HODGEPODGE MARCH 26

1. Spring has officially sprung (in the northern hemisphere anyway)...did she roll in more like a lion or more like a lamb in your neck of the woods? What needs more of your attention in terms of a good spring clean this year-your house or your garden/yard? 

Nothing of the above mentioned chores, I just wait that the sun is shining and the temperatures raising to sit outside and enjoy spring !

2. What's put a spring in your step lately? 

Nothing yet, I am still in hibernation

3. When you were a kid, what was the best snack to find in your lunchbox? If you didn't do the lunchbox thing, tell us what was your favorite after school snack. 

I didn't have a lunchbox, I just had a bread sandwich wrapped in paper with what was available it was in end 1940 - 50th and we were occupied by the Americans. Our school hours were from 8 to 1 pm, in Germany,(still today)  in the afternoon we were at home or on the streets until the parents came back from work. My mother didn't work, so I went home and had lunch.

4. In what area of your life are you planting seeds ? 

I am at the last chapter of my life and don't plant anything anymore, I am retired, and only do things which I like and try to enjoy life.

5. Why do you live where you do? Would you consider living somewhere else? Why or why not? 

I ended up here incidentally. After selling our house because my husband started to develop Parkinson's, we moved into an apartment. After six months, my husband broke his hip, and then his Parkinson's disease took a full turn. On top of that, he developed Alzheimer's, and he had to live in a retirement home, where he died a year later. I was alone in the large apartment and was becoming depressed.

One day I took my car and drove around looking for a nice park to cheer me up. I found a park I had never been, here in Waterloo. I walked around, saw the castle and people sitting on the terrace. I thought it was a Restaurant, sat down too and ordered a coffee. When I wanted to pay, the "waitress" refused. And then when I wanted to return home I saw a sign that it was a retirement home ! I immediately decided, I want to live here, the last part of my life.

They showed me the rooms which were very big like a studio without kitchen. I choose the one with view on the park. 

That's why I live here in "my" castle with my little cat Rosie and have never regretted my choice ! I completely feel at home now. 

The view from my room and the room 

and Princess Rosie 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Today, all the news (Belgium, Germany, and France, I missed the BBC) were talking about war, which sent my cohabitants into a panic.

No one knew that it concerned a cyber war, and they should prepare an emergency bag for it. They gave a list: water, food, a flashlight, a Swiss Army knife, etc., for 72 days. No one could explain to me why 72 days in particular. The majority of the ladies here had bad memories of WWII and had no idea what to do with these things against bombs, tanks, and machine guns right in front of them, and of course where are the bunkers to hide ?

So I explained to them that a cyber attack only affects computers and that they could attack the computer of a power station, the traffic or something else important. And they probably need 72 hours to repair the computers. I tried to explain it as simply as possible, but one of them still asked me if her smartphone was in danger. As sad as it all is, I still had to laugh with Jeanine when we were alone. 

Why do the governments not explain to the population why they should pack up this stuff ? I have all of it in my room anyway. Not everybody is familiar with artificial intelligence and computers. 

I hope that there will be not a rush on toilet paper and toothpaste like with the Covid pandemic, where nobody knew, the governments included what would happen. Today they know, at least I hope so.