 hour drive back to Glasgow, he stays at our house. This weekend he had 2 gigs in Inverness, Friday night at the Glen and Saturday night at Dow's. He dropped his stuff at the house last night and stayed for a cup of tea before heading off to the Glen, then tiptoed back in after he was finished with the gig. I like to go hear Kevin play when he's in town but since I have final exams coming up on Tuesday and Wednesday I have not been out much lately. Today was a beautiful day and this afternoon Kevin suggested I take a break from studying and hop in the car for a wee roadtrip. I looked out the kitchen window at the puffy white clouds in the sky and the bright sunshine and, well, it didn't take much arm-twisting.

We weren't even really sure where we were headed when we left the house. We just knew it was a day to be outside. So we drove toward Loch Ness and stopped in Drumnadrochit (a small town on the banks of the loch) for ice cream at an outdoor cafe. As we left town we made a snap decision to turn left, then right and ended up on a single track road. Single track roads are very common in the Highlands. They are paved but really only wide enough for one car so there are lots of small widened areas to pull over and let oncoming cars get past. After a while neither one of us knew exactly where we were anymore. But that was OK. We were just enjoying the drive. When I saw a sign that said Corrimony Cairn I got excited and suggested we go see it. Corrimony Cairn is a Neolithic burial site that I've heard about and wanted to see for some time now. So we turned off to go find it. After we parked the car we had to walk down a lovely little country road for a bit where we couldn't resist stopping by the fence to try to coax the baby lambs over to us. They were so cute but, alas, totally uninterested. When we reached the cairn I gave Kevin a bit of a running lesson in archaeology. I had studied chambered burial cairns in one of my classes last semester, which is how I knew about this one. I even got to look like a real smartypants by explaining that this particular building technique was called corbelling. The cairn is round and each course of flat stones is positioned just a little closer inward than the last so that eventually they almost meet and the top can be covered with a 'capstone'. The entire thing is then covered with turf. Ancient burial sites dot the entire British Isles and there are undoubtedly many as yet undiscovered because they simply look like little hills. The capstone at Corrimony had been removed during the excavation and if you climbed the mound you could see down into the chamber. You can also get down on your hands and knees and crawl through the entrance chamber to the inside but neither one of us were too keen on emerging with muddy hands and knees! So we climbed around and studied cairn from the top looking down in and checked out the dozen or so standing stones that surrounded it. To think that something that people built 4 thousand years ago is still here for us to see and marvel at! Who were they and who was the woman whose remains were found inside when the site was excavated in the 1950's? We spent about half an hour there and then headed back to the car to see what else we could discover on our mini-roadtrip.

We eventually ended up in Glen Affric. In Scotland a lake is a loch and a valley is a glen so Glen Affric is a very long very wide forested valley with a couple of lochs that happen to be connected at one very narrow point. As we were driving beside the first loch (we had no idea what the name was) we saw a sign that read 'Dogg Falls'. That looked interesting so we turned in and parked the car once more. It was kind of a little picnic area beside the water with trails and a bridge over the water to the other side. We climbed out onto some big rocks to sit beside the loch for a while and just bask in the sunshine. It was such a peaceful place and very pretty.

Our next stop was very similar to Dogg Falls but the sign read 'Loch Beinn a' Mheadhoin'. Well, at least now we knew the name of the loch, even if we couldn't pronounce it (it's obviously Gaelic so it would have been fruitless to even try!). We walked down one of the trails to the water's pebbly edge and contemplated how cold the water must be. That's when Kevin suggested I take off my shoes and socks, pull up my pantlegs and wade in so he could take a picture. Oh my god! I don't think I've ever been in water that f@*#king cold! I was laughing telling him to hurry up as he was deliberately futzing around with the camera just to make me stand in the water longer!

Our last stop was at Loch Affric. We decided to take a hike this time and wound our way along a trail down toward the loch and then back up and away from it. The ground was kind of boggy here and there and there was tons of thick heather which will be gorgeous when it blooms (in August, I think). We weren't in any hurry so we stopped to investigate a few of the little burrows that we saw along the trail and any interesting plants that caught our collective eye. We even checked out the deer poop and could see the deer tracks in the boggy ground! When we were up high we could see a ways up and down the glen and both wondered what the name of that peak was way off in the distance. We could have continued on further but we decided it was time to make our way back to Inverness if Kevin was going to have time for something to eat and a shower before work.

After we got home we walked over to the chip shop for a couple of orders of fish and chips which we brought back to the house and promptly devoured. The temperature was just starting to cool off a bit so we decided to catch the last of the day's warmth sitting in the back yard yakking for a bit before Kevin had to jump in the shower.

There have been so many nice days lately that I've had to shut my eyes to because I needed to finish a paper or work on a project or study for my upcoming final exams. It was such a nice break to just set it all aside and take off for the day with one of my favorite people. Kevin and I never run out of things to talk about and he's very easy to be around. He's intelligent, very well traveled and just a really nice guy. We all look forward to seeing him when he's in town and he knows he's always welcome to crash on our futon whenever he wants to.

The Bible

2010-05-17T13:51:00.000+01:00

On her radio show, Dr. Laura Schlesinger (a popular conservative radio
talk show host in the USA) said that homosexuality is an abomination
according to the Bible Leviticus 18:22, and cannot be condoned under
any circumstance. The following response is an open letter to Dr.
Laura, penned by James M. Kauffman, Ed. D. It's funny, as well as
informative.
_______________________

Dear Dr. Laura:

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I
have learned a great deal from your show, and try to share that
knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend
the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that
Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination... end of
debate.

I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some other
elements of God's Laws and how to follow them.

1. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male and
female, provided they are purchased from neighbouring nations. A
friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not
Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?

2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in
Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair
price for her?

3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in
her period of menstrual unseemliness - Lev. 15: 19-24. The problem
is how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offence.

4. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates
a pleasing odor for the Lord - Lev. 1:9. The problem is my neighbours.
They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

5. I have a neighbour who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus
35:2. clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally
obligated to kill him myself, or should I ask the police to do it?

6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an
abomination - Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than
homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this? Are there
'degrees' of abomination?

7. Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I
have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading
glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some
wiggle-room here?

8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the
hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev.19:27. How should they die?

9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig
makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev. 19:19 by planting two
different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing
garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester
blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really
necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town
together to stone them? Lev. 24:10-16. Couldn't we just burn them to
death at a private family affair, like we do with people who sleep
with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)

I know you have studied these things extensively and thus enjoy
considerable expertise in such matters, so I am confident you can
help.

Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and
unchanging.

Your adoring fan,

James M. Kauffman, Ed. D.
Professor Emeritus Dept. of Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education
University of Virginia

This Day In (my own) History

2010-05-01T12:40:00.000+01:00

Sometimes I like to look back through my blog to see what I posted on this day last year. I don't have to look today. I know exactly what I posted on May 1st last year. I wrote about being grateful for the previous year. It was two years ago today that I had my surgery. I had so much to look forward to but everything hung in the balance waiting for that oh so important pathology report that would determine the course of my future. Funny how it's been two years since that day but those simultaneous feelings of fear and disbelief are still so clear in my mind.

I woke up this morning with my mind whirling around the paper that I have to finish today for one of my classes. I'd like to go out and play but it's getting near the end of the semester so it's crunch time. Even though I'm feeling pretty stressed because of it, I have no complaints. I could list all the things in my life that I'm grateful for but mostly I'm just grateful for my life...

WARNING! This blog post is ridiculously long!

2010-04-30T22:00:00.001+01:00

...and probably boring to anyone other than myself and (maybe) a few others. But, in truth, I write for myself and not to please anyone else.

It's been almost 5 months since I've posted anything! I really didn't mean to let it go on this long but I guess it's kind of like a downward spiral. I keep thinking I'm going to get around to it but something always seems to come up that makes me postpone the effort yet again....and again....and (sigh!) again. I just read Nik's blog. She also has not been very bloggy since the first of the year (better than me though, at least she's put up a few quick blurbs and some videos!) but she just posted a wonderful long entry. She is such an amazing writer. Her entries are always so entertaining and just so full of her personality! So, feeling very guilty of the inexcusable crime of blog abuse, I decided to just pop in and console my little friend with a few quick words. But, hey, now that I'm here!

OK, so I guess a little (cough, cough) catch-up is called for....

December
I survived my first semester of college quite nicely. Four classes and four B's. Two of those were just one percentage point shy of an A. The day after I finished my last final exam in Dec. I jumped on a plane to Germany to spend Christmas with Nikki and Shauna at Nik's place. It was just starting to snow here as I was leaving and I remember thinking, "Dang, it's snowing and I'm gonna miss it. It'll probably all be gone by the time I get home!" HA! Little did I know! But more on that later.

One would think that it would be just a quick jaunt to get from Scotland to Germany. Given the size of the planet we live on, they are relatively close to one another. But such is not the case. I can actually fly to the East Coast in the time it takes to get to my daughter's place across just across the English Channel (or 'the Anglo-French Pond' as the EU wants to rename it!). My choices were to fly from Inverness to Birmingham (with a long layover) and then on to Frankfurt or take the train from here to Edinburgh and then fly from there to Frankfurt. Given the lightening snail speed of the British rail system that works out to six of one or half a dozen of the other. With flight delays and the layover, It took me eight hours to get to from Inverness to Frankfurt! From there I took the train to Mannheim and then a quick taxi ride across the bridge to Ludwigshafen. Waiting for me in a warm, snuggly, Christmassy decorated apt on Brunkstaße were Nikki, Bert, Shauna and Steve! S&S had arrived that day from Zuerich, where Shauna had been working for the last couple of weeks. They greeted me with hugs all around, a nice hot mug of Gluewein, and lots of chatter that took the girls and me well into the night. The next morning Steve set off for his grandparents house in Karlsruhe and Bert for his mom's place down south near the Bodensee. The girls and I spent several lovely days doing nothing. Well, they would have been lovelier if I hadn't come down with a massive cold! But my girls tucked me in on the couch, made me chicken soup and generally pampered me to no end. We watched movies, made more Gluewein, listened to Christmas music and admired Nikki's cutely decorated little potted tree.

Fortunately, I felt much better by the time we packed our overnight bags to make the trip to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with Sara, Jared and the boys in Berglengenfeld. We ended up being delayed in Stuttgart but instead of grumbling about it we took the opportunity to spend a few leisurely hours meandering through the gynormous Stuttgart Christmas market. I haven't been there in years and it was just as festive and wondrous as I remembered. It was late by the time we got to Sara's but, true to form we ended staying up until the wee hours of the morning chattering away. The girls and I camped out in Sara's living room and the next morning poor Sara did her best to keep Julius and Augie entertained and occupied in the kitchen so we could sleep a little longer. May I say here that Sara has the cutest little boys ever! They are bright, rambunctious, entertaining and just plain adorable! It was fun to spend Christmas morning with little ones again. Everything they did was just that much cuter and funnier than their last antic. I like Jared very much and it was wonderful to spend a few days with Sara again. I remember when the girls were all in high school and college together. And the Christmas Day, just before she left to join the Army, that Sara spent snuggled on my couch because she was sick. She's always been special to us and it was wonderful to see her and Jared and the boys again. We returned to Ludwigshafen all fuzzy inside and looking forward to spending another few days together before, once more, having to say good-bye.
It's always hard to say good-bye to my little chickens. Life has led us to far flung destinations with me in Scotland, Nikki in Germany and Shauna and Michael in Seattle and none of us would change the course of our lives but I miss having them all close. When they could just pop over to my house for a Sunday afternoon or when my phone would ring and the happy voice on the other end would say, "Hi Mom. Are you off work yet? We're having some friends over for dinner. Wanna come?" I miss those days but now I get to enjoy watching their individual lives unfold and see what they each do with their many talents. All in all, though, we don't spend too much time apart before we all feel the need to reconnect again in the same location.

January
I came home to Inverness to a winter wonderland! More snow than anyone had seen around here in 25 years! Did you see the NASA photo taken from space? It was titled 'Frozen Britain' and frozen we were. At first I loved it but the snow just hung on and hung on and hung on. Now, if you live somewhere where you expect a snowy winter then you're probably prepared for it but such is not the case in Inverness. The Council (kind of like the county authorities) didn't have enough snowplows to keep the roads clear or enough sand to put down or the resources to clear the sidewalks. So major roadways were closed for days at a time, driving was hazardous at best and it was impossible to even walk on the sidewalks (except in the middle of town) because they were covered in snow and ice. I rely on the bus and it's arrival became very sporadic and unpredictable. One day I waited for almost an hour and finally gave up and called a taxi. Liz, the dispatcher, told me it would be 2 hours before she would have a car free! I would have just walked (it's about a mile and a half from my house to the town center) but since the sidewalks were unusable I would have had to walk in the street. Not a good idea!

I was so busy during the semester that I really didn't have the time to get out and explore much. There are so many places I want to go and so much I want to see. So I was really looking forward to the Christmas break when I would have to the time to go exploring. Well, that didn't pan out at all. It was just too damn cold and snow covered to play tourist! So I spent most of my time tucked up at home with the occasional (well, a little more than occasional, if I'm being honest!) trip to the pub with friends.

I was home for New Year or 'Hogmanay' as it's called here. The celebration spills over from New Year's Eve into the next day and businesses are all closed for several days. On New Year's Eve the band (Schiehallion) was playing at MacNabb's so that's where we all headed for our night of celebration. It was loads of fun and we all stumbled home full of drink and good cheer. One thing I really like about this culture is that drinking and driving is VERY frowned upon. You just don't do it! So the taxi companies do a very brisk business when the pubs all close. They also jack up their prices during the holiday! On New Years Day we (about 10-12 of us) had a full day of celebrating planned which included several different locations. The individual taxi fares would have been ridiculous so we pooled our money and rented a passenger van for the day. Dougie volunteered to forgo the drinking and play taxi driver. He started making the rounds about 11:30am and eventually had us all delivered to Donny and Margaret's house for an afternoon party to get the day going. How Donny and Margaret managed to put it all together after the previous night, I have no idea, but we had a really fun time. Lots of food and, of course, plenty of drink! We danced in the living room and sang along (very loudly) with the music. Laura decided to take the stage and was side-splittingly funny singing into a candlestick while reeling off one-liners at all of us. About 3:30 Dougie started his first of two runs to get us all to the Glen where the band plays every New Year's Day at 4pm. The place was jammed and you would've thought it was 10 at night instead of 4 in the afternoon. A continuation of the night before! They played until 7pm at which time Dougie ferried everyone to yet another party, this time at Cath and Gringo's (yes, a Scotsman whose nickname is Gringo!). More food, more music, dancing and, of course, more alcohol! By about 10:30 some people were ready to call it a night but Hazel and I decided to continue our celebration at the Gellions, and once again, Dougie shuttled everyone to their preferred destinations. The Gellions was hopping that night and Hazel and I had a great time. We don't live far from one another so we shared a taxi home. The next day Dougie said, "You took a taxi? Why didn't you call me? I still had the van." I said, "Because I wasn't going to get you out of bed to come get us at 1 in the morning!" "Well, that's what we got the van for" says he. Needless to say, I had a very good first Hogmanay in Scotland!

January 25th is the anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns, 'Scotland's National Bard' and every year Burns enthusiasts celebrate with what is known as a Burns Supper. There are Burns Suppers all over the world (yes, even in the States) but nowhere are they as prevalent or as authentic, for that matter, as they are right here in Scotland. I attended my first Supper this year with Dougie and Sheena and about 60-70 other people. The entertainment, before and after dinner, was all traditional, as you would expect. Singers (both in English and in Gaelic) and pipers and Highland dancers. The traditional meal at a Burns Supper is haggis, neeps (mashed turnips) and tatties (mashed potatoes). Just before the food is served the haggis is 'piped in'. It's a great fanfare; the piper playing as he enters the room and makes his way to the front followed by someone carrying in the honored haggis. The haggis is presented to the Master of Ceremony, at the head table, who then reads Burns' poem Address To A Haggis. The representative haggis is then whisked back to the kitchen and the plates of yummy Scottish goodness are brought out and served. Now I know that haggis doesn't 'sound' very appetizing when you describe it but don't make a judgment until you've tried it. It really is very good. As with any food I've had haggis that was just so so and I've had haggis that was really good. The haggis that night was the best I've ever had! Along with the neeps and tatties it was wonderful. The perfect meal for a cold winter night. I could have eaten a whole 'nother serving of everything!

February
Classes started back up on the 5th of Feb. We were still in the midst of our deep freeze but it was time to come out of hibernation and get back into the swing of things. I have 4 classes again this semester. Scottish History 1603-20th century (a continuation of last semester's 1066-1603 class), Intro to Skills for History (kind of a beginning research class), Politics of the British Isles (I figured if I'm going to live here then I should know something about the political system), and an awful class called Research Methods I. I, along with several other people, thought it would be another class about doing research for *history*. Wrong! It's a psychology class (!), all about social psychology research. I am absolutely not interested. I've taken psychology classes before that were very interesting but this is not a general psych class. It's about dissecting the research. Ugh! I'm just gritting my teeth to get through it.

On a happier note, Nikki came for a visit during Feb! She arrived on a Thurs evening and stayed until Monday morning. We had such a good time! I took her to class with me on Friday morning. It was fun to introduce her around and have her sit in on one of my classes. That happened to be the day that I was scheduled to give a presentation on the Glencoe Massacre. Nothing like having your child watch you give a presentation! After class we went shopping in town, then decided to go for my favorite walk, along the river and over to the islands. Two small heavily wooded islands in the middle of the River Ness that are linked to each other and the bank on either side by narrow pedestrian bridges. I really didn't want to haul our bags along on the walk so as we were passing the Glen I suggested we pop in and just leave them with Marion behind the bar. Nikki wasn't to sure about that but I insisted and, of course, Marion was more than happy to stow them in the back for us. We picked them up on our way back by and then stopped at the Gellions for a cup of coffee and some chit chat with whoever happened to be in before walking the rest of the way home from town. We had every intention of going out later that night but never quite got around to it. We ended up lolling around on the bed reading (Nik read and I listened) Elizabeth Gilbert's new book, Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage, which Nikki had bought that afternoon while we were in town. If you have read Eat, Pray, Love then I can tell you that this one is just as funny and insightful. If you haven't read Eat, Pray, Love then get your ass down to the nearest bookstore ASAP! So we never made it to the pub that night but it was so nice to just be together reading and laughing (and eating). On Saturday we slept late and then headed into town at 4pm to meet 'the girls' at MacCallum's. We met my friend Rossie on the bus and he regaled us with the story of his long ago adventures in Germany following friends of his who were in a band and on tour there. He has such a great sense of humor that he could make reading the dictionary entertaining. At the pub I introduced Nik and we ordered our pints. Joe Foy sings at MacCallum's from 3-6 on Saturday afternoons (mostly mainstream pop music that is familiar to everyone). One of his standards is Mustang Sally so when he called out my name over the mic and said that he needed his "bitches" I grabbed Nikki and headed over, explaining to her that usually Laura and I are the "bitches" but that since Laura was in the hospital that week she (Nikki) was being drafted. By that time we were standing, one on either side of Joe, and my lovely daughter who is always game for fun throws her fists in the air and whoops, "Woo-Hoo! Bitches!". So we danced next to Joe and leaned in to sing "Riiide, Sallyyy, Ride" at the appropriate times. At 6 when Joe was finished, as is our custom, we all trooped over to the Gellions to stomp and sing along with the best traditional music in town. Schiehallion has added Sean, the drummer, since Nikki was here last so I introduced her to him as well as reintroducing her to Kenny, Stuart and Craig. Poor girl, she had so many names and faces swimming in her head by the end of the evening I'm surprised she remembered who *she* was! It was funny to hear several people say, "Oh, I met you when you was here in December". They were remembering Shauna and, well...they do look an awful lot alike! A bunch of us bounced back to MacCallum's at 8 to hear Andy and then back to the Gellions once more about 9:30 to hear some really good classic stuff from the 60's and 70's. Nik and I fell into a taxi about 1am for the road home. Sunday was a repeat walk, fish and chips for dinner and back to the Gellions to hear the guys again at 5:30. We eventually bounced over to the Glen for a pint, back to the Gellions to hear Andy and then on to Johnny Fox's for the late night fun. Nik was one tired puppy by the time her taxi showed up at my door the next morning to take her to the train station.
So now both of the girls have been here and have gotten a pretty good dose of the pub life in Inverness, which I'm *pretty* sure they both enjoyed! Maybe next time we'll branch out a little and do something a little healthier like hiking!

March
...came and went.

April (whew!)
The 16th of April was the 264th anniversary of the Battle of Culloden. If you are not familiar with the battle I posted a blog entry about it a couple of years ago on the anniversary and then reposted the same entry last year. This year instead of just blogging about it from far away I was privileged to attend the 'Lament for Culloden' presented by A Circle of Gentlemen. The name comes from a poem by Robert Burns and is a ceremony held each year to commemorate the battle, the Jacobite cause it represented, and the far reaching repercussions of the loss of the battle. I went with Kenny and another friend of mine, Marie. Kenny graciously donates his time and talent to the Lament each year. The Lament begins with a very solemn commemorative ceremony at the memorial on the battlefield, which includes speeches, piping and the laying of wreaths. Many of those involved dress accordingly in kilt and plaid of the period and carry replicas of the flags that were carried into battle that day by the Jacobite troops. Following the battlefield ceremony there is a luncheon at Culloden House, which was used by Bonnie Prince Charlie as his headquarters before the battle. Before the luncheon Kenny provides the musical entertainment in one of the smaller more intimate lounges in the hotel (although in a more appropriately subdued manner than is his usual). In the dining room, there were speeches and presentations, before and after the meal along with more music including a haunting song titled
The Ghosts of Culloden Another woman sang a beautiful song in Gaelic, which I don't understand but could still appreciate and, of course, Kenny sang King Fareweel The video is from last year's Lament. The battle of Culloden was a watershed in Scottish history and being the history geek that I am, it was a very moving experience for me to attend my first Lament for Culloden.

This has definitely morphed into a mammoth post! I think I wrote in a previous post that I was going to try to blog more often so my posts weren't so long. Well...we've just seen how *that's* worked out for me! But at least I'm up to date now. If you've read this entire entry...Wow! I hope I haven't just killed you with the minutia of my life but as I said before I really write for myself and if anyone else is interested they are always welcome to drop in and have a 'wee keek'!

