Anyway, today I woke up to another text from him, begging for money to fix his car and for moving expenses. This distressed me greatly. He has never asked anything of me before, and it was not a small amount he was asking for. I sent it to him,

Please forgive me for asking, but did you double check to make sure it was him before sending the money? The fact that it was an unusual request coupled with his insistence that you keep all of this quiet just seemed like a red flag to me. Again, I am not prying, just want to make sure you are safe.

Yes. It was him, I did speak to him before i sent it.

I’m in pretty good spirits for health reasons. Around the middle of January I decided to lose weight, and I’m down 20 pounds since then. Halfway to a lofty ideal and I feel great about it. Significant improvement in blood pressure which was running high despite medication. My knees had been really bothering me so I went back to the surgeon I had bailed on in '22, to reluctantly schedule replacement. He said it couldn't hurt to try cortisone shots and for the first time - I've had them in my knees, shoulder and back before - they actually worked! I know it's just a bandaid but I'm not only able to take the pup on her full walk again, but working on shaving down the time it takes to make that loop. Combined, I'm feeling better about myself physically than I have in a while.

The rest of life, still kinda plowing through. Setting some short term objectives that seem to be easier to set than execute. I know that accomplishing them will make me feel better, so I just need to force myself.

The second half of my post seems to be causing problems I can’t work around so I’ll leave it at that!

Amylou, glad you got your car back! I'm also looking forward to gardening season. I found a company that delivers truck loads of manure to your house so will try them for the first time. I usually buy it in bags and it's expensive. Even with the deilvery cost this may be cheaper for me. My raised beds have really sunk in over the year.

I've been depressed lately. I know because I haven't done anything but sit on my behind watching Youtube videos and Netflix and eating. I have a bunch of boxes to still go through and unpack into my livingroom. I have to make myself do any of it. I went through all the kitchen boxes and my French press and large iron skillet are missing. I'm hoping they're in one of the livingroom boxes. I did find a spare French press still in the box in my entertainment center. I had forgotten about it. Amazon sent me two by mistake during the pandemic and told me to keep the spare. So, have been using it since I'm back to grinding coffee beans instead of using instant.

Had game night Friday during a snow fall. One person cancelled on us because she doesn't like driving in snow and ice and was coming from another town. I don't blame her. It was fun and good to see the ones who did come. I need to get out and do something, though. Wish it was warmer so I could go walking. My asthmatic lungs don't like walking in the cold air, though.

I may go to Lowes tomorrow and get some Mimwax paste for my shrunk. It's looking dull and needs some spiffing up. I have some Old English but it isn't helping some spots on it. I want to get it nice looking before I start unboxing my stuff to put back on it. I also need to go through the bottom of the shrunk that they left stuff in. I really need to get it in boxes and either take it to a resale store or store it for a Spring yard sale. I already have 1 1/2 boxes of stuff to get rid of.

I tried to put my coat rack up a couple hours before game night started and ended up putting the first piece on upside down and because it is screwed into the wall, had to use the back part of the hammer to pry it off the wall, thereby destroying that piece and the wall. lol. So, patched the wall up, and luckily the coat rack was a two rack set so I just have to find some screws and drywall screws now to put the other one up. Not sure where the originals are. Maybe after I go to Lowes and get out in the sunshine some I will feel better and actually get motivated to do something.

Kath -- What on earth is a 'shrunk'?

I suspect she means "schrank". It's a type of furniture most commonly referred to in the US using the French word "armoire" (pronounced as if arm-wa). Schrank is the German word that means the same as armoire.

Bedrooms in Europe often don't have closets as are common in the US and so furniture of this type is common there. Same type of item and same words describe free standing cabinets for storage in other rooms of a home too.

Chisue, it's a wall unit made in Germany: german shrunk furniture - Search Images (bing.com)

this is mine

June 21, big hail storm, so I filed roof hail claims on 4 rental houses. Jan 17 got my renewal bill....it more than doubled. Spent 10 hours on the phone to an insurance broker...changed insurance companies.

