HODGEPODGE MAY 19

1. What's something that makes you feel stressed? How do you cope?

I am in a permanent stressful situation, because Rick's Parkinson/Alzheimer is getting worse and worse, each day a little more. What I do against that ? I try to enjoy little things, like the beautiful weather we have for the moment and I am able to enjoy my terrace, friends are coming to see how I am and a good anti-stress remedy for me is writing, then I forget the worries of the day.

This is an ideal anti stress working place !

2. What's a food you eat that evokes a memory? Explain. 

In Belgium as starter there are snails cooked of course but still in their house in a very good garlic sauce. Of course I wanted to be like the others and ate bravely my snails. As the sauce was so good I tried to forget what I ate. There was a special little fork and tongs to pull the snail out. 

 

When I slept peacefully in my bed during the night, I dreamed that all snails which I had eaten slowly crawled out of my mouth ! I tell you I woke up disgusted and then realized that it had only been a nightmare. But I swear, I never ate snails again, I took mushrooms with the same sauce !

3. This week's Hodgepodge lands on National Visit Your Relatives Day. Will you celebrate by visiting a relative? If so is travel involved? Geographically, who is your nearest relative (not counting those living in your own house)? 

The nearest relative is my son, DIL and grandson. They live in Amsterdam which is about 230 km from Brussels/Waterloo. In Germany I have relatives but have no contact to them since my childhood. I don't even know where they live. One cousin lives near Nürnberg, but we have seen each other when she was still a child and I 35 ! In Italy is Rick's sister and her daughter left. All others have passed away. But this is far away 1200 km. Our family is very limited.  

4. What's your most frequently used emoji? Do you make more phone calls, send more emails, or mainly text to communicate with friends and family? 

I mostly use cat emoji. I use a lot Whatsapp for phone calls and also for writing messages. Emails are more for administration, banks, health insurance etc (of course without cat emoji) !

 

5. Tell us the story behind a favorite piece of furniture.  

As we recently moved into an apartment, I got rid of all our old furniture. I have no personal relationship with furniture, the main thing is that I like it. So I really didn't care to get rid of the old furniture that was as old as our wedding! So the story of my current furniture is pretty simple. I went to the store, bought what I liked and had it delivered to my home. Rick doesn't care what kind of furniture we have, he would have sat on boxes too.

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

It is very hot today, very unusual for May. I can't think of anything else then Rick's decline, each day a little more. Now I or Isabelle go every day to check that he has enough to drink he can't do anything himself anymore and I wonder how long this situation will last, but we are both prepared my son and I.