Splash!"My Most Beautiful Thing"

Splash! Does that make you think about summer, diving into the pool? Waves hitting rocks? Kids in a bath tub? Today I am taking the splash. But guess what? There is no water needed.

Today I’m taking part in the My Most Beautiful Thing Blogsplash to celebrate beautiful things – inspired by Fiona Robyn’s new novel, The Most Beautiful Thing. Bloggers from all over the world are taking part and writing or posting pictures of their most beautiful things today. Find out more here and see everyone else’s blog posts here.


Trying to think of one thing is not easy. Other than the people in my life (which are the best and always at the top of the list), there really isn't anything tangible that I would consider my most beautiful thing. There are so many beautiful things each and every day--a cerulean sky filled with white fluffy clouds (though not much of that in my neck of the woods lately) or the warmth of the sunshine on my face (also not much of that recently). But if there isn't much sunshine, then there is time spent inside cooking brownies with my daughter or snuggling with my husband. There are rainbows and the scent of spring flowers after the rain. There is mail from old friends, bringing memories of earlier times to mind. That one beautiful thing, the thing that stands out, changes daily. Today it is this. My bleeding hearts have made an appearance.

          And Spring arose on the garden fair,
          Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere;
          And each flower and herb on Earth's dark breast
          rose from the dreams of its wintry rest.
                      —Percy Bysshe Shelley


Perennial flowers are amazing. Year after year, even after harsh winters, they grace us by blooming again. Springtime. A time for new beginnings. For many people, the rebirth of Spring is inspirational. They compare those long months of winter, short days and chilling air (lot of snow depending where you live) to the rough times in life. The budding and eventual blossoming of flowers reminds them that we can all weather life's storms. For others, well...they just like to see or smell the pretty flowers. Such is the joy of a child in a Spring garden. A little girl might like the color of certain flowers, might enjoy picking them to give a lovely bouquet to her mother or someone else she loves. A child might appreciate a flower for its fragrance. I remember visiting my grandmother when her Lily of the Valley were in bloom. They lined the whole side of her house, all the way to the back porch. The scent of Lily of the Valley still takes me back to that old house, to memories of days spent there with her.

We had beautiful weather in March in my area of Germany. There were days it was so warm that people got their shorts and t-shirts out of storage. The trees and bushes began to bud. Our forsythia bush was in full bloom. Then April came and as is often the case, the weather became bleak and wet. So on a grey day like today, discovering that my bleeding heart plant had opened its buds, beautiful pink hearts hanging on the stems, made my day. A splash of color despite overcast skies. Also, the hearts remind me of all the people I love and those who love me. My husband. Daughter. Parents. Family. Friends. They mean the world to me. So these flowers are more than just flowers because they symbolize so many things.

That's my most beautiful thing today. Tomorrow it might be the kind act of a friend, a long walk with the hubby hand in hand, a giggle marathon with my daughter, the songs of birds as I wake in the morning or even just the taste of a really good cake. Anyone want to bake me a cake?

Who knows? Tomorrow it could be a lady bug like the one I found in my planter by the dining room window last Saturday. Isn't it adorable? It isn't often I find a  "reverse ladybug", one with red spots on a black body. I enjoyed its visit.

One thing is for certain, there will be something. There always is. No matter how good or bad a day is, I always try to single out one special event or thing to appreciate and be thankful for.

Is there anything you are thankful for today? Feel free to share in the comments section. I'd love to hear about your day. And as for tomorrow....I'll guess we'll just have to wait and see what comes our way. Though a bit of cake might be nice.

Local Crossings - Welzheim to Rudersberg (continued)

My blog wouldn't let me include all the photos on one post. If you haven't read part one please click here before continuing.

After one walks through the arch of branches and through the field with large stones, there is a path on the right-hand side with steps that takes one up through the wooded area. Here is a photo of it with two trees crossing over the path.

I assume this takes you alongside the road and back to Eins + Alles because this new area full of woven branch towers belongs to them. What is it used for? I am not sure yet. Maybe when the weather is better I will find out and can post about it here.

Continuing on the road past Laufenmühle and Klaffenbach, then Oberndorf and finally Rudersberg, we drove to the Rathaus (city hall). In front of the building is the bronze Arche Noah statue. After all, with a theme like "crossings" how could we exclude Noah? With his pairs of animals, he crossed stormy seas.