Then Dec & Jan we had sub zero temps. The radiant heat in the master bath, master bedroom and side sitting room stopped working. DH flushed the system & took out a backflow valve. Fixed! But...in the mean time..I purchased a 60" electric fireplace with heat. That heated the space until it was fixed. LOVE IT! Purchased a rough cedar mantle today. Also insulating above the master bedroom, that will help to keep it warm in the future.

Long story made short...3 rental leases came due. People had been in them for years. Two were trashed. Fixed them up. The last renter moved in Feb 9. I still have 2 windows on order, just from normal wear & tear.

I worked with DH at HIS commercial job, to free him up so he could work with me on the rentals.

The HOA is writing an article featuring a member of our community...DH & I. We volunteer a lot.

Lots of snow. The gear box went out on the 3-year old Toro snow blower. The new one just arrived. it was back ordered.

It's ALL good so far in 2024! 💕

Life is good. At just about to turn 73 I am blessed. DH is having a lot of back trouble again along with other health concerns which is stressful but otherwise the year is off to a good start. He's keeping his spirits up. Despite his being less able we are getting a lot of things done. Lucked into finding a reasonably priced, honest and methodical handyman to help with the heavier stuff DH can no longer do. My Rottie who was diagnosed with chronic renal failure last year has stayed quite stabile. People who visit seem to always think she's the youngest of the trio. She eats well, is still very active in spurts and still in stage 2. Other than sleeping more one would never guess she is ill. The two adoptees ( doodles) are fully integrated into our household. The female has taken on the role of guardian of the castle.

I'm spending even more time at the barn. More time in the saddle. "My" horse is coming along nicely. She developed some issues over summer due to having too many different people handling her. She is back 100% at least for me. The wanna be diva is gone. In all my time there, she was the only one who was a thorn in my side and she targeted me since I saw through her games. She was unceremoniously shown the gate. So we are one big happy family again. I was riding other horses but right now the focus is on this sweet sensitive mare. I have two instructors now. A woman who is very technical in her teaching has been really helpful fine tuning some things for me. I ride the same days she is there, a couple of weekdays. On the weekends I ride under my mentor's eyes and sometimes do a little tutoring of newer riders.

I haven't seen the grandkids recently and I do miss seeing them but their family keeps getting sick with one thing after another. I seem to be the only one not getting ill at all thus far this year (knock wood). No regrets on my health choices. I must be doing something right. I'm sure being outdoors a lot is part of it but even people I work and play with have gotten stuff. Some were out for weeks. I'm around them, even in close quarters but managed to avoid the various cruds. I thought for sure I would get the last thing going around.

Sort of thinking about getting a new vehicle this year. I use my truck mostly but thinking of replacing the Santa Fe with a new model. Got some much needed dental work finally done. I had started it just as the pandemic hit. Now my teeth are strong and healthy again.

I set up my calendar for things I want to do this year. First road trip will be in the Spring for a rodeo I always wanted to attend but would forget about. I also may start riding with a couple of more local women. One has more horse than she can ride enough and I am going to see if I am a good match for her horses and the other women who wants to ride. Fortunately the owner of the horses is short like me so her saddles should fit me.

Tired of the rain. But it's much needed. Supposed to go on a longish trail ride tomorrow. It's supposed to rain all night there. Hope it's lighter than expected. I don't mind the rain so much but the winds are sometimes a pain and the mud is ridiculous.

I am really glad to see March on the horizon since I dislike winter so much. Winter has seemed shorter this year--we have had some beautiful sunny days here and there. On those I carry on with the walking that I began last spring--so good for both my physical and mental health. Having lost my husband to cancer 6 years ago, I think that I have finally settled into the single life. I had a go with online dating but found it best to beware since some are just there trolling for money.

