You know what I just noticed that I haven't noticed around here? Squirrels. I think we've seen one in the month we've been here. How strange is that? At home, they're so pervasive that you can't NOT see them. Here -- can't seem to be found.
The Belgians do seem to be very into birds, though. We've received several bird feeders as gifts. We've hung a few suet balls outside and we've enjoyed seeing the birds visit them. Jack especially enjoys watching them, and it's a pleasant change to see him cackling at birds (and flapping his arms) while looking out the window instead of laying on the dining room floor poking at ants and screaming "ba-ba." (Yes, Jack, we're well aware of the ants. Quite, quite aware.)
Snow, Snow, Snow
We had a beautiful snow this morning -- maybe just over an inch of white, wet, fluffy snow. Beautiful to watch. Not so beautiful to see TJ tramping out to the car (while we do have a garage, it's a manual one. And you swing the left door open, then the right door open, then you drive in, then swing the doors closed -- it's a whole lot easier to just park in the driveway!), driving away, and then skidding back into the driveway a few minutes later.
I get the feeling that a big snow (even more than an inch) is rare around here. Didn't see any plows or salt trucks, so I suspect that the snow is never around long enough for them to something proactive (or, in fact, retroactive) about it.
TJ said he slid into one main intersection close to home and decided that going to work just wasn't worth the effort. Today was to have been my last "Hints" class, but I decided (after looking at the snow covered streets) that it just wasn't worth hauling the children out in it. And once TJ returned (if he came back, you know it was bad), I knew we'd made the right decision. (Turns out that the Women's Club ended up closing for the day, anyway.)
So by 8:30 a.m., I had spent the better part of a half-hour layering children into socks, boots, snowpants, snow jackets, mittens (which Jack is vehemently against, even if it means cold, wet hands), and hats. (And no, I forgot to ask anyone if they needed to use the facilities before we set off on this adventure -- luckily, that didn't come back to haunt me.) And out we went onto the terrace to enjoy the falling snow. Amelia ran around and immediately started building a snowman. Jack, resembling either the Michelin man or the Stay-Puft Marshmallow man, promptly tipped over and was stranded on his back like a turtle. The kids had a great time, and it was wonderful for me to be able to leave them on the terrace while I popped into the kitchen for a sip of hot coffee.
He's Got the Chills, They're Multiplying...
Meanwhile, TJ is sitting on the couch, having announced that he feels achy and a little nauseous (as of this afternoon, he did go into work. I do hope he avoids the worst of this.) We'll keep you posted. The rest of us are fully recovered. Hooray! And since the kids weren't in the nursery all week, I have a feeling it will be a healthy weekend!
Local, But Not Connected
It's been strange for us to not have access to a local forecast -- we rely on weather.com for our weather information, and they certainly didn't talk much about accumulation. And the same goes for local news. Since our only television is coming straight over the internet from D.C., we have no idea what is going on locally. Bird flu, terrorism, the chicken man's rotisserie going up in flames -- anything could be happening, and we would have no idea, unless it is covered by CNN.
Kriek -- Not Just the Sound Our Doors Make
A local specialty I have tried (upon recommendation from some others) is a cherry beer called Kriek. For those of you who aren't so fond of beer (like me), this may be just up your alley. It was actually rather tasty. TJ wasn't too fond of it, but I think he's enjoying sampling the many specialty beers here in Belgium. I'll try to bring some back for some of you to taste. It's unusual, but it was rather refreshing. (And the brand I tried was "st. louis" -- so I just HAD to try it.)
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