Saying Hello and Saying Goodbye

2009-12-07T20:25:00.001Z

We just had the best weekend! Shauna flew in late Saturday afternoon...a little detour on her way to Zurich for work. Tobi, Chris and I picked her up at the airport. The best way to beat jet lag is just to power through it, so when we got back to the house she jumped in the shower and then we took off for the Gellions to hear the guys play. I drug her around and introduced her to soooo many people. When Schiehallion finished playing we went to MacCallum's for a pint and some more music and from there to the Glenalbyn. I had promised Marion, who runs the Glen, that I would bring Shauna in while she was here. Of course, there were more people at the Glen for Shauna to meet...and more beer to consume! After the Glen we went over to McNab's where another of Inverness's local favorites was playing. Andy plays a combination of traditional music and rock. We stayed and danced until just before midnight. We wanted to take Shauna to Johnny Fox's and Inverness has a funny rule. Even though the pubs are open later than midnight, you can't get in after midnight. most are open til 1am but Fox's is open til 3am so everyone who wants to stay out late makes a mad dash for Fox's just before midnight...including us. Poor Shauna was really running on reserve battery power by this time so we didn't actually stay long but we managed to drag her to 5 pubs that night before she finally hit the wall. One of the fun things about Inverness nightlife is that everything downtown is within walking distance and whatever pub we go into we're bound to run into several friends. Shauna was just swimming in names by the time we called it a night and all piled into a taxi for home. Yesterday we just lazed around the house until the chip shop around the corner opened at 4:30p. Shauna and I went over and picked up fish and chips for ourselves and the boys and we had a fishy feast before we called a taxi to take us into town for another evening of fun.

Schiehallion plays at Findlay's on Sunday's from 5p-8p. So there was more dancing to do and people for Shauna to meet...and meet again! When the guys were done playing we hung out at Findlay's for a bit while Stuart took his equipment home and then caught a ride back into town from Sandra. When he got back we all walked over to the Gellions. I love the Gellions on a Sunday night. Andy (who played at McNab's the night before) plays the Gellions every Sunday night and the crowd is always the usual suspects. Like I said we all kind of migrate around the same few pubs. When we got to the Gellions that's when the party really started! One of the best parts of the evening (besides having Shauna here!) was getting to know Stuart's girlfriend, Lauren. I had met her just briefly one time but she doesn't come out very often so I'd never gotten to know her before. She was so much fun! Shauna and I just fell in love with her! Between the six of us...Shauna, Tobi, Chris, Stuart, Lauren and me...we had quite little party at the Gellions. Not to mention all the other friends who were there!

After the Gellions closed we brought the party back to our house where we all ravaged the kitchen. Leftover fish and chips, cereal, scrambled eggs, crisps and tequila! Then for some reason Stuart decided he wanted to juggle. Shauna looked around and found the onions! I really don't know if Stuart is any good at juggling balls but he can't juggle onions for shit! We were all cracking up as he kept throwing them in the air and they all kept crashing to the floor! When he finally gave up we could only find two onions. Stuart and Lauren made their way back to Stuart's around 2am (about 2 blocks away) and the rest of us toddled off to bed. LOL! I should have made him come back over today to sweep my kitchen floor. Onion skins everywhere! I found the third onion, this afternoon, under the couch in the sitting room.

Shauna had to fly out at 7 this morning so she and I were up at 5:15am! Amid hugs and more giggles I pored her into a cab for the airport about a half hour later. Her visit totaled 38 hours and 20 minutes from landing to takeoff and we had such a good time. I was so happy to get to introduce my beautiful little Sugarbear to so many of my friends. She was a hit...of course! Next time she visits hopefully we'll have more time and can expand our activities a bit but this was just a quick drop in. The only bummer was that Iain wasn't able to get a night off. When we were at the house he was either asleep or at work. When he was home and awake we were gone to the pub. She did get to meet him for a little bit yesterday morning after we got up and before he went to bed. But there will be more visits in the future!

On a sad note, as I'm writing this, Chris and Tobi are packing. They were only here for one semester of study and tomorrow they leave to go home. We are all upset. Even though we all just 'rent a room' in the house, we don't lead our separate lives and just share the common areas. We've made the house our shared home. We hang out together at home and in town. Sandra and I were talking one time and she laughed and said, "Oh, that's right. I forgot. You have family night on Wednesday." Iain is off on Wed and Thurs nights so we all go out together on Wed night. Tobi and Chris have become a part of our regular group of friends. At Findlay's yesterday Kenny brought it to the pub's attention that they are leaving and we all gave them a round of applause. When we went to the Gellions, Rory gave them each a Gellions shirt to take home with them. The boys wore them for the rest of the night. Chris decided he looked like staff and went behind the bar like he was going to start pulling pints! We all cracked up and had get out our cameras. Everyone knows that you don't go behind the bar, even at your favorite pub. It just goes to show how much a part of the Gellions crowd the boys have become that Rory and the staff let him do it.

I'm so glad Shauna came this weekend so she got to meet the boys before they leave. We had a really good blow out to end their Scotland experience with. We have been looking at last night's pictures and laughing all day...until they had to start packing this evening. Now we're all pretty somber. They are loading the car right now so they won't have to do it in the morning.

Tobias Waschek and Christian Herrmann, I will miss you, my friends. Come back soon......

Hey Baby! Wanna Ride?

2009-12-04T21:13:00.000Z

This is so cute....

Spam

2009-12-04T20:50:00.000Z

I've just recently started getting spam in the form of 'comments' on the blog. The first one was a few weeks ago for a website that sold Viagra. I just deleted it and thought no more about it. Then another spam comment for something else popped up and then another one. This last one today was for some kind of 'get rich quick scheme'. So I've turned on the word verification' setting for the blog. This means you'll have to type in the funny little word that shows on the screen before you can leave a comment. Since most spam is automated and it takes a human to read the verification word and reproduce it, this should (I hope!) eliminate the problem. If you read my blog through Facebook then this won't apply but for those of you who are not on Facebook and check up on my Journey To The Highlands directly this just means one more little 'pain in the ass' step before you can leave a comment. Thanks a lot you asshole spammers!

The Little Things...

2009-12-01T17:17:00.000Z

So I'm hot and heavy into this paper that I have to write for one of my classes and I found myself writing this sentence, "William Gilpin came to the Highlands in search of..." not "William Gilpin went to the Highlands...." but "came" to the Highlands! This sentence would only be written by someone writing from the Highlands! It's just one of so many little things that make me smile or tear up (or both) on a daily basis...

My First Thanksgiving In Scotland

2009-11-27T21:17:00.002Z

It was a hit!

My first Thanksgiving in Inverness went really well. Some of it was a bit of a challenge, like trying to find shortening to make the pie crusts. Turns out it's called vegetable fat here. There were a couple of other things that took me two or three trips to the store to find because they are just packaged differently than the way I'm used to (like whipping cream). Other things were simply not to be found so Shauna sent me a care package from Seattle. Everything here is packaged in metric units, too, so when I bought things like sour cream I just had to eyeball it and make a guess as to how much to buy. Another challenge was that all of my recipes are in Fahrenheit and my oven dial is in Celsius so I kept having to convert all my cooking temperatures.

Normally I get up early on the morning of Thanksgiving to get started so I can have dinner on the table by about 3pm. This year, though, I planned dinner for 6pm because yesterday was obviously a regular work day here. It was also a school day for me. I would have just skipped out on school but I was scheduled to give an in-class presentation so there was no way I could not be there (BTW, I got an "A"!) I knew I wasn't going to get home before 1pm but the turkey really needed to start cooking at noon so I got it all prepared and covered with foil before I left for school. I put it in the oven and left a note for the boys to turn the oven on at noon. When I rolled in (after one last stop at the store on the way home!) they were all busy vacuuming and tidying and cleaning the bathroom for me so I could get started with the dinner. My friend, Marie, showed up around 3pm to help with the preparations and Stuart brought over chairs about 5pm. So we were set when people started arriving an hour later.

Everyone was game to try new foods so I started them out with a yummy salmon ball and crackers, a 'to die for' starter that came from Karen Murphy a few years ago and a veggie tray that included raw cauliflower and broccoli. They are both eaten cooked over here but not raw so I wasn't sure how they would go over but evidently they were received well because there wasn't any left by the end of the evening. And I told everyone that since we were celebrating an American holiday then we were having 'chips' and dip, not crisps and dip! I tried a new recipe with dinner this year...sweet potatoes with peaches and cashews. I should have boiled them longer before baking them because they weren't quite tender all the way to the center when I pulled them out of the oven but nobody seemed to mind. There wasn't much left over. I make a dish that is not traditional to anyone's Thanksgiving table except mine. It's called Watergate Salad and it's made with pistachio pudding mix, milk, whipped topping, crushed pineapple, shredded coconut and colored miniature marshmallows. I've always said my children would mutiny if there was no Watergate Salad on the table at Thanksgiving! It's a lovely pastel green in color from the pudding powder and the colored marshmallows add splashes of yellow and pink. Of course, everyone's first reaction to it was "Oh wow, what IS that?" It's pretty sweet so it's not always to everyone's liking but it went over really well yesterday, especially with Kenny (LOL!). And, of course, everyone was very curious about the pumpkin pie. About half the folks liked it and the other half...not so much. But at least now they can all say they've tried it.

The biggest challenge of the evening was where to seat 13 people for dinner. Not only do we not have a dining room, we don't even have a table! This was originally just a 3 bedroom house, the bedrooms and bathroom upstairs and the kitchen and a combination living room and dining room downstairs. When Kenny bought the house he put up a wall to divide the living room/dining room in half so he could add another bedroom. That means that the downstairs now consists of my bedroom, the kitchen and a small sitting room that measures about 10x11. When I first came up with the idea of making Thanksgiving dinner for some of my friends Kenny wanted to know where I was going to put everyone. I said, "I don't know. I haven't figured that out yet!" So I just warned those who hadn't been here before that the house is small and we have no table so that meant that dinner was going to be really informal! I figured I could get 3 people on the couch and one in the rocking chair. We added Stuart's extra chairs to the sitting room and we also have 4 bar stools in the kitchen that sit at an open counter. It worked out fine and everyone just kind of flowed between the two rooms with food and drink. It got a little crazy just before dinner with me maneuvering around a dozen people in my madwoman dash to get things out of the oven and get the gravy made at the last minute but that just added to the festivities!

When dinner was ready I introduced them to another Thanksgiving tradition. Everyone gathered in the kitchen (ready for food!) and I asked each person to tell something in their life that they were thankful for. That was an easy one for me. I said I was thankful for all of them; that when I arrived here they all just gathered me into their little fold and made me feel so welcome. And that I was also thankful that they had all allowed me to share with them a little bit of my own culture.

Then it was time to eat! It did my heart good to see so many of my new friends enjoying their first Thanksgiving dinner. If I had had more room I would have invited twice the number of people who were here, but I simply didn't have room for everyone! Laura and Hazel volunteered for kitchen duty and took care of all the dirty dishes before and after dinner so that I wasn't looking at total chaos when the evening was through. About 9 o'clock we called Thanksgiving dinner a success and went to the Gellions for a pint. Well, actually, Laura and Craig (newly engaged!), Sandra, Marie, Dougie, Jane and Hazel went home. Iain, Tobi, Chris, Kenny, Stuart and I went to the Gellions!

I talked to all 3 of my kids on the phone yesterday. Nikki, of course, was in Germany and Michael and Shauna were in Colorado on their way to Ruth's house with Steve and Ron. It could have been a sad day for me...to not be with my chickens on Thanksgiving...but because of these amazing people who I am so lucky to call my friends, it was still a day to be thankful for!

My Monthly Ramblings

2009-11-23T15:49:00.000Z

        I started my blog so that anyone who was interested could keep up with my adventures once I got to Scotland. During my time in PA and then in Germany I was pretty consistent about posting. But since I arrived in Inverness I've been so busy that it's been difficult to find the time for my blog! But if you check in here very often and I haven't posted for a while, it's certainly not because I've lost interest. It's only cause I struggle to find the time. I suppose I should just post shorter entries but more often. In the future I'll try that. In the meantime..............

        My last post was about a month ago and I was getting ready to attend the "Scotland's Global Impact" conference. It was wonderful! three days of listening to some of the most eminent historians in Scotland, not to mention speakers from Australia, New Zealand, England, Ireland, Canada and the good ole' U.S. of A.! Some one called it an intellectual ceilidh and I think that's just about right. For those of you who don't know what a ceilidh (pronouced kaylee) is, it's an Irish or Scottish social gathering with traditional music, dancing, and storytelling.
The highlight of the conference for me though was the day after it ended. Dr. Tony Pollard (who spoke at the conference) is from Glasgow University and he is one of Scotland's preeminent experts in battlefield archaeology. If you've followed my blog much you'll know that I post about the Battle of Culloden every year on April 16th (the day of the battle in 1746). It was a pivotal battle in the history of Scotland and the battlefield is just a few miles from Inverness. I've been there several times but the day after the conference Tony took about 16 of us on a little field trip to Culloden. I felt like I was being handed a gift...to walk the battlefield with someone who knows just about everything there is know about what happened that day according to the archaeological evidence. He explained about what has been found and what the artifacts tell us about the battle...information that you don't get by just doing the tourist thing in the visitor's center. We walked all over Culloden Moor and at one point he took us to a far corner where tourists wouldn't think to go and then said, "Now, turn around. What do you see?" "Not much." I said. "Exactly!' said Tony, and then launched into why this was a crucial positioning point in the battle. It was drizzly that day and we all got a bit wet but WOW! It was great!

        School is keeping me very busy. So far my grades are pretty good but I sure spend an awful lot of time, outside of class, working on papers and doing all the required reading for my classes. I have an in-class presentation to give on Thursday this week on the relationship between Mary Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I of England. It's a subject that has always interested me so the presentation wasn't too hard to prepare for and I just finished a paper on 'brochs' (pronounced sort of like brocks), dry stone tower dwellings that were unique to Scotland and built around the turn of the first millennium. It was fun to write about the Broch village of Gurness because Nikki, Shauna and I visited the site when we were in Orkney a couple of years ago. I wish I knew then what I know now. I'm definitely going back!

My social life is as fun as ever. Inverness may be small but it's a very lively town. Besides getting to listening to Kenny and the boys play several times a week, there are a couple of other local musicians who I've gotten to know and whose music I really enjoy. One of my favorites is Kevin Fraser. Kevin drives up from Glasgow a few times a month to play gigs in and around Inverness. He always stops by the house for a cup of coffee when he's in town and I always try to make it out to hear him play. He plays just good old rock n' roll. He has a really heavy Glaswegian accent and last week he told me that I'm getting better at understanding, that I don't say "huh?" or "what?" or "say that again." nearly as much anymore. It's my goal to be able to understand everyone no matter what part of Scotland they come from. For such a small country it's amazing how many different accents there are here. People who live as little as 10 miles apart can sound completely different. I have 4 or 5 guy friends who are a real challenge for me to understand. But I'm getting better!

My American accent has turned out to be a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, it's a great conversation starter. All I have to do is open my mouth and anyone can hear that I'm American. Occasionally someone will guess Canadian and even once Australian! but usually they assume American. Everyone here is so friendly that they immediately want to know if I'm on 'holiday' and if so where in the States I'm from. When I tell them that I'm not on holiday, that I live here, then they want to know the whole story of why I chose to move to Scotland and why Inverness in particular and do I plan to stay and how do I like it and do I have Scottish ancestry and why Scottish History and and and....
That's all very nice but sometimes I want to just be able to talk without drawing attention to myself! I'm getting a wee bit tired of telling my story over and over and over. I sometimes think I'd like to have a recording of it so I could just hit the play button, walk away, and come back after they've finished listening to it. Then we could just get on with talking about something else! That sounds very uncharitable doesn't it? It's just people's way of being friendly and getting to know someone new. But I still wish it wasn't the automatic first conversation I have with everyone.
In contrast to that, is how comfortable it is to talk around my friends (who already know the whole story!). I get a bit of teasing now and then but my accent isn't the central theme of conversation. I can just talk freely in a group and even though I sound different they're all used to it now. They obviously still hear the accent but it's like their attitude is "Oh yeah, that's Connie. She may sound different but she's still just one of us."

I've also been taking ceilidh dance classes. They are great fun. There are usually between 15-20 people each week. Obviously I'm the only American and I thought I'd be at a real disadvantage but most of the Scots are just as clueless as I am, and we just crack ourselves up sometimes trying to get these traditional dances right. It's a real workout, too.

A couple of weeks ago was bonfire night. Early in the 17th century there was a plot to blow up parliament with gunpowder. The culprits were caught and the tradition of burning an effigy of one of the guys, Guy Fawkes, has evolved into an annual event all over the UK on Nov 5th each year. So that evening Iain, Tobi, Chris and I converged on the local community park, along with scores of other Invernessians to watch the hugest bonfire I have ever seen! It was enormous and once it got going it lit the whole park up, not to mention making us all nice and toasty! After the fire then there was a fireworks display. I'm like a little kid when it comes to getting to experience the local traditions.

        Speaking of local traditions! I've been invited to attend a Burns Supper in January! Robert Burns is Scotland's most famous poet. He is known as Scotland's Bard. Burns was born on Jan. 25th, 1759 and all over Scotland his birthday is celebrated each year with a 'Supper'. Actually there are Burns Suppers all over the world each year....even in the States. I did a blog entry about Robert Burns last January. This coming January, though, I get to participate in remembering his birthday, not just write about it!

On the same topic of traditions....this Thursday is Thanksgiving! I think I mentioned that I'm having a houseful for dinner. I was in Germany last year and Nikki and I didn't get to do Thanksgiving. Thursday was a normal workday for both of us so we just went to a wine festival that weekend to celebrate! The year before that I was in Pittsburgh and had dinner with Sherry's family, so it's been a couple of years since I've actually gotten to make dinner myself for a crowd of people, as is my usual tradition. I'm looking forward to showing my friends a little bit of my own culture. They have, of course, all heard of Thanksgiving but none of them have ever participated in our most yummy of holidays. I plan to make 4 pumpkin pies as well as 2 apple pies. Everyone is really curious about the pumpkin pies so I want to be sure there is plenty for second helpings and then some left over for later.
I finished my shopping list this morning and it occurred to me that the grocery store won't be the madhouse that we're all used to this time of year. It's probably a safe bet to say that I will be the only American shopping for Thanksgiving dinner in Tesco's this afternoon!

        Here's a funny observation.... The turkey is native to North America. Benjamin Franklin even lobbied for the turkey as our national bird. Glad that didn't work out. It wouldn't be very seemly to make a such a tradition out of consuming ones national bird each year! Anyway, you can't always find fresh or frozen turkeys in American grocery stores, with the exception of from now til after Christmas so I was concerned about whether I could get one here. No problem. They are available all year round! Obviously what I couldn't get was canned pumpkin for the pies. And don't start on me about using a fresh pumpkin! I have enough to do at Thanksgiving without carving pumpkins, too! Good canned pumpkin is just pure pumpkin that has already been cooked and pureed. Anyway, thanks to Shauna and international mail service, I have in my possession two large cans of the heavenly goop! Not to mention a few packages of Hidden Valley Ranch mix to make dip. Nobody here has even heard of ranch dip. So the first American goody they will try on Thursday is a veggie tray with ranch. Not to mention chips and dip. Chips are called crisps here and french fries are called chips. I try to remember to use the local terminology but this Thursday we are celebrating that most American of holidays so our little potato wafers will be called chips! I'm going to make them all say it, too! hee hee!

Happy For This Day

2009-10-21T12:40:00.002+01:00

One of these days you all are going to get tired of hearing me go on and on about how incredibly happy I am. But, in the meantime....

The weather has been beautiful ever since I got here. Not to say that it has been warm and sunny every day but there have only been a couple of days so far that were continually rainy. Some days no rain at all, some with a bit of rain for a while then clear skies the rest of the day. Temps have been very mild. There have been maybe 2 or 3 days when I actually had to break out the big fluffy coat but for the most part a jacket has been sufficient, even at night.

I know winter is on its way but the autumn has been wonderful. Last Friday was sunny and balmy and, though we all had schoolwork we should have been doing, Tobi, Chris and I decided that the day was just too beautiful to waste indoors so we piled into Chris' car and drove across to the Black Isle. The changing of the colors is always amazing to see and the drive through the countryside to the town of Cromerty was a visual feast. Vibrantly colored leaves, grazing sheep and cattle, gorgeous coastline...all accompanied by sunshine and warm temps. We decided that it was very close to an Indian Summer day.

When we arrived in Cromerty we walked over to the small harbor and spent a good deal of time watching one of the fishing boats come in and unload its catch from a day out on the waters of the North Sea. Several of the local residents were there to buy their fish fresh off the boat. After hanging around the harbor for a while we decided to take a walk along the water's edge. I really enjoy Tobi and Chris' company and at one point we all just made ourselves comfy on a bench near the water to talk and watch the sea birds. We strolled back through town and stopped for something to drink at outdoor tables before heading home to Inverness. It was just a lovely afternoon out.
The boys have gone over to Skye for a few days and Iain and I miss them! We'll be happy to see them come home.

Today is not rainy or particularly cold but it is overcast. I'm working on an essay about the 13th century in the Highlands and Islands and looking forward to the next few days. I'm going to a 3 day conference here in Inverness called Scotland's Global Impact. The speakers are all eminent historians and academics from around Scotland and UHI has canceled all history classes for this week to allow us to attend the conference. They even sprung for the cost of the tickets. I'm very excited!

So, even though the sun is hiding from us and there is not much going on today, it's a wonderful day in my world!

--

Random Observations

2009-10-07T00:33:00.001+01:00

I really should be working on an essay for one of my classes but I haven't blogged in so long! I'm not quite sure where to start so I think I'll just jot down a few things that have been rattling around in my head for a while.

Tomorrow is the two month mark! I arrived on August 7th and school started on September 7th. I am still incredibly happy about my new life in Inverness. I did nothing but play, play, play for the first month. This last month has been very busy, though. Besides attending classes there is an incredible amount of reading to do before each class, not to mention writing papers and doing the necessary research for said papers. The paper that I should be working on right now, instead of blogging, is about the hunter-gatherers of the Mesolithic period for a class called History of Material Culture. We are studying the archaeology of Britain in general and more specifically Scotland. Very interesting subject but some of the academic papers that we have to read are soooo dry and boring! Others are very 'readable', though. I enjoy the latter and trudge through the former.

Another class is called The Atlantic World 1492-1800 The Old World Meets the New. It's about European Exploration. 1492 ring a bell, anyone? So guess what we've been talking about for the last couple of weeks....the settling of North America! I have to laugh at myself. I travel a continent and an ocean to come here and study Scottish History and I'm studying the history of my own country! Columbus, Pilgrims, Native Americans...the whole shebang! I just submitted my first paper for this class. It was about Jamestown and Plymouth! Even though this is a subject that I studied all through school growing up, for just about everyone else in the class this is all new information. They certainly didn't study this in school. Why would they? I believe we are moving on to West Africa next week but we'll be coming back to North America next month...more about the early settlers, the Atlantic slave trade and rum running.

