HODGEPODGE MAY 14

1. What's one piece of advice you would you give a recent or soon-to-be graduate?

I only would give an advice if the person asks for. I personally didn't like advices ! 

 

 

Anyway with all advice and my own ideas I ended up with something completely different I had never thought of ! The destiny did it for me and did it right ! I don't regret anything. I had a happy life with adventures, a loving husband, lot of travels an interesting job etc

2. May 15th marks the birth date of L. Frank Baum, author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. At this point in time are you more in need of brains, courage, heart, or a trip back home? Explain.

 

I never read this book, but I think I need all three. My brain to tell me if I really need courage, and my heart to tell me if it's right or not. For me personally, I need all three. 

3.  "There's no place like home" is an oft repeated line from Baum's book. When was the last time you felt the truth of that statement? 

 

This sentence doesn't fit at all to me. I feel at home anywhere in a place where is a cozy atmosphere, where people treat each other with kindness, where there's laughter and a sense of well-being. In this case I feel at home everywhere. 

4. May is National BBQ Month...do you own a grill? Who does the grilling at your house? What's your favorite thing to throw on the grill? What's the last thing you grilled? 

Of course we had a grill, but who grilled  in my house ? Me !! I am one of the of the few women who had a husband who didn't like to barbecue (but does like to eat). When our son was old enough he took over the grilling, he loves it and does it whenever the weather allows it. But I can't remember what we last grilled, that must be ages ago. Now it's the turn of our son. 

5. What's a memory you replay in your head when you need a little joy? 

In my head ??? When I need a little joy, I try to find one in real life. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

With the time I live here, I and other female residents noticed that there are far more women who visit their mothers then men. Apparently it's better to have a daughter when you are old and frail then a son. A woman has more imagination how an old person feels, for men, the female residents remain their mother laying in bed or sitting in a wheelchair ! Mothers have to function until the bitter end.

Of course that's not true for all, but for the majority. But I also have to say that some  women are very egoistic and forget that their son or daughters have their own life, work and children and not always time for a visit. We have one who insists that her daughter and son come every day the whole afternoon, one day the son one day the daughter ! and the "children" who are also grandparents obey !! 

 

 

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

 https://youtube.com/shorts/NAvonizclhU?si=fpriylWKrPfULIlN  (Here you can see how fast the Dervish spin without getting dizzy.)  

 

A whirling dervish is a member of the Mevlevi Sufi order in Islam, famous for practicing a meditative, ecstatic dance known as Sema to achieve divine connection. Originating in 13th-century Turkey, these practitioners (or "turners") spin in spiritual ecstasy to relinquish their ego and focus on God, often symbolizing the rotation of the planets and the universe.

My photos show how colorful they are dressed today and perform mostly for tourists. 

  

more participants here

AWWWW MONDAY - WEEKEND MAY 9

 Awww a spider ......

The Princess and the pea

Yawn

It's you ???

 Linking to AWWW MONDAYS 

 

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WEEKEND 

As usual the weather got on my nerves, it was too hot in the sunshine (which disappeared all five minutes) and far to cold to sit outside. We tried both but had to go inside as it was too cold outside, with these moody clouds. 

We played a very interesting game (again) we had to find out the meaning of jobs that no longer exist, and that we have long forgotten! These jobs were a little strange to us : lamplighters, human bowling pinsetters, knocker-uppers (who woke people up), switchboard operators, ice cutter, body snapper, etc  

As the jobs were different in French, please find out by yourselves what these jobs mean ! Body  snapper I learned in the Edinburgh cemetery. In earlier times, there were no bodies available for medical students to study. So, they would sneak into the cemetery at night and dig up the recently deceased! That's why many graves were protected with thick iron bars to prevent the theft of the deceased. 

I don't know if this existed also in Belgium. I don't think so, here the graves are just surrounded with stones and sometimes there is a marble cover on it. 

Sunday was Mother's day. I got a phone call from Isabel and later from my son. I was a bit disappointed that he hadn't sent flowers, but I should  have been used to it by now, that  at some point he stopped giving me little gifts. Probably when he became a father. I don't remember. I only hope that Toby doesn't copy him and my DIL will also be disappointed.

There weren't many of us today, most had gone to a restaurant with their children or had visitors. We "orphan" mothers played bingo with two grandfathers who kept arguing because each wanted to be right.

 

 Finally, we firmly told them to shut up and concentrate on the game. We women made fun of the two quarreling men, and so the afternoon passed quickly, and we had a good time.

 B I N G O !!!