57033--quiet time

I'm alone in the house this morning. The kids are in school, dad is busy analyzing the Euro, and Malida and Mack are out shopping at the Frankfurt asian market. An introvert such as myself appreciates the quiet time, which is hard to come by on a vacation. What am I doing with my time? Sitting at the table you see above, sipping coffee and listening to music as I luxuriate in the time I have to really read your livejournal entries and make one of my own.

This house is comfortable. It is a house that really feels lived in. We are made to feel at home here. There are lots of books, and very little television time. Each of the kids (and the parents) has a kindle and everyone reads a lot. There is a piano and a guitar. There is coffee and chocolate. There are green plants throughout the house. I'm listening to Emmylou Harris and looking out the window at a big white cat with a black tail who is exploring the yard.


Yesterday was the Epiphany, and there were some kids out singing in the cold and the drizzle in the shopping district. The three kings and then some.

It's 3 am back home. When it was 3 am here last night, my phone rang. It was surprising, because it hasn't rung since I've been gone. It was someone at a clinic asking for a reference for one of my former students. I told the caller that I was in Germany, and that it was 3 am. She said, "Oh this won't take long." So I answered her questions. It was one of my favorite students--someone who would do good in a good job, so I was happy to do it. I hung up, and about an hour later the phone rang again. I didn't answer it. When I got up this morning and looked to see who had called, it was a guy in Sacramento who owns a gourmet food truck. I photographed him once for the newspaper. I have no idea why he would be calling.

I have a cold and woke up with a sore throat. I'll stay in today and read my book and drink tea. Tomorrow we will borrow one of the cars and drive to Trier, which is close to the Luxembourg border. It is about 45 minutes from where I was stationed when I was here in the Air Force. We'll spend a few days exploring the area before coming back here for a few days before we leave for Paris.