My third class this semester is Scottish History 1066-1603. We started in the 11th century with the impact of the Normans on Scotland and have worked our way up through the wars of independence involving William Wallace and Robert the Bruce (not quite as flashy but a wee bit more in depth than Braveheart!). I was a little nervous about this class. I thought I would be at a real disadvantage here. I assumed that my classmates, all being Scottish, would know this subject from school the way I know American history from school. Not so! As Americans we get fed our national history from the very beginning of our academic sojourn. Everyone remember that play about the pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving in first grade? So I assumed it was the same way in the Scottish educational system. It's not. Scottish history simply isn't taught to Scottish children. That's not to say that my classmates are totally ignorant of the history of their country. But what they know they didn't learn in school. So I'm not really at a disadvantage here. Some know more than I do and some know less. But, given that we are all first year students in the Scottish History program, it's a safe bet to say that we all want to know more!

My fourth class is called Identity and Environment. It is specifically about cultural identity within the Highlands and Islands of Scotland....very different historically from lowland Scotland. When I decided to move to Scotland I knew, without a doubt, that I wanted to live in the Highlands. I have studied enough Scottish history on my own to know that this part of Scotland is special. I have to admit that I was drawn by the stories of wild highlanders, clan life, tartan, the pipes, the Jacobite rebellions and all the other things that have been so romanticized about the Highlands. But I also knew that these things were only part of a much larger and much more complex story. My motive for moving to the Highlands specifically was to learn the whole story of this incredible region, both past and present. If Scottish History 1066-1603 is the entree in my academic smorgasbord then Identity and Environment is the dessert (hmm.....does that make Atlantic World and Material Culture bread and salad or side dishes?).

Speaking of the present...I am pleasantly surprised at how content I am in my current home life. Before I got here I was pretty set on having my own apt. I took this place initially because it was a whole lot cheaper than the bed and breakfast and, as Kenny said, it would at least give me some breathing room while I looked for what I wanted. But after 2 months here I can't imagine living anywhere else.

Kenny is a wonderful landlord besides being a good friend and my 3 housemates and I get along really well. Iain (no I haven't misspelled his name) has been an unexpected treasure. He and I hit it off immediately and we become better and better friends with each passing day. He took a couple of weeks off work not long after I moved in and we hung out together every day. People saw us grocery shopping together, running around town during the daytime together and in the pubs together at night so much that we had to laugh knowing that everyone was just sure that there was something going on between us. All of his friends and mine, and especially our mutual friends, have by now figured it out that we are just really good mates (to use the Scottish term for friends). I adore Iain and count myself very lucky to have drawn him in the housemate lottery. He is a few years younger than me, ex RAF, divorced, father of 3, half Scottish-half English, speaks with an English accent, his father was also in the RAF so they lived all over but Iain was born in Scotland. He is one of the kindest people I know, very unpretentious and very funny. One day Tobi and Chris had just come back from running and they casually invited Iain to go with them the next time. Iain responded with, "I don't run...it panics the troops." I cracked up!

Tobi and Chris are only here until December. I think I mentioned in an earlier post that they are German students studying forestry and are here on a one semester exchange program. I introduced them to the mini series Roots a few nights ago. We've been watching it one installment at a time and we just finished watching the last episode tonight. They really enjoyed it. We are an odd little family and Iain and I will miss the boys when they leave. Haha! That does sound like a family unit thing to say!
Considering our mix of nationalities we have dubbed our house NATO Central. We have the British, the Germans and the Americans!

I opened a bank account a few weeks ago. When my checks came in the mail I was quite puzzled. They didn't look like the checks I'm used to. You know, two lines. First one for the person's name, second one for the amount. Then the signature line below and to the right. These checks had three lines. The sig line was obvious, but three lines? And none of them marked as to what they were for. I was stumped. So the other day I put one in my pocket and when I saw Laura and Sandra I pulled it out and laughingly admitted that I needed someone to show me how to fill it out! The random things that a new culture throws at you!

I'm also getting used to some language differences....

I have to try to remember to say trousers, not pants. Pants are what you wear under your trousers!

Another word that could be quite embarrassing is fanny. To us, a harmless little word that means your butt. Right? Wrong! Same general area of the body but around the front side....of the female body. So no talk of fanny packs, or of patting someone on the fanny. Can't you just picture it....me talking about when my kids were little and when they would misbehave I would pop them on the fanny. "You what?!!" hahaha!

Half past the hour is expressed as half 8 or half 10. This was a bit confusing at first because in German half 8 means 7:30. Here it means 8:30.

The opposite of inside is outside, right? So is the opposite of within without? Of course not, that means something completely different so we say outside. Not here. The opposite of within is outwith.
Are/Is....I would say Schiehallion is playing at The Gellions tonight. Schiehallion is the name of "a" band as in one singular unit. Wrong again! Schiehallion is made of more than one person, therefore, "Schiehallion ARE playing at The Gellions tonight." Just as in "The family are coming for dinner." or "Manchester United are winning 2-1."

The Gellions, a local favorite pub, is pronounced The Gilluns (with a hard g) and the Moray Firth is pronounced the Murry Firth (a firth is a bay along the coast).

"That's me/That's us" is often used in place of "I'm/We're". "That's me ready for bed." or "That's us leaving just now."

I vacuum the carpet. Iain hoovers the carpet.

I have a cell phone, Tobi and Chris each have a handy and everyone else carries a mobile. The stress is still on the first syllable but the second syllable is pronounced with the long 'i' sound.

"Cheers"... As speakers of American English we think of this word as simply a way to make a toast. Silly Americans! It also means "Thanks". Someone holds the door for you, you respond with "Cheers" or "Cheers, mate". When I get off the bus I say "Thank you." to the bus driver on my way past. Everyone else says "Cheers" on their way out.

"Pissed"... "He was really pissed when I saw him the other night" It means he was drunk not mad. He could very well have been in a great mood and still have been pissed!

And, last but certainly not least, is my favorite word of all.......wee. Kenny says it a lot. "Here's a wee song about..." "Here's a wee song written by...." When I picked up my new glasses the man fitting them said "I'll just give them a wee clean." Everything is a wee this or a wee that. And, of course, they really do call it a "wee dram". That's a shot of whisky. My spell check is trying to tell me to put an 'e' between the 'k' and the 'y' but that's not correct. If it is made in Scotland then the word is spelled whisky. Anything made elsewhere, as in the States or Canada, is spelled with an 'ey'.

Oh, that reminds me of one more! Those of you who have traveled outside of the U.S., think about what it is you say when someone asks you where you're from. Chances are you say "The States". That's what we seem to call our country when we are outwith its borders. We might also refer to it as "The U.S" but it is never MY first reaction to call it "America" when I talk about home. If I'm trying to explain something that is different where I come from I would probably say something like, "In the States we would use a blah blah blah..." but not, "In America we would use a blah blah blah..." I would say "I'm going home to the States for Christmas." not "I'm going home to America for Christmas." It's taking some getting used to to say "I'm from America." When I say "I'm from the States" people say, with a puzzled look, "Where?" They hear my accent and expect me to say one of two things, either "Canada" or "America", but not "The States". When they talk about it they always call it America. Never anything else so it kind of trips them up when I call it something else. I try to call it America but it just feels really weird.

So, the long and short of my little language recital is that even though we are all speaking English we are sometimes speaking VERY different English. There are a lot more examples that I can think of but you get my drift. Nothing is right or wrong and I'm sure, in time, I'll pick up some of the words that are not currently in my vocabulary. But, for now, not only am I the one with the accent but, given the fact that I'm the foreigner, I'm the one who talks funny!

I do take a bit of ribbing for being an American (from some more than others!) but it's all done very teasingly. I have made so many friends in the short time that I've been here! I can honestly say that, even though I miss my kids especially, I have not felt a moment of loneliness since I arrived. I am amazed at how I've just been gathered in and made to feel a part of this community.

Thanksgiving is coming up next month and those of you who know me know I've always had a houseful of people for Thanksgiving dinner. Well, this year will be no different. I've invited about a dozen friends. They all accepted my invitation with enthusiasm and are looking forward to experiencing a real American Thanksgiving dinner. The pumpkin pie has aroused the most curiosity. A couple of people have asked if they can bring anything. I said no there really isn't anything anyone can bring except maybe the booze. Hazel wanted to know if she could at least bring a pudding. I'm not exactly sure what "a pudding" is but I AM sure that they are not traditionally part of the Thanksgiving meal! Maybe someone could bring a veggie tray. I slipped and said something about chips and dip. That got a funny look and I had to correct myself. Chips are crisps here and fries are chips. Hahaha! Could you just see us all sitting around dipping french fries before dinner? Maybe we could start a new tradition and dip fries into a pudding!

OK, it's getting late and now I'm just getting slap happy. I think it's time for bed. I'll try not to let so much time pass before my next blog entry. Just because the name of my blog is Journey To The Highlands doesn't mean that it should end just because I got here!

Drive-By Greeting

2009-09-27T00:25:00.002+01:00

I haven't forgotten about you, little blog. I've just been really, really busy. Suffice, for the moment, to say that everything is still fabulous in my world and I promise to sit down and chat soon!

Housemates and Other Stuff

2009-08-29T12:58:00.003+01:00

When I moved into the house Ian was the only other permanent occupant. The other two bedrooms kind of have revolving doors. We had Kenny's Uncle Chris, from Dumbarton, in one for about a week. Kevin has stayed a night or two on a couple of occasions when he's up from Glasgow to play the pubs in Inverness. And Craig, a North Sea fisherman, stayed one night. These guys are all our friends and Ian and I are happy to see them come. We have laughed about not wanting Kenny to fill the other two rooms on a permanent basis. We like it the way it is. We live here and our friends come to visit. Ian and I get along great and we hang out together a lot. But yesterday the Germans arrived! LOL! Toby and Chris are a couple of forestry students who are here for a one semester exchange program. We all had coffee together in the kitchen this morning and they seem very nice. So we have a full house for a couple of months now. All I can say is everybody better pull their own weight in the housekeeping department. I'm NOT cleaning up after 3 guys! Ian is really good about it and one of the new guys did the dishes before they left this morning so I think we'll be OK.

I broke my glasses on Thursday! I took them to 4 different optical shops and everybody said the same thing. They can't be fixed. So I had to have an eye exam (since I don't have my prescription with me) and order new glasses. The bad news is that it's going to take a week to get them so I'm back into my stupid little readers til then. The good news is that I got 2 pair for about half the cost of my last pair.

I think I want to eventually buy a little car but not until I get used to the traffic. When I ride in a car with someone it is very strange to sit in the left front seat without a steering wheel in front of me and it's still a little weird to travel down the left side of the road but what really freaks me out are right turns! I have that immediate feeling that we are cutting someone off in the right lane to make a right turn from the left lane! And then we don't turn into the right lane of the cross street. We go over the left side of the street! Again my instincts try to tell me that we are heading into oncoming traffic! This happens to me time and time again and it's really disorienting for just those few seconds. So until I get used to the wrong, uh I mean the left, side of the road, I think it's better if I just ride with friends or take the bus! Another very strange thing is that it's OK to park on the side of the street against the flow of traffic. Imagine crossing over the oncoming lane to pull up to the curb and park. Another reason for me NOT to get behind the wheel yet!

I had a two day orientation at the college this past week. There are about 15 of us in the History Program at the Inverness campus and I was pleased to see that we are a mixture of men and women, some just kids and others "mature" adults. Those of us who are first year students will have another orientation next week at the North Highlands campus in Dornoch (about an hour and a half north of Inverness). We'll meet the history instructors and all the other first year history students from the other UHI campuses from around the Highlands and Islands as well as get a more intensive introduction to the UHI history dept. which is based at the North Highlands campus. UHI (University of the Highlands and Islands) is putting us up at the Dornoch Hotel for 3 days. I had planned to take the bus to Dornoch but one of the other students, a woman just a bit younger than me, offered to give me a ride up and back. We'll leave Inverness on Monday morning and return on Wednesday afternoon. And then classes will finally begin the following Monday. I have my first class on that Tuesday! At last!!!!

My First Birthday In The Highlands

2009-08-26T17:23:00.002+01:00

I had a fabulous birthday yesterday! Ian, my new housemate, took me for a cruise on Loch Ness in the afternoon. The loch is so beautiful and Ian has quickly become a very good friend. Then it was off to the Gellions to celebrate with more friends and bathe in the sounds of Schiehallion! Sandra, Laura and Hazel surprised me with flowers and a card and then Cath and Gringo arrived bearing another birthday card, a lovely bottle of Australian wine and a can of Guinness (which made me laugh). The evening flowed with Happy Birthday wishes from everyone and I did my best to keep up with all the birthday drinks that came my way! At the height of the evening's celebrations Kenny led the crowded pub in a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday" after which he sang "Summer Walkers" for me. I love all the music that the band does but this song is very special to me. I've not heard Kenny sing it live since I got here and had asked him about a week and a half ago if he would sing it for my birthday. I wasn't sure if he would remember so I sent him a text yesterday afternoon to remind him and got one back saying he was just then rehearsing it for me. It was amazing! For almost 5 minutes the rest of the world just kind of disappeared as I stood about six feet away, in the middle of the dance floor, and lost myself in the haunting lyrics of the song and the sheer power and grace of Kenny's voice. When he finished I stepped up, put my hand on one of his cheeks, kissed the other one and whispered thank you. Then it was back to the rowdy celebrations!

My girls had been concerned about me spending my birthday alone in a new town. But that was before I arrived here and met all these wonderful people. I am amazed at how quickly I found my niche in this little corner of heaven. I feel so at home here and can't imagine ever living anywhere else. I went walking last Sunday with Sandra and Marie down the Caledonia Canal, which runs parallel to the River Ness. I was visually drinking in the scenery and felt my soul coming alive again after being dormant for what has seemed like a very long time. To the people who have grown up here The Highlands are just "home" but as a new immigrant I see things through a different lens. I look forward to the time when my life in Inverness becomes routine but I don't think I'll ever lose the feeling of wonder that, through all my travels, The Fates have led me to this beautiful place. I am come home.....

Man In The Moon

2009-08-15T01:06:00.001+01:00

One of my favorites...

Scottish Tourism, Language, and Sport

2009-08-14T15:23:00.003+01:00

Kenny just showed me this video and I laughed till I cried....

And here's another one. The beginning is so funny to me because it sounds just like Kenny. I had to smack him and say "See, it's not just me!" He keeps telling me I have to learn to speak Scottish. Hell, I have to learn to understand it first!

I'm Here...At Last!

2009-08-12T16:22:00.005+01:00

I made it! That wild scheme I came up with two years ago is finally a reality. Nikki and I landed at Edinburgh Airport last Friday. From the airport we had to take a bus to the the train station to catch our train to Inverness. And to my surprise, who should be waiting at the Edinburgh train station for us? SHAUNA! She had flown in from India the night before to surprise me. Nikki was in on it so she knew to look for her sister when we got to the station. They had been planning this for a couple of weeks. Nik had even been in touch with the B&B in Inverness to let them know that there would be three of us but that it was a surprise to me.

I was a very happy mom as we all boarded the train for Inverness. I think my face was glued to the window for the entire three and a half hour ride. We checked into our B&B and then went in search of dinner. We found a really good restaurant in the town center called The Mustardseed. After dinner we went for a nice long walk along the River Ness and across to the little island in the middle of the river.

On Saturday we went out the the Culloden Battlefield. The National Trust for Scotland built a new Visitor's Center last year and the new exhibition on the events leading up to the battle, the battle itself, and the aftermath of the battle is much improved over the old one. We spent several hours there which concluded with a walk around the battlefield itself. Then it was back into town to head over to the pub to see Schiehallion play. Fabuluous! They played from 5pm-8pm at The Gellions and then from 9:30pm-12:30am at Hotanannys. We had a great time. I've played Schiehallion's CD so much since it came out and devoured all the YouTube videos but there is nothing like hearing the music live. Kenny has such an amazing voice and the kind of music he sings just feeds my soul. We met all the "regulars" and they welcomed me to Inverness with such genuine enthusiasm. Kenny offered to show me around after the girls left. On Sunday the girls and I took a historical tour of Inverness before landing at Finlay's (another pub!) to catch the band again. Knowing that Nikki and Shauna were leaving the next morning, Laura (one of the "regulars"), told the girls not to worry about their mom, that they would take good care of me!

The next morning Kenny picked me up and we went out to the Black Isle to watch the dolphins. They come in each day about noon to feed on the salmon. The dolphins must take Mondays off 'cause they didn't show that day but we had a lovely time anyway, sitting by the water, talking and watching the seals. After a few hours we drove back into town to look at one of Kenny's houses that he rents out on a shared basis. The house has 4 bedrooms but only one was occupied. I had been set on getting a single apartment but I figured it wouldn't hurt to look at what Kenny had to rent. The house is in a nice neighborhood called Hilton and there is a bustop just right around the corner. I decided to take it and Kenny came by the B&B for me and my suitcases yesterday, which we dropped off at the house before going out to lunch. My housemate is a really nice guy named Ian. We've had a few friendly conversations and he seems very laid back so I think it's going to work out fine. Kenny's uncle is up from Dumbarton for a week or so so there are actually 3 of us in the house at the moment.

I love Inverness. It's small enough that you really can't get too lost but it's a very lively town with a population of about 72,000 (minus all the tourists!). There is plenty of shopping and the pubs are always in full swing. Not to mention that it is in the heart of The Highlands. So much to see and do!

For someone who just landed I sure don't feel like a lone stranger in town. Between spending time with Kenny on Monday and Tuesday, having Ian and Chris at the house, and getting to know the regular Schiehallion crowd at the pubs I certainly haven't been lonely! It's off to the Gellions again tonight!

I have died and gone to heaven in the Scottish Highlands!

Full Circle In Germany

2009-08-03T13:04:00.002+01:00

When I arrived in Germany 10 months ago I stayed with Nikki and Bert for a couple of months until I moved into my apartment. Now, at the end of my stay, I'm back. The shipping company picked up all my boxes in Mannheim last Thursday. I closed the door to my cute little "hobbitty" apt one last time and came back to Ludwigshafen. When I got here I looked at Nikki, sighed, and said, "Well, I'm homeless again." We both laughed because all that means is that the dream is finally at hand.

Bert had to go to Munich for work on Thursday and won't be home until tomorrow morning and Nikki doesn't work on Fridays so we have had a very nice long mother-daughter weekend, just the two of us hanging out. We ran some weekend errands on Friday and on Saturday we went to the farmers market, did some cleaning and then went for a long walk in Luisenpark. Yesterday we both slept late and then I went to the park to get in a few miles while Nikki did some lesson planning in advance of being gone next weekend. When I came home we had a lovely dinner on the balcony and then watched movies.

I have so enjoyed this last year in Germany. The experience has been very different from the first time I lived here. Not better or worse, just different. The best part, though, has been being so close to Nikki. That also means that the worst part about leaving will be leaving Nikki. I'm so excited about finally moving to Scotland and she shares that excitement with me but we are both so aware that it means another good-bye. I'm glad she's going with me for a few days when I leave. We're just going to play when we get to Inverness next weekend. We'll go to the pub a couple of times to see Scheihallion play, take a trip out to Culloden, walk along the river Ness and just do some poking around town. Then she'll fly back to Germany on Monday.

I will miss my little Pickle.

German-American Freundschaft

2009-07-29T19:39:00.002+01:00

This is my last night in my little "hobbitty" apartment in Mannheim. I was so lucky to find this cubby when I came to Germany. Not just because it is such a cute little apartment...perfect size, fully furnished, nice neighborhood...but because of the people who own the house and live in the apartment just below me.

Peter and Barbara have been absolutely wonderful to me in the time that I have been renting from them. They have done so many little things for me that go beyond just being good landlords. Peter helped Bert and me schlep my boxes up to the third floor when I moved in and tonight he has parked his car on the street so we could put all my boxes in their garage in preparation for the movers tomorrow. When I left to go to Berlin four days after moving in here they heard me bumping my suitcases down the stairs and insisted that Peter should help me get the bags to the tram stop. When Barbara realized that, because of my Berlin trip, I would only spend a total of 18 days in the apt. during Jan and Feb she insisted that I not pay rent for the month of Feb! She had no idea how short of money I was at that point and what a gift her gesture was.

My rent includes utilities and wireless internet. I've tried to be conscientious about energy comsumption (turning off lights and, in winter, putting on a sweater instead of cranking up the radiators), but when we had a bit of a cold spell this last spring Barbara made a point of telling me to turn the radiators back on if I needed them. She wanted to be sure that I stayed warm! And when I lost my internet connection in March Peter went out of his way to get me back online as soon as possible. His connection was fine but he replaced his modem to reestablish mine.

Barbara's daughter Miriam lives here in Mannheim and often spends Sunday afternoons with her mother and Peter. Barbara always cooks a big lunch when Miriam comes over and since I moved in they have invited me to join them on a regular basis. Barbara is a fabulous cook and I have enjoyed our long Sunday lunches tremendously. The conversation is always fun and interesting and I have especially enjoyed getting to know Miriam. She is delightful but I must say I've never seen such a tiny girl who could pack away so much food at one sitting! LOL! It has kind of become a running joke at lunch...my amazement at Miriam's capacity.

I've spent several very enjoyable Saturday afternoons hiking with Barbara and Peter and the evening that they invited me to go to the ballet with them was great fun.
One of the sweetest things, though, has been something very simple. Barbara reads the paper on a daily basis and whenever she reads something that she thinks would be of interest to me, whether it's news of a change in the tram schedule or a community event or a sale on "American" items at the grocery store, she cuts out the article or notice or whatever it is and leaves it on the stairs for me. Just a little thing but so thoughtful.

What I have been most grateful for, though, was how understanding they were about Lucy. They didn't even ask for a "pet deposit" when I moved in. I knew that Lucy didn't always get her butt all the way in the litter box when she had to pee so, from the beginning, I laid heavy plastic under the "pee" pads in front of her box to make sure that the wood floor was extra protected.
Letting your renter have an indoor cat is one thing (most cats are very fastidious about using the litter box) but it wouldn't have been unreasonable in this situation for Peter or Barbara to voice concern. After all it was my cat and their floor! But they never did. When they asked about Lucy it was only to inquire about how she was getting along. They were both very sweet to her and Barbara was here to say goodbye on that last day.

Last Sunday, they had a going away BBQ for me. Miriam and Daniel (Barbara's son) both came and the next door neighbors were invited, as well as Nikki and Bert. As a going away gift they gave me a book about humor that I am looking forward to reading. It was a lovely afternoon and very much appreciated.

It has been such a pleasure to get to know Peter and Barbara. They have been much more than just my landlords. They are friends who I will miss. I know they like to travel and I'm hoping they will come to visit me in Scotland sometime so I can, in some small way, return their hospitality.

Step By Step

2009-07-28T11:14:00.003+01:00

I feel like I'm so close I can taste the haggis! 10 days away from the big move. Everything is packed and the movers come on Thursday to take away my meager belongings. I'll do a bit of cleaning and then move with my suitcases over to Nikki and Bert's for the last week.

Today I'm going to Luisenpark. I haven't been in about a week and a half. What with losing Lucy, then going out of town for that weekend and then packing I just haven't had the time for my daily walking. But I looked around this morning and realized that everything is done so off to the park I go! Just me, my tennis shoes and my iPod.

