While I am a fan of great gusts of wind that nearly push you down the street and turn your hair into something rarely seen outside of Greek mythology, I have to admit that it doesn’t make me want to go outside very much. Instead it makes me want to hunker down indoors with a cup of coffee, music and wearing a fleece vest. I’m not the only one, minus the coffee, the boys are advocates of the same! Henry used to tuck himself inside my mom’s fleece vest. Once that vest finally got around to being replaced, it went to Henry. He would literally climb inside the vest, through the armhole or the zipper, whichever was open. Whenever I wear a fleece vest, I think of my mom.

I was thinking about her yesterday and how I am going to celebrate her 75th birthday in Maastricht. I am so looking forward to that, seeing Andre Rieu in the square and having that vacation feeling. When I think that it has been two years, that seems impossible. I wish she was here. It is Easter this coming week and we have a four day weekend. Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday. I am reminded of my mom because Easter was usually the day we would eat the first asparagus of the year over baby new potatoes with hardboiled eggs and melted butter. Okay, not in any way shape or form healthy but really good. We didn’t feel the need to ruin it with ham. And then I would tease her about the time I was seven and very BAD on Easter. This resulted in me not getting my Easter basket. My mom still felt terrible about it 30 years later. Which, of course, I knew and that was why I would mention it 😉 I remember that Easter basket had a new binder in it with grey tabby kittens on it. I knew this because I had looked already and found my mom’s secret stash of our Easter baskets. I did later on end up getting the binder and I have the pin of the laughing Easter bunny still from that year.

I had that with my mom. The button pushing relationship and the ability to be a smart ass. If you measure love by attitude, I would say my mom and I had more than our share and several other people’s portion as well. I miss that. I think that actions carry far more weight than words. People can say all sorts of things but it is their actions that really indicate who they are. I wandered away from that belief for a few years, I put more emphasis in people’s words than their actions. Fortunately, I have found my way back to believing in deeds.

Saturday night, I went to the film “Loin des Hommes” with Viggo Mortensen. Or as it would be in English “Far From Men”. I wasn’t expecting it to be in French – I had it in my head that of course, Viggo Mortensen acts in English. It was a good movie, very much on topic between the difference between actions and words. I am getting better at reading the Dutch subtitles 😉

I also rode on the back of a scooter for the first time on Saturday night. Well, technically it was Sunday morning since I was returning home from dancing in the Rembrandtplein at 630AM. It was exhilarating! I can see why people have scooters. I am going to stick with my trusty Beatrix. I very clearly see the appeal. The whole time I was remembering what my brother Cedric says about riding a motorcycle “move with the bike, not against it” and he was right. It feels counterintuitive but it is the right way to do it. Kind of like when I play my banjo, if I just let go and play, the song comes outs. When I think about it too much and literally stop breathing between bars, it goes wrong.

Okay, time to go back to work…