4 Things Trappist Monks know about Safe Spaces for Creativity
Abbey Mariawald, the only existing Trappist monastery in Germany. Founded 1470 A.D. Heimbach, Germany. ©Laurel Decher, 2017. Safe spaces to create art Lately, I’ve been thinking about safe spaces to create art. On the weekend, we visited Abbey Mariawald, famous for its split-pea soup. Judging from the number of motorcyclists, families, and hikers, they’ve hit […]
Life’s soundtrack should be big: Rossini Opera Festival makes a splash
The Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, Italy was over the top! I love watching live orchestras and this one had 5 string basses. 🙂 And the audience was as fun to watch as the opera! I didn’t expect a fashion event. Of course people are well dressed at a fancy cultural event, but there was so […]
Basic Garden Vocabulary in German and a side-trip to Mexican Oregano
Vegetable garden overtaken by poppies, nasturitiums, cosmos and zucchini plants Clearly this garden needs tools and more plants. 🙂 I’ve never grown vegetables in Germany–until this year. That means I need lots of new words! If you’re considering gardening in Germany, maybe this list will help you out. Or provide you with a little entertainment. […]
Forgiving yourself for what you did “on purpose”
Whack! The little girl smacked her tiny rainbow umbrella down on the restaurant’s marble table with an unexpectedly loud crack. No one was hurt; nothing was damaged–or even knocked over–but her eyes widened in horror. “But I did it on purpose!” A storm of tears followed and she hid her face against her mother. I […]
Growing into shape: A 1,000-year-old linden tree
This 1,000 year old linden tree has such a perfect shape from the outside. A really old tree gives me a new perspective on life and how long it takes to grow something beautiful. This one almost certainly saw a procession of Emperors passing by. It’s very near the open-air museum of Tilleda, a kind […]
7+ English Language Bookstores in Paris
Shady arcade along the Rue de Rivoli that houses two English language bookstores in Paris. © Laurel Decher, 2017. For All in Paris Who Read English Books This post is for all you readers of English language books who are living in or visiting Paris. Maybe you need a book for the plane home or […]
Does your Work-in-Progress need a Canalmaster?
Construction machines are wasted without a little child to sit in a lawn chair and appreciate the show. This last week, I kept a list of the noisy machines that distracted me *cough* from my revision work. I didn’t get a picture of the asphalt saw that cut a square hole in the street or […]
The Good Earth: International Gardens
In 2017, I participated in the local community garden for the first time. A new growing season is always a hopeful time for me. No weeds. The dream of the perfect garden unmarred. Since then, the garden has thrived. The Good Earth: International Gardens. Paydirt. The classic rich soil of the Rhineland. © Laurel Decher, […]
An Epic Tree
My husband and I went looking for a half-circle of oaks he knew from thirty years ago. (No comments from the peanut gallery 😉 He said their group held hands around it because it was so big (nearly 8 meters around and 24 meters tall!). It’s gotta be old: 600-800 years!
Contrast with Apple Blossoms, Bach, and Story
These blossoms and buds look like visual staccato and legato notes. Short, sharp. Open, sweet. Sometimes learning something that you had given up on changes your whole view of the world. James Rhodes’ How to Play Piano teaches rank beginners how to play J.S. Bach’s Prelude in C Major. I never learned to read the […]
Hero at the Bus Stop
This year, my husband gave me a Page-a-Day calendar to learn Italian. Today’s page was a dialogue between two men at a bus stop, getting ready to go to work. One said his boss was nicer than his colleagues. The other said his colleagues were nicer than his boss. [*cough* We’re learning vocabulary here. Cut […]
Thrive during NaNoWriMo. Step 4: Story Soup
You can turn your story soup into comfort food. © Laurel Decher, 2016 This is the fourth post in a short series on preparing for (and thriving during) National Novel Writing Month. The NaNoWriMo site no longer exists, but you can sign up for Novel November. Or build your own challenge with some writer friends. […]