Chronicles Continued

For 25 years a Swedish company has been creating a milk alternative made from oats. Having discovered it just this past year, I treat it as if it is a new concept. Apparently I am not alone in my recent knowledge. Suddenly it has become the drink of choice for the multitudes who want to do their part in lessening the impact the dairy cattle industry’s effect on climate change. This summer, when I found it at a couple of retail outlets in the States, to my consternation, it had more ‘ingredients’ than the original here in Europe. If anyone wants to compare, here is that side of the box!

This non-dairy product has been produced by a Swedish company for 25 years. It is a cow-milk alternative made from Oats. Having just discovered it last year, I treat it as the-new-kid-on-the-block. Oatly must have done a marketing blitz because all of a sudden everyone is using it. Reading the story on the second side is worth your trouble. This past summer, I found it in the States but to my dismay it had more ‘ingredients’ than the original here. If interested in comparing, here are the contents:

life can be a bit ‘upside down’ but still thankful!

In all my time of bike riding, never a flat tire. Knock on wood. Sure enough, a couple of days ago, my first. No different than a car, you feel immediately that something is off and since the surface of where the error could be is so tiny, it doesn’t take anytime at all to know it is a tire. Forego the college degree, become a bike repair and sales shop owner. Always work to be had. The hourly wage is 60 euros and parts are not cheap. When you have to leave your bike at the shop, it feels as if your right arm has been left behind. They are so busy it took two days to get it repaired and returned. A new outer tire and inside tube. Away I peddled, scarf flowing behind…. Until a couple of days later, that same sinking, literally, feeling. I was on the return part of the trip from shopping at a far-away grocery store. Same tire. and this time, the air was gone in a nano-second. “Poof”and flat it was; rim-to-the-road flat. Nothing to do but dismount and push it home. Grateful I suppose that i didn’t have to carry the contents of my ‘saddle bags’. I also could not go directly to the repair shop, again, because it was Sunday. Sunday and Monday the shop is closed. Wheeled it home, emptied out the ‘trunk’ and turned the bike upside down to check out the tire. I had no inclination to fix it but did want to see if the cause was obvious. It was. A small, hard piece of steel was inbedded in the newly purchased tire. Two days later when I wheeled it to the shop, in addition to the hourly wage to make the repairs was the cost of a new inner tube; they apparently are not salvageable. I asked if the shop strewed tacks for more business since I had just been there. He said “Yes. every morning!”

In my book that is some kind of milestone. A very-important-person-to-me said in 2011 when mentioning to him I was going to chronicle life in the city, “Don’t begin unless you are certain you can write consistently and often”.

Thankful for this opportunity to record my observations of the life going on around me.

Looking out the window of the tram, the wet street was the original intent of the photo. Then saw the pedestrian, universal-idiot, reading his hand held while crossing an intersection. In Amsterdam you can get hit by a car, a bike, a moped, a tram. The choices are endless.

This British made movie is disturbing, thoughtful, an emotional roller-coaster. If you can find it– online or in a theatre – saw it in the cinema here– don’t miss it.

The most fun since… On line at the Dutch post office website you may create your own stamps. This is just a sampling of what I’ve done. You choose between national and international, upload your design/picture/whatever and within 36 hours you have the finished product in your mail box. There is the surcharge of about the price of one stamp. Worth every Euro cent!

The 11th Day of the 11th Month is the unveiling of the City’s Prince of the Carnival. He presides over all the celebrations of excess until the first day of Lent. Rather makes Lent worth it. This is a much lauded celebration in the Southern-part-of-the-country, but many in the northern regions join in as well. Why not!

However, seemingly limited to North Holland, is the celebration on the 11th day of the 11th month the feast of Sint Maarten. Those I asked have no idea who he is, or what he does.* This man is celebrated in the dark of night [as the sun sets at 4:55 anytime after that is the dark of night].

The celebration is composed primarily of little children carrying sticks, on the end of which are lanterns lit from within. The children are marched from one end of town to the other. At the completion of the march, in front of the no-longer-used-but-grand-in-style-city-hall a play depicting an event in the life of St Martin is performed. A Beggar is approached by mounted soldiers in petite medieval chain-maille armour; the poor man is commanded to leave the scene. The beggar complains of hunger and cold. The Soldier [clearly the-to-be-St. Maartin] gives the poor man a piece of dry bread and when the man still complains of the cold, with his sword the soldier slices off part of his royal cape and hands it down to the beggar. End of story. No division of Church and State here. Next, the Mayor of the town addresses the gathered children, reciting a St. Maarten prayer and exhorting the children to always do the right thing by sharing what they have.[not far removed from a sermon]. The Children sing a song especially composed for the event; sweets are distributed. This completes the tableau. [One does have to wonder what sort of man, gathers little children in the dead of night, marches them away from their homes and gives them candy.] The children then disperse and go house to house knocking on doors, singing a song and more candy is proffered.

*St Maarten was originally a Catholic holiday. There are several stories but to keep it simple: Martinus was born in Hungary in 316, the child of Roman parents. The story, as told to children at primary school, is that Martinus met a beggar in Amiens, France. He gave half of his cloak to the numb man. He saved his life that way. “I was naked and you clothed Me.” (Matthew 25:36). Martinus was later elected bishop, but not believing himself worthy. He hid. When his followers found him, he consented; he became a bishop. They looked for him with lights – this is why children carry lanterns during the begging party. [courtesy of deS a local newspaper]

Life is good if I have fire! Discovered this unopened and packaged in a box in my favorite second hand store. The description on the box was German, but hey, close enough to Dutch. It is the most fun idea. Bio-ethanol. Supposed to be the future of indoor fires. At the inauguration, did invite the neighbors over for a glass of wine so that if something unexpected took fire, there were more hands on deck. The result of that? They are going to get a bigger one to make their living space cozy!