I am a hard core gardener and try to spend as much time outside as I can when the weather permits. It was uplifting to find that my daffodils and crocuses have begun blooming this week. Today I have ordered about a dozen plants for a project in the spring. By ordering early, I found that I got 25% off--yay!! I like to watch plants grow and to do garden experiments. It annoys me that my plot has too many trees and too much shade for me to have a vegetable garden.

I had another birthday last week and my best friend bought tickets for us to see To Kill a Mockingbird (the play featuring Richard Thomas) at the local civic center. It was a cold and windy day, the crowds were enormous and the performance lasted for 3 hours but it was a wonderful outing.

It is time once again for me to make myself contact my accountant to deal with income taxes, Every year I tell myself that I won't wait until I see April looming before I start preparing for that but some time I don't listen well.

I am exceedingly glad that I am not anticipating any home projects this season. During the last couple of years I have had a time getting caught up on home maintenance which went lacking during my husband's illness. I have had to have a new dishwasher, water heater, septic system, flooring, one bathroom gutted and redone, exterior trim painted and gutter guards installed. I have painted two rooms myself and am looking to do two bedrooms when I can psych myself up for the job. There never seems to be an end to jobs that need doing. My dog Henry keeps me company as I navigate each day's journey.

I am looking forward to selling my mother's house. My niece has been renting it for a while but I am tired of dealing with the issues there and would like to be rid of that responsibility. Since my vehicle is getting a good many years on it, it would probably be wise for me to spend the money from that on a new one. Another thing to look forward to is the beginning of baseball season--I love watching the Atlanta Braves play. I try to remember to be grateful for all of the good things in my life and to try to forget those things that I could do without.

With all due respect, kathsgrdn, I do not believe "shrunk" is a German language word. I'm comfortable enough with my knowlege of German and German phoenics to say that with confidence. The fact that you found hits in a Bing search suggests there are many people with an incomplete knowledge of German phonetics and spelling.

I'll stick to "schrank". Same phoentical treatment for the "a" as the word "danke", which would be transliterated for English phonetics as "donka". Schrank given the same treatment for the vowel would sound the same as the "bonk" part of "bonkers". So, shronk. But it's spelled schrank and used to mean cabinet, wardrobe, closet, and the like.

Elmer, I never said it was. It's what we U.S. Air Force people stationed in Germany used to call these wall units. I never once said it was a German word.

2024 has been okay so far except for a few ups and downs. In December I decided to allow myself a month off of my Keto diet to eat a few more carby foods which included shortbread cookies, potatoes or winter squashes and even though I still ate mostly lower carb I gained 5 pounds which I am working to get of. I was getting close to my 100 pound loss goal. Then 2 weeks ago we had to take my dog Misty to the emergency vet hospital. She was very lethargic, not eating or drinking They kept her in a few days and found she had kidney infection in both kidneys and her liver enzymes were off so they did a biopsy and unltrasound. She came home with about 8 medications, some to be taken with food, some on an empty stomach, some twice a day. Once I figured out the dosage times it went smoothly and she was accepting the medication wrapped in a bit of turkey deli meat except for one humungous tablet that she always spit out. She had to take 1 1/2 of that pill and she could smell it so I had to mask the smell with some honey. Just one more day of pills and she goes back this week sometime for blood tests but she is like a new dog, I have had her since 2016 and she was over 7 years when I got her. I was fortunate I was saving money for some dental work and I had the cash on hand to pay for the vet bill which was just under $4000. If she had needed surgery there would have been no way for me to afford that and I would have to have her put down. She is such and happy and gentle dog. I had my 2nd shingles vaccination and my Doctor said he was happy with my health and I don't need to see him for another 6 months. A few years ago I literally ran into a trailer hitch and damaged my leg and have been seeing a vascular surgeon. He said I have no blockages and the blood is circulating but my leg looks a mess , no open wounds though. I have to be admitted to the Vascular Clinic at the hospital March 1 to have the Doctor apply a medicated wrap on my leg. I don't think I will ever be able to wear a dress, or wear shorts again. I also have vitiligo. My skin is really pale but with the vitiligo on my shoulders and chest it looks like I have a dark tan with huge white patches of skin showing through. I am just worried it is going to travel to my face. I was prescribed a cortisone cream but I don't really want to use it if it is not going to do anything. The Dermatologist advised against light therapy because it may cause skin cancer so I don't want to do that. Other than that 2024 is going good and I am sticking with my health journey and sticking to a low carb diet which has been the easiest way of eating for me to lose weight and maintain my health. I hope you all have a great 2024

