Easter Sunday 2009

What a day.!It started with the sun shining in the bedroom when I woke up. That really helps my mood. Got my pills for the day dressed and of to Dave and Anna. I was greeted by the two little girls. They look like twins, but Molly is about 10 months younger then Lucy. I brought them some stuff in a shoebox. I decorated the lid with different pictures I cut out of old cards. I had so much fun doing that. Al the time I was working on it I was thinking of the kids. I hope in the future the kids come to my house to teach them different things. I always have love arts and crafts. There are so many things you can make with little money,. I use to have a Girlscout troop for about 13 years. And if I may say myself it was one of the best troop in the neighborhood. Late I worked with seniors, teach them to knit. Make gloves and scarves for the Salvation Army. They gave them to the poor family's for Christmas.I love to help and teach. I have friends who do not read, our do any hand work and I do not understand what they do with there live. What a joy to read. I am now reading three books. The writer is Maggie Sefton, and the books are Knit One, Kill One, A deadly yarn and Needle to Death, I almost done with two books. It plays off in a knitting group becoming ditectives.

Camping

Today I went to the hospital for my pacemaker check. I got a pacemaker about four years ago and once a year the Surgeon has to check it. He said my pacemaker is working about 80%. So I realy need it.And he thinks I have about a other four years on this battery . I have a St. Jude pace maker.So I told my Dr. I am going to make the best of the help I get. So I am thinking of this summer. I know I am going for the 4the July to New York City. Fire works at the Hudson. But then this week my granddaughter said, David and I where talking that we would like to go camping this summer and anyone who would like to go can come. I said great. I love family and the outdoors, and when you can get that together I am all for it. Years ago we started to camp as a family because that was all we could effort. A friend lend us a great big tent and we went up North in to Canada.A car without aircondition and 85 Degree outside. Then three girls in the backseat. A trunk full and a box on top of the car and there we went. We had a Coleman lamp for light and out side a campfire for cooking. One pot meals. It was fun and this was our home for two week every summer. We where hooked. Then we bought a Cox popup camper. Boy we hit the Jackpot. We traveled to Main, Michigan and New york State. Untill The campgrounds changed, noise and dirty bahtrooms. So we started to look for some land and found 15 acres in Prattsburg N.Y.There we put our camper.After a while we started to think of putting up a one room cabin. Well that was a joy. A woodburning stove. No running water or light. But this was our home away from home.My husband and I spend lots of great times there. Sometime with family, our some good times with friends. Great memories, but the best times where when we where the two of us. We cut down trees for the woodstove, and we planted trees and made the land greener.

Easter or Pasen.

Eaters in the Netherlands is a two day event.What I heard when I was young that the Christian, the very strict could not do anything then go to church on Sunday Holiday. So they gave them a other day to have fun . Like biking.And even visiting other family members. All the religions in the Netherlands are two day. Christmas and Pinksteren [Pentecost] To any one who reads my blog, Happy Easter.

The terrible four.

I went out for lunch yesterday with my three daugters. This was my birthday present. Once a month out for lunch. And I enjoy it. It is great to see them together. But in confersation Louise said I have never heard you say the terrible four. So I better explain. Every summer when the four would come to our house for some days, we had a great time and I know the kids have a lot of found memories. One summer I think it was Jimmy and Kim wrote a poem for us . The Terrible Four, Right now Kim has the poem ,mabey some day I will post. But the four of them sang it to grandma and grandpa. It was funny.I always feel bad the four have so many memories, then later Jeff came and he did not have the same experience. He came five years after Kristy. And alone to your Grand parents is or was not as much fun. Now that I think back there are so many great things that happend. But I love them just as much now that they are 29, 30, 31 and 32. And Jeff is also grown up almost 25.

Love and Hate.

Love and hate I had both of them. But I can say now that my hate is gone. Hate comes in many ways. I have seen people so upset ,they hate the other politic party so much, that it consumes their life.And really they can not do much about it.Unless they get involved, then they would understand things better.I had my hate after World War II. I hated Hitler and all the Germans for all the suffering we went through. The hate stayed there for many years, until one year my husband and I took my mother on a Rhine trip in to Germany. There we confronted the normal Germans and then I knew that I should leave my hate there. And I did. Now I say I LOVE our DISLIKE something. I never forget but life is a lot easier with out hate.

Granddaughter

Last night I had a great time with my granddaughter Kim. We had supper together and then I got some memories out . I have several boxes and book with al old stuff. From my wedding until now. I saved. Showing Kim things she made when she was little.Things they did when the terrible four where at our house.Jim,Kim,David and Kristy. What beautiful memories. I even had a cigar box with a cigar from my father inlaw. That cigar must be at least 50 years old. Wonder how that would smell if you smoked it.I have the newspaper clippings of my Mom and Dads 60 wedding anniversary.The dead notes of lots of people. Family. Fhoto's of my husband singing at concerts . The Ed Sulivan show and Ozie and Harriet show. A production that Kodak put on for there investors. It was so great to share a little of my life with Kim. Also she saw her mom in a basket when she was 6 months old arriving in New York city as a new immigrant. When you have a evening like that and you can share it with some one , it brings your whole life again in front of you and it is wonderful.

How we met.

In 1944 we lived in Assen, Netherlands. One of my girl vriend was Geertje. She had a boyfriend named Henk Jacobs. One day my friend said my friends and two of his friends are givng a concert. It was in the afternoon, because we had to be of the road at 8 p.m. She asked if I wanted to go and I said I love to. So we went . The concert was wonderful. Three young men in early twenties played violin, guitar, banjo and more.Lots of folksongs. After the concert I asked Geertje if I could meet the main singer. He was blond and blue eyes. She aid she would find out.On sundays young people would go to Main street in the woods. Walk back and fort hoping to meet a boy our girl. Wel Geertje came with Henk and Roelof, Mans could not come he had to baby sit for his baby brother. And I said to Geertje that is not the one I want to meet. So a couple of weeks later we went to Henk house. His mother was a widow and very nice. So the friends got together. It was a nice afternoon. When I was leaving to get my bike the tire had come of. No innertire, just a piece of rubber with rope to hold it together. So Mans came out and put it together again and that was my first contact with my future husband.Pretty soon we where going out together. Then after a year I had it with him. Wrote a letter and told him I wanted to go in to nursing and want it done with him.Well what did Mans do he went to my mother and said he wanted to talk to me.Well we did and his behavior made me fall in love with him and from that day on it was great.On December 20 1946 we got engaged. We wanted to get married in 1947 but could not find a place to live. So we kept on looking . Then in 1948 his sister said you can have half of our little house. So on April 15 1948 we got married and moved in a one room and one bedroom place. We shared the kitchen. Small but we lived happy ever after.