 
 Here are some close-up shots.

statue by Wolfgang Knorr

I like how the animals are enlarged, making them the main focus. I especially like the giraffe.

What I don't like too much are the figures of the men. I find them a bit creepy. What do you think?

 

And if you want to cross over from biblical to nostalgic, all you need to do while standing in front of the statue is turn to your left and look at this building which now houses the local post office. 

This photo of mine was once used on the blog of  online literary magazine YB.

 

All these things can be seen within a 15 minute ride (20 minutes tops if you drive slow or if the roads are icy) from Welzheim to Rudersberg. I hope you enjoyed taking the trip with me.  That is the glory of the internet, isn't it? With just a click you can be crossing borders and time zones without ever leaving your home.

Be sure to come back to visit me again...  

I do love visitors.

Local Crossings - Welzheim to Rudersberg

In my last post (Crossing) I defined different meanings of crossings through the use of various photos from Germany. The idea for that post came from the theme for the upcoming Aotearoa. In order to meet the deadline, I did something which I rarely do on this blog-- use images (with permission) from other photographers. After speaking with one of the editors, I decided to do a new post using my own photos. We thought it might be interesting to use photos of Rems-Murr-Kreis (the area where I live in Germany), but at first I wasn't sure what I could photograph nearby that would fit the idea of crossings. There is no equivalent of the Magdeburg Bridge here in this small rural setting. A few days went by without any progress. Finally, I decided I would simply lug my camera with me everywhere I go.

One day while travelling from Welzheim to Rudersburg, so many "crossing" caught my eye. Here they are.

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pond right outside downtown Welzheim

Here is my starting point--the town of Welzheim. I took this photo while crossing the street.

This sign caught my eye as I was crossing the intersection. It reminds me of those silly signs people would buy as a joke, the ones that list several well-known cities (Paris, Madrid, London, etc.) and the distance to each of the locations. However, this sign is not meant to be funny. It is very common for towns and cities in Germany to have a "Partnerstadt" (a sister city). The Partnerstadt is often listed beneathr the town name on the entrance sign to the city, but I like the way Welzheim has done this much better. The first town listed, Auerbach,  is a town in the district Erzgebirgskreis, in the state of Saxony, Germany. The partnership took place in 1990. In  2008 Milanówek in Polen also became a sister city. It is situated approximately 30 kilometer from Warsaw. After the local Gymnasium (college preparatory track of high school) had maintained a successful student exchange program with a school in Milanówek for over 15 years, it seemed only natural to add them as a sister city.

The drive from Welzheim to Rudersberg takes me on a long, winding road downward. On the way I pass the railroad crossing which for many years had not been in service. However, a group was formed to restored service of these old tracks on a limited basis. Now, with the exception of winter months, several times a year the historical steam train takes passengers on a scenic trip from Schorndorf to Welzheim and vice versa. One area which looks very nice in the autumn months is the passing over the viaduct.

 Not only is there a large wooded area and a stream which flows underneath but also two waterfalls. In wintertime, the falls are often frozen and look like this.

Turning the other direction, directly under the bridge and the viaduct, the second falls can be found. This area (Laufenmühle) is a wonderful place to go hiking year-round. 

Directly across the street from the falls is a place that both children and adults can enjoy. From the road you can see a red building and several llamas, but further back in the Welzheimer Wald (wooded area belonging to Welzheim) is an activity-rich center called Eins + Alles (for one and all). Not only is there the small animal farm but many stations set-up in indoor and outdoor environments that allow one to focus on different senses. Included is the Erlebnispfad, an series of climbing areas, playgrounds, and trails offering different adventures. Children can also work with wood, make homemade bread on a stick, or just cozy by the campfire in the Feuerzelt program, take part in experiments in the Rote Achse, or go in the dark house and experience what it is like to be blind. They even offer wheelchair days where one can rest their legs and take part in activities in a wheelchair. I haven't done it but realize it must be a challenge in a nature setting.

I like how the shadow of a tree crosses right over the alpaca's nose.

Shortly after leaving the parking lot, my husband noticed a bunch of tree branches crossing each other behind the ones than border the right side of the road. I had never noticed them before so we quickly turned around and went to see what they were.

