My newest neighbor.

Evie and I went to the Art Gallery yesterday. The display was Kimono's. Very interesting. Also did we walk trough the Arts. Paintings. Then we had a nice lunch. On the way home we stopped at Davids farm and I met the cow. Here are a few pictures.

Plates from my Grandmother Beppe Trien.

I have two plates . They are very old She had them when I was young. They must be over 100 years. I will put them on my log. I also put some art work from on this blog.

Remember all my family.

I was looking at the picture of my Mother and fathers family. My four brothers and me. From left me on my wedding day, my father, my baby brother Luutzen, Gerrit ,Jan, my mother and my oldest brother Fokke. The next picture my own familyin 1985.

Happy times.

Pictures of happy memories.That little one in yellow is Kristy!!!!!Left in the picture are Jimmy, Kim, David and Kristy with Grandpa and Grandma.In the middle years later.Me and the three daughters.Got you in there Kristy.

Lost love.

I do not think it was love, but a crush. The person that was looking for me from Holland brought some memories back that I had forgotten.Our neighbor in the Talma Straat had a sister my age.By the way my neighbor married our neighbors son.Then when his parents died they became our neighbors. It was in the war so hard to find a place to live. Our country was standing still for 5 years.So the sister and I became friends. She lived about a hour on the bike from my house. So in the summer of 1943 I went home with her for a week. They lived on a farm. Her mother had died so she lived with her father and brother. We had a great time. Nice people. Her brother seem to like me and at 16 you love the attention from the a boy that is a couple years older.He was very nice to me and we had some good times. I got better meals that week and liked the attention. Until the end of the week I saw him in uniform. I could not believe it. He was one of the collaboraters of the Germans. A group for young people. Here I was liking a person, but not liking what he did. My Dad was hiding, my brother was in jail by the Germans and I was liking this man.I do not remember what ever happen to him. Did not see him again. And after the war people like him where punished or jailed.The next year when I was 17 I met my husband. and I never looked back. Completely got it out my mind, until I got this letter from Holland of this lady that told me she was a niece of my first love. His name was Henk.Now I wonder what happen to Henk. Is he still alive, Was he sorry what he did in the war? So the saga goes on. I will keep you posted.

He Kristy is on the blog. What do you know. How did that happen. I heard she complaint that Nick was on it and not her.She has Lucy on her back in my living room by the family tree.

Happy now Kris. Love you.

A surprise yard,

This morning when I woke up I saw Kaboutertjes in my yard. That means spring is here.

Grandparents.

Just for the record I like my grandparents on my blog. The grandfather with the white beard are my fathers parents. The grandfather with the curly hair are my mothers parents.My fathers parents name are , Fokke Blaauwbroek and Jantje van der Heide.My mothers parents are. Gerrit Vonk and Trijntje Buist.

A dear friend.

Yesterday we took a dear friend out for lunch for her 82 Birthday. Thank you all for sending her cards.She is forget full. but it also is good for her family to see that people do care. Happy Birthday Mary.

In Touch.

Yes that I have been, in touch with my memories. This person from Holland that got in touch with me this week brings up so many memories. I see my self talking to my old neighbors in the Netherlands. It also brought back the bad memories. I do not like to go there but maybe it is good, maybe I am better for it. I learned to Love not to hate. I hope I gained from it. I wrote this before but I think so often on my parents, what they went trough. My brother in jail by the Germans, my Father hiding. Always to be afraid for five years. I saw hate in my parents eyes and worry. The day of liberation must have been something for them. But it took years after that before things got normal again. With this I put a picture of my dear parents.

Talmastraat

Someone in Holland found me.It is amazing how times have changed. My daughter got a letter from a person in Holland who was looking for a person that lived next door to her father when he grew up.It turned out to be me. She had found a picture of two children and it turned out to be my daughter Nancy and Evie on a Christmas card.I do remember that the son next door got married and that they got a baby. This baby is the person that contact me. Boy the world is small. She wants to know more of her father, but I do not have to many memories after that, because I left for the U.S.A. We must have kept in contact a while but trough the years we slip.It does feel good to go back in memories.

A visit from my neighbor.

The phone was ringing and I answered it. It was David and he said open your garage. And I looked outside and no car. I said your not here. He said yes I am.And I looked and there was David walking in my driveway with Franny. What a sight. I went outside and Franny came over to me and snuggled. I almost lost my balance.The when they walked away I was going to take a picture. My battery was to low. So I show you a picture of Franny and Granny.

Great grand children

A couple of pictures of the little ones. They are so fascinating to watch.

Nick.

