Virtually no one reads these postings but there are times when I feel that I need document my thoughts. Shortly, Jamie's mum (as they say in Pittsburgh) will have escaped her assisted living facility for brunch. I have ordered biscuits and gravy from a local farmer, hopefully, giving her a taste of her childhood.
We moved! During COVID, we decided that once Dickinson College, where Cate is attending, would allow her to be on campus, we would put the house up for sale. We are not made for suburbs. House sold...for an ungodly price and we are now renters in an upscale area of Pittsburgh. This has had its own challenges...downsizing;...a man who brags about the pants he has on that are 20+ years old, etc....I could go on and on. But I love the townhouse we are renting. I love that in one minute, I can be at a grocery store, the nail salon, restaurants....I love watching people walk by the house.....I love that it is quieter here than it was in the suburbs.
It is so much smaller than what we had and I was afraid that Cate would be upset with the move...but she is an Army child...she loves it....spending her time decorating her space.
So yesterday, I drive to my favorite bakery which is now only a mile away as opposed to 40. I stand in line as they only allow 2 people in the store at once. A woman and her two children come up behind me...and they are not speaking English. They are speaking German. I turn around and quietly say, "I love hearing German." The mom is face-timing with her mom and I overhear the conversation in German...most of which I still do not understand but it had such a calming effect on me. When they finished their conversation with "Tschuss", I almost cried.
Then the mom looks at me and says in English, "So you speak German?" My response, "Ein Bisschein", a little. She tells me that she and her husband are from Berlin but her children, grades 2 and 5 were born in the US. I tell her about our time in Germany and where we lived. I tell her that Cate attended the local Grundshule when we moved to our village and she is amazed. They want to move back and send their own children to the local German school and they are fighting the effort.
I came home and cried. I so miss my time in Europe. I must say that I have cooked more in the last week now that Cate is home. And I am looking forward to our vacation....not Europe this year but to a place I lived when I was 2 years old....Key West. Evidently, Tennessee Williams used to drive past our bungalow with his boyfriend... I am looking forward to seeing if the old place still exists. But I like this new place because it reminds me of Europe. Cate seems to be settling in well. We had "Mum" over today for brunch and I think she enjoyed it as well.
I realized yesterday, that I have missed writing....Cate and I were looking at this blog and were so surprised at how many postings I did in 2020. Maybe I will start up again...
Very few read this but it is somewhat calming for me to throw a few thoughts out there....
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