My Heart, My Castle, My Home

Remember my post a month ago on when we drove to Münster and Münsterland in Germany? This was one of the castles we saw, Burg Hülshoff.

Today is my turn again at Vision and Verb where I talk about how our homes need to be our castles at this hectic time of the year, protecting us from the outside forces that would love to do us in.

In the meantime, once we saw Sinterklaas day come and go on the 5th (and my one-year anniversary of arriving here in Holland)...last post...I got busy on decorating the apartment for the season. Astrid says traditionally 'they' do NOT want to see holiday decorations or hear Christmas music until after the 5th. Some American commercialism has seeped into Holland, of course, in that storefronts have been decorated for several weeks now, but the Christmas music started in force on the 6th, this past Monday...the day I started trimming the tree. What a lovely serenade.

But first, just last evening Astrid looked and found these images (below) of that first 'real' Christmas tree from last year. Before my truckpacks (and Christmas decorations!) had arrived from Atlanta, we opted for a cut tree from the market square down the street. You might remember that post. O Christmas Tree, O Dennenboom! All €30 of it dragged up to the apartment, thanks to Astrid. We'll never forget that tree, our first!

Then 2 days before Christmas last year, one of the local stores had their artificial trees on sale and after asking Astrid about going that route for next year, we both agreed to buy this one below...for €10. It seemed like a no-brainer, even for someone (Astrid) who wouldn't be caught dead with an artificial tree. Just store it in the basement and bring it up each year. Easy as pie.

The tree. That tree. Once again Astrid got out her camera, knowing this is what I love to do. For some reason, she is perfectly happy leaving the tree decorating to me...and even doesn't mind that this one is very 'American' compared to last year's. Actually, every day she makes a comment about how beautiful it is.
Even without icicles!

The tree goes on when we get up in the morning and stays on all day till we go to bed at night.
While the "Let it Snow" ornament is one of my favorites, Woody and Buzz Lightyear still remain my favorites, especially after seeing Toy Story 3 a few weeks back.


Christmas trees are so quiet. They do not intrude or bother or disrupt the day.
They just BE. They ARE.

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Since I'm talking about the homefront in this post, Astrid now has a week and a half under her belt at SystemFarma, where she now works. Lucky for her, it's six of one half a dozen of the other as to whether she drives the 20km or takes the train. Both take almost the exact amount of time, and with her €6/day travel allowance (do companies do that anymore in the States???), she's actually making money to use on car upkeep. Thus far, however, she's only taken the train because the weather and roads have been so iffy this winter.

Now, check this out!
Astrid will learn several different jobs in time but for right now, she's learning all the ins and outs of this incredible machine...mainly how to keep it running all day long.

What amazes me most about this job is that back in my assisted-living work years, our residents received their meds packaged exactly like this. In fact, after I received my Med-Tech certification for dispensing meds, I was in one emergency situation where I had to be the Med-Tech for a day when the scheduled lady couldn't come in. I still remember these packages and how even back then I was astonished by this kind of automation.
Now Astrid can tell me how it's done!

Talk about responsibility! To think many lives depend on technicians like Astrid getting it right.
I am so very proud of her.

It's at this time of year, especially in the context of Astrid's new job and schedule, that I'm reminded how much our home really does need to be our quiet, peaceful castle, protecting us from the "tyranny of the urgent" and the outside forces that seek to suck the life out of us. But more on that at Vision and Verb....