Happy New Year MMXI !

I saw this on PeaceLove Yoga's blog and love it!

Happy New Year, my friend!

May 2011 bring health, joy, peace and ease to your life. 

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Meeting the OM

If you have ever taken Professor Einhorn’s Cultural Anthropology class, you are familiar with her unique assignments.  All of them require stepping out of your comfort zone and experiencing something completely different from what you are used to.  For example, the assignment where she asks to visit a spiritual service of any kind—just not the kind you already know.

Terrible procrastination of this assignment on my part almost made me miss out on a wondrous experience.  One day before the paper was due I frantically searched the internet for ANY kind of service in the area that was offered the same day.  The Hindu Temple in Sunnyvale came to the paper’s (and my) rescue…

Please read in the following about my one-of-a-kind first encounter with Hinduism—and chai for that matter!

My first impression of the temple was rather sobering.  While most Christian churches are recognizable as such from the outside, this temple looked at first glance like a mixture of a single-story office complex and a warehouse.  If it wouldn’t have been for the signs in Sanskrit and large shoe racks in front of the entrance, I may have missed it.  The shoe racks were another surprise.  Everyone who enters the temple is asked to take off their shoes.  This made sense as soon as I entered and saw that the floors were carpeted throughout and there were no chairs or pews.  The main room was huge, with a wide open space in the middle and altars of different sizes along the walls. 

I looked around the altars, each of which had several figures, and sacrifices of fruit, honey, sugar and milk positioned on them.  The icons were very colorful and adorned with necklaces, flowers, and golden hairpieces.  Many of them also had incense sticks affixed to their bases that effused a sweet smell.  The temple was nearly empty, with only the priest, who was busy making phone calls, and a janitor who was vacuuming with an extremely noisy vacuum cleaner.  The priest was dressed in what looked like a white sari with a few golden emblems embroidered on it.  He had shoulder-long hair that was combed back with quite a bit of gel or oil.  I decided to ask the janitor about the Puja that I had hoped to attend, and he informed me that it had started earlier, before I had arrived.  I felt quite frustrated and somewhat at the wrong place, so I was getting ready to go home. 

However, things changed quite rapidly.  The janitor had a hard time speaking English but made a real effort to communicate with me.  Eventually he gestured me to follow him into another large hall, just adjacent to the one we’ve been.  He offered me tea mixed with milk [my first CHAI!!]—very good, very sweet, and spiced with what tasted like cardamom and ginger—and pointed to a table with chairs, while getting some traditional Indian sweets for me to taste.  Several other people came in, sat down with a cup of tea and had some sweets.  Among them, an Indian woman in her fifties, who started talking to me in very good English.  She introduced herself as “Banu.”  It turned out that she was a music teacher from Mumbai, who was visiting her daughter in Sunnyvale.  She said that she would come to the temple every day to sing Hindu hymns, and asked if I’d like to stay and listen, which of course, I was delighted to. 

I followed her back to the other hall where Banu started singing hymns.  She had a strong and clear voice and sang for a good hour, one hymn after the other, every now and then stopping to explain the lyrics to me, which were mostly tales that explained the virtues.  While Banu was singing, more and more people entered the temple.  After entering the building, each came forward to the main altar of the god Vishnu where a bell was attached about six feet above the ground.  Most of the followers rang the bell right as they came up front.  Banu explained that this is to make contact with the gods, to let them know “you are here.”  One elderly woman in particular drew my attention.  She was too small to reach the mallet of the bell with ease, so she took several attempts stretching and jumping until she finally was able to ring the bell loudly.  After ringing the bell, every visitor seemed to have his or her own ritual, touching different parts of the altar, alternating with different parts of their face and head.  They ended the ritual by bringing their forehead to the floor in a kneeling, some in prone position.  Then they sat down somewhere at the edge of the carpet and prayed, meditated or talked to each other. 

I was lucky enough to have stayed, as at noon another daily ritual, Aarti, took place which I was able to observe.  There were about 20 persons in the temple, mostly older and middle-aged adults, as well as two toddlers.  Goal of the Aarti, as most of Hindu rituals, is to receive purification from the gods.  The priest started with a hymn.  Everybody got up from the floor and came closer to the altar.  People took turns ringing the bell very loudly throughout the ritual.  The priest took the tray with the oil lamp from the altar and started moving it in circles in the air to the rhythm of the hymn.  He sat the tray down and one by one everyone picked up the tray and did as the priest had done.  Banu gestured me to follow her up front as she picked up the tray to have her turn.  This made me quite uncomfortable, especially when she leaned over to pass the tray to me.  She must have seen the slight horror in my face, and offered to do it along with me.  I had not expected to be more than a silent observer in the temple, and there I was—an active participant. 

Interesting enough, it seemed as if I was the only one who thought that I was somewhat misplaced.  Everybody else treated me like I was a regular at the temple.  Nobody gave me strange looks or tried to exclude me from any part of the ritual.  The service was said and sung completely in Sanskrit, so I had no idea what the hymns and the sermon meant. 