Craig Ferguson Explains Where It All Went Wrong

2009-07-23T14:14:00.001+01:00

Hahahahaha!!!!

Looking To The Future

2009-07-22T01:29:00.003+01:00

I can't believe I'm finally counting days (15!) instead of weeks or months until my move to Scotland. I started packing today. The shipping company doesn't come until Thursday next week so there is no real rush about it. It's not like I have a lot to pack, anyway. Everything I own these days would fit into the back of a pickup truck! But it's still a pain in the ass to have to pack....again!

I decided to wait til I get to Inverness to start looking for an apt. So I'm booked into a Bed and Breakfast for the first 2 weeks (the moving company will hold my stuff until I find a place). Nikki is flying with me to Inverness. We seem to have a pattern going. She and I took Shauna to Seattle for grad school. Shauna accompanied Nikki on her move to Germany and now Nikki is going with me to Scotland. We'll play for 3 days and then she'll fly back to Germany and I'll begin a serious search for a place to live. I thought about looking into a roommate situation. There are lots advertised online, but I've realized that I like living alone. I've gotten really used to the privacy and freedom of living by myself and unless it's for a tall good looking bug killing bed warming Scotsman, I don't think I want to give those things up.

Sara (from Nikki and Shauna's high school and college days) just moved to Germany with her Army husband Jared and their two little boys. They are stationed in Hohenfels which is down south from here in Bayern (Bavaria). Nikki and I were planning on going to see them just before I leave but I just couldn't spend those first couple of days at home after losing Lucy so we decided to go this last weekend instead. It was wonderful to see Sara again and meet Jared and the boys. And it was the perfect diversion to keep my mind occupied....most of the time. We spent Saturday and Sunday exploring the town of Regensburg, which sits along the Danube. Sara has the cutest kids! The funniest part of the visit was when 3 yr. old Julius looked up at the massive cathedral in Regensburg and said, "Oh my god! Who lives there?" I'm still laughing at that one.

The last several days at home have been very strange without Lucy. I keep expecting her to meet me at the door when I come home. The apt feels very empty without her but I'm trying to keep myself busy by packing and getting ready for the move.

My Bitty is gone and my heart is broken....

2009-07-17T12:13:00.001+01:00

My Heart Is Breaking

2009-07-15T18:56:00.003+01:00

Almost 19 years....that's how long Lucy has been with me. Through all the changes in my life over the last two decades this furry little creature has been my constant companion. She has lived in 9 different homes with me and has traveled across the ocean from Germany to Arizona, across the U.S. from Arizona to Pennsylvania, and back across the ocean to within a couple of hours of where she was born. In preparation for our Journey to the Highlands Lucy has been vaccinated, microchipped and blood tested for entry to the UK. My motto has always been "Where I go, so goes the bitty."

But the time has come to say good-bye. Lucy is mostly deaf these days and her sight is also failing. She weighs next to nothing. It's hard to find a place to pet that isn't just skin and bones. She has lost a great deal of strength in her limbs and she hasn't been able to jump up on the couch for several months now. Often she'll be standing in one place and one, sometimes two, of her legs will just start sliding away from her. She has also stopped any kind of feline grooming. I have to wash her face for her after she eats. It's like she doesn't even realize that her nose, chin and whiskers are all covered with kitty food.
I've had to put puppy pee pads in front of her litter box for a long time now. She uses the box just fine when she has to poop but she can't seem to get her butt all the way in when she only needs to pee. So I change pee pads several times a day. Over the last week or so she doesn't even try to get in the box to pee. She just squats in the general vicinity. The area of pee pads has become about 3 feet by 3 feet with heavy plastic underneath. I could go on describing all the other signs of deterioration but you get the picture. I just don't think she has the strength or stamina for what is to come over the next couple of months and I don't think it would be fair to expect her to endure it all just because I can't bring myself to let go.

When Lucy was diagnosed with diabetes in 2000 I was sure that the diabetes would take her from me before she reached old age. I gave her her first insulin injection on my 43rd birthday (and her 10th birthday). My birthday wish that year and every year since then has been for her good health. Notwithstanding a few bumps along the way she has done very well. So her diabetes, in the end, is not the culprit. It is simply old age.

I have spent 19 years giving her the best care that I possibly can and she has given me that same number of years of unconditional love in return. A lot of people say that cats aren't as affectionate as dogs. Those of you who have known Lucy know that she somehow didn't get that memo. Her sole objective in life has always been, not just to be held, but to be snuggled. It has long been a family joke that " the bitty", as we call her, is downright demented when it comes to needing affection. Most cats don't like to be held tightly or feel like they are being restrained. Then there is Lucy! This is a kitty who was never happy to just sit on my lap. She wanted to be cuddled and would actually put her little 'arms' on either side of my neck and press her face to mine in an effort to get closer. She would let me kiss her eyes and her nose and her cheeks without pulling away. She even rubbed noses with me. I would touch my nose to hers and rub a little bit. Then she would start rubbing back and forth and up and down until I was giggling too much for her to continue. She spent her days in a constant effort to get me to pick her up. I've often joked that Lucy would be happiest if I just put her in a snuggly and carried her around all day.

I use the past tense to describe Lucy's personality because she doesn't do these things anymore. Now when I sit on the couch and hold her on my chest I have to help her position her legs. It's difficult for her to get comfortable. She doesn't tuck her face into mine anymore and she seems to have some tender spots when I stroke her. She hasn't even slept in the bed with me in about 6 months. We used to go to sleep together, with her under the covers and cuddled in my arms. Now she sleeps on the floor.

As is always the case with old age, all of this has crept up on us a little at a time, but the cumulative effect of all of these changes is that my sweet girl has gotten very old and is now just existing from day to day. So I have come, with great difficulty and much sadness, to the decision that it is time to let her go. I called her vet this morning and made an appointment for Friday afternoon. Nikki and Bert are going with us for morale support but in the end it will be just Lucy and me. I'll hold her and stay with her til the end.

I just can't imagine what next week and next month and next year will be like without the bitty. My heart is breaking..........

28 Days!

2009-07-10T22:45:00.002+01:00

We bought plane tickets today! Nikki and I will fly to Edinburgh on the 7th of August....exactly 4 weeks from today.

Quit job....check
Sell everything....check
Apply to UHI....check
Leave Tucson....check
Sell house....check
Sell Dad's house....check
Settle the estate....check
Get British visa....check
Buy one way ticket to Scotland....CHECK!

Ms. Shauna Goes To India

2009-07-07T16:06:00.003+01:00

Shauna had barely landed back in Seattle after her visit with us in Germany when she had to begin making plans to go to India. The "powers that be" at Google decided that she was needed at the office in Bangalore for a couple of months. She left Seattle last Friday and managed a weekend layover here before finishing her flight to the other side of the planet. We had an absolutely lovely weekend.

Nikki and I picked her up at the airport in Frankfurt and brought her back to my place in Mannheim so she could drop her stuff and take a shower. We then hopped the Strassenbahn for downtown to do some serious "appropriate Indiawear" shopping. It was a very successful excursion. She found just what she needed, light and airy but covering shoulders and upper arms. Around 8:30pm we decided to end our day with some Irish Stew at Murphy's Law Irish Pub. It was a beautiful evening so we were able to sit outside and enjoy the weather while we ate.

The next day we packed up the food that Nikki and I had prepared, collected Peter and Barbara from downstairs and headed to Luisenpark for our "5th" of July picnic. I was so glad that P&B were able to join us. I really wanted Shauna to meet them. They have been so wonderful to me while I've been here renting their little upstairs apartment.

We found our little patch of green and spread our blankets. We had chicken, potato salad, grapes, apple slices, carrots, little sausages, pepper slices, 2 kinds of cheese, 3 kinds of crackers, wine and a delicious sort of cherry bread pudding that Barbara had made. The five of us spent a lovely couple of hours, sitting in the shade nibbling our goodies. Barbara and Peter left us just before 4pm and the girls and I lounged around on the blankets for another couple of hours. It was just what we needed...time to just talk and laugh and enjoy one another's company with no distractions. The park is open until 9pm and it was another pretty evening so around 6:30pm we decided to just walk...and talk...and talk some more.

The next morning Nik and I took our little traveler back to the airport where we had to say goodbye to her for the second time in as many weeks. It's never easy to say goodbye. At the same time, though, we were very excited for her. She's wanted to see India for a very long time.
She has arrived safe and sound in Bangalore and has started a new blog to chronicle her India adventures (I've also added a link on the sidebar). I'm so glad because I want to know every little happening of her experience and hear her thoughts and impressions of it all.

The British Government Said YES!

2009-07-07T11:36:00.005+01:00

My British visa arrived this morning!

It has been such a long process trying to get to this point that I can hardly believe it's actually finally happening. I feel as if I've been trying to run a marathon through a very large vat of molasses.
The last step in making this crazy dream of mine a reality was to get a visa for the UK. I was really nervous about being denied for some reason or another. There really was no good reason for the British gov't to deny me a visa but ALL my plans hinged on them approving my application so I have been really nervous about it.

The last three weeks have been excruciating! I have felt like I was going to explode from the tension of waiting. It's been difficult to concentrate on anything and occasionally I would panic and think, "OMG, what if they deny my application! What the hell will I do then?" Then I would have to calm myself and reassure me that I have everything they require of me and there is no reason to be denied. But this is still governmental bureaucracy we're talking about here. Anything could happen. So around and around I would go in my mind.

But my visa arrived this morning. They said YES! The last piece has finally fallen into place. So all systems are finally GO. I can pack my stuff, arrange for a temporary place to stay in Inverness - until I find an apt. - and buy a one-way plane ticket. Look out Scotland, here I come!

Michael Jackson: Legend or Scumbag?

2009-06-26T10:18:00.005+01:00

I am amazed at the level of grief being exhibited over the death of Michael Jackson. The man was undeniably talented. But he was also a pedophile! Ah, I can hear some of you now..."But that was never proven". Yeah, well, when you have the money to buy off your victim's families....

OJ Simpson got off too. Anyone really believe he was innocent? I see Michael Jackson in the same light. A man who got away with a terrible crime. The difference is that OJ Simpson didn't have as many fans as Michael Jackson. Fans who choose to ignore the horrible things he did in light of his talent as an artist.

Hitler was a talented artist, too. But you won't see any of his paintings on my wall! What's that you say? "Hitler was responsible for the death of 12 million people. How can you compare MJ to Adolf Hitler?" I can because they were both dishonorable human beings with no compassion for their victims.

If Jackson were the middle aged balding untalented pedophile who lived down the street we would all being saying, "Good riddance to bad rubbish". Well, I still say, "Good riddance to bad rubbish"! How can anyone who has children defend the reputation of this man? How can anyone who even knows a child? Children are to be protected and nurtured. Michael Jackson used his celebrity to abuse the most innocent of our society and the public let him get away with it because they liked his music! Evidently OJ Simpson wasn't as good a football player as Jackson was a singer and dancer. Poor Adolf also failed in the popularity contest.

I'm not saying that we cannot overlook the chinks in the armor of our "heros". There are many celebs whose behavior I disapprove of but I can still admire their work. Their job is to entertain me. What they do with the rest of their lives is not my concern. I grew up with Michael Jackson's music. I loved the Jackson 5 when I was a teenager. And I liked a lot of his later music, too. Jackson got increasingly weird as he got older. No crime there. No reason to stone the man for being eccentric. If that had been all there was to it I would have no problem with the outpouring of grief over his death. But that is not all there is to it! I cannot ignore the fact that he molested young boys. In light of that, all else pales.

Scumbag trumps legend.

Family Time Part I

2009-06-18T11:05:00.001+01:00

The past couple of weeks have been busy, busy, busy! Michael was here from the 4th to the 13th . Shauna arrived two days after Michael got here and Steve flew in from Africa on the 10th (He just spent two months working on a linguistics project in Mali!).

Nikki put a lot of time and effort into creating and coordinating our group itinerary for the duration of Michael's visit (It was his first trip back to Germany since we left in '93). We took him to Neustadt the day he arrived. It's such a pretty little town and it made for an enjoyable but relaxing afternoon. It was really fun to watch Michael's excitement at being here and taking pictures of him with all the unique Neustadt-y stuff. We met Nik's friends, Linda and Clemens, for dinner that evening (Schnitzel und Pommes, naturlich!). We decided it was time to go home when poor Michael threatened to fall asleep in his beer. The next day the three of us made what we have affectionately dubbed 'the pilgrimage'. It's the trip back to Ramstein-Miesenbach and Kaiserslautern that we have each made as part of our first trip back to Germany. The twins did it when Nikki first moved back here in Sept. of '06 and I did it when I visited Nik in the summer of '07. So this time it was Michael's turn. It really is strange, the first time going back there, really like bringing a memory back to life. Some things have changed but some things are exactly the same as they were when we first moved to Miesenbach over 20 years ago.We even ran into Karin Nasshan while we were visiting Waldstrasse 3b and 3c! Her parents owned 3b when we lived there. Dave and Nena lived below us and Karin lived above us. She owns the house now and lives there with her husband and daughter.

Shauna arrived on Saturday and that evening the four of us had dinner at my apt. I had asked her to bring me a bottle of good tequila when she came (the tequila here is just crap) never dreaming that she would bring Herradura! But she did! If you're a tequila lover (as I am) and have never had Herradura then you are missing out on something wonderful. After dinner we met up with Linda and Clemens again; this time at Murphy's Law, an Irish pub here in Mannheim. They both know Nikki as 'just Nikki' and I know they were looking forward to meeting her identical twin, whom they had heard so much about. It's always a fun time at Murphy's but after a few beers it was time to bring Michael and Shauna home and put their poor little jet lagged selves to bed. I slept well that night with all three of my kids here. The girls in the extra bedroom and Michael on the couch in the living room. The next morning we had a big breakfast, yak, yak, yakked, played on the computer, listened to music and just generally bumped around in our jammies until mid afternoon when we all migrated over to Nikki's place.
That evening found the four of us sitting at Hemmingway's, a bar in Ludwigshafen, engrossed in conversation about Watergate and American presidential politics.

On Monday we employed trains, busses and our own 8 feet to get us to the very impressive Burg Berwartstein where we toured the castle, ate at the cafe, and picked up a few postcards before deciding to go to France for dinner....since we were so close. Shauna, still being so jet lagged, was lulled into peaceful slumber for most of the bus ride and missed the beautiful scenery along the way. After about an hour we arrived in Wissembourg. We poked around for a while and then settled ourselves at an outdoor cafe that one of Nikki's students happened to have previously recommended to her. Michael took the opportunity to venture into the rubbery world of escargo while the girls and I opted for wine, Irish coffee and cake. After that it was a lovely walk back through the town to the train station where we boarded our train for home.

Tuesday morning found us back on the Deutsche Bahn. This time headed north. First stop...Koeln (Cologne) to show Michael the Koelner Dom, one of the most impressive cathedrals in Germany. I used to take tour groups there on a fairly regular basis back in my USO days so I was excited to go back, this time with my kids. We took the guided tour in English and I tried not to roll my eyes when the guide began telling us about the magnificently adorned chest at the high alter which contained the bones of the Three Wise Men.....yes, THOSE three wise men! It seems like every important cathedral in Europe somehow manages to have some biblical relic or another. The cathedral in Trier claims to have the Holy Robe of Christ (the garment worn during the crucifixtion).

All of that aside, though, visiting the beautiful churches of Europe is one of my favorite things to do. I stand in awe of the vision of those long ago architects, stonemasons, and carpenters who gave decades and sometimes their entire lives to the building of these churches. The evidence of their dedication is in the beauty and grandeur of their craftsmanship. To wander through these magnificent structures that have endured through centuries of time is like reaching back and touching history, touching the lives of those ordinary people who knowingly or unknowingly gave us gifts beyond measure. To me the treasure is not in what these churches purportedly hold within their walls. The treasure is in the stories and the history of the people who built them.

From Koeln we headed to Bonn and the birthplace of Beethoven. I'm not really a fan of any kind of classical music but the kids were all exposed to Beethoven at a very young age and the love of his music is a gift from their father. The house where Ludwig was born is now a museum and holds an extensive and impressive array of Beethoven memorabilia and historical documents. I found it all very interesting but no more so than any other 'birth-house turned museum'. It wasn't the emotional experience for me that it was for the kids. I wish I could have exchanged myself for Wade for those few hours. It really should have been him going from room to room and display case to display case with them, listening to bits of music, seeing the pianos, reading the letters. I've enjoyed lots of wonderful travel experiences with my kids but this one rightfully belonged to their father. It would have made it so much more special to share it with Dad.

One of the things that we wanted to do while Michael was here was to take an afternoon cruise up the Rhine River but we just couldn't fit it in. So we were pleasantly surprised when the train ride home from Bonn followed right along the river for a good bit of time which included the route we would have taken had we been on a boat. So Michael still got to see the Lorelei Rock, the vineyards and all the cool castles along the river, albeit in a rather sped up fashion. And, as expected, he let out a loud guffaw as we passed the river town of Assmanshausen.

We got home pretty late that night and I was happy to kiss my kids goodnight as I got off the train in Mannheim and they continued on across the river to Ludwigshafen. We were all looking forward to Steve's arrival the next day coupled with the fact that Bert was going to be able to take a few days off from work as well. We had lots more fun stuff planned. To be continued......

Bonk! Bonk! Bonk!

2009-05-29T15:58:00.002+01:00

OK, I know I've gone a bit video crazy lately, but this one is just too cute not to post!

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Ballet...or...Dancing With The Stars

2009-05-21T21:18:00.002+01:00

When Barbara and Peter invited me to go to the ballet I assumed it would be a classical performance. Having never been to a ballet before, I enthusiastically accepted their invitation. But as it turned out tonight's performance was not classical at all. It was a performance by Hubbard Street Dance Chicago a modern dance troupe from, well....Chicago. Afterward, Barbara explained to me that there really isn't a distinction made between the different types of dance that one might see when attending the Mannheim Ballet. So tonight was not what I had expected at all. No ballet slippers, no tutus, no swans. But, rather, a high energy show by a group of amazing young dancers accompanied by really good music. I was not in the least disappointed. I love modern dance. I am always amazed at the beauty that can be created by the movement of the human body. The first part of the performance had a very classical feel to it, though. Very smooth and romantic dances but definitely with a modern flair. The curtain came down for the first intermission and I was pleased with the show so far and looking forward to the the next two segments.

After about a 20 minute intermission we settled back down into our seats for the second part of the performance. It was at this point that the dancers really ratcheted up the energy level. The next 15 or 16 minutes was a chaotic visual feast. All 12-14 dancers were on stage at the same time. Sometimes they were all moving; sometimes only 1 or 2...or 4 or 5. They were all wearing jeans or dark khakis or some other nondescript type of pants. What really caught my eye, though, were their shirts. Nothing special, just what you might see anyone wearing walking down the street. But each one was a different solid color. This use of color combined with the energetic dance movements of so many people at once looked to me like a rainbow of popping corn. It was fabulous!

After the second intermission about 9 of the dancers came out wearing oversized dark men's suits and hats. Their dancing was less frenetic than before but no less athletic or amazing. Then they all suddenly walked down the steps and off the stage. They positioned themselves at various points in the audience with one young man standing right next to me. Hmmm....thinks me. I wonder what they're doing? Next thing I know this young man held out his hand to me and beckoned me to come with him! As did the other dancers, each to a different audience member. As I put my hand in his and left my seat I heard myself thinking, Oh this might not be such a good idea. But he put his other arm around me and, oh so gracefully, escorted me up on the stage. I had no idea what to expect but it was certainly too late at this point to chicken out so I just decided to have fun with it....whatever it was! It was great! We were like interactive props. They danced around us, with us, and at us. All to the music of the Bossanova. All I could think of at that moment was the movie Born Romantic and wished I had, at some point in my life, taken Latin dance lessons. They had us up there for probably ten minutes, most of which are truthfully kind of blur to me, but I'm pretty sure I had fun. One by one, they released us to go back to our seats where we all watched the rest of the show wondering, What the hell just happened to me?

As we were leaving the theater, afterward, Barbara, Peter and I were laughing about the whole thing and Peter showed me the picture he had taken with his phone of me on stage. I asked him to email it to me. I'll add it to this post when I get it but for now suffice to say that it was a wonderful dance performance (theirs, not mine!) and my unexpected little excursion into the spotlight definitely made it an evening to remember!

An Amazing Voice

2009-05-20T19:54:00.005+01:00

So you all know that I love everything Scottish. Why else would I have quit my job, sold my house and dismantled my life in Arizona to chase my dream of living in The Scottish Highlands and studying the history of this amazing country?

When I think of spending my days in an academic environment with other people who are just as daft about the history of Scotland as I am I feel like a little kid waiting for the first day of school. Wait....I am. Well, not a little kid, certainly, but waiting for the first day of school, definitely (Sept 7th)! I have learned so much of Scotland's history on my own but I can't wait to get into the classroom where there are teachers who know a hell of a lot more than I do and who are there to share their knowledge!

But there is much more to Scotland than just her political and social history. Like music! When the twins and I were in Inverness in July of '07 we saw a traditional folk band called Shiehallion. They blew my socks off. Just three guys...one on the pipes, one on the accordion and the front man, Kenny Jamieson. Kenny plays the acoustic guitar and the bodhran and is the sole singer in the group. He has a powerful voice that, in my opinion, is so perfectly suited for the music he sings. Songs about Scottish battles and patriots, songs about home and identity and cultural pride. I bought a compilation CD that night of a variety of traditional artists who have played at that venue and I really enjoy the entire CD but my favorite song has always been the song that Kenny sings, called Hush, Hush, about the Highland Clearances. Shiehallion recently released their own CD and Nikki surprised me with a copy of it last month. I have to admit that it's a good thing it's not on vinyl. It would be worn out by now. I listen to it all the time.

Ok, here's where I have to make a confession. Kenny has such a strong and wonderful Scottish accent that my American ears have difficulty understanding what he's singing. Not to be deterred, I have seached out the song lyrics, some from Shiehallion's website, others from different Internet sites. It's funny how, once I know the words, the songs sound so clear to me. I can't imagine how I couldn't have gotten the lyrics just by listening!

The website administrator has put a bunch of live performance videos on YouTube and there is a link to them from the website. Shiehallion does some great rousing songs, too, but the ballads are my favorites.

Here are a couple of samples.

I can't wait to get to Inverness and be able to listen live whenever I want. Student by day, Barfly by night!

Law and Order BFD

2009-05-15T14:14:00.001+01:00

I can't believe I found this before Michael did!

Law And Order: BFD from This American Life on Vimeo.

Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!......

2009-05-03T17:14:00.003+01:00

How many talk show hosts would hang their dignity out to dry like this?

...and one more

I crack up every time I watch those.

BA (Hons) Scottish History at UHI

2009-05-01T19:30:00.008+01:00

I was just surfing the college's website and drooling over the classes for the Scottish History program. I'm sooo excited! Take a peek if you want to see what I'm going to be studying over the next 4 years.

