One of the greatest paradigm shifts that I experience each time I move back to Europe is learning to live with four seasons. This is my third time to live in Germany (having moved here in 1993, 2001, and 2017), and each time the seasons change it is as though the greatest revelation is unfolding before my eyes and I rediscover creation all over again. The seasons are so distinct from one another, each with their own character that I have come to appreciate and adjust to. At the core of my bones I will always yearn for sea and…
Category: Animal Tales
Champagne Trails Blog Live!
After trying out facebook with a following of 7000++ and an Instagram account of 12000 followers, both of which are inactive now, Champagne Trails has found a new home on WordPress. Visit the new site, TravelCat Diva: Champagne Trails Before you ask, yes of course the Lolita Bonita and Cherry Pie series have moved along with it.
The Zen of Mud Wallowing
There is a saying I grew up with: el hombre propone y Dios dispone (man proposes, the Lord decides) and this seems to be a recurring theme in my life as of late. The weeks following Easter offer several long weekends to either travel or be visited. Since I don’t work on Fridays, this means an extra long weekend for me to write, catch up on some much needed sleep, or on the rare occasion, be hostess to out-of-town visitors. There used to be a time in my life when entertainment at home with lavish five-course dinners was a regular…
Rescued: Netty Sparrow (Part III)
A free bird leapson the back of the wind and floats downstream till the current endsand dips his wingin the orange sun raysand dares to claim the sky. But a bird that stalksdown his narrow cagecan seldom see throughhis bars of ragehis wings are clipped and his feet are tiedso he opens his throat to sing. The caged bird sings with a fearful trill of things unknown but longed for still and his tune is heard on the distant hill for the caged bird sings of freedom. The free bird thinks of another breezeand the trade winds soft through the sighing treesand the fat worms waiting on a dawn bright…
Rescued: Netty Sparrow
Saturday mornings mean leisurely brunches and home baked goodies that land on the table, enjoyed over music and the luxury of knowing that there is nothing to rush to. This morning I tried out a new recipe of Irish Soda Bread muffins and my daughter made a sausage and celery omelette to got with it. The sky is a cloudless blue, the river in front of the house is abuzz with activity from water fowl and rowers alike, and the sun is shining brightly, what could go possibly wrong? A lot. For starters, Cherry got a full shower yesterday because,…
The Smell of Spring
After so many weeks of rain, sleet, and sunless days, it is strange to be basking in the sunlight again, be able to takes sunset walks along the river, and more importantly, finally take my dearest adventure cat Champagne along again! She has been cooped up since November, and with the ever-present scaffolding around the building which eats up half of our mini balcony, she hasn’t even been motivated to sit outdoors for some fresh air. Winter in Berlin with all its grey and dreariness has completely ruined my sense of outdoor pleasures, so it will take a while to…
New Year, New Candles
I have a very good reason for investing in new candles in 2019, especially the battery-operated ones. Those of you who have been to my home know that I am a huge fan of candles in whatever form and operate on the premise, the more the merrier. I use them to accentuate a corner, a dinner table, or during prayer and meditation, and lately, in the bathroom during a nice long soak in the tub. That was 2018. When winter rolled around and I began having candlelit breakfasts, my cats seemed very much at peace with the atmosphere, despite being…