Stressful for us too. As I’ve written before, on the night of Jan 8 we got a call that our vacation condo was on fire. There was a terrible storm that night which blew a tree down on a power line. The line fell on the condo next to ours and ignited the fire which totalky destroyed the 4 units in the building. Apparently an automatic shutoff interlock in the line failed to disconnect and sparked the fire. The HOA insurance adjusters and utility company have still been investigating but bottom line is we have already received our insurance checks. We now are just waiting for the bids for demo and reconstruction and all that to begin. The HOA is taking care of that process and keeping us informed. We agreed it is best to choose one contractor to do the entire job. We didn’t salvage much except a small patio set, a few pieces of art, and some kitchen items, which I may not keep depending on if we decide to sell the condo when done.

Right after the fire we had a hard freeze. I didn’t do much except work on the inventory for the fire and stay warm inside reading and feeling sad about the whole ordeal.

I’m behind in working on our taxes because of working on the inventory for the fire, but now getting almost finished with that.

We’ve both resumed our volunteer work at the botanical garden, weather permitting. Most of what I do is inside the greenhouses so weather doesn’t matter. We also had a lovely early Valentines dinner out at our favorite Italian restaurant.

We also attended an appreciation dinner for ’Genome Circle’ participants at HudsonAlpha, a non-profit genome research center here. It was very nice and always includes a summary of the past year’s accomplishments in their research. Fascinating stuff. Last night we saw a moving performance of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ with Richard Thomas as Atticus Finch. Just excellent.

On a good note, all our kids and grandkids are doing really good. DGD was supposed to go to the Chiefs parade, but her company decided they needed to work that day. Thankful for that but so sad for another needless event that ended that way. DD and I are planning a quick trip out to see her for DD’s birthday and to attend a soccer game at the new KC Current stadium. It will be a fun trip for us girls!

Amylou, so happy for you gettting your car back. I’m sure it feels like an old friend is back. FOAS congrats on the weight loss. That is really great! Lynn, I’m so sorry for your stress too. In so many ways you’ve had things thrown at you. Glad all your kids are better & hope the construction zone is gone soon and things are back to normal.

Kathsgrdn -- I learned something new! Your wall unit (American translation) is lovely. Your link page showed a clever unit that looks like a bed in the wall -- with clothes hooks! I'll get back to this thread eventually with *my* 2024 progress report, but have to actually MAKE some before I comment.

Do we need a separate topic about weight loss for the KT? I see a lot of progress coming on that front, not just here, but everywhere (weight loss meds contributing).

Been doing well this year so far. I must have gotten covid sometime last fall though, as I have lost my sense of taste, and my sense of smell is very warped. I took covid tests around Thanksgiving and Christmas when i had small sniffles. Negative. But I noticed my Standard Thanksgiving dinner did not have much taste. Went to primary care and she said I may have had false negative covid tests. It is annoying because I am disappointed with most food. (You'd think I would lose weight, but noooo). That's all my health problems so that's good. Have started walking the mall again, and it feels good.

Have lots to look forward to. Grandbaby # 2 is due on April 13. Mom has had lots of issues, her immunity is down and she is catching everything. Baby has issue too and will be operated on as soon as he/she is born. I take #1 grandson lots to give her a break, and I am loving it.