Beltane and Robin Gibb

2009-05-01T15:45:00.004+01:00

They really have nothing to do with one another except that today is May 1st - Beltane and I saw Robin Gibb (a real live Bee Gee!) at Luisenpark this afternoon.

I have a real love-hate relationship with my memory of the Bee Gees. I love their early stuff..."Massachusetts", "I've Gotta Get a Message To You", "How Do You Mend a Broken Heart?" and, of course, "Words". But they are also the poster children for that ugliest of times in American music history...the Disco era. When people think of the music of the '70s they think of Disco. Truth be told, there was great music in the '70s but in 1977 a little movie called Saturday Night Fever and it's soundtrack (sung by the Bee Gees) gave new life to what had been, up to that point, a sidestream of American music - and a dying sidestream at that - Disco. The Disco era took off and the Bee Gees led the charge. Gag me with platform shoes and polyester! Good music was drowned out in the presence of the dance beat. Like I said, I have a real love-hate relationship with my memory of the Bee Gees. So when I saw Robin Gibb at the park today (he's playing a concert here in Mannheim on Sunday night) I didn't know whether to stalk him and ask for an autograph or cuss him out for his part in running good music off the radio when I was 20 years old. In the end I just left him and his companoin to their park exploration and continued on with my own.

Luisenpark was alive with people today. May 1st is a public holiday. I'm not sure what the German name for today is but in the States we just call it May Day, a day to recognize the changing of the seasons. Many cultures have some sort of deeply rooted historical celebration of Spring and the coming year. For the ancient Celts it was Beltane, a time when they celebrated the fertility of the coming year and believed that the "door" between the earthly world and the spirit world opened.

In Irish mythology, the beginning of the summer season for the Tuatha Dé Danann and the Milesians started at Bealtaine. Great bonfires would mark a time of purification and transition, heralding in the season in the hope of a good harvest later in the year, and were accompanied with ritual acts to protect the people from any harm by Otherworldly spirits, such as the Aos Sí. Like the festival of Samhain, opposite Beltane on October 31 Beltane was also a time when the Otherworld was seen as particularly close at hand.

Early Gaelic sources from around the 10th century state that the druids of the community would create a need-fire on top of a hill on this day and drive the village's cattle through the fires to purify them and bring luck (Eadar dà theine Bhealltainn in Scottish Gaelic, 'Between two fires of Beltane'). This term is also found in Irish and is used as a turn of phrase to describe a situation which is difficult to escape from. In Scotland, boughs of juniper were sometimes thrown on the fires to add an additional element of purification and blessing to the smoke. People would also pass between the two fires to purify themselves. This was echoed throughout history after Christianization, with lay people instead of Druid priests creating the need-fire. The festival persisted widely up until the 1950s, and in some places the celebration of Beltane continues today.

The largest Beltane celebration takes place in Edinburgh, Scotland. One more thing to add to my calender next year!

I Am Grateful For This Past Year

2009-05-01T07:27:00.006+01:00

A year ago today, I was uncertain about what the future held for me. The only thing I was sure about was that I was having surgery that morning to remove a grapefruit sized tumor from my right ovary. Was it benign or was it ovarian cancer? Would I be able to carry on with my Journey to the Highlands or would I first have to journey through that horrible world of radiation and chemotherapy. And if the second was my destiny, would I come out the other side victorious and healed or would I not make it to the other side at all? I was scared yet somehow still unbelieving. It just didn't seem possible that this could be happening to me...but it was. The surgeon was a gynecological oncologist and that was my name on his schedule that morning.

I thought about my children. They are the light of my life and there was so much life for us still to share. I thought about my dream of moving to Scotland. So close but suddenly so tenuous. I had shed tears of fear, let my mind wander to the scariest places and played the what if game.

I had given the tumor a title to make it a little less scary. I called it my little invader. Chief Engineer Scott to Captain James T. Kirk: "Captain, we have an invader!" Then you would see several nameless crew members running through the corridors of the Enterprise to confront and capture the invader. I was the mother ship and I had my own invader. The doctor and his surgical team were about to storm my corridors to confront and capture the enemy (stupid, I know, but it helped). As I sat there on the bed, in my hospital gown, waiting to be wheeled away, I wasn't dreading the surgery. I wanted to get it over with and get on to the next step...whatever that next step turned out to be.

The next three days in the hospital weren't a lot of fun. This was the 5th time in my life I had had some kind of abdominal surgery. You don't realize how much you use those muscles until after you've been cut open. Those core stomach muscles are an integral part of every movement your body makes. Add to that one of my infamous migraine headaches and the whole experience was pretty ugly. Nikki was my angel. She had flown in from Germany and stayed 10 days with me. She helped me in and out of bed and to the bathroom; she cagoled me into eating and even kept up my blog.

As crappy as it was, though, it wasn't as crappy as it could have been. The pathology tests came back... and the tumor was benign. All I had to do was recuperate from the surgery. My future would not include chemotherapy, radiation, hair loss and cancer doctors....

As I look back on last summer, I think about how different it could have been. As it was, though, it was a wonderful summer. I traveled to Seattle, to Colorado, to Germany and to the Caribbean. I spent several weekends throughout the summer with Paul in Virginia and I moved back to Germany in October.

Living in Germany again has been an unexpected gift. So different from the last time. Not better or worse, just a different kind of experience. I spent a month in Berlin learning to be an English language teacher and made some wonderful friends there. I love my little apt here in Mannheim. I rent from Barbara and Peter who live downstairs and who have become friends. They invite me for Sunday lunch on a regular basis and we've spent several lovely afternoons hiking through the local forests together. I teach on Tues, Wed and Thurs. What a great job! It certainly doesn't feel like work. My students are great and are all very motivated. And I've become a regular visitor to Luisenpark. It's just beautiful in the Spring and is the perfect place for my walks.

The best part of living here, though, is being able to spend time with Nikki. She called the other day and said, "Hey Mom, I need to return those shoes this afternoon. Wanna meet me at Paradeplatz?" So we met up downtown and returned her shoes. We also went to the post office and the bank. Then we went to a cafe that we had discovered a few weeks ago where they have these wonderful salads. After that she went to her French class and I went to the grocery store. It's just being able to do the little things together that we are both enjoying so much.

Bert was gone last weekend so Nikki and I went to check out McClaren's Irish Pub on Thursday night. She slept at my place that night and the next morning we decided, on the spur of the moment, to go to Strasbourgh for the day. It's only about an hour and a half away by train and I hadn't been there since the last time I lived here. Nikki had never been but had really been wanting to check it out. So off we went! The weather was gorgeous and we had such a good time. We had breakfast on the train and played tourist once we arrived. We did the self guided tour around the Altstadt that the Tourist Information lady recommended, we climbed the cathedral, shopped and had dinner at an outdoor cafe. While we were eating, a summer shower popped up and caught all the shoppers by surprise. We watched them all scramble for cover as we sat there under the awning dry and comfy. On the train on the way home Nikki and I were sharing the earbuds to my iPod to listen to Shiehallion, a traditional Scottish band from Inverness. I started laughing. "Nik, do realize that we are two Americans, on a train in Germany, listening to Scottish music?" "On our way back from France!" she added. The smiles were pretty big. Travel will never get old to either one of us.

As I said, I am so grateful for this past year. And now I'm planning my long awaited move to Scotland......

What I Love Most About My MacBook

2009-04-21T19:47:00.005+01:00

When I got my first laptop at the end of 2007 I decided to leave Windows and venture into the world of Macintosh. I've seldom regretted that decision. Yes, there is the occasional inconvenience when this or that whatever isn't compatible with a Mac but for the great majority of the time owning a MacBook has been a dream.

I could go into all the differences between a Mac and Windows and how easy it was to learn the OSX operating system and the user interface (I hope I'm using the right terminology) but if you own a Mac you already know all that stuff and if you don't own a Mac, you don't care. Truth be told, I get a little nervous when I have to use Windows now. I'm so used to what I have that Windows has become a bit foreign to me.

All that aside, though, what I really love the most about Mac Dubh ( that's it's name...pronounced "McDoo", Gaelic for son of the black one) is the magnetic power cord. You see, Mac Dubh doesn't sit stationary on a desk. He sits on my lap, or on the couch, or on the coffee table, or wherever. So the power cord is all over the place and I can't tell you how many times over the last year and a half that I have caught it with my foot as I get up to walk away. If that little power cord were securely attached I would have killed Mac Dubh a hundred times over by now. But, as it is, when klutzy me can't lift my foot high enough to avoid the cord, it just pops right off and my little black MacBook feels nary a jolt.

I have no idea who, at Apple, came up with the idea of a magnetically attached power cord but what a fabulous feature. If it has saved my laptop so many times, then I can't be the only MacBook owner out there who has silently thanked that anonymous person, either just before or just after calling myself a dork for catching the cord....again.

Oh yeah, and Mac Dubh says thanks, too!

Craig Reads My Email

2009-04-20T23:04:00.004+01:00

This actually happened about 3 months ago, but I was preoccupied with getting ready to leave for Berlin that week and didn't get around to posting it. Craig gets about 1000 emails a day and out of those his staff pick out a bunch that they think he might like. Then he goes through them and chooses the 3 or 4 that he likes the best. It's kind of a game with his regular viewers to see who can write an email that Craig will choose to read on the show. I have to admit I was pretty jazzed when he picked mine. I don't even mind that he mispronounced Mannheim.

Beauty Comes In Many Packages

2009-04-16T13:07:00.002+01:00

The embed for this video has been disabled on youtube, but please, copy/paste it into your browser. It brought tears to my eyes. And she's a Scot!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

Hallowed Ground

2009-04-16T10:02:00.002+01:00

I posted this last year and I'll probably post it again on this day next year. The Battle of Culloden is one of the most important events in Scottish history....

The date was the 16th of April, 1746, but the story began in 1603 when King James VI of Scotland (the only child of Mary Queen of Scots and heir of the Stuart Dynasty) ascended to the throne of England upon the death of his third cousin, Queen Elizabeth. He then became James I of England as well as James VI of Scotland, uniting the two countries under continuing Protestant rule.

The crown passed through the Stuart descendants, a mixed bag of Catholics and Protestants, for about 100 years until the Settlement Act of 1701. This Act prevented James III, the great grandson of James I from claiming the British crown in 1714 because he was Catholic. The next nearest Protestant claimant to the throne was a German from Hanover. Thus began the Hanovarian Dynasty of George I and the struggle of the Jacobites (from the Latin for James) to return the throne to the Catholic Stuart Dynasty. After a failed attempt from France by James III himself in 1715, the cause was passed to his son Charles Edward Stuart, known also as Bonnie Prince Charlie.

In 1745 Prince Charles made his move. He landed in Scotland, gathering his forces predominately from the Highlands and swept through the country on a wave of national pride coming within striking distance of London itself. Through a series of bad command decisions, though, the Highlanders eventually found themselves, on Culloden Moor, exhausted and facing the Hanovarian forces who were well rested and under the sharp command of the Duke of Cumberland, the younger son of King George II. They were outnumbered 9000 to 5000.

It was a slaughter that lasted last than an hour. Survivors were given "no quarter" and the dead were buried by the local citizens. There were too many for individual graves so the bodies were interred in mass graves according to their clan. The clan stones still stand on Culloden Moor to this day. Jacobite sympathizers were hunted down over the coming months, many of them killed or taken prisoner to be executed or transported to the colonies in America. The wearing of kilts and clan tartan were outlawed as well as the playing or possession of the bagpipes, considered not a musical instrument but an instrument of war. The Highland clan way of life that had flourished for 600 years was exterminated.

Clan stones on the moor

A visit to the Memorial at Culloden, today, feels more like a pilgrimage to those who love the Scottish Highlands and her rich history. It truly is hallowed ground. Quiet contemplation in front of each of the Clan stones (many with freshly laid flowers), looking to the top of the Memorial with it's inscription to the fallen Highlanders and imagining the ancient way of life that was crushed on that fateful day is sure to move all but the most hardened of hearts. I encourage all who visit to walk the battlelines. Begin at the line of red flag poles that represent the place where the Hanovarian troops were positioned. Look across the Moor to the blue line of the Highlanders. Then walk to the other side and look back across. Look at how boggy and uneven the ground is and try to imagine the physical struggle and confusion of a battle in such a setting. I was overwhelmed with a feeling of reverence and respect for the men who had died in the very field where we were standing. I do not exagerate when I say that we could very nearly feel their presence all around us.....

Viva La Feet!

2009-04-13T15:43:00.004+01:00

The weather has been just beautiful lately. Spring is definitely here. But I really haven't had a chance to get out and enjoy it until yesterday. I took on a project from Conny, who is doing her PhD at the university in Berlin. She has done some interviews that she needs transcribed from audio and doesn't have the time to do it herself so she's paying me to do it. It's really tedious, boring and time consuming but the money at the end will be nice to see. I spent the better part of last week working on it and decided yesterday that I needed a break and also needed to get outside. So I put on my walking shoes. I've gotten out of the habit of my daily walks since I got here and now that the weather has gotten so nice I plan to make them a priority again.

Nikki lives in Ludwigshafen and I live in Mannheim. The two cities are only separated by the Rhein river. Then there is the Neckar which branches off the Rhein, runs through Mannheim and off to the southeast (actually I think it comes from the SE and runs into the Rhein at Mannheim). So riverside walking/biking paths are in abundance around here. They are quite pretty, well maintained and very popular. I started my walk yesterday along the Neckar and ended up several miles later in a little town called Neckarhausen. By the time I got back to my starting point I had covered about 9.5 miles and was thoroughly pooped, but in a good way.

Today I decided to go to Luisenpark for my walk. I haven't been there since Nikki and I went last October. The park is really big with outdoor cafes, fountains, boat rides, flower gardens bursting with color, several playgrounds bursting with children, large open grassy areas and endless paths that meander through it all. There is something about walking through a park on a beautiful day with an ice cream cone in your hand that just makes you feel so carefree. I don't think I walked 9 miles today but, even so, I covered a good bit of ground and felt very satisfied by the time I left the park and caught the Strassenbahn home.

I'm not sure which I enjoyed more...the river or the park. Either way, though, I have really missed my walks. I've gone meandering through the forests and the vineyards with Nikki and Bert and various other people several times since I got to Germany but those excursions have a different feel to them. They are fun and very social and usually consume the whole afternoon. On the other hand my daily walks are solitary, only take a few hours and seem to be my way of staying in touch with myself. I don't power walk; I just walk. I think it's my form of meditation. I feel better mentally and physically when I walk regularly. I had a gym membership for a while several years ago but I finally realized that it caused me more stress than it relieved. I had to force myself to go and felt guilty when I didn't! I much prefer to just put on my tennis shoes, grab my iPod and step out the front door. I don't have to make myself do it. I don't find excuses to avoid doing it and it's a whole lot cheaper than the gym!

He Just Cracks Me Up!

2009-04-06T21:08:00.000+01:00

The Declaration of Arbroath

2009-04-06T14:18:00.002+01:00

Anybody who saw the movie Braveheart is familiar with the Scottish patriot William Wallace. After Wallace's execution in 1305 by King Edward I of England the Scottish people rallied around their King, known as Robert the Bruce, who continued the struggle against Edward's son and English domination.
Having soundly defeated King Edward II at the Battle of Bannockburn after nearly 20 years of war, King Robert the Bruce and the Scottish people might have reasonably hoped to be left in peace. But the English king did not give up so easily and the Scottish Wars of Independence continued. In the propaganda war, the Scots were at a disadvantage in relation to the influential power of the Pope in Rome - he was more interested in gaining support for another Crusade to the Holy Land from the English king. The Pope had excommunicated Robert the Bruce, not unreasonably, following Bruce's murder of a rival to the throne on the altar steps of a Franciscan priory. But prompted by the English king, the Pope also excommunicated all the people of Scotland.
The Declaration of Arbroath (sometimes called the Declaration of Independence) was Scotland's response to the excommunication. It is one of the great icons of Scotland and is in the form of a letter (in Latin) to the Pope from eight earls and 31 barons of Scotland asking him in rousing terms to acknowledge Scotland as an independent nation and to reject the claims of the English king. The Declaration was ahead of its time as it sets out that the king (previously regarded as appointed by God) could be driven out if he did not uphold the freedom of the country. It later became a model for the American Declaration of Independence.
It sets out the long history of Scotland as an independent state and cleverly tries to persuade the Pope of the legitimacy of Scotland's case. It's most famous and most quoted passage is:
"For so long as there shall but one hundred of us remain alive we will never give consent to subject ourselves to the dominion of the English. For it is not glory, it is not riches, neither is it honours, but it is liberty alone that we fight and contend for, which no honest man will lose but with his life."
The Declaration of Arbroath is more correctly entitled "Letter of Barons of Scotland to Pope John XXII". It is dated 6 April, 1320. While the original Declaration was delivered to the Pope, a contemporary copy is held in Register House, Edinburgh. The translation below of the full text is based on one published in 1689.
1320 Letter of Barons of Scotland to Pope John XXII (Declaration of Arbroath)
To our most Holy Father in Christ, and our Lord, John, by Divine Providence chief Bishop of the most holy Roman and Universal Church, your humble and devoted sons: Duncan Earl of Fife, Thomas Randolph Earl of Moray, Lord of Man and Annandale, Patrick of Dunbar, Earl of March, Malise Earl of Strathearn, Malcolm Earl of Lennox, Wilham Earl of Ross, Magnus Earl of Caithness and Orkney, William Earl of Sutherland, Walter, Steward of Scotland, Wilham of Soulis, Butler of Scotland, James Lord of Douglas, Roger of Mowbray, David Lord of Brechin, David of Graham, Ingelram of Umfravil, John of Menteith, Guardian of the earldom of Menteith, Alexander Fraser, Gilbert of Hay, Constable of Scotland, Robert of Keith, Marischal of Scotland, Henry of St Clair, John of Graham, David of Lindsay, William Oliphant, Patrick of Graham, John of Fenton, William of Abernethy, David of Wemyss, William Muschet, Fergus of Ardrossan, Eustace of Maxwell, William of Ramsay, William Mowat, Allan of Moray, Donald Campbell, John Cambrun, Reginald le Cheyne, Alexander of Seton, Andrew of Leslie, Alexander of Straton, and the rest of the barons and freeholders, and whole community, of the kingdom of Scotland, send all manner of filial reverence, with devout kisses of your blessed and happy feet.

Most holy Father and Lord, we know and gather from ancient acts and records, that in every famous nation this of Scotland hath been celebrated with many praises: This nation having come from Scythia the greater, through the Tuscan Sea and the Hercules Pillars, and having for many ages taken its residence in Spain in the midst of a most fierce people, could never be brought in subjection by any people, how barbarous soever: And having removed from these parts, above 1,200 years after the coming of the Israelites out of Egypt, did by many victories and much toil obtain these parts in the West which they still possess, having expelled the Britons and entirely rooted out the Picts, notwithstanding of the frequent assaults and invasions they met with from the Norwegians, Danes, and English; And these parts and possessions they have always retained free from all manner of servitude and subjection, as ancient histories do witness.

This kingdom hath been governed by an uninterrupted succession of 113 kings, all of our own native and royal stock, without the intervening of any stranger.

The true nobility and merits of those princes and people are very remarkable, from this one consideration (though there were no other evidence for it) that the King of Kings, the Lord Jesus Christ, after His Passion and Resurrection, honoured them as it were the first (though living in the outmost ends of the earth) with a call to His most Holy Faith: Neither would our Saviour have them confirmed in the Christian Faith by any other instrument than His own first Apostle in calling (though in rank the second or third) St Andrew, the most worthy brother of the Blessed Peter, whom He would always have to be over us, as our patron or protector.

Upon the weighty consideration of these things our most Holy Fathers, your predecessors, did with many great and singular favours and privileges fence and secure this kingdom and people, as being the peculiar charge and care of the brother of St Peter; so that our nation hath hitherto lived in freedom and quietness, under their protection, till the magnificent King Edward, father to the present King of England, did under the colour of friendship and alliance, or confederacy, with innumerable oppressions infest us, who had in mind no fraud or deceit, at a time when we were without a king or head, and when the people were unacquainted with wars and invasions. It is impossible for any whose own experience hath not informed him to describe, or fully to understand, the injuries, blood and violence, the depredations and fire, the imprisonments of prelates, the burning, slaughter and robbery committed upon holy persons and religious houses, and a vast multitude of other barbarities, which that king executed on this people, without sparing of any sex or age, religion or order of men whatsoever.

But at length it pleased God, who only can heal after wounds, to restore us to liberty, from these innumerable calamities, by our most serene prince, king, and lord Robert, who, for the delivering of his people and his own rightful inheritance from the enemy's hand, did, like another Joshua or Maccabeus, most cheerfully undergo all manner of toil, fatigue, hardship, and hazard. The Divine Providence, the right of succession by the laws and customs of the kingdom (which we will defend till death) and the due and lawful consent and assent of all the people, made him our king and prince. To him we are obliged and resolved to adhere in all things, both upon the account of his right and his own merit, as being the person who hath restored the people's safety in defence of their liberties. But after all, if this prince shall leave these principles he hath so nobly pursued, and consent that we or our kingdom be subjected to the king or people of England, we will immediately endeavour to expel him, as our enemy and as the subverter both of his own and our rights, and we will make another king, who will defend our liberties: For so long as there shall but one hundred of us remain alive we will never give consent to subject ourselves to the dominion of the English. For it is not glory, it is not riches, neither is it honours, but it is liberty alone that we fight and contend for, which no honest man will lose but with his life.

For these reasons, most Reverend Father and Lord, We do with earnest prayers from our bended knees and hearts, beg and entreat Your Holiness that you may be pleased, with a sincere and cordial piety, to consider that with Him whose Vicar on earth you are there is no respect nor distinction of Jew nor Greek, Scots nor English, and that with a tender and fatherly eye you may look upon the calamities and straits brought upon us and the Church of God by the English; and that you may admonish and exhort the king of England (who may well rest satisfied with his own possessions, since that kingdom of old used to be sufficient for seven or more kings) to suffer us to live at peace in that narrow spot of Scotland beyond which we have no habitation, since we desire nothing but our own, and we on our part, as far as we are able with respect to our own condition, shall effectually agree to him in every thing that may procure our quiet.

It is your concernment, Most Holy Father, to interpose in this, when you see how far the violence and barbarity of the pagans is let loose to rage against Christendom for punishing of the sins of the Christians, and how much they daily encroach upon the Christian territories. And it is your interest to notice that there be no ground given for reflecting on your memory, if you should suffer any part of the Church to come under a scandal or eclipse (which we pray God may prevent) during your times. Let it therefore please Your Holiness to exhort the Christian princes not to make the wars betwixt them and their neighbours a pretext for not going to the relief of the Holy Land, since that is not the true cause of the impediment: The truer ground of it is, that they have a much nearer prospect of advantage, and far less opposition, in the subduing of their weaker neighbours. And God (who is ignorant of nothing) knows with how much cheerfulness both our king and we would go thither, if the king of England would leave us in peace, and we do hereby testify and declare it to the Vicar of Christ and to all Christendom.