We found a whole new area with towers of woven branches

a design of stones in between them and

an arch of branches leading to a field with giant stones.

(click here for the continuation)

Crossing

In anticipation of the Frankfurt Book Fair in October where New Zealand is the guest of honor, a blog has been started. An Aotearoa Affair will be highlighting the work of Kiwi and German writers and artists. There will be features as well as weekly highlights and a monthly blog carnival. The first theme for the carnival is Crossings. I thought I would list some of the definitions I've found for "crossing" with some photographs from Germany. I hope you like them.

    crossing:

1. the place where one thing crosses another

the crossing of tree branches

When most peope think of Germany, they think of evergreens. However, we have our share of deciduous trees and sometimes the branches cross one another as in this photo. There are other crossing as well--cows crossing the road, roads crossing other roads, paths crossing in the woods. Of course, there is also the crossing of legs, arms, fingers.

2. a place, often shown by markings, lights, or poles, where a street, railway, etc. may be crossed

train crossing

One of the things I love about Europe (and specifically Germany) is the abundance of public transportation. Travelling by train, whether it be for vacations or the daily commute to work, is not uncommon. In fact, my teenage daughter takes the train to school every morning. Even better are the walking/bicycle paths that connect to just about everywhere. I love the fact that I don't need to share the road with cars and trucks and during warmer months I can save gas money by running errands, shopping or visiting friends by bicycle. It is not unheard of  for my family to pedal 17 km in summer just to eat gelati and then ride back home again. An excellent Italian gelateria with flavors like lemon-basil, lavender-blueberry, cinnamon, and chocolate-chili makes it worth the trip.  

3. the intersection of the nave and transept in a church

church, Munich

Whenever I visit large cities (or even small towns for that matter) I like to visit one of the local churches. Besides being beautiful, they are rich in history. The one above (St. Michael's Church), is the largest Renaissance church north of the Alps and was built by William V, the Duke of Bavaria. Ignoring the protests of citizens, he had 87 houses torn down in order to build it and the adjoining college. This was done in 2 stages over a period of  14 years. I'd go into more of the history, but I know that when it comes to Munich most of my American friends are more interested in hearing about Octoberfest.   

4. the act or instance of travelling across something, especially the sea

boat, Lübeck

The scene above shows just one aspect of Lübeck. It is the largest German port on the Baltic Sea, but Lübeck has so much more to offer visitors. Much of the town has kept a medievel look with old buildings and narrow roads. Because of  the Brick Gothic architechtural heritage, Lübeck is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. And quaint it is, with several old churches and an old part of town which is an island enclosed by the Trave river. And believe it or not, Lübeck is also known for its marzipan industry.
 
5. the act or process of cross-breeding

Uhhh...I think we'll just skip that one.

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To  see some crossings from my local area, CLICK HERE.

Summer signs

Hi, everyone!

For the latest post, please click HERE.

More to come.

Back Home Again

Surprise! Not only am I back here in Michelau

but I am actually posting something here after months of inactivity.


The month of August was spent visiting friends and family in Pennsylvania, Texas, and Colorado. I had a great time. Thanks to all of you who shared your time with us and made our time as memorable as possible. I do hope to write about those moments and post pictures here. In the meantime, here's a little about what we've been doing since getting over the jet-lag.

First, let me say this. If you leave home for four weeks, you are bound to return to a yard full of high grass and a garden full of weeds and rotten tomatoes. Those tomatoes could have been enjoyed by neighbors if they weren't also away on their vacations.  However, we did manage to collect almost a large bowl full of red, ripe tomatoes, several yellow squash, a red pepper, and a few zucchini which could have been used as self-defense clubs on our first day home (and lots more since).

So, one of the things we've been doing is preparing a variety of zucchini meals-- feta and tomato baked zucchini, zucchini and cheese omelets... I've got a whole book of zucchini recipes to keep us going. Next week I'll be making spicy sesame-zucchini stir fry and also a zucchini cake. So, if you've got some good zucchini recipes, please share. We love trying new things.

We also picked our first corn which we enjoyed with pork and veggies from the grill. Our basil had flowered but seems to be doing better now and the celery is growing well. One thing that didn't fair well were our grape saplings in the vineyard. They look pretty miserable. We're hoping they bounce back. On the other hand, the grapes in the garden look and taste great.