Then everybody lined up to receive a teaspoon of water mixed with oil and safran in their hands, as well as a piece of fruit that had been offered to the gods at the Puja before and that were now regarded sacred.  Banu prompted me to get in line with her, and so I received those goods as well.  People dispersed soon after they had received the fluid and fruit.  Some were headed to the adjacent hall for tea and sweets, some went to their cars.  I stood outside with Banu for a while and she patiently answered all of my questions before we said good-bye.

During this 2 1/2-hour visit, not only did I learn quite a few details about Hinduism, but I actually experienced one of the key values of the Hindu worldview—acceptance of every living thing.  Although I was a total stranger and felt misplaced first in the temple that looked and felt so different, I enjoyed hospitality and inclusion without any further expectations towards me.  As I was leaving the parking lot, an elderly woman in her traditional sari was waving me good-bye with a big smile on her face, as did the janitor who was standing on the sidewalk. 

I wished all learning would be exhilarating like this!

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Leben an der Spalte, Teil 1



Nichts wie raus!  Seit Tagen hielt es uns unweigerlich im Haus da die Alternative sehr nass, kalt und windig aussah.  Heute gab es etwas Zuversicht am Himmel, also Regenjacken an und los geht’s!  Oder?

Immer mit der Ruhe, mein Freund.  Wir sprechen hier davon vier Kinder aus dem Haus zu bekommen.  Noch dazu vier Kinder die die letzten paar Tage warm eingemummelt auf dem Sofa und um den Kuechenherd herum verbracht haben.  Raus ins Kalte?  Noeee, danke!  Lieber nicht.  Ich muss da glaub ich noch schnell an meinem Puzzle weiter machen…noch ein paar Seiten lesen…einen neuen high score am Wii aufstellen…irgendwas…blos nicht raus! 

Doch heute hatte ich einen Trumpf in der Hand den niemand abzuweisen vermochte:  Oma’s Paket!  Ja, diese mit den vermeintlich schoensten Weihnachtsgeschenken gespickte Kiste, die in mittlerweile ueber 4 Wochen die lange Reise ueber den grossen Teich immer noch nicht abgeschlossen hat—und indes von ihrem Nachfolger ueberholt wurde—koennte ja eventuell heute eintreffen.  Falls niemand zuhause ist wenn die nette Dame von der Post klingelt, ist guter Rat teuer.  Also: 

ALLEMAN RAUS INS AUTO, ODER WIR SIND NICHT ZURUECK BEVOR DIE POSTFRAU KOMMT!!

Das wirkte! 

Etwas Gekreische und Gewimmer hier und da, fehlende Schuhe, unauffindbare Regenjacken,  verschollene Fahrradhelme—nichts half.  Heute gehen wir an die frische Luft!

20 Minuten ueber den windigen Highway, durch Regenschauer und an mehreren hartgesottenen Fahrradfahrern und zukuenftigen Marathonlaeufern auf der Landstrasse vorbei, und wir kamen bei den Crystal Springs Lakes an.  Wer sich etwas mit der Geographie, Geologie und vor allem Tektonik der Bay Area auskennt, weiss dass es sich bei den beiden Seen um den mit Stauwasser gefuellten San Andreas Graben handelt.  Selbiger ist der Grund warum hier die Erde eigentlich staendig, wenn auch meist unmerklich bebt.  Ich werde in Kuerze einen zweiten Teil zu diesem Thema verfassen, der sich etwas mehr mit den Freuden und Sorgen vom Leben an der Spalte befassen wird.  Doch jetzt zurueck zu unserem Ausflug.

        

Was haette man nach Tagen des Dauerregens auch anderes erwarten koennen?  Schoene grosse Pfuetzen, rauschende Wildbaeche gespeist vom gesammelten Regenwasser der umliegenden Gipfel, und aufgeweichte, matschige Haenge.  Ein Paradies wenn man Gummistiefel anhat!

Ploetzlich war alle Muedigkeit vergessen.  Mit Fahrrad, Skateboard und zu Fuss ging es los, den geteerten aber von Erdbebenaktivitaet stark gezeichneten Weg am Rande der Seen entlang.  Wer haette gedacht, dass ich sogar noch ein paar hundert Meter Joggen in Verfolgung der Suessen in diesem Ausflug unterbringen koennte?

      

Die Maedels genossen die grossen Pfuetzen in vollen Zuegen und ich war unweigerlich an die schier unendlich grosse (zumindest mit Kinderaugen gesehen) Maehdachwiese, nur ein paar Schritte von meinem Elternhaus entfernt, erinnert.  Ein Bach fliesst durch das riesige Wiesengelaende.  Meist tut er das unterirdisch, aber im Herbst und Winter steht die ganze Wiese voll mit schoenen grossen Matschpfuetzen in denen es sich herrlich spielen liess.  Viele Stunden meiner Kindheit verbrachte ich mit meinen Schwestern und Freunden in und um diese Wasserlachen.

Auch heute war das Wasser um uns ein riesen Erfolg.  Der wunderschoene Ausblick ueber die Seen und angrenzenden Waelder war fast so schoen wie der meiner vier Erdferkel die keine Pfuetze und kein Matschloch ausliessen…  Trotz schlussendlich wassergefuellter Gummistiefeln hatten wir ein riesen Spass.

