A Lovely Swiss House for Us

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I’ve been remiss in relating the details of our next year’s adventure that are coming together. But we have now officially signed a rental lease and sent it back to our Swiss landlord, and I can share the news and photo. Zeus’ brother (we’ll call him Poseidon – ha!) did some house hunting for us, and after visiting a few duds found this lovely abode in the natal village. It’s about 5 minutes walk from Zeus and Poseidon’s parents’ home, 5 minutes from the village school, 10 minutes from the train station, and 5 minutes walk from the border with France. P2280222 More importantly, it is in our price range and it will fit all of us nicely with some room to tuck in some guests as well.  Even more wonderfully, it comes with a large garden and orchard and looks out on more countryside. We shall go have picnics in the orchard, and if we can’t afford any food, we shall live on apples and plums and raspberries. Here is a wintry view looking back through the raspberry canes to the shed and orchard. How the cockles of my heart were warmed when I heard about the raspberries! Derrière la maison We should probably give the house a name, but I’m not sure what yet. Or perhaps it already has one – Swiss people often give names to their houses names which makes me quite happy. This one is on a road called Les Pommerats – which translates roughly to Apple Alley. It is quite near to Chemin des Queue-du-Loup – Wolf’s Tail Road. Isn’t that delightful? If you look at a map of Switzerland, (outlined in yellow)Boncourt is quite at the edge of it, in landscape that’s more rolling French countryside than alpine slope out of Heidi. And actually geographically, it is turned much more toward France, as there is a lower mountain range – the Jura – between it and the rest of Switzerland.

Map picture

But if you look at a map of Western Europe, you will find that our village is almost smack dab in the middle. How the travel possibilities abound! Here it is:

Map picture

When you thought I wasn’t looking

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Here is something that has been living in my desk for a few years. Each time I go to purge, I read it and find myself encouraged and heartened and I can’t throw it out, and it goes to live once more in the unorganized recesses next to vaccination records and old photos. It occurred to me that other mamas with young children might also find it gives them strength for the task, and that I should share it.. It really is true that “the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.” Tomorrow’s world, but that’s where we’re all trying to get, isn’t it? At any rate, now I can purge the paper copy, and I’ll always know where to find it. There’s no byline on my copy, but a little googling turned up a name, Mary Rita Schilke Korzan, to credit. I hope that is correct. *   *   * When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator, and I immediately wanted to paint another one. When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you feed a stray cat, and I learned that it was good to be kind to animals. When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you make my favorite cake for me and I learned that the little things can be the special things in life. When you thought I wasn’t looking, I heard you say a prayer, and I knew there is a God I could always talk to and I learned to trust in God. When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you make a meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I learned that we all have to help take care of each other. When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you give of your time and money to help people who had nothing, and I learned that those who have something should give to those who don’t. When you thought I wasn’t looking, I felt you kiss me goodnight and I felt loved and safe. When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you saw you take care of our house and everything in it and I learned we have to take care of what we are given. When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw how you handled your responsibilities, even when you didn’t feel good and, I learned that I would have to be responsible when I grown up. When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw tears come from your eyes, and I learned that sometimes things hurt, but it’s all right to cry. When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw that you cared and I wanted to everything that I could be. When you thought I wasn’t looking, I learned most of life’s lessons that I need to know to be a good and productive person when I grown up. When you thought I wasn’t looking, I looked at you and wanted to say, “Thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn’t looking.” 

Birthday Book Club Tea Party

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Another year gone ‘round and another birthday for Athena-lou-lou. This year her birthday fell on a Thursday and happened to be the same day as our once a month Girls’ Book Club. Athena was delighted, and after we’d discussed The Phantom Tollbooth (Athena gave it 4 stars out of five, the other girls 2 1/2 –3) in our library meeting room, the girls joined us at our house for a little tea party. Athena had diligently planned and baked delicious gluten-free pastries in the days beforehand. As we were setting up before leaving for the book club meeting, it occurred to us that perhaps we should have tea cups for a tea party! I admit, that I am not a natural born tea party girl, like some friends I know. But I knew I had some tea cups from my grandmother, and hunting around for those I found lots more tea party lovelies. I’m trying to de-clutter and simplify life in advance of the moving to Switzerland adventure, but in this instance it was wonderful to be able to use the ancestral frillies. And besides, they are pretty. They make me think of the quote from William Morris: “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” Fancy tea cups may not be the most useful things, or the most practical, but on the right occasion, they are beautiful and perfect. IMG_8729Athena and her Book Club Friends – note the little mushroom forest in the corner. Either the fairies brought them on Easter morning or one of my girls likes mushrooms as much as her mama. But oh, heavens! Apparently the maid forgot to iron the tablecloth! Avert your eyes.IMG_8724For each of her guests, Athena embroidered their initials on a linen napkin. I am proud of her skills! When we lived in Switzerland before, I collected old linen napkins at thrift shops, because well, they are useful and beautiful! William Morris would be pleased. We thought we could share them since we are headed back to replenish the stash. IMG_8722Artemis, who likes baking and confectionery, offered to make the cupcakes for her sister’s party. And Athena chose what looked to me like the most difficult ones in the Hello, Cupcake! cookbook – Butterfly Cupcakes. They turned out beautifully! I am proud of Artemis’ skills also! IMG_8720A little while later we were joined by more family members for a casual taco dinner, and then, yes, we managed to get 11 candles on a cupcake. And incidentally, when one’s girls get a little older and have better motor skills around the antique tea cups, tea parties are a lot of fun! I think we shall have more of them. Here’s to a wonderful new year, Sweetheart.IMG_8750

Post Easter-y Thoughts

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I know it’s now been over a week since Easter, but yesterday at church I was pondering again and thought I’d share the thoughts. The last few years, Good Friday has followed a predictable pattern for me. This year I once again started the day with the intention of making it properly deep and mournful, but quickly the whole day felt out of control. I was preparing the festivities for Sunday, but we had a Good Friday service to get to in the evening, and this year three of us were in the choir and needed to arrive early for practice. I was also scheduled to play guitar and sing along with my viola playing friend, and while we’d practiced a lot on Tuesday and my voice had returned from its laryngitis hiatus, I was feeling pretty nervous and edgy.  And over time the edginess made its way out in impatience with the kids and general dissatisfaction with everything and snapping at everyone. The day of “proper mournfulness” turned into Mama being mean to everyone. All this to say that by the time we got to the Good Friday service, my happy-go-luckiness of the day before had turned into genuine renewed awareness of the garbage of my sin and my need for Good Friday. I think in His kindness God does this for me. Without even noticing, I am prone to creeping complacency and nonchalance. I begin to think lightly of what Jesus did for me and why He did it.  Then God shows me flashes of my own sin, in stupid things like impatience with children and biting my husband’s head off and worrying obsessively about how I will appear in front of people. It’s so stupid; it’s not even interesting sin. But I am gently reminded: Yes, I do need Good Friday. I do desperately need a Savior to get me out of this mess that is myself. A beautiful old hymn was sung as a duet at the service with these powerful words:

You who think of sin but lightly Nor suppose the evil great, Here may view its nature rightly Here its guilt may estimate.

Thankfully, mercifully, God gives us Good Friday, and He also gives us Easter. And maybe the crappy feeling of Good Friday is His way of giving all the more joy on Easter morning.