Has it really been so long since I last wrote? My oh my, the things that have happened in the past months...
First, we moved to a town called Van Alstyne which is about 40 miles north of Dallas. Henk and I fell in love with a loft and storefront in the old fashioned downtown area and could not imagine living anywhere else. Love this town, interesting and intelligent people, outrageous possibilities for a cafe/bakery/wine bar/reading room/bistro, about half an hour from the big city and without a doubt the most interesting house we've ever occupied. And as an added bonus, thus far everyone we've met has all their teeth.
Our loft was built circa 1900 which, by Texas definitions, makes it ancient. Henk swears Salvador Dali did the final touches on the loft and I must say that I agree. A chunk of baseboard is missing here or there and later we see it nailed onto a ceiling beam or used as a faux decoration; the shower tiles seem to go up at a slight angle; random pieces of flooring were absent but finally found as makeshift shelves in a homemade cabinet of curiosities; and on and on. Needless to say, we've been busily correcting a number of things but are definitely keeping the cabinet of curiosities! Henk and I have always loved projects like this. The best part about it is we are making the home ours, which really only happens when you sweat a little. As my university Freshman year roommate said when she visited, "This loft has good bones." Indeed it does. Henk and I would die a slow and painful death with our eyes wide open if we were to live anywhere else. In fact, we almost just did that in Wimberley and it would happen in any other suburb.
To bring you up to date, Sjaantje Emile went through a major growth spurt during the past few months! Packed on a few pounds while staying with her grandparents but since then has lost it all and grown another inch or two. She now is a mere two inches shorter than my towering self and is a most beautiful young lady. I know I'm her mom and all but seriously, she's a gorgeous person from all perspectives.
Sjaantje no longer has any trace of her Selective Mutism. She is absolutely thriving in her new school - talking, joking, making friends and a name for herself. On the first day, when she knew absolutely no other student, she came home literally laughing and has done so for the past 4 1/2 weeks. In the mornings, Sjaantje is in a great mood (which is a nice contrast to my pre-coffee lethargy) and eager to get on the bus and see her so-called "Bus Buddy". She has made many friends, loves her classes, thinks her teachers are wonderful and is excelling in Math and Science. Her reading skills have improved and more importantly she is discovering the delights of reading! We went to the bookstore a couple of weeks ago and she picked out two books - which was a first for her. A few days later and using her own money, Sjaantje bought two poster boards and after taping them together, began outlining the chapters of a book she just read. Oddly, this is what she likes to do in her free time and I can well imagine that soon her walls will be covered with posters of book plot diagrams. I love it.
Sjaantje's sense of humor is growing at about the same rate as her legs - she is absolutely hilarious! For example, one morning last week as I was sipping my coffee, I watched as she ran from her bathroom to her bedroom, bedroom to our bathroom, that bathroom back to her bathroom, then on to the dining room, etc... This went on for about five minutes. "Interesting", I thought, "Honey, what exactly are you doing?" With a completely deadpan expression, Sjaantje looked at me and said, "Duh, Mom. I'm playing hide-and-go-seek with myself. What did you THINK I was doing?" Speechless, I merely snarfed my coffee and listened to her next line which was, "But every time I find myself, I run away." Thinking perhaps she had taken leave of her senses, I decided to ignore this behavior and wish it away. A tap on my shoulder a few minutes later and Sjaantje said, "Mom, I was just joking. I was looking for Wuzzy's brush because my new "Dog Book" says he needs to be (and this was said in a loud voice) GROOMED THOROUGHLY EVERY WEEK. Can he borrow your toothbrush?" Reading, responsibilities and a sense of humor about it all. Need I say more?
