Your moment of Zen.... and what to do if you hear a real live cuckoo bird...

Yes, was in Gamlitz, lots to discuss, and Peter was ornery. He had one hell of a fit down in the lobby this afternoon. And THAT with one of the nicest nurses in the entire facility. It was silly, and he was petulant, just one of those days, hey... and I was defusing it right and left, but I guess they are used to this stuff, and if the truth be told, most of the oldies are so irresponsive, I think this one gets a real kick out of him. Frau L, the assistant director was in her cubicle, and I was doing my Laurel and Hardy number, and the nurse, Frau K had trouble keeping a straight face, and kept winking at me, as in, 'am so not taking this personally'... In one of his more outrageous things, I really got irritated, and said loudly, 'Oh, come ON, hey, cut it out!' In English. Frau L. fell apart laughing behind the glass.

This is a phenomenon I was told about many decades ago. I was told you can speak a foreign language perfectly, but there are two exceptions. You curse and you do math in your mother tongue, and it really is true. Sounds stupid, but it really is the case if I lose my patience. And if you get an Airies and a Sagittarius at loggerheads, oh yeah, it can happen.... fire signs. I'm glad I didn't come out with worse stuff, he was very trying. And I have no idea what that new plant is outside the entrance. Never seen one before.

One gardening thing I keep seeing down there are circles of cement filled with pebbles or stones. In some gardens, they are done in geometric patterns in different solid colors. And are only part of all the other stuff, which is green, and manicured... Outside the entrance, they went for multi stuff. Seems to be a new trend.
I would have liked having a small space in my used-to-be garden like that.... with rocks and shells I had collected on my travels... But I guess I am weird...



There is a monument downtown. There was some battle in a place called Chlum in 1866. It is for the two aristocrats who died in it.... and the 54 other locals who died there. That alone raises my hackles. But there is a word in there that I really hate. 'Heldentod'. (Hero's death). It was used a lot by the Nazis in WWII. But this was waaay before that. I don't think those 54 people felt like heroes being cannon fodder, and it is romanticising something that should not be.

Oh... just googled Chlum. Peter and I were trying to figure out which war it was, and we both guessed wrong. Silly of me. I should have known. It was the war between Prussia and Austria, and one of Maria Theresia's biggest mistakes. Chlum was in Tschechoslovakia, and one of the worst debacles, the worst being in Königsgrätz.


So here is your moment of Zen for today, or mine, at least... The view from Peter's window. It had been raining, then stopped, and the air was wonderful. And then we heard it. A real live cuckoo bird. At first I thought it was a clock in another room. But it was a real one up in that stand of trees. I had never heard one 'in live' before. And was sort of delighted with that. And as we were leaving to take a walk, I mentioned it, as in, 'Did you know that there is a real cuckoo bird up behind the house?' And she told me a superstition about what to do if you hear one. You have to rattle any loose change you have in your pocket, and it will bring you good luck. That was a nice idea.... I liked it.