Somehow word got out in Holland that I'm an animal lover. Along with Konijnemeisje (see previous post) I also cat-sat this week for the two sweet kitties you see in the photo above: Tucker and Hobbes. How do I know who is who? Their mommy gave me a little rhyme. It goes 'Tucker, Tucker, big fat *expletive*' Scandalous, eh? But as you can see from the protruding, furry, kitty belly above, you can definitely tell them apart with the rhyme. Coincidentally, Tucker also loves belly rubs.
A. (their mama) taught me the most entertaining game. She calls it the 'food game', but it needs a much more dramatic title like 'kitty pounce and slide' or something. You take a bunch of kitty crunchies (regular cat food) and kneel down on the floor. Drop a crunchy and flick it in any direction. The sound brings Tucker and Hobbes running from any location. I've never laughed so much in my life. They go running and sliding and tumbling across the floor every time you flick. And they crouch down like little predators waiting for the flick, anticipating it. Tucker is quite deft at catching the crunchy mid-slide and pops it in her mouth. But, it's much more entertaining to miss the mark just a bit and watch them go running. Hee hee!
On a worrisome note, after two years of not living with cats, I seem to have developed a slight allergy to kitties. This terrifies me as Paul and I have agreed to get a kitty after the wedding. My sister and her husband officially adopted my cat Willow, whom my sister has dubbed 'Fatty, McFatty' (what is it with these insensitive cat owners? Don't they know kitties have feelings too? Maybe they suffer from kitty thyroid issues...). After living all my life with animals, I really miss the sound and comfort of a pet. At the end of the week, my sinus issues seemed to lessen, so I'm hoping it just takes a while to get readjusted to furry pets. When their mom goes back to the USA this summer on vacation, Tucker and Hobbes are coming to stay with P. and me for almost a month. This will be a great chance to practice and get the place adjusted for pet living.
Following are some pics from yesterday:
P. and I went to the city center today to do a bit of shopping. Every Tuesday and Saturday is Market Day. This involves lots of stalls of fresh bread, fruit, vegetables, fish, poultry as well as an assortment of flowers, clothes and other odds and ends. We didn't actually shop in the market, we were just running errands. Did you know the shoe repair guy will stretch your shoes for you? In a frantic last minute search last fall, I bought these really cute brown, suede boots. Only they don't have half sizes in most of the shoe stores here, so I usually fall into the 38 size (size 8). However, these particular boots are a bit pointy and after about two hours in them (sitting or standing), they feel like a size 6 on my toes. But, as shoes are quite costly in Europe, I was determined to get some good use out of them. When shopping for P.'s wedding shoes last week, we were learned from a very friendly and knowledgeable shoe salesman that the shoe repair guy can actually stretch shoes for you. So, I tested the theory. I'll pick them up next week and see if it works!
The V&D opened a new little coffee and sandwich shop with a view over the city center. P. and I stopped there for lunch. It was quite busy on Saturday, but I think it can be a very 'gezellig' (Dutch word for nice, cozy and comfortable) place for coffee and book reading. I'm always on the hunt for good Starbucks alternatives.
While shopping in The Sting (clothing store), we were surprised and entertained outside by a brass band.
That evening we went to a birthday/housewarming party for a couple of good friends. They recently relocated to Deventer (a really charming Dutch city - click here for some photos of the city) and they rented the coolest, craziest house. It's several stories high with lots of wooden beams in the arched ceiling and stairs leading up and down throughout the house. There are little windows in the walls and ceilings scattered throughout that show very artistic views of, for example, the river and the church tower. It feels like Sleeping Beauty's cottage or some other fairytale. There are all kinds of nooks and crannies and everywhere you turn, there is something new to see. I thought it was extremely charming and would be lots of fun to live there.
Saturday was also the annual Batavieren race. A relay race that begins in Nijmegen -on the other side of the country- and ends in our city of Enschede. That's 185 kilometers (115 miles) and holds the record in the Guiness Book of World Records for the longest relay race. There's always a huge party on the nearby UT campus, but we were in Deventer, so missed it this year. I did go with P. to the party the first year I lived here, however, it's mostly college students who race, so mostly college students who party and well, let's just say, after a couple hours of student partying, I feel really old.
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