Leeuwarden flowers

We head to Leeuwarden a few times a week for our "Branch" duties.  This is the town where we lived on our first mission.  The hanging baskets were still in bloom but will probably start to fade now that the weather is changing.   The building behind the bridge is the old prison.  It has been turned into a small open mall and entertainment center.

It seems that every town or village insists in having a roundabout every kilometer or so.  They help to keep people from speeding.  Each town has his own way of decorating the center and it usually includes flowers or flowering trees.

Hope they can swim

We ended up staying in a cute hotel in Lekkerkerk the other day.  There was a Zone conference scheduled in Rottterdam and we knew that is would be very difficult to get there on time if we had to drive there the morning of the conference.  With rush hour and "files" (traffic jams), sitting in our car waiting for the traffic to move just did not sound like a fun way to spend the morning so staying overnight was the best move.

Lekkerkerk is a small village along the Lek river and the hotel was really nice.  There is a dyke that runs along the river to keep back the water.As we were driving on top of the dyke we could see that the river water was actually higher than the homes below on the other side.   Most of the homes look like they have been there for many years so I suppose there is no need for a little boy keeping his finger in the dyke to save the town. 

We

So glad we have a car

I always feel so sorry for the bikers when it rains, but it sure does not seem to bother them..  Walking into work or a meeting soaking wet seems to be the norm here.  I am just so grateful that we have our trusty little car to keep us dry.  I'm waiting for someone to come up with a way to mount an umbrella onto the handlebar of a bike.  You would think that would be a hot invention. 

When I was a little girl I would ride on the back of my father's bike and if it rained, I would just tuck my head under his raincoat to keep the top of me dry.  My feet got pretty wet but at least my hair was dry when we got to church. 

Close call

Last Thursday evening when Ans Oppermann's medical aid came to her home to remove her elastic stockings she noticed that Ans was not feeling well and advised her to call her doctor.  She said she would but decided to wait.  The next morning the aid again returned to help her with her stockings but did not get an answer after ringing the doorbell.  She tried calling on the phone but still no answer.  She then realized that something was not right.  This trusty aid borrowed a tall ladder from a neighbor and climbed into the bedroom window on the second floor to find Ans on the verge of  death.  The doctor was called and after examining her sent for an ambulance. I don't know how in the world they got her downstairs and Ans was not with it enough to remember.  The home has a very narrow winding stairway that has a rail along one side to accommodate the chair lift, so it must have been a sight to get her down those stairs.  Most homes here are built the same way so they probably have a formula for the procedure.

To make a long story short, Ans spent three days in the ICU and an additional two in a regular room when we got the call to bring her home.  She had received a blessing shortly after arriving in the hospital and  was convinced that she would recover quickly.  She was correct because she is now home and feeling much stronger.  It was determined that she had an infection throughout her entire body as well as blood poisoning.  After being pumped full of antibiotics her body was able to fight off that evil infection.

Ans mentioned that her room-mate was in the hospital to receive a Chemo treatment for breast cancer. When the nurse came and asked the room-mate if she wanted a priest or clergy of some kind she just scoffed at the idea and said she had no use for religion.  This brought Ans to tears.  Imagine not wanting God in your life, who else could help you the way he does and how sad that she did not have the Holy Ghost to be a comforter to her in this difficult time.  I will always be grateful for the gospel in my life and the knowledge that God loves us,  watches over us, and sends the comforter to ease the pain when we need it most.

Buying out every store in the neighborhood.

I figured out that I spend at least six hours a week shopping for groceries and hauling them home.

1. Remember the grocery list.
2. Bring the bag of empty glass bottles and jars.
3. Fetch the box of cardboard and papers.
4. Stuff as much as possible into my trusty little shopping cart.
5. Ring and wait for the elevator.
6. Stash everything into the back of our little Opal.
7. Drop off bottles,  making sure they are sent down the right chute marked for different colors or glass.
8. Slip the cardboard through the slot and try not to let half of it fly away.
9. Insert .50 cents into the shopping cart at store # 1 to release it from the cart in front. (This store has the best prices on detergent and cleaning products and well as paper supplies).
10. Pick out items and wait in line with at least 8 or 9 people in front of you.
11.Place everything onto the fast moving black belt and quickly move to the other side of the register to place all the items back into the cart.  Pay and move over to the little counters along the front of the store to pack all your purchases into the reusable bags brought from home.
12. Place the full bags back into the cart and head out to the car pushing the full grocery cart over cobblestones in the wind and rain without getting hit by a car or getting soaked, then load it all into the back of the car.
13. Push the cart back and retrieve .50 cents and walk over to store # 2 where the groceries are the best price in town but lines are even longer and start with step # 9 again.   Remembering  to bring and insert the empty plastic bottles into the bottle return machine, wait for receipt and try to remember to hand it to the cashier when checking out, for a refund.  (I usually forget that part)
14. After Shopping at store # 3 that has the rest of the items on the list at not such great prices. (Each stores require step # 11)    I head back home.
15.  Oops, forgot to stop at the floral stand because no Dutch home should ever be without fresh flowers.
16. Place as much as possible into my "bent out of shape"  little cart and while pulling said cart, balancing bags, purse and flowers, dig down deep for the door pass thingy and keys and head for the elevator and hope you don't end up in one with a huge wet dog that has to sniff all the groceries.
17. Unload cart and have Ben head back down for another trip of goodies.
18 Be grateful that today was not the day to pick up or drop off dry cleaning, slip into the drug store for vitamins, or stop at the ATM and Post office.

That is one day of shopping and I usually make at least two of these trips a week depending on how many meals I get roped (or volunteer) into to.   Love, love, love it.

I try to ignore all the looks I get from the Dutch people who's habits are to shop everyday for whatever they will need for that one day.  They must think I run a catering service.    Maybe I do............