But if Your Holiness shall be too credulous of the English misrepresentations, and not give firm credit to what we have said, nor desist to favour the English to our destruction, we must believe that the Most High will lay to your charge all the blood, loss of souls, and other calamities that shall follow on either hand, betwixt us and them. Your Holiness in granting our just desires will oblige us in every case where our duty shall require it, to endeavour your satisfaction, as becomes the obedient sons of the Vicar of Christ.

We commit the defence of our cause to Him who is the Sovereign King and Judge, we cast the burden of our cares upon Him, and hope for such an issue as may give strength and courage to us and bring our enemies to nothing. The Most High God long preserve your Serenity and Holiness to His Holy Church.

Given at the Monastery of Arbroath in Scotland, the sixth day of April in the year of Grace 1320, and of our said king's reign the 15th year.

Edward Update

2009-04-04T09:03:00.002+01:00

I just read the mini-blog that Carie put up about Edward. Chipin helped her raise $435 toward his vet bill and the clinic has a charitable contribution fund that will help with the rest of it. The best news of all is that Edward went home last Monday!

Many happy years together, Carie and Edward!

Edward The Kitty

2009-03-27T21:24:00.002Z

Edward belongs to a friend of a friend of mine. He swallowed a string that got all tangled in his intestines. He is recovering from major surgery now but the vet bill is huge and Carie, his owner, needs help.

Reviving The Dream

2009-03-27T16:39:00.003Z

As much as I have enjoyed my time in Germany, as you all know, my goal is and always has been to get to Scotland. I quit my job in Tucson a year and a half ago, sold my house and applied to study Scottish history at The University of the Highlands and Islands in Inverness. They accepted me for the fall of '08 and I planned to use my inheritance to pay for my 4 years of schooling and living in Scotland. But we were unable to sell my dad's house and close the estate in time for me to go last fall. Plan B.... get a deferment from the university and go to Germany for the interim.

It was definitely a good decision to come to Germany. I have connected with cherished memories of living here before, gotten my certification as an English language teacher and started working, and have basked in the sheer joy of being close to Nikki again after missing her for so many months. All of the good things about being here, though, have been tempered by my disappointment in not yet getting to Scotland. I have consciously tried to mentally lock away my dream of a life in the Scottish Highlands and concentrate instead on the unexpected gift of getting to live in Germany for a second time.

Most of the time I do fine but every so often I will find myself listening to Celtic music, or in a conversation with someone from Scotland, or surfing the net and landing on some site or another having to do with Scotland and suddenly I'm just sad. I don't know any other way to explain it other than to say that my heart hurts. My yearning has not faded with time or been lessened by diversion. But I believe that everything happens for reason and I continually remind myself that when the time is right it will happen. Don't waste the gift of today by looking only for what will come tomorrow. It works most of the time.

Then....I got an email from my aunt and uncle the other day. My Aunt Carmen is handling my dad's estate which includes the sale of his house. After 16 months on the market the house has finally sold and the estate will be finalized next week.

I think it has taken me a few days to actually absorb the news. Suddenly my dream is within reach. I can go to Scotland this year! I can move to the Highlands and immerse myself in the study of Scottish history for the next 4 years. I can go hiking in The Great Glen; I can hang out at that cool little pub in Inverness; I can visit the Orkney Islands and go hiking on Hoy anytime I want to; I can go to the Edinburgh International Festival and I'll be in Inverness for the Highland Games this year...and next year and the year after that and the year after that! I'll eat haggis and drink single malt whisky (I'm not even sure what single malt is but I'm gonna drink it!) I'll celebrate Burns Day and learn to speak English in a way that my friends and family won't understand. I can go back to the memorial at Culloden Moor and see my stone on the Visitor's Center Walk. I'll learn all the words (not just the chorus) to my favorite traditional Scottish songs and sing along with the band, and when asked, I'll be able to say, "No, I'm not a tourist. I live here."!

A Great Weekend

2009-03-23T08:38:00.003Z

I just had the loveliest weekend.

This was the final weekend of the Six Nations Rugby Tournament. The last three games were played back to back on Saturday so Nikki and I went to Murphy's Law Irish Pub to watch the first game with some friends, all of whom belong to the same expat group. After the first match we all hopped the train to watch the second and third matches at another pub in Heidelberg. I only just started watching rugby a few weeks ago but I've discovered that I really like it. The final game on Saturday was between Ireland and Wales to determine the league champions. Ireland won by a hair. It was a very exciting match.

Saturday night was also what is called Long Night at the Museum. The museums in Heidelberg, Mannheim and Ludwigshafen were all open until about 2am with special exhibits and pricing. It's quite festive and very popular. So after the rugby match about seven of us headed off to see the Body Worlds exhibition. I missed it in Phoenix and again in Pittsburgh so I'm glad I finally got to see it in Heidelberg. It was pretty cool. From there we took the train back to Mannheim to see an exhibition on the 1914 Shackleton expedition to Antarctica. By the time we emerged it was 12:30. The festivities were still in full swing and there was a lot more we could have seen but at this point we decided to call it a night. Bert was on a weekend hiking trip with a couple of friends so Nikki decided to sleep at my place. We tumbled into bed about 1:30 am.

On Sunday we met up with Clemens, Linda and Chrissie in a little town called Forst for a very unique celebration of Spring. Here is the official description:

Forst Hanselfingerhut

: Forster Hansel Fingerhut

The village of Forst, well-known for its excellent wineries, is located on the German Wine Route on the slopes of the Haardt. On every Mid-Lent Sunday, this beautiful setting is used for the “Hanselfingerhut Spiel”, a special summer play to cheerfully drive out the winter.

The play has been performed since more than 200 years as historical documents mention it as early as 1721. Originating from immigrants from Switzerland and Upper Germany, the dramatic play has mixed with the local rituals to drive out the winter. The most lively and famous of the plays is performed in the wine village of Forst. Although the play looks far from extravagant to the outsider, it is still profound. In a literal sense, it truly is a people’s play that is spiced up with humor and originality. The play is based on the old Germanic idea of summer battling the winter.

The play is divided into four scenes and features six roles. The village road serves as the stage on which the play takes place. The first scene shows the fight between summer and winter for which purpose both actors are in small conical houses made from slats and poles. While the house of the winter is clothed in straw and crowned with a straw cross, the house of the Summer is covered with ivy and decorated with a little blue-and-white flags. Both houses have a peephole at head height so that the ‘warriors’ inside the houses are able to fight properly with their wooden sabers. After both warriors have carried their small houses down the village road and presented their respective advantages, the fight eventually starts and summer emerges as the winner.

In the second scene, the Henrich-Fähnrich appears, who resembles an officer cadet of the former landsknechts and who has the judicial authority. Henrich-Fähnrich decides on who has won the fight between summer and winter.

The main character of the summer play, the Hanselfingerhut, enters in the third scene. With ragged clothes and a sooty, oily face, he is holding a bale of soot in his hand. His look is meant to represent a vagabond who has squandered everything he owned. Nevertheless, he always feels like playing merry tricks on people and teasing young, beautiful girls. While he sings his small piece, he walks back and forth within the 5m distance between the two houses of Winter and Summer. At the end of his piece, he tries to catch one of the girls in the crowd, to press his black brand on her face with a kiss.

In the fourth scene, the Hanselfingerhut, who has become very weary in the meantime, is shaved by the barber and given inner relief by bloodletting from the toe. However, as the treatment is too strong, the Hanselfingerhut faints. While all the other characters surround him and lament, he eventually wakes up again after the Henrich-Fähnrich tickles his ribs with his saber. Nudelgret comes running and revives him with fresh pretzels.

So what happens is that these two guys, one wearing a winter cone (kind of like a portable teepee) and the other wearing a summer cone take turns taunting each other for about 5 minutes and eventually poke out their little wooden swords from their peepholes and fight. The 'judge' decides the winner (always summer). Then the Hanselfingerhut shows up ( he's the guy in the above photo who is dressed in rags and covered in black oily paint) for his part in the play which takes place in the street between the two 'Seasons'.

When the play is finished the entire production, including the crowd of onlookers, proceeds down the street and the play is performed all over again. They do this about four times. Part of the fun, though, is that 'Nudelgret', who is supposed to be a pretty girl, is a man dressed in silly 'pretty maid' clothes complete with bloomers, comical face makeup and braids. She sells her pretzels to people in the crowd when she's not performing. The Hanselfingerhut is also very busy in between his performances. He spends his 'off-stage' time running around kissing all the women. So by the end of the festivities all of the women and girls in the crowd have big black kiss marks on their cheeks.

The afternoon culminates with food and drink and the setting on fire and burning of another conical representation of winter in the town square. It's all great fun and, as Nikki pointed out, very pagen. A fabulous way to bid farewell to Winter and welcome the return of Spring!

Wake Up Little Blog...

2009-03-17T22:23:00.003Z

I've been home from Berlin for 4 and a half weeks and my poor blog has been more dormant during this past month than it was while I was gone! What have I been doing? I was only without an internet connection for about 5 days so that's not an excuse!

Well, I've been putting together a CV and rounding up work. So far I have 2 contracts. I'm teaching a class of 7 intermediate learners at BASF. They all work in one of the logistics offices and want to improve their English so they can echange emails and conduct phone conversations more effectively with their English speaking customers. We meet once a week on Thursday afternoons.

My other contract is with a family who is moving to the States in June. They have two boys (ages 10 and 12) and want the boys to have some tutoring before they go. I'm going to spend an hour and a half with them on Wednesday afternoons, starting tomorrow.

So right now I only have 2 and a half hours of work each week but I have a few other leads. Hopefully I'll have more contracts soon.

I'm loving my little apartment. There are 3 apts in the house. I have the top floor apt just below the attic so all of my outside walls slant inward. It feels like a little hobbit house. But it's got plenty of room for Lucy and me. She has settled in nicely. Poor old thing, I've moved her 3 times in the last year. She's 18 and a half years old now. I'll be lucky if she makes it to 19. Her last checkup a few weeks ago showed that her kidneys are starting to go. But her blood glucose level is fine so the kidney thing is not due to her diabetes. It's just old age. She can't get up on the bed or the couch by herself anymore, either. Her legs aren't strong enough to jump. So she "mreep"s at me and I have to reach down and help her up. We do this about 20 times a day. I even have to wipe her face after she eats! Not to mention having to put down puppy pee pads in front of her litter box because she doesn't always get her ass all the way in. And I worry about her when I'm gone for too many hours. It's kind of like taking care of an old person, I guess. But I don't mind. As long as she is comfortable and not in any pain I'll do what needs to be done.

Well, this post hasn't exactly been a glowing example of creative writing but it's late and I just wanted to check in with y'all.

BTW....Happy St Paddy's Day everyone!

No Internet!

2009-03-08T11:48:00.002Z

I feel like my right arm has been amputated. I lost my internet connection last Thursday evening. Peter and Barbara (the house owners) have a wireless router downstairs that, up until a few days ago, worked flawlessly for me. Now, for some reason, it's on the fritz. Peter says he thinks he might have to buy a new one. So I just have to wait. In the meantime, I'm going crazy!

I brought my laptop to Nikki's place this morning so I could get online. I'm trying to remember everything I wanted to do or send or check on but I know as soon as I get home I'll think of something I forgot.

I remember the days when we had no internet or cell phones or home printers; we all did just fine. Now, though, I'm absolutely lost without any one of them...

CELTA Jan-Feb 2009

2009-02-15T19:40:00.013Z

I'm back from my training in Berlin and looking forward to my new career as an English language teacher. I feel like I should be writing about the program in detail; suffice to say that it was very intensive but I did well. This entry is more about the people I had the privilege of getting to know.
Let me first introduce them....

Teacher trainers:

Dominic
Nationality: British
Age: late 40's?
Our fearless leader.

Helen
Nationality: British
Age: early 40's
This woman can hang!

Gui
Nationality: Australian
Age: early 40's?
A superhero in disguise.

Teacher trainees:

Annakiska
Nationality: American
Age: mid 50's
Good home training.

Kate
Nationality: Irish
Age: 23
My little Irish rose and an honorary North American.

Michael
Nationality: American
Age: mid 30's
Too smooth to be Harry Potter; has a very odd concept of 'squares', though.

Sandra
Nationality: American
Age: late 20's
No feedback on Friday, please!

Brad
Nationality: Australian
Age: early 40's
The best Aussie accent ever and half of the Bradley-Chadley Bridge.

Connie
Nationality: American
Age: 51
me

Tom
Nationality: British
Age: 23
Cute as a bug's ear. I love his 'lovely'!

Chad
Nationality: American
Age: 37
My best buddy and the other half of the Bradley-Chadley Bridge.

Peter
Nationality: British
Age: 58
"Ooohh, Nooo!"

Dan
Nationality: American
Age: 24
'Should have' stayed out of the smoking room.

Annika
Nationality: Swedish
Age: early 20's
NOT from Stockholm!

Charlie
Nationality: British
Age: 22
My kid

Daniel
Nationality: British
Age: 24
A tender heart but still....
f%@&o#f

These are the people I just spent the last month with. I lived with a couple of them, ate with all of them, and partied with most of them. We studied together, laughed our asses off together, ridiculed each other and cheered each other on. The impact they have had on me is immeasurable. I went to Berlin to better myself professionally. Little did I know how my personal life would be enriched. We all have our own stories; different backgrounds, different cultures, rhotic and non-rhotic accents but we share a common bond. Teacher trainers and trainees alike; we are all vagabonds with a love of travel and a thirst to see the world. So often when I talk about the places I've been I feel like people think I'm trying to impress or brag or something. But here was a group of people who, between them, have seen most of the world. We bonded not just because of our shared experience in the CELTA program but because we are all like-minded people. Nobody batted an eye at the fact that, at 50, I quit my job, sold my house and bought a one-way ticket out of the country. My story was not unusual.

I've talked with a few of my classmates over the last couple of days since I returned to Mannheim. We all seem to be feeling the same sense of loss... that of each other. Not only did we spend the last month together learning how to teach English grammar, how to write detailed lesson plans and how to grade our language to the learner, we became friends. I will remember each of them always and there some who have a permanent place in my life.

I learned how to be a teacher in Berlin but the true treasure of this last month is in the faces of these people...

(left to right)
front row: Peter, Annika, Kate, me, Helen, Annakiska and Dan.
back row: Gui, Tom, Charlie, Dominic, Daniel, Brad, Chad and Michael.

Talking Skunks With The Brits In Berlin (C, C, T and D.....I told you this would be the title!)

2009-02-15T09:08:00.001Z

When I was getting ready to leave for the CELTA program four weeks ago it somehow never crossed my mind that, at some point, I would find myself sitting in some little bar in the Berlin suburb of Kreuzberg with a guy from Tennessee trying to explain the smell of a skunk to three young Brits....at 4 in the morning. But that's where I was and that's what we were doing. Actually, I don't think Charlie and Daniel were listening but Chad and I gave Tom, who has never been (pronounced 'ben' not 'bean' if you're from Tennessee!) to the U.S., this very detailed explanation of what a skunk smells like, how hard it is to get rid of the smell if you've been sprayed and how people just have to comment on the odor anytime they smell it (“Ew, do you smell that?” “Yeah, there's a skunk around somewhere.”).
This was an evening that had started out at a different bar where we had gone to an open mic performance night with several of our other classmates. The event was hosted by a group of expat Americans and Brits living in Berlin, one of whom was also in the CELTA program with us. It was very cool, sitting with friends and beer, listening to whoever wanted to get up on stage perform whatever they wanted to perform. Some people read their own poetry. Some read from the works of well known poets. A few people played guitar and sang. One woman did a monologue from her upcoming one woman show and another read from a short story she had written about spending her summers in India when she was a teenager. A couple of performers left us kind of scratching our heads saying, “Huh? I don't get it.” but overall it was very entertaining and a lot of fun.
When it was over, around 12:30, some of us just weren't ready to call it a night yet so we went in search of someplace to continue our, ahem, intellectual interactions. Well, that and... more beer. We found the beer but somehow the intellectual interactions deteriorated into talk of skunks, Bullshit Bingo, and Chad's knowledge of dirt. It then deteriorated further into to a substantial debate about what exactly does Daniel's recently coined term 'Man and Boy' really mean. Once understanding had been checked with a few concept questions we then moved to the free practice stage of the exercise. That of determining just who in our extended group actually possessed the qualities required to hold the coveted title of Man and Boy. This took a while. Needless to say, the next day we were all feeling a bit below standard.

Progress Report

2009-01-30T18:37:00.005Z

Oh my gosh. I can't believe it's been a week since I've blogged. The past week has just zoomed by. I'm half way through the CELTA course already. It's been a lot of work so far but very interesting and I'm learning oodles.

We have about three and a half hours of what's called Input each morning. In other words we are students. We are being taught how to teach. We learn about the different types of learners, the most effective ways to teach writing, speaking, reading and listening skills to English language learners and a whole host of other teaching techniques that we will need to make us competent teachers. In the afternoon we teach. Our students know that we are trainees and realize that our instruction won't be perfect but at the same time they are language students and we are expected to actually be productive in our role as teachers when we are at the front of the room. We each teach twice a week and we observe each other teaching on the days when we are not "on". Between lunch and the actual teaching sessions we spend time with one of the program tutors reviewing the lessons that were taught the previous day and preparing for the next day's lessons. On top of all of this we have several hours of work each evening that includes creating our lesson plans and working on written assignments required for successful completion of the CELTA course.

At the half way point I'd saying I'm doing nicely. I feel good about what I'm expected to be able to do after 2 weeks in the program. I actually got an Above the Standard grade for the grammar lesson I taught to a class of advanced learners on Wednesday. A grade of Above the Standard is a pretty big deal in our little microcosm of a world. And on a grammar lesson, to boot! The monster in the closet for all of us.

On that note, I need to get back to work.

Scotland's Bard

2009-01-24T17:41:00.008Z

Tomorrow is the 250th anniversary of the birth of Scotland's favorite son. Robert Burns was a poet and a lyricist.

'Rabbie' Burns wrote in his native Scots but he also wrote in English. It was in English that he wrote some of his most biting social and political commentary.

The 19th-century scholar and educationalist J S Blackie summed up Burns's importance to Scotland and the Scots with the words:

'When Scotland forgets Burns, then history will forget Scotland.'

You may think you don't know who he is but I'll bet you've sung one of his songs many times in your life. He is widely credited for the version of Auld Lang Syne that we sing each year.

Here are the words (with a translation at the end) so you can sing out next year while everyone else sort of mumbles through it!

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne?

CHORUS:
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup of kindness yet,
For auld lang syne!

And surely ye'll be your pint-stowp,
And surely I'll be mine,
And we'll tak a cup o kindness yet,
For auld lang syne!

We twa hae run about the braes,
And pou'd the gowans fine,
But we've wander'd monie a weary fit,
Sin auld lang syne.

We twa hae paidl'd in the burn
Frae morning sun till dine,
But seas between us braid hae roar'd
Sin auld lang syne.

And there's a hand my trusty fiere,
And gie's a hand o thine,
And we'll tak a right guid-willie waught,
For auld lang syne

Meanings

auld lang syne - times gone by
be - pay for
braes - hills
braid - broad
burn - stream
dine - dinner time
fiere - friend
fit - foot
gowans - daisies
guid-willie waught - goodwill drink
monie - many
morning sun - noon
paidl't - paddled
pint-stowp - pint tankard
pou'd - pulled
twa - two

And then there was also his famous...

Address To A Haggis

Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o' the pudding-race!
Aboon them a' yet tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye wordy o'a grace
As lang's my arm.

The groaning trencher there ye fill,
Your hurdies like a distant hill,
Your pin was help to mend a mill
In time o'need,
While thro' your pores the dews distil
Like amber bead.

His knife see rustic Labour dight,
An' cut you up wi' ready sleight,
Trenching your gushing entrails bright,
Like ony ditch;
And then, O what a glorious sight,
Warm-reekin', rich!

Then, horn for horn, they stretch an' strive:
Deil tak the hindmost! on they drive,
Till a' their weel-swall'd kytes belyve
Are bent like drums;
Then auld Guidman, maist like to rive,
Bethankit! hums.

Is there that owre his French ragout
Or olio that wad staw a sow,
Or fricassee wad make her spew
Wi' perfect sconner,
Looks down wi' sneering, scornfu' view
On sic a dinner?

Poor devil! see him owre his trash,
As feckles as wither'd rash,
His spindle shank, a guid whip-lash;
His nieve a nit;
Thro' blody flood or field to dash,
O how unfit!

But mark the Rustic, haggis-fed,
The trembling earth resounds his tread.
Clap in his walie nieve a blade,
He'll mak it whissle;
An' legs an' arms, an' hands will sned,
Like taps o' trissle.

Ye Pow'rs, wha mak mankind your care,
And dish them out their bill o' fare,
Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware
That jaups in luggies;
But, if ye wish her gratefu' prayer
Gie her a haggis!

Here's to you Rabbie!

No Time, No Time

2009-01-22T07:03:00.002Z

I'm in Berlin doing the CELTA teacher training course. It's really intensive but fun. We have classes all day and then about 4 hours each evening of prep for the next day. We started teaching actual students on the second day. Today is our 4th day and I'm teaching a lesson today on phrases that one would use to describe a community. Things like crime rate, cosmopolitan, good infrastructure, pollution, nightlife.

So there won't be much time to blog for a few weeks. I'll try not to let my blog sit completely dormant but there probably won't be much activity here until I finish the course on the 13th of Feb.

This is Lucy!!

2009-01-09T17:14:00.001Z

Thanks to Bert for this...

A (eucalyptus scented) Blast From The Past

2009-01-09T15:20:00.002Z

One of the many nice things about being back in Germany is that it allows me to reach back and touch a few things that have, for so long, been only memories.
The first time I was here, Nena introduced me to the Miesenbacher Sauna, which was just up the street from where we lived as neighbors. It was a cozy little neighborhoody place run by a very nice couple named Peter and Doris Clemens. In addition to the sauna with lockers and showers there was a steam room, a pool, sunbeds, a cozy little breakroom with things to eat and drink, massage, a private patio and even a quiet room where you could just curl up and nap. Everything was done in the buff, except the breakroom and napping. Nena and I became once a week regulars at our neighborhood sauna (I don't think we ever saw any other Americans there). It was so relaxing and especially wonderful on cold winter evenings. Peter and Doris were very friendly and knew all the regulars by name. Over the years Nena and I have lamented the loss of our 'sauna evenings'.

Yesterday Nikki and I packed our towels and shower shoes and hopped on the train for another little excursion down memory lane. She had heard about the sauna for so many years as a kid and was looking forward to actually experiencing it for herself. I wondered if it would be the same and if Peter or Doris would remember Nena and me from 20 years ago.

