Chronicles Continued

The Dutch word for dog is hond. The Dutch word for seal – the sort found at the ocean- is zee-hond – dog of the sea. Was walking with a friend on the pier that juts into the waterway that opens onto the sea. We had had tea in the sun and were returning, on our way back home. As we moved forward, a man was walking toward us along the edge of the pier with a fishing rod held low in his right hand; trolling for fish. Inconspicuously he had a fishing net in his left hand, the hand closest to us as we passed. Suddenly my friend began to laugh, She said she thought the man was walking a dog, but at the same nano-second said she knew that could not be as he was dragging ‘the leash’ where the water was beside the pier. Then, in a fit or more laughter she continued, making a play on words, “He must have a zeehond”.

Perhaps this is one of those moments you had to be there.

Tuesday evening 23 February, a man entered the Apple store, wearing an explosives-laced vest and carrying an attack rifle and hand gun. He held the occupants hostage for six hours. He honed in on one particular man and threatened to shot him in the head. In the final scene the hostage-taker ran out of the store, following the escaped captive. He was run into by a pre-set car. The event ended with the gun-wielding-man- dying from the injury of being hit by the police vehicle.

I waited to post this story out of deference to the employees who no doubt experienced trauma from this violent event.

Why I relate this story: for 2 weeks prior to this event I had been in communication with the managers of this Apple store. I ended up purchasing a phone there because the “genius’ of the Genius Bar declared the port access on my tried and true iPhone 7 destroyed beyond repair. Apple does not replace port access. One can not be without a phone. So I bought a new one. It was not a smooth sale. Due to this within a week, I had discussions with two Managers of this store about the attitude of their employees; about the air of dismissiveness that pervades the store, the air of arrogance that the ’employees’ are somehow special, entitled. Geniuses. My comparison is US Apple Store service across the country; stores from Portland, Or to Raleigh NC with stops in between. Always great service. Service right in line to comparison with AMEX. This Amsterdam Apple store, in the three years of my experience, always falls short of good customer service. There are always hurdles to jump to get service. A week after the conversation with the 2nd manager, I took said #7 to a phone store in my city. The solution he said: replace the battery. Done. The phone works fine. My hurdle now was to return the purchased phone and receive credit for all the ad-ons as well. Another five telephone calls. Another wading through the thick non-helpful attitude of the store. Last Thursday, deviating from a trip to The Hague, I returned the original purchase for full credit. This was arranged because the final manager was a Chicago born person who understood customer service. I relate all this because when I read the news report, I wondered…. if the inception of the problem was ‘genius-attitude’. A stretch I know, but …..

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/2/23/amsterdam-police-end-hostage-situation-at-apple-flagship-store

The three huge storms in a row were devastating. Caused much downed-tree damage. Blew my glasses from my head into the traffic and was nearly impossible to walk against. Case in point:

A reader suggested it would be nice to see the glass ladle referred to in an earlier post.

I expressed my surprise at a glass soup ladle and used it happily. Only following the dinner where it was used in the soup tureen, did research reveal it to be a ladle to accompany a glass punch bowl.

The perfect storm. While the ‘wall’ to the ‘harbor’ outside my front door is being upgraded, the birds continue flocking. At the same time, schools of fish managed to rush head long into the canal two streets over and get themselves trapped. The word is that it is 10,000 units. Some folks blame the birds but that is apparently not so. The locks are shuttered so the fish can not swim away – not quite sure how they swam in with the locks closed. Nevertheless, there was a real concern they would die. That would have all sorts of consequents, stench being the first one. To keep the birds at bay and from having a ‘shoot-in-the-barrel experience, the organization of fishermen – not yet called fisher people- worked to save them. They added oxygen to the water, they put plastic swans in the water – which did not deter any bird whatsoever and lastly they tied bright bands across the canal.

As I transported this new drying rack on my bike. Dropped it only once. Until I quickly figured out to make a hole in the plastic to carry it like a handle. Did see a couple of concerned faces as I pedaled past.

2021 posted a picture of a framed piece of handiwork I bought at my local “emporium’. Last week in preparation for a dinner I was giving at home, returned to the emporium for a soup ladle. Found one made of glass; had never seen such a unique utensil. While there browsed of course and what did I find? Voila

a second work of the same scene. At the dinner party I brought them to the attention of my guests. One knowing guest said, you know that is here! and by the famous painter Cornelius Springer. I did not. Here is the original:

and this is the canal where the fish were trapped last week! two streets over from where I live. small world indeed.

My belief is one can never have too many tulips. I will buy from anywhere, and often anywhere is a bucket on the stoop of a front door. This particular stoop had the most inexpensive offering. always in red/white. The hand-written sign high up on the door said that they were for the good of the KWF. Had no idea what that might be. Such collections always remind me of the popular college joke when I attended, about the young men collecting for the blind. I figured if you are brave enough to offer… I’ll help out. One of the days I stopped to buy some bunches, the long rectangle* in the middle of the door opened and a lovely gray-haired topped face appeared. Caught me by surprise as I was emptying the bucket. I handed her the money – the sign instructed putting it in the mail slot*. I asked her what KWF was thinking it was a sport club or some such. She then told the heartbreaking story of her grandson dying from cancer at age 16. Age 16 and there was no medical intervention designed especially for youth. When she came to realize this, she set herself to action. She set up a non-profit, found someone to write up the appeal and a local printer printed 500 color copies for free. She approached supermarkets, local shops, fairs, markets, anywhere she could set up to collect for this all important cause. She took various negative comments in stride. The negative comments were directed at her for being a one-person-band. And the tulips? So little money was being collected. This was her way to keep it daily at the forefront. What I found remarkable was: to get the Tulips that she sold on her stoop, she bicycles to the grower in another village, miles away, and purchases 10 bunches at a time from him. [She told me about the week she sold out so quickly she had to go twice. I did not tell her why that happened.]. I was overcome by her story from the grandson to the bike trip, I accepted the printed materials she offered. I have now recopied the sheet and everyone I come in contact with I “suggest’ that they stop and buy.

I still don’t know what the WF is in KWF

*The middle section of this door opens and one can look out.

Reaching the funeral parlor look again… love it!