One of my relatives I do not mention often is a man called NICK. He is my grand daughter live in. They have been together for 7 years and I love them both. They live now in London and he takes good care of my grand daughter and I love him for that.He also is smart.He teaches anything about MARS, Yes Mars in the sky.Last winter there was a article of him in the Batavia news and I am going to try to get it on the blog. I hope you do not mind Nick?

Cooking lesson.

Today I was invited by my eldest grandson for lunch, It was great to see him and his family. They where here for a couple days from Boston. He was making the lunch and I was watching him close. I was surprised every time I see him they teach me something. Today I learned how you can use advocate in chicken soup. By the way it was great. Thanks Jim.

Trying the pictures again.

Sorry to use the blog for it ,but every day I have to keep my mind going.I want to learn more and more but it is not easy when you are in the 80.

Spring is in the air.

Spring is in the air,you can see it and you can feel it. What a beautiful day. But there are more signs of spring. In front of my yard I looked today and where the snow has melted I saw hyacints about a inc above the ground. I looked and smiled yes spring is on the way.Also I saw the beginning of tulips.This is for me the nicest time off the year.You look and you see things changing.When I came home today from exercising there was a groundhog by my drive way. A other sign.Happy Spring!

Something old?

I have a dish with a story.For me it started in the 1940.In WW2 when every thing was bad in the Netherlands. There was little food,the Germans took every thing out of our Country to feed the Germans. On the trains it said a gift from the Dutch. Well it was not a gift, we had to dig the potato's out the wet ground and they would take them. There was a guard with a gun watching us. If you stopped he would shoot you. At this time it was better in the North. We had a little ground to grow or own vegetables. So some old folks from Amsterdam or so try to move in with people in the North. My husband friends family had a elder lady from Amsterdam.And we got to know her. Then when my husband and I got engaged she gave us a beautiful dish. Cream colored with gold and black flowers. She had it a long time and I just loved it. It went trough the years of children and grand children.Now the great grand children are here and when they come I put it on a dresser I do not want to lose it after all the years. Last week my grand daughter was here and we looked it up in the computer,and it looks like it came from Germany and was made in the 1700.I can not believe, it is so beautiful and now I know it is so old it means even more. I am going to try to put a picture with this. If anyone knows more let me know.

Some more Pictures.

I am having a hard time getting it coming up. We try again.

Old fashion medicine.

This morning I found out old medicine are still working. For weeks I had a bad sore in back of my leg.I wonder if I should see the Dr. Then yesterday I remember what my mother would do. I also had the med. in the house. It is the vegetable Kale. Yesterday I washed one small leave and dryed it of and put it on the sore and taped it up. This afternoon I took it of and the sore was open and clean. So I put a little antibiotic on it and I think I solved my problem. I also have a remedy for a cold. When you have a cold and cough, rub the bottom of your feet with Vicks Vaporub . Then put a pair of old socks on and go to bed. You will have a better night.

Looking for spring

It seems like a long winter with all the snow.I wonder when that big pile in front of my house will be gone. It looks pretty, but I am looking for the first flower. I know when the snow is gone I will see the crocuses. Nature will always do there own way. What I am going to try is to get a picture of my snow with this. I got a lesson yesterday and see how the old brain is working.

The new Donkey.

Franny and Granny both live on Egan Road.They both like the outdoors.The freedom of nature, The smell of fresh air.Makes them both feel happy, with warm coats to wear.Special on cold days, when there are no sun rays.Soon spring will be here, and the sky will be clear.Granny will visit Franny and bring her something to eat,At the end of the field we will meet. We become friends and I give you my love, you are going to look for me from above.I see the joy you will give to the children, that makes them happy and me too.

A New Neighbor.

I have a new neighbor and I think I am going to visit him today.A Donkey and a cute one. Last night Lucy got her Birthday present from Grandpa and Oma. A Donkey, Her father made a leanto and he moved in. What a joy to see the inter act of child and animal. The sun was out and still a lot of snow and a lot of warm feelings.I can not wait for the whole family to move there and see live in the fields. I hope soon I can show a picture of the Donkey.

Health care.

I wrote about health care yesterday. Well I got in contact with my brother Gerrit and he explain the health care in the Netherlands.He pays 236 euro a month. That does depend on income.It goes automatise. Every one needs to be insured. But he made sure to let me know that every one is real happy with it. But the point he made that there are no complains I want to bring across. The politicians are not together here. They want to scare people , they also did with social security. It is working and we are not complaining. They keep on telling us the money is running out. Then I say get going and see where you make mistakes with our money.We have to live with a budget. If I as a immigrant with & 200.00 came here and made it, it was managing your money and do not hand it out to other Country's or like spending it on Alaska citizen and then send the oil to Japan.Did to me makes no sense.