Still play Mah Jong once a week, and go to retired teacher lunch once a month. Other teachers want to join us for MahJong, but don't want to take the necessary parks and rec lessons. It's not that easy. Going to Texas where it's warmer than KC later this week to stay with daughter #2 for a week. We do work in her flower beds, and shop and eat out. Love that. I keep telling her I want to come and stay a couple of months in the winter, and she says fine but you need to learn to drive here. I am not going to haul you around. (heehee) But I won't because I will be babysitting 2 little ones soon.

I am leaning on my faith lots lately, and am always happier then. If you got time to worry, you got time to pray.

OutsidePlaying isn't botanical work nice?

" Elmer, I never said it was. "

Sorry if I misunderstood, kathsgardn. Your post suggested to me that you were challenging my comment. What would your misunderstood term of "shrunk" have been if not German?

I'm sure you enjoy your souvenir of your time there. I'm impressed that something so large and bulky survived shipment back.

Elmer, yes, it survived that and multiple trips across the U.S. It is not a single unit, but 6 pieces that come apart with screws. The upper parts are just sitting on the bottom pieces, then are screwed together and lights cords are then plugged into each other that run through the whole unit. The doors also lift off easily for packing.

Ladypat, yes! I really enjoy botanical stuff so much, both at the Garden and at my own house. I just finished up-potting some tiny seedlings (mostly tomato) that were readh for bigger pots and more soil. Good to see new growth getting ready for transplanting in about 6 weeks! I hope all goes well with Mama and Grandbaby #2.

Kath, I meant to say, we also have a shrank/shrunk too! DH has hauled it to the US from Germany when he was stationed there in the early 70’s to I don’t know how many houses now. It is in our study and I fear this will be its last stop. Truthfully, I’m ready to let it go and have some built-ins installed, but he is not. I call it ’the hulk’, but you have perfectly described how it is disassembled into flat pieces for moving.

Shrunk would be a closer approximation of how to pronounce Schrank. So there’s that.

OutsidePlaying, mine is looking worn on parts of it. You can't really tell from that picture. I too was ready to get rid of it a few years ago and have a built in bookcase built in the space, painted bright white. When I had friends over last Friday for game night, one of my friends, who I've known since moving to this town told the other one, who now lives in my old rental home, that I almost got rid of it and she told me not to. Don't remember that but I just got lazy and will probably die with the shrunk now. I did buy some Mimwax paste and hope it makes it look better and get me moving some and off my rear end.

" Shrunk would be a closer approximation "

No. The vowel sound is like onk, not unk.

Is your user name here pronounced as if spelled feed on a stimp?

My husband had some health issues that necessitated a colonoscopy & endoscopy being done at the hospital on January 2 (so he fasted January 1). He came home and started feeling a lot of pain. Went to Emergency the next day with a perforated appendix! The doctor claimed it wasn't related, but I have trouble believing that. He came home the day after surgery, had more pain, and went back to Emergency with a post-surgical complication that lead to ileus, with his digestion totally shut down. Had a tube down his throat for a few days, was in the hospital all week before his digestion started working again. So between the tests, surgery and aftermath, he had nothing to eat for almost the first two weeks of the year. But now he's home, the bloating is gone, he's eating and thrilled to have lost about 10 pounds. But talk about a miserable way to lose weight!

On the plus side, he's up to going out and having fun again. Last week, with free tickets, we saw a burlesque version of West Side Story with some incredible dancing.

And today the butcher gave me a 15% discount, saying it was my lucky day because he rang it up wrong. And when I unpacked my bag from the bakery, I discovered an extra loaf of bread. I haven't gotten free stuff like this since I was young and cute.

“No. The vowel sound is like onk, not unk.”

I’d say it’s closer to unk than onk, not exactly like either, but I guess that’s a matter of the differences how we may pronounce onk and unk so it’s subjective. What’s less subjective is that German was my first language, my mom’s off the boat, the SS Parthia to be exact, I grew up around and speaking with Germans, and while I don’t speak it as well today as I did as a child, I have the utmost confidence that I pronounce Schrank like a native speaker.

