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NEW APARTMENT and FRIG MAGNETS I CAN ACTUALLY SEE!!!

August 29th –

We get to MOVE into our new apartment tomorrow!!! I’m very excited.  It has an OVEN and a regular refrigerator.  It also will have decent WIFI and that is why we are actually moving.   It will be strange to have a real kitchen, however.  It is bigger and also less expensive than the apartment we’re in now that is 33 sq meters.   I’ll post pictures soon to show you the new place, when we’re moved in.  It’s very exciting to do this.  It’s also walking distance to the city center and port – infact closer than where we are now – and not entirely a horrendous steep walk like the one we’ve had the past year.  Although, very cardiovascular exercise -.  Yeah.   My knees say “Hooray” –

August 30th

We are IN !!!!   The apartment is beautiful, spacious, large windows and sliding glass doors AND a real, a R E A L kitchen with an oven!  My refrigerator has magnets on it that I can actually SEE because it’s a normal size frig and I don’t have to stoop way over every time I go to put something in, or get something out.   I don’t have to sit on a small stool and scrape ice from the mini freezer that has frozen over and layered  more ice on the top and bottom &  that takes up more space than the few frozen items it contains!   There is a really big TV, and it doesn’t shut off in the middle of our French movie.  It doesn’t make clicking sounds either every time it’s on, telling us, ” sorry folks, this old TV is on the way to TV demise.”   Our bathroom has a TUB !!!!!  We can SOAK!!!  It has a 30’s feel – the entire apartment as the proprietor has decorated it in this fashion.

PLUS…….I have my own “devotional room”  (see below the cute little French “shabby chic” room……..)

The voile curtains glide back and forth graciously in the mediterranean breeze.    There is a glimpse of the sea, but basically the cicadas are in their glory, the fir trees and olive trees wrap around our balcony, the sky is bright blue.   Life is good.

WHAT the heck is “F” – oh yeah – FROID = cold

The morning after – fresh OJ

A “Devotional Room” eh? I LOVE THIS room!!!!

OUR TUB

HEATED TOWEL RACK!!!

We are very very grateful to be in a place more spacious and conducive to cooking.   We probably will eat out a lot less, and I can cook to my hearts desire, like I love to do.

We can have PEOPLE over!!!  They can actually spend the night without us all being squished together!!!

Life is just really good.

Nutella & Baguette Jetlagged

August 2013

eating massive amounts of bread

Middle of the night …… 
Jet lag does strange things to a person.
Last night it was Peanut Butter, Nutella and Cheese sticks at 2 am.

I wrote a postcard to someone, and don’t even know why.  Postcards?  In this day and age?

Then!  At 3 am I was out my front door and moving the car back to a safer spot just because…….

and woke up (about 1pm in the sunny afternoon)  to  find  the entire side view mirror hanging by a thread.   Either I pissed someone off cause they thought it was THEIR spot, or a sidewalk Motorcycle decided to cream my side mirror.

Either way, it cost me 50 euros.

Tonight it was an American Police corruption plot with more guns in it than in
some cold basement in Montana.  We hate these shows, but hey, it was in  ENGLISH and sometimes we’re desperate.
The choice of food late in the evening was cashews and French bread, Lemonade and popcorn.

We’re not used to such high living and fine culture activities.
But, ah, there you have it.
I wonder what tomorrow will bring?!?!?

My Happy Birthday Family Celebration- – 65 and Medicare isn’t broke yet!!

My Happy Birthday Family Celebration- – 65 and Medicare isn’t broke yet!!.

you can say I’m proud beyond proud; but that ‘s a truth.  Love my family.  French restaurant for family on my BD was less pricey than a trip to France. …..Ryan had his first ESCARGOT;  Iris saw the pink roses  from Papa’O for my BD and exclaimed (in the first pictures) “OH FLOWERS!! How very lovely!  I’m getting married in the morning!”  (True story) – there are pictures of the reunion meeting for the first time my brother Bob and other fab brother Bill, who I have known (for a while) – -at the end -it’s the “two bruthees” (brothers) my sons — to which – thank you Jack L.  …….they wouldn’t be here without you.   Family is everything.

“My Grandpa flew a helicopter into a house”

Huey Helicopter from Vietnam War (Photo credit: Photo Dean)

Iris was swinging at the park the other day, she was laughing as I was pushing her.

A helicopter flew overhead and it was quite loud –

and she said, “What is that?”   I said,  “That’s a helicopter.”

She then said,  “My grandpa…………..” and repeats these 2 words, several times.   “Yes, okay, YOUR Grandpa…….. she says, “My grandpa……………….” and hesitates like she is trying to remember something.     I say, ” WHICH grandpa?   – Grandpa Elwood?”  SHe says again,  “Yes.  My Grandpa Elwood flew a helicopter into ……..into   a    house!”   I say”  Grandpa Elwood?’  Iris says  “Yes”   I say, “No, Grandpa Elwood flew a helicopter in VIETNAM”.    She repeats…..”My Grandpa Elwood, flew a helicopter into,   into, in…..a house”……..  So, we worked on this for awhile and after several swings she got it and said, “My Grandpa Elwood flew a helicopter in Vietnam.”    Success.

Amazing the memory of these little child brains.  Obviously someone (my son?) told her about her Grandpa Elwood’s escapades with helicopters, but somehow it sounded dramatic to change the story that “Grandpa flew into a house”.

She’s running in circles now.  We’ve cooked dinner and her other Grandpa ( Papa’O) is pretending to chase her with her giggles coming in huge waves.    She loves her grandpa (s)  and  I sit back and watch with a heart full of love and amazement at the JOY OF LIFE one petite little girl has in this particular moment.     She is the  legacy of someone, known as  Grandpa Elwood, that did indeed, for this country,  fight and fly.

Vietnam War Air Operation (Photo credit: tommy japan)

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