Next week we'll need to pick some apples. Our tree is full of them. Looks like we'll be making apple sauce, apple muffins, apple galette, Apfelstreudel...

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Another thing we've been doing was preparing for the beginning of school. Katarina just finished her first week which had it's surprises and disappointments. She has two teachers she is definitely not fond of, but she is more than happy with her homeroom teacher, Mr. Stammler, who is also her teacher for math, geography and biology.

Here she is on the first day of school.

The class also held elections for Klassensprecher (class president). There are always two--one boy and one girl.  Katarina enjoyed doing it last year and decided not to run (even though I know she wanted to but wanted to give someone else the chance to do it). As it turns out, the procedure was a bit different this time around. Instead of people campaigning, classmates were told to elect people. They were then give a few minutes to accept or decline and say a few words. Katarina was elected so she accepted...and WON. This year a different boy won. So there is some constant, some change.  Seventh grade is a tough year, but we are off to a good start and hope it goes well. One of her assignments was to write an essay about her favorite day of summer vacation. She wrote about her day in Austin with my cousin Bob and his family. I will DEFINITELY be blogging about that at some point in the next month.


Other than that, we've just been trying to relax and enjoy things. The other day Stefan came home and said "Wanna get some flowers?" So, we went off to our favorite field. It is a place where you can stop and pick your own flowers. I've written about it on my other blog (click here).  This time instead of daffodils and tulips there were sunflowers

and gladioles in all different colors.

Aren't these gorgeous!

And there were red ones

and a bunch of other colors to choose from. It was so hard to decide.

Katarina went along and picked a few to put in her bedroom.

 

And I was busy snapping pictures. Here is one of my favorites.

The rain spoiled our plans today, so I guess I will just sit inside, write a bit, bake a cake and look at the  bouquet of gladioles. (Thanks, Stefan.)  Eventually, I will get around to those vacations posts. So stay tuned.

Not so short "short note"

Hi, everyone! I can't believe how long it has been since I posted here--4 months. In the meantime, I have been

1) posting on my other blogs:   http://lind-guistic.blogspot.com/ where I discuss anything language/literary/writing related and  http://thegatheringofstones.blogspot.com/ which is where I post photos and little thoughts and observations called "stones".

2) spending time with family and friends. My in-laws were here for 4 weeks in May/June.

3) spending lots of time a various doctors for health issues I might discuss here at a later time

4) just basically chillin' (reading, writing, taking pictures, going for bike rides/walks, local events, doing a blog challenge, submitting material, taking part in the July River of Stones, playing with our pet, and whatever else came up along the way)


While I was busy doing all these other things, I got a nice blog award from E.J. Wesley. He posted some great material at his blog, The Open Vein, during the A to Z Blogging Challenge (which I also took part in) in April. You can visit The Open Vein here.  In any case, here it is--my no strings attached Real Trooper Award for supporting other bloggers during the challenge.

Thanks, E.J.

I also received this award for my work in the blog challenge.

 

Oops! That's not the correct one but I can't find it!!! It seems to be lost in the virtual world somewhere. In any case, thank you to Arlee Bird and the other blog challenge organizers. I'll be back in 2012.

I also received these awards.

Plus, I won a book from Nicole Ducleroir in the Sneaky Red Sock Giveaway contests on her blog One Significant Moment at a Time.  Thank you, Nicole.


Oh, I almost forgot. One of my blog posts was featured in the Language/Place Blog Carnival. You can read it here.

I received all these awards, posted once in May and then disappeared until July 1 when I posted a few stones. During that time, I received a few messages from followers (not family--people I only know in the blogging world) asking "Hey, what happened to you? I miss reading your posts." or "Where have you been? Everything okay?"  How sweet. If you were one of these people, thank you for checking in on me. I am okay and plan to get back to blogging on a more regular basis once again in September. Until then I will be taking a trip to the states to visit family and friends and to show my daughter a bit more of the land where she was born.  So, be patient. I'll be back again soon.

In the meantime, you can fill this post up with comments. If you are a blogger, tell me what keeps you from blogging, what helps you to blog regularly (LOL...sounds like a blogging laxative :-) or whatever else you want to say. Just post something in the comments section. I don't care if you tell me what you ate for breakfast. Just make me happy and post something. Just. DO. IT.