OK, then I will. Sjaantje Emile has suddenly learned the benefits of a homemade lunch vs. school lunches and in addition, the cost vs. what you get. Returning from school one afternoon, Sjaantje exasperatedly said, "Mom, did you know they charge twenty cents for a package of ketchup in the cafeteria? And one dollar for a bottle of water? What kind of a place is this?" Personally, I think that is a great idea when I consider all the poor wasted ketchup in this world. Since then, Sjaantje has taken a packed lunch each day. Every morning as she eats her breakfast, she unnecessarily tells me what to put in her lunch bag - which is the same thing every day: A Dutch cheese sandwich (Gouda), easy on the butter, applesauce, fruit, peanut butter crackers and a Capri Sun. I have tried to tempt her with pastrami, smoked ham, salami and other things (which for some reason always end up as doggy treats) to add variety but she relentlessly desires only Dutch cheese. When I asked her about the lack of sandwich varieties, Sjaantje said (looking at me as if I were a mentally challenged adult), "Didn't you know that Hannah (new friend) and I are some serious cheese lovin' freaks?"
Sjaantje wore one of my shirts to school today. Goodbye, pretty and funky shirt. Also, her shoe size is now identical to mine but when she walked out in my favorite funky purple shoes from Amsterdam, I had to draw the line. "Say goodbye to your shoes, Mom!" Being the motherly sort of person I am, I gently responded with, "Oh yeah? Say goodbye to your life, honey. Either that or give me my shoes. Now."
Henk and I have met probably more than half of the influential people in this town - which is not only fun, but also a blessing and necessity! We met Sarah Palin last week, which surprised me because who would've thought she had an office in Van Alstyne. When I introduced myself and shook her hand while thinking "What are YOU doing here, Sarah Palin?", the words came out automatically. "What are YOU doing here, Sarah Palin?" The woman, whose name is actually Kelly, said "Oh! Yeah, I'm a doppleganger for Sarah Palin. And here's my office. Can I pet your dog?" As Wuzzy had no problem with her, I realized she wasn't Sarah Palin at all - i.e. shooter of grizzly bears/Wuzzies. Don't get me wrong; I'm a conservative Republican but it was still bizarre.
We are always entertained with meeting other people... "I love your accent!", said one woman whose name escapes me, "Where are you from?" When Henk answered somewhat sheepishly (it's difficult to explain exactly where he/we are from), "I'm from Holland originally ", our new friend exclaimed "Wow! You've got to meet this new family! They're from France! Apparently they have a young daughter - 6th grade or so, real cutie - and a big black dog! Hm...I think they live there, in that loft! " Really? Geez, I can't wait to meet them.
Regarding the downstairs storefront, we're busily weighing our options, shamelessly exploiting ourselves and various pastries (as handouts, freebies, 'try this and tell me what you think!') and are most likely going to open a bakery/bistro. Bakery in the morning, featuring some Dutch and French treats and in the evenings, a small restaurant with a limited but unique (to this town) menu. We would adore having some plush sofas and chairs for those who like to read a good book while imbibing, all the while perusing our small but excellent library shelved in wooden wine crates. Can you get an image? The other walls will possibly be covered with posters re: plots and themes from Sjaantje Emile's readings.
There are four other restaurants in the downtown square: a Barbecue which is right next door and drives Wuzzy crazy with the aromas, a Mexican cantina, an immigrant owned Italian pizza place and the Whistle Stop Cafe which is located about 50 yards from the train tracks. We would be the first for both a bakery as well as a place to get a quality beef tenderloin steak, plenty of veggies and a nice glass of wine. The funny thing is that I don't bake. I cook off the top of my head - following recipes is like electrical engineering to me. However, recently I've been experimenting and did make a quite decent French country loaf which weighed in at about 5 lbs. Next time I'll form the dough into smaller boules. I've also found an excellent baguette recipe and more importantly I have found there is something therapeutic about kneading dough: put it in the bowl of the Kitchen Aid, attach the dough hook, turn it on and read a book for 15 minutes. Therapy indeed.
The only person I've yet to talk about is our Wuzzy Fuzzy. Let me keep this short by saying that "Everyone loves the Wuz". We cannot walk him without being stopped and interrogated, Wuzzy photoed and caressed. When Sjaantje, Henk and Wuzzy venture to our local grocery to buy ice cream five minutes before closing time, all but one of the clerks come out to fondle our bear - who is wimpishly crying because he's tied to the outside pole. Such a big and loveable baby.
So that's our life. We couldn't possibly be in a better place.
Big kiss -
Wend