It was the same and Peter did remember us! He said he recognised my voice first and then commented that I didn't wear glasses back then (as I do now). He remembered "Nena's pretty brown eyes". I guess when you work around a bunch of naked people every day you learn to concentrate on faces. I introduced Nikki and we talked with Peter for a bit more before I showed her around. Then it was time to get naked and just relax. We spent about 5 hours there. We got massages. We went from the hot sauna to the back yard (in the snow!), back to the sauna, to the cold water bath, to the breakroom, to the foot soaking chairs, to the sunbeds, back to the breakroom... We chatted with the other ladies in the sauna and in the breakroom. We talked with Peter a lot throughout the evening, too. It was like I'd only been gone a few months instead of 15 years. Sadly, the ping pong table is gone from the patio (I remember a few wicked games of naked ping pong with Nena) but so much is just like it was before. Going to the sauna has always been one of my fondest memories of day to day life in Germany and it was wonderful to be able to bring that memory to life again. The only thing missing was Nena.

Grandpa Bill

2009-01-05T15:13:00.003Z

...that's what my kids called him.

Bill Moran married their grandmother in 1981. Michael was 15 months old and the girls were 3 months old. Bill may not have been their natural grandfather but he was Grandpa, just the same. Not just to my kids but to all of Ruth's 16 grandchildren, most of whom weren't even born before Bill and Ruth got married. In fact, I had only met my mother-in-law once before Bill came into her life. The second time I met her was when she came to California to help for a week or so when we brought the twins home from the hospital. She and Bill had only been dating for a few months and she glowed like a schoolgirl when she talked about him. She had found love. Three months later, on Valentine's Day, they flew to Las Vegas to get married.

They would have celebrated their 28th wedding anniversary next month but Bill died on Saturday. I can't imagine what Ruth will do now. We certainly can't say that the house and property will be too much for her to keep up by herself. Maybe for any other 77 year old woman but this is Ruth we're talking about (She's like the Bionic Woman except that all her parts are still natural). I can't imagine her living anywhere but there but I can't imagine her there without Bill. They crafted their little piece of paradise together. As I write this, though, it's clear to me what Ruth will do. She'll stay where she is. That's her home. It holds her memories of Bill and their life together.

What do you say when someone you love dies of a heart attack? He went quickly? He was at home? He lived a full life? It's all crap. He shouldn't have died. We loved him. The best thing I can say is that I'm glad we were there for Christmas. And that, as we all were leaving and Bill and I were saying goodbye, I turned back for a second hug and a second "I love you".

Funny AND Scottish...part II

2009-01-04T20:53:00.003Z

The video isn't very good but the content is priceless...

Take that, late night hosts who need a script to be funny!

I Almost Peed Myself...

2009-01-04T12:24:00.001Z

The End of A Very Eventful Year

2009-01-01T16:29:00.003Z

2008 was certainly a year of change for me. This time last year I was in the middle of dismantling my life in Tucson, preparing for a roadtrip across the country, spending a few months with family in Pittsburgh and then my big move to Scotland in the fall. Aside from a little cancer scare and surgery in the spring, most of the year went well. My house sold in July, I did some fabulous traveling over the summer and got to know my cousin Paul in Virginia. Unfortunately, my dad's house didn't sell in time to settle the estate before I was to begin school in Sptember at The University of the Highlands and Islands in Inverness. My plan was and still is to use my inheritance to pay for my schooling. But it became clear that my dream of moving to Scotland and starting a degree in Scottish History was not going to happen in 2008 so I got a deferment from UHI and decided to move back to Germany until I could get to Scotland. Lucy and I arrived the first part of October. I love Germany and it's wonderful to be close to Nikki again but I still dream of the day when I touch down in Edinburgh, headed for my new life in the Highlands.

I just got back on Tuesday from Christmas in Colorado. We had a great time. I got to Ruth and Bill's on the 15th and the kids were all suppose to arrive on Saturday the 20th. Michael was the only one who actually made it in as planned, despite the snow storm that hit Seattle. Shauna wasn't so lucky. Her flight on the same day and at the same time, was canceled and she spent the weekend doing the quintessential holiday airport dance going from counter to counter, spending the night in a hotel next to the airport because she was afraid that if she went home she would never make it back, going from counter to counter again the next day, taking a flight to anywhere that would get her out of Seattle, staying in another hotel, and finally making it to Denver on Monday. By the time she arrived in Gypsum that night she was glassy eyed and very happy to see family. Nikki and Bert had arrived the day before from their roadtrip through the Southwest so we were finally all together.

The next week was spent hanging around the house, hiking through the snow, going to Vail and then to the Martins' for Christmas Eve, the Martins coming to Gypsum on Christmas Day and shopping in Glenwood Springs the day before we left. Ruth fed us mountains of food, I did mountains of dishes, we talked economics and politics with Bill and played with the new puppy. Nikki and Bert went showshoeing, and we went to the Glenwood Pool. It's the world's largest naturally heated outdoor swimming pool. The water comes from the underground mineral hot springs and they actually have to cool it down before it reaches the pool. It's a bit nippy when you first walk out of the poolhouse in a swimsuit into temps below freezing and you have to be careful that your bare feet don't slip on the ice as you scamper to the pool. But once you're in! Aaahhh!!!

There were lots of hugs and kisses and a few tears on Sunday. Michael flew back to Seattle, I returned to Germany and Shauna, Nikki and Bert flew to Wisconsin for more Christmasing with Wade, Sarah and the little sisters. And Steve! He wasn't able to join us in Colorado (something about spending Christmas with his own mom...?) but he flew from Michigan to spend this week in Green Bay.

I got a nice surprise on the way home, though. I flew from Denver to Washington D.C. where I had to change planes. When I handed my boarding pass to the gate person in D.C. the scanner beeped. "Oh," said the man, " so you're the lucky one." My reaction was to think, Oh god, what?. "New seat assignment" he said and handed me a new boarding pass. I got bumped up to Business Class! You know, get on the plane and turn left instead of right. OMG! It's like a whole 'nother world. Drinks before take off, a hook for your coat, individual linen tablecloths, appetizer, then salad, then entree, then dessert. I could put my legs straight out in front of me and not touch the next seatback with my toes. When I wanted to sleep my seat back reclined almost all the way down. And I had an adjustable footrest! That was great 'cause you know how my feet don't always reach the floor. This way they didn't have to just dangle, which gets very uncomfortable. There wasn't even anyone sitting next to me so I could put all my crap in the seat instead of trying to shove it under the seat in front of me, which I couldn't reach anyway!

Alas, all good things must end. We landed in Frankfurt...without my bag. It was chillin' in Atlanta. The bad news was that it had all my stuff in it. The good news was that I didn't have to schlepp it home (it was considerably heavier on the way back). The airline delivered it to me last night with everything intact, including the tequila.

As soon as I got home the first thing I had to do was to go pick up Lucy. When I got her home I could see the change in her. She's lost weight since I left and she's even more unsteady on her feet than before. She ate a bit of dry foot at first but then nothing. She was interested in my food though so I coaxed her with some canned kitty food. She liked that. I'm not sure what's going to happen. I hate to think that we may be getting near the end. I don't know. Maybe I'm just being melodramatic.

Anyway, I hope this new year brings you all health and much happiness.

Funny AND Scottish!

2008-12-12T11:45:00.008Z

Craig Ferguson hosts The Late Late Show on CBS weeknights after David Letterman. He is by far the funniest comedian I've seen in a long time. His monologue is barely scripted and more often than not is more like a 10 minute stream of consciousness. Since I can't get American TV I've watched a bunch of his stuff on You Tube. Oh, and BTW, he's a Scot! I have to admit that I am a sucker for the accent. But Ferguson is truly funny. Here's a sample. I hope you laugh as much as I do.

Here and There

2008-12-11T13:35:00.000Z

OK, how weird is this? Nikki is in Tucson and I'm in Ludwigshafen. The kids and I are all meeting up at Ruth and Bill's in Colorado for Christmas but Nikki and Bert are doing a road trip through the Southwest before heading for Colorado. They are in Tucson right now. Nikki wanted to show Bert her old stomping grounds. On their way to Colorado they'll hit Phoenix, Sedona, the Grand Canyon and Arches National Park. Check out her blog for info on their adventures.
I fly from Frankfurt to Denver on the 15th so I'll have almost a week with Ruth and Bill before the kids arrive on the 20th. Then we'll all be there until the 28th.

Lucy will spend the couple of weeks that I'm gone in a very nice kitty hotel here. I always worry a little whenever I leave her. She's just gotten really old in the last year. I just noticed last week how gray she's getting. She's slow and sometimes a little unsteady like an old cat, too. I'm only half joking when I tell her, "Now don't die while I'm gone". And I'm always very relieved when I get back to her and she snuggles her face into my neck, happy to be in my arms again. Everybody who knows me knows how attached Lucy and I are to one another. And anyone who knows Lucy knows what a strange cat she is. She is as affectionate and definitely more needy than any dog I've ever known. And she has been my constant companion for the last 18 years. Through all the ups and downs and all the changes in my life, Lucy has always been there. It's a good thing she's such an easy going cat. I've drug the poor old girl all over the place in the last year. She's never scared of new surroundings or new people. When I open the door of her kennel she just strolls out with an attitude of "OK, where are we now?" Most cats would go and hide for a while until they feel comfortable. Not Lucy. She proceeds to explore every corner in every room and then just makes herself at home.
When I get back after Christmas she and I are moving into our new apt. Two weeks later she'll have to come back to Nikki and Bert while I go to Berlin for a month. I thought about just leaving her here with them rather than moving her for just a couple of weeks and then bringing her back but I can't imagine settling into the new apt. without her. That would just be too weird.
I'll be such a basket case when I lose this silly cat. But who knows, she could hang around for another 3 or 4 years. It's not unheard of for cats to live past twenty. Maybe we'll get lucky.

I Got My Visa!

2008-12-05T21:14:00.002Z

On Wednesday the German gov't said I can stay. So I am now an official Resident Alien. Hooray! And the little card really is green!

I landed in Germany for the first time 21 years ago today. Who ever would have thought that exactly 21 years later I would be settling in....again. You just never really know where life is going to take you. Dec 5th, 1987 was also the day I met Dave and Nena. Thanks to both of you for 21 years of friendship. I love you bunches. Nikki is so looking forward to seeing you next week and introducing you to her tall handsome German.

Nasty Comments

2008-12-01T19:40:00.001Z

I started this blog last February. I've had a lot of fun with it and I really enjoy the opportunity to share with my family and friends. But, since almost the very beginning there has been one really nasty and persistent Anonymous commenter. As the blog administrator I get an email alerting me as soon as any new comment is posted so I usually just delete Ms. Nasty as soon as she puts in her childish and hateful 2 cents worth. I figured the best thing to do was to just ignore her and not respond. I really thought that eventually, once she realized that her comments were being deleted as soon as she sent them, she would just get tired of the game and go away. Since this has not happened I can only assume that she doesn't actually care that her comments are immediately deleted. She must derive her pleasure from simply knowing that I have read them. How pathetic is that? Someone needs to refocus and just let go of an old grudge.

I'm not sure exactly what I expect to accomplish by blogging about this. I'm probably just throwing fuel on the fire. I haven't even decided yet whether to continue deleting her nasty comments or leave them for all of you to see and to comment on in return as you see fit. I really don't want to get into a pissing contest. I'd prefer it if she would simply go away and once and for all just leave me the hell alone. What's done is done and life happily goes on. At least mine does.....

Shameless Student

2008-11-30T13:38:00.002Z

I'm amazed at how much German I don't know. The last time I lived here my exposure to the German language was however much I wanted it to be. Being here with the U.S. military meant that we had all of our daily necessities available on base. Doctors, dentists, the grocery store, the movie theater, the kids' school, the post office, the veterinarian....all in English. Ramstein Air Base was (I don't know if it still is) the largest American community outside of the United States. So our daily lives still centered around our native language. That's not to say that I didn't learn any German. I could read a menu in German, shop in German stores, travel, greet my neighbors, talk about the weather and do pretty much whatever else I needed to on the local economy. I worked as a tour guide for the USO for a long time which involved shepparding groups of Americans, by train or bus, to other places around Germany as well as a few places outside the country. I had to interact with train conductors, bus drivers, boat captains, ticket offices, restaurant owners and local tour guides as well as read signs, schedules and announcements.Very rarely did I have to resort to using English in a given situation. I always managed with my basic German. My grammar wasn't always correct but they could understand me and I could understand them. I learned what I needed to know.

What I did not learn was how to have an everyday conversation completely (and grammatically correct) in German. The last two months have really shown me what I can't do. I understand almost all of what I hear but I have a difficult time producing the language in a conversational setting (Nik assures me that this is perfectly normal).

So I started a 5 week German language class the day before Halloween. We have 3 days of class left, Mon, Tues and Wed of this week. The class is 3 hours a day, 5 days a week. It's been a very interesting experience. For one thing, we are a very diverse group. Eleven students from eleven different countries. Italy, Kosovo, Macedonia, Palestine, Peru, South Korea, Morocco, Brazil, China, Turkey and me. To top off our international stew our instructor is from Greece! Three of the students are teenagers. I'm the oldest in the class and the other seven people are all in their 20s or 30s. Most everyone, like me, had at least some German when we started. I'm glad I started with the first level class. Nothing that we have been taught has been totally new for me and it has been a very good refresher course in what I already know. There have also been things that I kind of knew but wasn't really sure about. This class has really helped to clarify some things that I was just sort of fuzzy on. Of course, it has really helped to come home to a native speaker and to a language teacher, both of whom are fluent in both languages. I don't think I can speak any better now than I could 5 weeks ago but my foundation in the language has been reinforced and I have a clearer understanding of where I need to go from here. The next class starts in January but I won't be here so I'll have to wait to continue my German classes.

I start training to be an English Language teacher on the 19th of January. The course is offerred at the Berlin School of English and is certified by Cambridge University (London). It's a pretty intensive program. Eight hours of instruction and teaching practice every day with about four hours of homework and lesson preparation each evening for 4 weeks. The CELTA program is recognised worldwide as one of the best (CELTA stands for Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) so I'll be able to use the training wherever I go. Here, once I finally get Scotland and need parttime work while I go to school and even back in the U.S. The course is kind of pricey but it's an all around good investment for the present and the future. And I'm really looking forward to the experience. I think I just like school.

Gobble Gobble...

2008-11-27T22:33:00.002Z

Happy Turkey Day everyone! Though we didn't celebrate in the traditional American manner, Nik and I spent a lovely evening at the Neustadt outdoor Christmas market with friends, hot mulled wine and lots of food. It was very festive and a lot of fun.

Do Unto Others...

2008-11-24T09:27:00.002Z

29 Years and 1 Day Ago

2008-11-18T07:33:00.002Z

What a wild ride that first year was. The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit was a totally foreign atmosphere to us in the beginning but within that unit filled with bright lights, beeping machines, incubators and all manner of sterile equipment was a tiny baby boy who held our hearts and our dreams in his miniature little hand. We were overwhelmed at first by all the wires, tubes, medications, oxygen and incomprehensible terminology that surrounded our new son but as one day flowed into the next and each month flowed into another and another and then still another we became sort of 'parent experts', to the point that when the machine that monitored his breathing would trip, signaling that he was forgetting to breathe, one of us would gently pat the bottom of a little foot, watch for a big breath and then reach over and hit the reset button. We could discuss, intelligently, his medications, blood oxygen levels and progress with the doctors

There were some very scary times. A phone call from the nurse in the middle of the night saying the baby had taken a sharp turn for the worse and they weren't sure he would make it through the night and that we should come to the hospital. There was a very long weekend waiting for test results that would determine whether our son had Cystic Fibrosis. There were seizures and worst of all was the day he went into surgery, at five months old, to have half of his right lung removed. Day in, day out, our lives revolved around the drive to the hospital, scrubbing up and donning sterile gowns once we got there in order to do what most new parents get to do all day, every day....hold their new baby. I remember one day, sitting in a rocking chair, holding my little bundle, who was attached to an oxygen tank, and watching two young mothers, so excited because they were each taking their babies home that day. They talked about how long they had waited. One baby was 5 weeks old and the other was about 8 weeks old. I turned the rocker toward the wall because now I was crying. Michael was 6 months old. I was feeling pretty sorry for myself. When I arrived at the hospital the next day a new baby had been brought into the NICU. This baby was not a preemie. His mother had had a perfectly normal pregnancy and had delivered her son full term. But this otherwise perfectly healthy baby was missing most of both arms and both legs. The nurse told me they just wanted to watch him for a few days before they let him go home. That was quite reality check for me. I suddenly realized how lucky I was. I still didn't know when Michael would be well enough to come home but he was whole and eventually our day would come. We were pretty sure by then that he would not have any long term or permanent disabilities because of his premature birth.

Our day finally came after 7 1/2 long months. He was very small, still needed several medications and required an oxygen tent over his crib, but he was strong enough to come home! For the first couple of weeks his pediatrician wanted to see him every other day. Then it was once a week, then once every two weeks, then once a month. We had appointments with the physical therapist and the occupational therapist, who gave us exercises and activities to do with Michael at home, all to help him catch up to other babies his age. He was so far behind at that point. But every day brought new developments. He crawled two weeks before his first birthday and walked at 16 months. We sat on the floor with him that day and cried with joy.

Though I love all of my children equally, there has always been something special about watching Michael learn to walk, start school, ride a bike, drive a car, graduate from high school and then college. That tiny little baby who fought so hard to stay alive turned 29 years old yesterday and I just can't imagine what my life would have been like all these years without him. He is smart, responsible, very funny and an outstanding human being. I am so proud of him.

Happy birthday, Michael. Thanks for making me a mom!

November 10th, 1980

2008-11-10T08:23:00.003Z

Can it really be 28 years already since those two little baby girls were put into my arms? I suppose so, but at times it feels like only yesterday. How they have changed and enriched my life is beyond measure. They are my best friends, my confidants, the tether that keeps me grounded in this crazy world.

To be the mother of identical twins is truly a special delight. I've always described them as white chocolate and dark chocolate....the same in so many ways but each with her own flavor. There is a quiet serenity about Shauna, a kind of peaceful aura that surrounds her. Nikki on the other hand is like a shiny little star that lights up a room whenever she enters. That's not to say that Shauna can't be boisterous and silly or Nikki solemn and contemplative. But how they each impress the world around them is as unique and individual as are their fingerprints. Their DNA may be identical but their personalities are theirs alone.

That being said, they share an incredible bond. As toddlers and as small children I saw many acts of selflessness between them. One that has always stayed with me was when one of them had gotten her clothes really muddy just before she was going to a birthday party. With no opportunity to go home and change, her sister swapped clothes with her in the bathroom. I must admit, I was a bit confused when I picked them up that day. I knew what each had been wearing when she left the house that morning but my eyes weren't seeing what my brain assumed to be correct. Finally I looked at them in the rearview mirror and asked, "Did you two switch clothes?" "Uhuh." And then they explained why. I thought to myself, how many eight year olds would do that, but to them it seemed perfectly normal.

Over the years, although they have developed as individuals, they have never strayed far from one another emotionally. Where one goes, so goes the other in her heart. Even today, separated by an ocean and a continent they are as close as two humans can be. What a special gift they share.

And, lucky me, I get to be Mom to these two incredible young women. I am so proud of who they are what they have done with their lives.

Happy Birthday, Hank and Frank! You are my heart.

President Elect Barack Hussein Obama

2008-11-05T08:44:00.004Z

It's November 5th 2008 9:45am Central European Time, 4 hours and 45 minutes since Barack Obama reached and surpassed that magic number of 279 ( We are 6 hours ahead of the East Coast and 9 hours ahead of the West Coast). I had my laptop next to my bed all night with that infamous election night map on the screen. I would wake occasionally and hit refresh to see how the election was coming. I remember at one point seeing Obama 123 McCain 59 (or something like that). I went back to sleep with a smile on my face. The next thing I knew my phone was ringing at 5am. I knew it was either Michael or Shauna. It was Shauna. "Mom, we won!" I immediately reached for my computer as I tried to actually process the reality of what she was saying. We were on the phone for about 30 minutes sharing the victory as her friends celebrated in the background. The first thing I wanted to do when Shauna called was to literally run in and jump on Nikki with the news but I didn't think Bert would really appreciate that so I restrained myself. An hour later I had a live online broadcast from NBC and they were waiting for Obama to appear onstage at the rally at Grant Park in Chicago. I knew Nik would want to see his speech live, not later today on You Tube, so that's when I tentatively knocked on their bedroom door "Nik?...Nikki?" Poor Bert opened the door and almost disbelievingly I whispered "We won." Nik scrambled out of the bed with a "What?!!" "We won!" I said, " Obama is about to speak." as we both rushed back to the computer. And so we sat there, with our messy hair and pj's, alternately laughing and crying as we watched and listened to history being made.

The Audacity Of Hope

2008-11-04T08:45:00.004Z

I wrote this email to the Obama Senate headquarters in December of '06 when the Junior Senator from Illinois was rumored to be considering a run for the White House. It's been a long 2 years but it looks like what began as a small kernel of hope may very well become reality today for a nation so wounded by the last eight years of incompetence, deceit and arrogance.

"I am a 49 yr old divorced mother of three grown children. I live in Tucson, Az and have been a lifelong Democrat. Like most Americans, my first exposure to Barack Obama was through the '04 Democratic National Convention. As I sat there in my living room listening to his electrifying and inspiring keynote speech, I thought to myself, “I am watching a future president” and I got very excited by what he had to say. Since that night I have watched with intense interest his explosion onto the national political scene. I have downloaded and listened to every speech and interview I could find. I have sent many to friends and family, Democrat and Republican alike, including several who reside temporarily or permanently outside of the U.S. .

For the first time I feel as if I am listening to a truly honest politician. Not just someone who represents my political party but someone who also shares my political beliefs. Someone who believes passionately in the need for a change of direction in this country. When I listen to his position on important national issues I feel as if my voice is being heard.

I believe we need Barack Obama in the White House now. Never in my adult life have Americans been so betrayed by those who are supposed to measure their decisions and actions against our interests and well being. When I look at the other potential candidates for president, although perhaps not as deceitful or corrupt as those in positions of power now, I still see more of the same ol' same ol' of American politics. In Barack Obama I see an honest and earnest man.

Now, more than any time since Watergate, the American people need a leader they can trust. We need a president who will humbly and courageously lead us back to a position of respect among the other nations of the world and who will make decisions here at home based on a sense of humanity and responsibility to those in his charge. I see only one candidate in whom I would put my trust to make the changes that are so desperately needed for this country. I have never actively campaigned for any politician, but I will enthusiastically volunteer my time for Senator Obama’s campaign. I believe in his personal integrity and his political motives. And I believe America needs him now.
Connie Eggers "

As an American, I am proud of the way in which Barack Obama has conducted his campaign, proud that I was a supporter even before he announced his candidacy and will, for the first time, be proud of the man, both personally and politically, who holds the highest elected office in our nation.

