Nursing home

There was one nursing home with dedicated staff serving to geriatric needs of their residents. On one rainy day in March, 2009 an old lady was coming to live there and she had hard time to say good-bye to her cat, Litzi. Tears were on both sides, because Litzi felt the same. "May I bring my cat with me, please?", the lady sobbed. "She is no trouble, if only she can have a nice view out of the window and I will take good care of her." "Pshaw," thought Litzi. "Who takes care of whom? Who purrs in your ear, when you have bad dreams, and who comforts you, when you feel blue?" Humane staff of the nursing home decided Litzi has therapeutic influence on the old lady, and the cat moved in with her friend. Some voices complained: the cat is only ten, she doesn't qualify for the nursing home yet. "Shush. The cat is her medicine, and she has to take her furry medicine twenty four hours a day." Soon the news leaked out: "Mountain View nursing home is taking in pets." Elderly from all United States would like to live there. A few, who didn't like pets, moved out to places with spa, massage therapy and television (of course if they, or their children could afford to pay for such places.)In the more affordable environment they spent time playing cards. Soon the Mountain View was full to its capacity with residents and their four legged friends. I am wrong: There were three three legged cats, one with missing tail, and three with partly missing ears. When Mrs. Brownwater brought her cat Coffee to the lobby for show and tell, somebody piped out: "He isn't the exact beauty with his torn off ears, is he?" "He is beautiful to me." Coffee sat on her lap and loudly purred into her ear. The cats were confirmed to the rooms with their owners. Not the cat was allowed to roam in the kitchen, or to look for mice behind a furnace. Of course the cats knew about other cats, they even ostentatively ignored each other. "I am here for therapeutic purposes. I am almost a nurse. What are you here for?" "The same as you, and the cat leisurely licked her paws. "You and the nurse! Your lady broke her leg, because you had to lead her to the bathroom and she tripped over you." They were important cats. "What about the dogs?" people begged. "They are so affectionate. When Rolfi puts his paw on my leg and looks straight into my eyes, I already feel better." "You are in the wheelchair, who will take care of your dog, and who will take him out?" School kids are eager to make some pennies. "I'll take Rolfi for walk in the morning, after school, and night. Do you have money?" One daughter agreed: "I can pay for dog walking to keep my mom happy. I don't have time to visit her often. It is a distance, and I have the job, husband and the kids to raise, but we will come to see you sometimes, and bring you and Rolfi for Thanksgiving dinner to our house. We are going to pay plane passage." "I bring Rolfi with me and a big wooden frame." "What do you need the wooden frame for?" "I put my head and torso in it, so could introduce myself to my great grandchildren. "I am your living ancestor. Have a good look at me." "There is no need for the frame. Just the dog." Dogs were allowed to Mountain View nursing home, but there were an age restrictions. Copyright (c) Marie Neumann Pottsville, 8/22/2013 I lied. I don't know about such nursing home.

How do you make coleslaw?

My second wife was a good cook. My first husband still misses strawberry dumplings and it was twenty years ago. I am not. They do not make them around, you know. Slightly raised eyebrows are sitting over Dunkin' coffee across the table. "How do you make them?' You don't want to know. It's a tedious job. You have to roll each dumpling in your hands. Besides it's very unhealthy meal. You pour real melted butter over them. I used to hide Christmas cookies from my children in empty coffee cans on the top of kitchen counters. "You wouldn't give cookies to your own children? No. It was, because nothing would be left for Christmas. I would have nothing to give them after the Christmas dinner. You could bake enough so they could eat them every day. No, I couldn't. In Advent you shouldn't indulge yourself. Besides they would grow fat. I already have a head of cabbage and carrots in the vegetable bin for a week. How do you make a coleslaw? We like it the way how they make it at Kentucky fried chicken. I don't make it by myself, but I'll ask my friend, who is making coleslaw for me, for recipe. Thank you. I consulted three cookbooks. Didn't like first two. Each cookbook is different. Some use red peppers, some not. The third one was: use a bag of coleslaw mix. I prefer to cook from scratch. It is not a big deal. I had a little cookbook my first husband bought for me, when we came to the States. There was a good coleslaw recipe. I gave it to my daughter. I might call her and ask. It's her turn to learn how to cook, anyway. Carrots has to be in good coleslaw and Vidalia onion mixed with sugar. I prefer Vidalia onion, because it doesn't make me cry. My onions are big as huge apples. I use a sweetener. Just only a little, because it makes everything to sweet. We didn't make coleslaw in England. I think, it is a polish recipe. Do Polish people live here? Polish, Lithuanian, Ukrainian, Irish ... all people who were willing to work in coal mines. What else do you ad to coleslaw? Celery seeds, pinch of salt, vinegar, mayonnaise .. do not over do it. It has to be right mix. When are you going to serve your coleslaw? It will be for tonight supper with breaded veal and potatoes. Copyright (c) Marie Neumann Pottsville, 8/20/2013

Bizarre World

Bizarre people bizarre deeds twisted mirrors looking down and pronounce loudly: you are a freak. Bizarre World. Cured seal immediately swallowed by shark. The cat, which just received a lesson, why do not eat birds, swallowed bird's head. I am the cat. I enjoy eating the birds. The laws of nature. Why are we trying to change them? Desperately. In the name of humanity. Higher species. Everything is only food chain anyway. Shark World. Who eats sharks? Copyright (c) Marie Neumann Pottsville, July 2013

Hot weather

It is so hot, we don't clean a lot. We don't tidy a house and don't dust. It is so warm, the cat is loosing his hair again and lives in a cellar. It is so hot, we don't like to move. Sitting under the fan and drinking cold water. It is so hot, we stay inside behind closed shades. We go outside at six o'clock morning to take out garbage, and back inside to eat cold watermelon and do nothing, completely nothing, because it is such hot weather. Copyright (c) Marie Neumann Pottsville, July 2013