There's a lot of regional and local dialect pronunciation differences in Germany. Not just as between Hochdeutsch and Plattdeutsch. And even more when bringing in pronunciations common in Austria, Switzerland, and places in Germany near those borders and also near the Netherlands. You likely learned the pronunciations in use whether she came from.

Just as a start, as you may know, there are at least three ways to pronounce the simple word "I" - whether ish, ik, or a throaty icchhh. I've travelled all over Germany on dozens of trips, I'm very comfortable that what I know was gained from personal experiences and extends well beyond my university studies or learning from one person.

A thousand years ago, I visited a friend serving out his ROTC active-duty obligation while stationed in Rheinland-Pfalz. I went with him to a local store to help him buy a simple bedroom-type armoire he wanted to ultimately bring back to the US. In that southwestern German location, schrank was decidedly as if spelled in English shronk with the normal throat treatment given to the lettter "r" different from English.

How’s your year thus far, Elmer?

Excellent, couldn't be better. How about for you? Many excellent memories to stow away in my memory schrank.

PS - congrats on your weight loss. Did you use any particular approach?

Back to the Amy’s intended topic.

Issues with my youngest daughter are slowly being resolved.

Our 13 year old dog was diagnosed with congestive heart failure, tumors around his heart and a blood clot. The ER vet recommended putting him down! He was then turned over to the cardiologist. When we picked him up the vet said he responded very well to the first round of meds.

Long story short he is on 5 meds and doing very well. Of couse it is day to day, no long walks, but he is happy! No more labored breathing.

Health wise, we are all doing well.

I’m in my Florida home and would like expand my social network which is my goal for this year.

How would you pronounce Besserwisser, Elmer?

Regional accents aside, it would depend on whether the person speaking is regarded by others as knowledgeable and worldly or a Dorftrottel.

This Schrank, Shrank, Shrunk discussion made me think of My Fair Lady when Henry Higgins asked "Why can't the English teach their children how to speak" "In America they haven't used it in years".

I am another PA Dutch Country gal. My guess would be that the word Schrank became Shrank and since in American English Shrank and Shrunk became synonymous past tense words for Shrink the German Schrank became a German Shrunk. This is what happens when after 300 years of German being Americanized. I have the feeling PA Dutch would be painful for most Germans to listen to. But were not in Germany.

I have seen these large wardrobe/cabinets referred to as Schranks, Shranks and Shunks.

The old versions of German that arrived ages ago and changed over time in Pennsylvania and the few other minor places where still in use bear only remote resemblance to modern Standard German. Millions of Americans learn and speak modern German- the number who speak archaic versions are minor by comparison and limited to small areas.

Non-standard pronunciation practices because of historical curiosities in a few small and otherwise unimportant parts of the US remain irrelevant for our friend with furniture purchased in Germany. Her limited German vocabulary was gained while in the US military and stationed in Germany. My guess is that the pronunciation she learned at the time was from people who didn't speak German at all or not well.

Back to the OP's topic:

I have high hopes for remainder of 2024.

I have had owned my home for 7 years, thinking I would get it renovated in a year. HA HA.

Was diagnosed with Cancer while in escrow. Year 2 I fractured 4 vertebra. Year three - I had a heart attack.

Year four my hot water heater and furnace both died in January and of course, the AC unit didn't work with the new furnace, so that needed replaced as well. My sister referred to this year as the year for "House Surgery", until 3 months later when I had to have a hernia repaired.

Years 5, 6 and 7 were a blur. My oldest sister's husband has Parkinson's and her health was failing. The house I bought was 2 blocks from their house. They needed a lot of help. My life became focused on helping them. They moved to a senior community and things seemed to be okay for a few months after they were settled. Then my sister broke her pelvis and things spiraled downhill for both of them. Betty passed away Jan 31st and my BIL will be moving to an assisted living facility near his son's home on March 1st.

I don't regret a single moment of the time I spent helping them and visiting with them and just being there for them. At the same time, it is time for me to renew my efforts on getting my home renovated.