Your Country Needs You

2008-11-03T10:36:00.009Z

This is the most important election of our time. The outcome of this election will determine what direction our economy takes in the coming decade, how we are viewed abroad, national security policies, the healthcare of many Americans and the next steps in Iraq and Afghanistan just to name a few of the issues that we, as a nation, are facing.

We have two very different candidates from whom to choose. Everyone who knows me knows my political leanings. That's not my point here. My point is that we should ALL make our voices heard. Now is the time to exercise our most precious of constitutional rights. Vote. Whether you support Barack Obama or John McCain is your own personal decision but put that support into action. Don't be a cynic (elections are all fixed anyway) or a defeatist (my candidate won't win) or self dismissive (my one vote won't count) or an early celebrant (he's so far ahead that he doesn't need my one vote) or just plain lazy (it's too cold, I'm too busy).

There are so many excuses we can find not to vote but also a few pretty good reasons to vote:
It is our constitutional right.
Our children.
Countless men and women have fought and died in the last 232 years , at home and abroad, to give and protect that right... for us.
It is the cornerstone of a free society.
It is our country, not the Democratic or Republican parties' country. We have the final say.
And last but not least....if you don't vote, don't bitch!

Walk, Don't Run

2008-10-22T17:09:00.002+01:00

I've posted most of the pics from this past weekend so I guess I should do a blog entry to go along with them.

Nikki had Thursday afternoon free so she and I went shopping in Mannheim. We poked around the main shopping area in the middle of town for several hours and then ended up at an Irish pub called Murphy's Law for Irish coffee, beer and fish and chips. It was 9:30pm when we got home completely satisfied with our afternoon and evening. It was the first opportunity since I got here that she and I had had to go out, just the two of us, and catch up on some much needed 'Mom and me time'. We kept marveling at the fact that I'm not just here for a visit, that we will be able to do this whenever we want to!

When the kids were in elementary school at Ramstein Air Base I think I was the queen of the field trip moms. With three kids so close together in age their classes went to a lot of the same places, though usually not at the same time. My work schedule was very flexible so I chaperoned a lot of school trips. The kids and I still laugh about how many times I went to the dinosaur museum in Frankfurt and to the planetarium and Luisenpark in Mannheim. They each went once a year, but I would go 2, sometimes 3 times each year!
On Friday afternoon Nikki and I decided to take a little trip down memory lane. We went to Luisenpark. It was a gorgeous fall day and I had forgotten how beautiful it is there. We simply strolled through the park admiring the brilliant autumn colors. Down one path, over to another and back on another. We had packed sandwiches so we found a couple of chairs in the sunshine and were entertained by a couple of free roaming storks who were hoping for handouts while we ate our lunch. Unfortunately, the battery in my camera died after just a few pictures so I missed some beautiful shots but it was a wonderful afternoon. The Strassenbahn (streetcar) let us off and picked us up right outside the front gate of the park. This was such a different experience from my previous trips to Luisenpark. Very relaxing compared to my memories of herding a group of overly excited 7 or 8 or 9 year olds, trying to make sure that they all had fun but also that nobody fell into the water or took off from the group, never to be seen again!

On Saurday we met up with Nikki and Bert's friends Benjamin and Miriam for another afternoon of easy wandering through the wine fields. They brought their 6 week old baby who just enchanted us all. If you look at the pictures you'll see that Bert is pushing the carriage most of the time. He had such fun. And the baby was so cute!

As if we hadn't had enough walking, on Sunday the three of us set out again. This time to the Odenwald, a beautiful forested area just east of here. It was so peaceful and once again the changing colors of the season visually filled us to overflowing. Unexpectedly, we found an old Jewish cemetary within the forest. It was fenced to prevent intruders but up close we marveled at how old the grave markers appeared to be. Nikki could actually read a couple of the names written in Hebrew. I looked it up online the next day and found out that it was established in the 17th century! The cemetary has over 1000 graves and was still in use well into the early 1900's.

I haven't posted the pictures from Sunday's walk in the woods yet but I will soon. Walking is a national pastime here. It's what everyone, young and old, does to spend time outside together and enjoy the beautiful country in which they live. Because of that there are countless number of walking trails all over, all very accessible and very well maintained. I wasn't much of a walking enthusiast the last time I lived in Germany but this time I plan on wearing out some shoes!

Belated Wishes

2008-10-15T12:15:00.002+01:00

Yesterday was Wade and Sarah's 14th anniversary! Happiness in a family is contagious. Yours spills over to us all. Big hugs to you both and here's to growing old together!

Somebody Down Here, Too....

2008-10-14T13:52:00.002+01:00

I've been so busy the last few weeks that I haven't had time to acknowledge the death of one of our greatest actors....Paul Newman died on Sept. 26th. The man had class....

German/American Relations

2008-10-13T16:00:00.001+01:00

Bert's mom, Regina, arrived for a visit Saturday after Nikki and Bert returned from Baden Baden. Nik had planned Regina's visit as part of Bert's birthday weekend. He and his mom are really close. So it was the perfect surprise. After introductions, showing Regina the new apartment and having coffee on the balcony, we walked to a nearby restaurant for dinner. It was a very pleasant evening.

The next morning we had a leisurely breakfast and then drove to die Weinstrasse (the famous German wine road), very near to where Nikki lived during her first year in Germany, for an afternoon of wine sampling and walking through the vineyards. It was a beautiful autumn afternoon, perfect for meandering and taking in all the brilliant fall colors. The wine was pretty good, too. I, of course, couldn't pass up the opportunity for more Neuer Wein.
At the end of the afternoon we said goodbye to Regina. She had about a three hour drive home to southern Germany. Nikki, Bert and I took the train in the other direction back to Ludwigshafen, our backpacks laden with several bottles of wine.

It was a pleasure to meet Bert's mom and I can see why Nikki likes her so much. I'm sure we'll see more of each other in the future. And as my German improves we'll get to know one another better. I've posted pictures of the afternoon under The Colors Of My World on the sidebar.

Happy Birthday Bert!

2008-10-10T22:56:00.000+01:00

Today is Bert's 30th birthday. Last night Nikki, Bert and I met up with a couple of their friends, Basti and Martin, at 'Josephine' for a celebration that included a complimentary bottle of champagne from the establishment at midnight. Josephine is a cute little bar located very near to their old apt so Nik and Bert are well known there.

The evening's conversation was a mixture of English and German. Nikki, Bert and Basti are all fluent in both languages and Martin's English is better than my German but he is shy about using it. So I spoke English, Martin spoke German and the other three flipped back and forth. I am amazed at how much I understand, even after being gone for 15 years. I would say I get about 85% of what is being said in any given situation. If only I could produce at that percentage! But Nik says that's very normal (I know that as well). Understanding increases by leaps and bounds, whereas production must be coaxed and cojoled (here kitty, kitty, kitty...come here..)

As a surprise for Bert, Nik planned an overnight birthday getaway to Baden Baden. They left this afternoon about 2pm and I think she was not planning to tell him exactly where they were going until their train arrives at their destination. Baden Baden is a very well known spa city. Nena and I went there once, years ago, along with her friend, Julie. It was heavenly and the spa was so relaxing. Nikki booked a nice hotel and plans to take her sweetie to dinner this evening. I'm sure they'll have a wonderful time. Bert has another surprise coming tomorrow. About an hour after they get back from Baden Baden his mom will arrive from southern Germany for an overnight visit. I'm looking forward to meeting her.

Sooo....Happy Birthday Berti! Thanks for making my little girl so happy. I think you're pretty great!

I'm Here!

2008-10-06T19:28:00.005+01:00

Lucy and I have made it successfully and safely across the pond. We were all a little worried about how she would do given that she is 18 years old but once we finally arrived at Nikki and Bert's apt and opened the door to her kennel she came strolling out and immediately began exploring. She has never been a timid cat and has never exhibited normal cat behavior such as hiding under or behind something for a while when presented with new surroundings. She thoroughly investigated every room in the apt and it didn't take her long to decide that she approved. She has settled in quite nicely in the past 3 days. N&B's friend Nadja came over for dinner last night and, by the end of the evening, was trying to figure out how to hide Lucy in her bag when she left.

After breakfast on Saturday Bert left for an over night camping trip with a couple of his friends so Nik and I went to the Farmers Market down the street and came home laden with fresh fruits and vegetables including half of a fresh pumpkin that Nikki used to make a delicious pumpkin soup for dinner last night. Around midafternoon we headed out for the weinlesefest (wine harvest festival) in Neustadt.

The best part about arriving in Germany at this time of year is that I'm just in time for the Neuer Wein (new wine). It is the first press of the wine before it has gone through all the filtering processes that prepare it for final bottling. It is cloudy, sweet and packs a real punch. Nik and I ate and drank our way through the Fest and then did some window shopping (and lots of yakking!) before returning to Ludwigshafen on the train.

Yesterday we slept in and puttered around the apt until about 2pm when it was time to go check out my potential new apt in Mannheim (Mannheim and Ludwighafen sit side by side, separated only by the Rhine river). One of Nikki's colleagues at the Business College in Heidelberg had mentioned in conversation that the small apt above her house is seldom used anymore because her grown children don't visit as much as they used to. Lots of houses here look like single family homes but are actually divided into three separate apartments. Barbara and her partner, Peter, live in the ground floor apt and they rent the lower apt to a young couple with a baby. So when we began seriously talking about my moving to Germany Nikki thought of Barbara's comment and asked her if they would consider renting the top floor apt to me for the duration of my stay. Barbara said, "Sure, bring your mother to look at it when she gets here." So we made an appt to be there yesterday at 3:30pm. I wasn't getting my hopes up about it before we looked at it. We hadn't discussed the cost of rent or whether it would be OK to have a cat or if there was internet access or any other particulars.

It is the cutest apt! It's fully furnished, right down to dishes and linens. The largest bedroom is as big as the living room. The kitchen is small but very well designed. There are hardwood floors throughout and the bathroom was recently renovated. The overall feel of the place is just very cozy. Perfect for one person, but with room for guests (hint, hint!). There is internet access in the apt, cable TV that even includes a few English language channels, Lucy is welcome and in the basement there are two washers (one for each of the two smaller apts) and a shared dryer. The stairs to the attic are right outside the apt door with plenty of room for extra storage.
And the cost for this most perfect apartment? 300 euros (about $450) a month which includes internet, cable and all utilities!! OMG! What a steal, uh, I mean deal. I think the reason the rent is so low is that, unlike the lower level apt, they have never used this apt to generate income. It's always just been for visiting family so all they are really asking for is the cost of utilities and a bit extra. Lucky me! I'm very excited about my new apartment. Lucy and I will be so comfy. Door to door from Nikki's place to mine will be about 45 minutes via Strassenbahn (streetcar). I agreed with Barbara to take the apartment in January.

In the meantime, Nik and I have hatched another scheme. We had originally decided that I could do 'private' English tutoring as a means of support. But without the proper training and qualifications I wouldn't be able to do anything official (the way Nik does). Then Nikki found a four week program from Cambridge University that is taught at the Berlin School of English (in Berlin, of course). It is called CELTA (Certification for English Language Teaching to Adults). To qualify for English language teaching positions a person must either have a university degree or be certified to teach English to adults. CELTA is, worldwide, one of the most widely recognised certification programs. With CELTA certification I could teach anywhere except at a university. The cost is a bit pricey but doable for me and it is something that I could use in the future as well as while I'm here in Germany. So I have already requested an application package for the class that begins on November 10th and runs through December 5th. If I am accepted, I will spend the next month here in Ludwigshafen with Nikki and Bert and then the following month in Berlin. Just a couple of weeks later will be time for Christmas at Ruth and Bill's in Colorado with all the kids.

My other goal while I am here is to improve my German. The last time I lived in Germany I could get by with my limited German, because we were here with the military and part of such a large American community. My language skills are sufficient to 'get by' but not to function comfortably in a total immersion environment. I'll probably take actual German language classes but, at the very least, Nikki is going begin tutoring me at home.

So, those are my plans for the next couple of months. Never a dull moment, these days!

Lucy In The Sky.....

2008-10-02T13:04:00.002+01:00

The Bitty is on her way! I dropped her off at the airport this morning at 6am. No problems this time. The shipping company picked up all of my boxes on Tuesday and the next door neighbors bought my car yesterday. So all that is left is for me to get on the plane myself this afternoon!

New Brothers

2008-09-30T01:26:00.005+01:00

My father had two younger sons (different mothers) who were never told who their biological father was. Dad told me about them when we got to know each other in 1995. I think my Aunt Carmen was the only other family member who knew about the two younger boys. One was raised by his mother and her husband (who, of course, will always be his dad). The other was given up for adoption. They both grew up in Santa Rosa and Dad was able to keep track of them as they grew but out of respect for their mothers he never approached either son. Since my dad named them both as beneficiaries in his estate we needed to find them and inform each of them of their pending inheritance. The only information we had were their mothers names. The estate attorney ended up hiring a private investigator to do the job. It only took him a couple of months to find them both. Paul is about 3 years younger than I am and still lives in Santa Rosa. Daryl is about 15 years younger than me and now lives in Folsom, Ca. So now I have cousins named Daryl and Paul and brothers named Daryl and Paul!

Daryl and I talked for a couple of hours on the phone the other night. What a nice guy. He has taken this all in stride. As he says, it doesn't change who he is or his relationship with his family. But he's open to the new situation, too. He and Paul met several months ago after the DNA results came back. Daryl says they look a lot alike and even have some very similar mannerisms. They are both accountants, too.

Wow, just as I finished the last paragraph my phone rang. It was the other brother, Paul! We talked for about an hour. He was just as open and friendly as Daryl was. I had called each of them a few days ago and left a message on their voice mail letting them know who I was along with my phone number. I was kind of glad that neither one was home when I called. That way they each had the option of calling me back if they wanted....or not. But they both did. So now we have at least met over the phone. I hope to be able to meet them both in person some day. In the meantime, they both asked about pictures of Dad. So, once I get settled, I'll copy what I have for them.

I told them both about dad and what a genuinely nice man he was and that, even though he didn't get to raise any of us, he loved all of us. I was just lucky enough to have been able to find that out firsthand. To this day I don't know what moved me to pick up my phone in 1995 and reach out to him but I am so glad I did. To my younger brothers he will forever be just a name and a picture. But, lucky me, he was My Dad.

Down To The Wire

2008-09-29T23:48:00.004+01:00

Well, I'm almost there. The shipping company is coming tomorrow afternoon to get my boxes. Lucy is rescheduled to fly on Thursday morning at 8am. The sale of the car happens later that morning and then I fly at 3pm that afternoon. I have a few errands to run tomorrow morning and I'm going to try to get in for a haircut on Wednesday. But that's it!

Sherry's family got together last Friday evening to throw me a little going away party. There were about 25 people there and we had a really fun time. I've been coming to Pittsburgh every year for the last 10 years to be here for Steve's birthday in September (he turned 17 on the 18th!) so I've gotten to know the whole family over the years and I've also gotten to see all the kids in the family grow up. Everyone was very welcoming when I got here last February and I can't express how much support I got this past spring when I was facing surgery. It makes me very happy to know that Steve is growing up in the midst of this huge close-knit extended family. I'll miss them all when I leave.

Calgon, Take Me Away!!

2008-09-25T21:05:00.003+01:00

This has been a very frustrating day. Let me back up a little. The paperwork that I had gotten done for Lucy before I left Tucson doesn't apply for Germany so I took her to the vet 10 days ago to get the proper paperwork completed. It should have been easy enough. After all she already had her rabies shot and her microchip implanted by the vet in Tucson. Just have the vet here in Pittsburgh fill out the right forms, make a flight reservation and go.
Famous last words! Turns out we need an actual rabies certificate for her to enter Germany, not just the info recorded on the health certificate by the vet. The other glitch was that the microchip scanner that the Pittsburgh vet had wouldn't read Lucy's chip. Dr. Muliken said I should call Dr. Stern in Tucson, have him send a rabies certificate and find out the brand name of the chip so I could rent the proper scanner to send with her when she flies. That should be easy enough. Yeah, right. Dr. Stern said he thought we had already left and had purged the file. He had nothing to give me. Said it would probably be easiest to just get her another rabies shot. He was able to tell me the chip manufacturer, though. So I took Lucy back to Dr. Muliken for another rabies shot with certificate and ordered a scanner for the chip through an online company. I then had to FedEx all of Lucy's paperwork to the USDA in Harrisburg for authorization. The vet there stamped it A-OK and FedExed it back to me.

Thinking all was fine, I left on Friday for Virginia (I had a great time, by the way). When I got home on Monday afternoon the scanner had arrived so I tried it out. Nothing. Tried again and again and again. Nothing. Called the company and was assured that it should work. Perhaps I should take the scanner and my cat to the vet (for the third time in a week) and let them do it. So back we go to Dr. Muliken. She can't get it to read, either! By this time I'm starting to panic a bit. It's Tuesday and Lucy is supposed to fly on Thursday. The only option is to implant another microchip that this scanner will be able to read. It won't read the ones that Dr. Muliken has so she called another vet clinic here in town and explained our dilema. After getting past the idiot at the front desk the vet there said I could bring the scanner over and see if it would read their chips. If it did he agreed to see us that evening and put in the new chip. So Lucy and I hop back in the car and drive over. I scanned one of their chips and Viola! It worked. So now we just had to wait for the vet to squeeze us in. He was very understanding. Problem solved, right? Not so fast. Now the chip number didn't jive with the paperwork. And there wasn't enough time to resubmit it to Harrisburg. Thank goodness Dr. Muliken has a good working relationship with the USDA vet. He said yes, we could just add the new chip number to our paperwork along with the number of the unreadable chip. As long as the scanner could pick up one of them, we were OK. So yesterday I had to take the paperwork back to Dr. Muliken so she could ammend it in her hand writing. Talk about cutting it close. I needed to have Lucy to Delta Cargo by 5am this morning and I finally got all the paperwork square at 3pm yesterday. Whew! OK, close but OK.
We're not done with this saga yet, but let's start on the other.....

When I got in my car yesterday morning the power steering made a god awful noise. I know enough to know that it needed power steering fluid so I added to the full line and all was fine except that then I heard a strange tapping coming from the engine. I texted Paul and he said to first check the oil. That was fine so he told me it might just be a sticky lifter and to "take it out and run the piss out of it for a few minutes and it might clear up". It did. Thank goodness. I'm selling the car in a week. It's always run great and I sure didn't need any problems now. I went about my business for the day but later in the afternoon I noticed smoke or steam or some kind of vapor coming from under the hood. Shit, that can't be good. I needed to leave for the airport at 4:30am so I had no choice but to get the car to a mechanic right then. Yep, power steering fluid leaking onto the exhaust. They couldn't do anything right then but if I wanted to bring it back in the morning.....But, but, I have to go to the airport at 4:30am! Fortunately, Sherry let me use her car to take Lucy to the airport this morning and said she would follow me down to drop the car off when the mechanic opened at 8am.

So I got up at 3:45 and Lucy and I were out the door by 4:15 along with all of our hard fought paperwork. I'm worrying about my car all the way there but I tell myself I'll get Lucy on her way and deal with the car when I get home. When we walk in the door I pull out the golden paperwork, hand it to the guy, and lift Lucy (in her kennel) onto the counter. He then tells me that I am missing the "acclimation statement" from the vet AND that her kennel is not big enough for international travel. Fine for domestic travel but not for international. The acclimation statement just says what tempurature limits the animal can handle (DUH! It has to be written out?). The bottom line was that Lucy wasn't going anywhere today. (this is getting pathetic, isn't it?) So I haul her back out to Sherry's car and we drive home feeling VERY frustrated. I crawl back into bed at about 5:30am to try for a couple more hours of sleep before I have to take the car in. Sherry followed me to the auto shop and, of course, they said they would call me when they got to it. I was so hoping that it was just a loose hose or something similarly simple and maybe, just maybe, they could get it done before my Dr. appt at 1:30 this afternoon. Yeah right....Sherry let me use her car again and they called while I was on my way to the V.A. There is a hole in the steering line and they don't really want to tackle it so I should have it towed to the dealer. Oh great! What else? Is a moose going to jump out in front me? Is a meteor going to hit me? Just shoot me now, please! There's nothing I can do until I get back from my appt so all I can do is grit my teeth and say, "Thanks, I'll have AAA come get it this afternoon". So that's my shitty day. Tomorrow I have to go get the stupid acclimation statement from the vet, go buy a bigger kennel (in Sherry's car again) and rebook Lucy's flight for Monday. The car is at the Mercury dealer now and, of course, it got there too late for them to look at it today. So they'll call me tomorrow. Please, please, please, let tomorrow be a better day than today!

Seventeen Days And Counting

2008-09-16T03:22:00.001+01:00

I leave for Germany in seventeen days! I bought a one way ticket for October 2nd. There's not too much more to do to get ready. Sherry's next door neighbors are going to buy my car and they have agreed to wait to do the transfer until the day before I leave.

I completed all the needed paperwork for Lucy to go to Scotland with me before I left Tucson. But, of course, we need different paperwork to get her into Germany. So I had to start from square one. I've had the necessary papers filled out by the vet here in Pittsburgh and I FedExed it to the USDA in Harrisburg today to be authorized. When I get it back later this week then I can make her travel arrangements. I'm going to send her a week before I go. Nikki has agreed to pick her up from the Frankfurt airport when she arrives.

How funny that Lucy was born in Germany 18 years ago and now she's going back. I don't know how much longer we'll have *The Bitty*. Her diabetes is well controlled but ever since she had a minor surgery to remove a fairly large cyst from her neck last December she has really slowed down. Before that nobody would have ever guessed her age but, even though she came through the surgery just fine, since then she has slowed down considerably. Now she acts like an old cat. Add to that the fact that she has something going on with her left eye that may be or may not be some type of cancer. It doesn't seem to give her any pain and the only way to know for sure what it is would be to see a feline opthamologist. Because of her age and her diabetes I asked the vet who did her health check to do some extra bloodwork to check her glucose level and her liver and kidney function. Her glucose level came back fine and her kidney functions are really good considering her age but there is some enzyme in her liver that is elevated. The vet called the lab today to ask them to do another test on Lucy's blood sample that will tell us whether it's being caused by a thyroid condition. If it is we can probably control it with medication.

Given all of this, some people might not go to the expense and trouble to take her to Germany. Some might think now would be the time to throw in the towel but I'm not ready to go there yet. Yes, she's old and she doesn't always get her ass all the way into the litter box (I have to put puppy pee pads down in front of her litter box) but her diabetes is under control and the other things are still just maybes at this point. She sleeps a lot and moves slowly but her appetite is still good and she is still as needy and affectionate as ever. After 18 years together I'd rather go on the assumption that she's still got a few more years left in her. So I'll buy her a plane ticket next week and then find her a good vet when we get to Germany.

I'm going to Virginia this weekend. One more chance to hang out with my cousin for a couple of days before I leave. I'm sure there will be no drinking or tomfoolery involved. We'll probably just watch the Home and Garden channel on TV, play with the dog and maybe make a couple of trips to Walmart. Yeah, riiiight.....