Happy Spring!

Happy Spring!

These two painted pewter figures came home from Munich with us. I already own many of these little ornaments with Christmas themes, but when I saw the rooster, chicken, and bunny I decided to expand my collection.

Today is "Easter Monday" in Germany (and probably most of Europe)... that means the Easter holiday will continue with another day off for workers, and you probably won't be able to go to the grocery store or anywhere else.

Here, it's just another normal day. So I'd better hit the shower!

Book Meme

Below, my answers to a book meme sent to me (appropriately enough) by the Blonde Librarian.

You're stuck inside Fahrenheit 451, which book do you want to be?
Ugh, I would hate to be a book in Fahrenheit 451! Although I do remember that some of them were being memorized by the people who loved them, so I hope I would at least be one of those books.

Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character?
But of course! Mr. Darcy, of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Ever since I was eleven years old!

Other literary crushes: Tom Sawyer; Gilbert Blythe of Anne of Green Gables; Almanzo Wilder of the Little House on the Prairie series.

The last book you bought is:
The Power of Resilience: Achieving Balance, Confidence, and Personal Strength in Your Life, by Robert Brooks and Sam Goldstein.

The last book you read:
This is kind of embarrassing, but the last book I read was Velvet Angel by Jude Deveraux. It's the fourth and final book in the "Velvet" series, and yes, they are trashy romance novels. Published in the early 1980s, the series is set in the middle ages, and it tells the story of the four Montgomery brothers and the women they marry. I love all four of the books (though the second one, Highland Velvet, is my favorite) and have read them many times since I was in high school -- and always in order. I think I sold my old copies in a yard sale a few years back, so I picked up all four on eBay last month for about $5. I really enjoyed reading them again after all these years.

What are you currently reading?
The Power of Resilience, mentioned above as the last book I bought. I'm not usually a fan of self-help books, but this one sounded interesting. Personal resilience is a topic I have thought a lot about, and over the last several years I've worked hard to become a more resilient person. I found this book on Amazon recently and simply thought it would be an interesting topic to learn more about. So far, it is.

Five books you would take to a deserted island:
Maybe I should take along some guidebooks on survival and self-sufficiency, but let's assume that I'm going to an island where all I'll need to do all day is laze about in a hammock and read...

• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Without a doubt, my favorite book!
  
• The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Another lifelong favorite.
  
• The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory. One of the most enjoyable modern page-turners I've read in quite a while. A family drama set in the court of Henry VIII.
  
• Fire from Heaven and The Persian Boy by Mary Renault. These fictionalized accounts of Alexander the Great's life are two of my favorite historic novels.

I would also have liked to take along J. K. Rowlings' Harry Potter books, Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books, L. M. Montgomery's Anne books and many others, but that was just too many!

Which three people are you going to pass this to, and why?

• Laura G, one of my best friends since high school, who loves to read as much as I do. (Also, I think the first time I read those Jude Deveraux books, I borrowed them from her.)
  
• Laura P, who loves books and reads all kinds of things.
  
• Rachel, because she likes to read and she writes about it on her web page!

Back from vacation

In Munich, it is spring.


Click on all photos to enlarge.

That means, even though it's still a little cold out, people are outdoors enjoying the sun at every opportunity. As you can see from the two pictures above, the Viktualienmarkt beer garden is full of people at lunchtime.

We had a great time in Munich during the last week. We saw all our friends and spent time revisiting some of our favorite places. I got a new pair of Birkenstocks (plus a pair for a friend) and got to sing with my old chorus again. While we were there, the city fountains even started coming out of hibernation (the one in that first picture is located just across the street from our old apartment).

Things in Munich look mostly the same:



The Rathaus (town hall) is in the process of having its facade cleaned, which is why half of it is under wraps at the moment. The Frauenkirche is just as majestic and stately as ever. (Marty took both of the pictures above from the tower of the Alter Peter, the oldest church in Munich.)

I'll post some more pictures and accounts of our trip in the next few days, as I have a chance. Right now I'm still trying to unpack my bag and get over my jetlag.

P.S. It's not spring yet in Middletown. I took these pictures last night and this morning:

No time to post

Sorry so quiet. There's just no time to post right now. My life is like this: work, work, cook, work, chorus, work, chorus, cook, work. I feel like I haven't seen Marty in a week. And before he gets home this evening, I'll head out to Litchfield for my chorus retreat, which will last all weekend. What we used to call "Chorwochenende" in Munich.

But speaking of Munich... things are about to change. Because vacation is just around the corner. Next week, to be specific. And I can't wait!

Spring?

Well, somebody thinks it's spring.

These little crocuses (crocii?) are growing outside our front door. I noticed the leaves last weekend (before our most recent snowfall) and now they're all covered in sweet little purple flowers!


Click to enlarge.

As you can see from the pictures, it's a sunny day today. Ziggy is basking in the patch of sun just inside the front door. And I am having a lazy afternoon of reading and cross stitch. Just what I needed!