Taking to the Streets

While browsing through my pictures from the November trip to Florence, I came across these two images. University students held a demonstration and the police turned out en masse. Click on the police photo to enlarge it -- some great expressions on their faces.

Addendum: I believe the students were demonstrating for school funding, from what I gathered in questioning passers-by.

Oh, you thick Egg!

A moment ago, I received an email from Ikea in Germany -- with the heading Ach Du dickes Ei! Literally translated, that means, "Oh, you thick Egg!"

Will have to ask my German neighbors what that means in real life. Oh, you numbskull? Or: oh, you egghead? Made me laugh, which I needed!

Idioms are fun.

Any Northwest Jobs?

Jeff continues looking for jobs within the government--it would be preferable to stay with a government job, since then he keeps his retirement. Say a prayer for us, will you? I really want to move back to the Northwest. I like it here, but still miss my extended family. Oregon or Washington would be good...

Obsessions

You know what the national obsession is here? Besides beer? Gummi-bears. Also, gummi coke bottles, gummi fish, gummi burgers and hot dogs (I'm not lying!), gummi lips, gummi hearts, gummi ice cream cones and gummi worms. And zillions more of all kinds of shapes, sizes, colors and flavors.

This photo is from a "fest" a few weekends ago -- gotta have the requisite gummi vendor.

Grace (Eventually)

Our guest pastor today spoke about how we need to allow for blindness, bewilderment, and brokenness in Christian circles -- basically, to stop pretending we've got it all together, and focus on following Jesus, who heals all of us from the inside, out. I love that type of preaching.

His words reminded me of Anne Lamott's writing. And speaking of Anne Lamott, her book, Grace (Eventually), arrives soon in the mail! Here's a quote from one of her essays: I wish grace and healing were more abracadabra kinds of things, that delicate silver bells would ring to announce grace's arrival. But no, it's clog and slog and scootch, on the floor, in silence, in the dark.

Can't wait to sit down & devour the book whole. Along with a cup of hot milky tea, and Murphy the corgi warming my toes.

It's Beth's Birthday!

From across the ocean, a very happy birthday to my sister, Beth. I'm so proud of her--she's attending grad school for a degree in public health--after raising two kids and working at Camp Tilikum as retreat coordinator for many years. Go, Beth!

This photo was taken around 1979, when our family returned to Burundi for the summer. My father filled in at Kibuye Mission hospital, which was without a doctor at the time. Most days, we all helped around the hospital, from pricking the fingers of pregnant women for their iron levels, to painting metal doors with letters and numbers. Evenings, we strolled down to the stream to watch golden crested cranes and water birds or hiked past garden plots and giant rocks to see more of the countryside.

Enjoy your day, "little sis." Have fun at the Oregon coast!

White Stuff Again

Ah, the sadness. Daffodils and honeysuckle everywhere, and now, we're back to snow. Hope this white stuff is a fluke and melts in the sun very soon.

Germany Survival Bible

I stumbled upon the Germany Survival Bible while browsing Spiegel Online . A few articles of special interest: Brutally Honest talks about Germans and their straightforward style of communication (which can be taken as rudeness, until you've learned otherwise). And I had to chuckle at "Gross" is a German Word, Too -- one family's story of confusion over a common word.

By the Water

From a Sunday two weeks ago, in Schwetzingen Gardens.

Out of the Blue

A few days ago, I got an email from Brian Doyle, editor of Portland magazine. My poem, Rwandan Litany, is coming out in the March 2007 issue. That was a nice dose of encouragement.

Sissy & Furball

My friend Jim wanted me to post a picture of his two kittens, Sissy and Furball. They're good companions, and add a bit of laughter and unpredictability to Jim's life.

Jim and I have been friends for a long time--I admire the way Jim keeps a sense of humor, no matter what the week brings. Also, I appreciate his deep sense that God is involved in our lives, every moment.

Designs

Can anyone guess the location of this bus shelter? (Extra points if you get not only the country, but the city as well)...

Click on the photo to enlarge it-- for a small clue.

Addendum: For those who don't know the location yet, click on the comments beneath this picture and you'll discover the country!

Catching Up With An Old Friend

Just this week, I emailed someone from my childhood--Niki, an old friend from boarding school in Burundi. We used to get up to mischief together and often had to write 500 times in neat cursive, " I will do my jobs on time and remember to check with Mrs. Caine before I go out to play..." (something like that). Now, consider that we were only seven and eight years old, and also homesick off and on--our schedule was similar to a college calendar, three months at school, one month at home. I wish the dorm parents had shown more empathy. But I guess maybe they weren't all that happy to be put in the position of "mothering" a bunch of kids who didn't belong to them. Nowadays, I think most missions concentrate on finding dormparents who are nurturing and skilled at relating to children.

Here's what Niki's up to these days. Among other things, surviving a cape buffalo attack and making films about Africa.

The Village of Half-Timbered Houses

Last year, we visited Dilsberg, a small town atop a hill, 30 minutes north of Heidelberg. Their castle is not so picturesque from the outside, but after climbing the tower you can see 360 degrees around, down into valleys, over the Neckar river, and across to little red-roofed towns nearby. Dilsberg has a youth hostel and if I were hiking across Europe, this is where I'd stay at least a few nights.

Happy Birthday, David!

Cute smile with a few gaps here and there!
This was written a bit later, around fourth grade.

HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY, DAVID. ICH LIEBE DICH!

Just the Two of Us

I already posted a picture of the kids, so here's one of Jeff and me (since my family in the States wants to see some up-to-date photos). The sun seems to be shining in Jeff's eyes, but we don't have a better current picture of us, so this will do. Behind us, you see the Neckar river and part of Heidelberg.

Fasching Pics

Our little town already had its annual Fasching parade about a week ago, and this year I missed it. But Laura, who lives a few towns north of me, took some gorgeous Fasching photos and you're in for a treat if you check out her blog! Plus, she has a Wheaten Terrier named Clover who's a total camera ham and cute as can be.

Books Meme

Thanks to Nachfolge (Scott) for this!
Here’s what you do:

Look at the list of books below. Bold the ones you’ve read, italicize the ones you want to read, cross out the ones you won’t touch with a 10 foot pole, put a cross(†) in front of the ones on your book shelf, and asterisk(*) the ones you’ve never heard of.

1. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. † To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. †Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. †The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
6. †The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
7. †The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. *Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. *A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. †Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. †Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. †Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling)
17. *Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. †Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
20. † Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. †The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. †The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. †The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. †Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. †The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. †The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. †The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. †Bible
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. †Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. †The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. *The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. †Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. †The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. *Fifth Business (Robertson Davies)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. *The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. *The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. †Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
81. *Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. *Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down (Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. *The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. *Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. *Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. *In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. † The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. *The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)

If you play, let me know!

Just Being Silly

My friends and I couldn't resist when we saw these billboards (the power of suggestion)!

The Three Siblings

Danielle, David, and Anna in December--one of the beautiful sunny days when we drove into Heidelberg and ate at our favorite Indian restaurant, Moghul. I hear the latest Michigan weather (in Grand Rapids, where our two oldest attend college) is nothing like this.