February catch up

Apologies to the throngs, well, handful of Dresser Drawer watchers for the lack of blogging. It's just that February is gray and miserable, and I get gray and miserable too. Good things have happened though, and more good things are on the way.

My cousin, Iris, came to stay with us for two weeks on her tramp through Europe. She was our beta tester to see how Wendelstein Strasse did as a guest house. It was great having her.

Matcy sent a box of red and white supplies (hearts, stickers, etc.) for a Valentine Party in the kindergarten class.

The day before winter break, the kids celebrated Fasching at school, the German holiday where people dress up to scare away winter. M was a dog; MM was a cheetah, TG was a Native American. We braided an eagle feather into her hair. They also had a Fasching party at their German class where they painted faces. I had an errand to run beforehand, so the kids brought books to read until their class started. My favorite image of the day was MM in a full cheetah outfit of ears, leotard, skirt with tail, purple tights and orange boots sitting quietly reading The Economist. She likes to look at the pictures and the flags of the different countries in the job posting section in the back, but I'll never tell. Let her look like a current events genius.

During the break we spent a day at a giant swim center with huge blow up animals in the water for kids to climb on, slides, and a super-heated outdoor pool that lets you swim outside in February.

The next day, we joined friends from school for a Pirate exhibit in the old castle of downtown Stuttgart.

Then, today, back to Rothenburg with the Wandering Club for six kilometers through the outskirts of the city. We went with two other families with three kids apiece, so the 15 of us looked like a herd of hikers as we headed along. We probably walked that far again in the afternoon as we took a tour on the wall and ate a pastery famed in Rothenburg: the Schneeball, or snow ball. This little beauty is flaky dough that is put in a round metal container with a large handle, like a giant tea ball and fried, then sprinkled with powdered sugar or dunked in chocolate. Of all the ancient beauty of the city, what held the kids' attention for the longest was a video outside a bakery on the making of the schneeball.

And upcoming:

Spring is on it's way. Bulbs are starting to poke up from the ground. Roses have tiny buds and the forsythia is about to bloom. We used to walk to school in the dark. Now it is light when we wake up at 7 a.m.

Uncle George and Aunt Susan are on their way! They will be hear for two weeks with a chunk out of the middle for them to go to Italy. We can't wait to see them.

More soon.