So far my year's start is plugging along with no personal major catastrophes, thank goodness. My son mysteriously broke his foot and had to have surgery because it had already started healing, and since he can't drive now, I'm shuttling him to work and back until he's able to resume.

There's still the rest of the year to go too - fingers crossed.

I think I can relate a little to Jennifer's situation. I spent 2019-2021 caring for my mom as her health, mobility and cognitive faculties declined - also working at my job, and dealing with the pandemic of course. So many of my personal plans and projects fell by the wayside, but I do not regret it at all.

And now that she's gone, a lot of the things I thought were important before don't seem that way any more.

I'm not posting here until I have something good to report. (That's how my year has been going so far. Ick.)

Jennifer, I hope you have better days ahead.

Thank you Elmer J Fudd . I have had a rough run, but I have a great support system of friends and family that have helped and supported me. I have enough money to be comfortable (not extravagant), two wonderful, lively dogs that need me and a job that I enjoy. Overall I have had a blessed life with a few bumps in the road.

All going swimmingly so far in 2024. Whole family is fit and healthy. First grandchild due in two weeks.

Jennifer! That is a long run of difficult things. I don’t have siblings but know it must be hard to lose one. I’m sure she felt blessed to have you.

Jennifer, I hope things will go your way for a long stretch. You certainly have earned it! Best of luck with the house reno and you know where to go for ideas and advice I hope.

OutsidePlaying - I love your name! Thank you. I am ready for a calmer year. I have my whole home color palette developed, bought enough flooring to do the whole house, picked my countertop material and cabinets for the kitchen. The plan is solid, the execution is what is lagging. Did get a lot of advice on Houzz.

Olychick - Thank you for the kind words. It is hard, but I keep reminding myself how blessed I was to have her as my sister for 62 years,

I’m not sure about my year yet! Getting used to fewer responsibilities, getting used to new ones. But I’m enjoying the schrank discussion. Some German homes have a kühlschrank, and that reminds me of a lovely Christmas spent snowed in at distant cousins‘ on a farm in Denmark. They had a kühlschrank, a cool room. It was where they kept things that needed to be kept cool, but not as cold as the little refrigerator. So the butter was spreadable, jams and much produce, cheese and ham. kind of like a root cellar, but just off the kitchen. I wish I could remember the Danish word for it. I very quickly learned the word for snow, though! Sne, similar to German Schnee.

Bpath we used the words Rodkælder or kølerum interchangeably for the root cellar. Rodkælder means root cellar. Rodkælder is pronounced somewhat like roollkilla. Kølerum pronounced somewhat like coola roam literally means cold room.

Thanks, yeonassky, I knew you would know!

I've never heard of Kühlschrank used for a room. Ime it just means fridge in German.

^^^Me either, was gonna post that but didn’t want to get into another ”German” argument. But the room does sound great; I’ve often thought how awesome it would be to have a cool, climate controlled pantry. Kind of like people have for wine cellars.

This year has been fantastic! I‘m in pretty good health as are my family and friends. I have all the ”stuff” I need. My most recent purchase was a push golf cart as opposed to the pull behind kind. I’ve signed up for a morning golf league for this coming season. Normally, I golf 18 holes for league play and take a power cart, but this year, I’m going to walk 9 in a league that is especially for folks who only want to play that many. We’ll see how that goes and maybe I’ll just end up doing the full 18 walking.

I’ve just spent a week with my siblings in the city that I grew up in and we had the greatest time. My sister set up my dad’s old Bell and Howell slide projector and we spent a couple of evenings looking at old family photos from the 50s to the 80s. Lot’s of laughing and cackling😄 and just plain silliness. The drive there also reminded me what a lovely area of the world I grew up in and have lived.

I had a good ”do nothing” vacation in Cancun in January and have just renewed my passport for another 10 years, so I guess I’m feeling good and optimistic about the future.

No complaints so far in 2024. I’m still buying green bananas.