Und Oma’s Paket?  Das kam leider immer noch nicht.  Dies kann nur eins heissen—morgen geht’s wieder raus!  Und besser ohne Troedeln, denn wer weiss ob wir sonst wieder zuhause sind bis die Postfrau klingelt?!

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Guest Blog: CHAI! - Part 2

Dear reader,

Please give some love to my friend and guest blogger, herbalist and yogi Dagmar Jones!

Born and raised in Germany, Dagmar has been a resident of Central Florida for more than 20 years, where she lives with her husband and two children on their organic orange grove.  Organic produce and herbs are her passion and she is fortunate enough to have made it her profession as well.  I invite you to meet her inspiring and energetic personality!

Here is Dagmar’s take on the ingredients of chai tea—from an herbalist’s perspective.

	Cardamom: The parts used of the cardamom plant for herbal actions are the seeds.  Seeds are obtained from commercial plants in Sri Lanka and India.  Cardamom is a very valuable culinary herb used extensively in India to relieve flatulent dyspepsia and griping pains.  If chewed before a meal, cardamom will stimulate the appetite and the flow of saliva.
	Ginger: The ginger rootstock is dug up when the leaves have dried.  (As a side note, it is very easy to grow your own ginger.  When you purchase ginger from the grocery store and notice a small shoot appearing, set the ginger into a pot of soil and water gently every day.  The shoots will grow into leaves and the root will multiply underneath the soil.  There is nothing like fresh ginger!).  The remains from the stem and root fibers should be removed.  Wash thoroughly and dry in the sun.  Ginger is a wonderful herb for the stimulation of the peripheral circulation.  During fevers, ginger acts as a useful diaphoretic, promoting perspiration.   As a carminative, it promotes gastric secretion and is used in dyspepsia, flatulence and colic.
	Cinnamon: The dried inner bark of the cinnamon shoots are used to make what we know as cinnamon sticks or cinnamon powder.  Cinnamon is a strong carminative.  It relieves nausea and vomiting.  Because of its mild astringency, it can be used to relieve diarrhea as well.  Cinnamon is known to balance blood sugar levels in the body.
	Cloves: The parts used for herbal action are the unexpanded flower buds.  Cloves increase circulation, promote digestion and nutrition, raise the body temperature and stimulate the excretory organs.  It also stimulates and disinfects the kidneys, skin, liver, and bronchial mucous membrane.  It is the most powerful of the aromatic and carminative herbs.  Cloves are also indicated for cold extremities, colic, flatulence and indigestion.

Chai tea contains a lot less caffeine than coffee, so it is a great alternative for people who enjoy stimulants throughout their day.  The Black tea that is used to make chai has antioxidant properties.  The spices or culinary herbs used in chai tea are all digestive aids, as Ayurvedic medicine (the ancient Indian medical system where chai tea originated) maintains that a healthy digestion is the key to overall health and well-being.  Ayurveda speaks of the digestive fire ("agni") which should be burning all day long to aid digestion and proper absorption of nutrients.  For that reason, Ayurveda frowns on cold and iced drinks as the cold is said to put out agni.  Chai tea aids in the digestive fire being strong all day and is a great beverage upon rising to prepare the body for the assimilation of nutrients as well as after meals to combat flatulence, balance and support digestion of the body.

Read more about Dagmar the herbalist and yoga instructor, as well as her Greener Living Co-op , and organic veggie and fruit delivery service.

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CHAI!

Yoga class this morning held a special treat—a fellow yogi who regularly “ommm”s loudly in the most dissonant interval.  I’m always glad to see her because I know she will bring a big smile to my face at the end of class.  Namaste!

Now it’s time for—yes, finally—a CHAI!

My search for the perfect recipe to cook up a chai from scratch is over.  For the last week my kitchen was transformed into a test lab and I did not even shy away from endangering my health to find that perfect mix.  While I enjoy spicy food (well, to a certain degree that is), it turned out that I seem to be more simple natured when it comes to chai.  Even after an extensive test phase, I ended liking the recipe I started out with the best.

[insert drumroll]

My #1 chai recipe—slightly adapted from Chai & Yoga’s blog website:

Ingredients:
2 cups of water
3 green cardamom pods
1 tsp black tea (I use loose Taj Mahal’s Orange Pekoe tea)
1 tbsp fresh ginger
2 cups nonfat or 2% milk

Instructions:
Crush cardamom and ginger with a pestle and mortar. (If you don’t have one, open the cardamom pods with your fingers and smash the ginger with the back of a knife.) Bring water, cardamom and ginger to a boil.
When the water starts to simmer add the tea and stir, then add the milk. Bring to a boil again, watching the pot carefully.  Simmer for about 3 minutes or until the color looks satisfactory, depending on how strong you like your chai.  I find the Taj Mahal tea to be very strong, so I reduced the original amount of tea from 3tsp to 1 tsp.  You may want to use more than 1 tsp, depending on your tea and preference.
Pick out big pieces of ginger with a spoon, then strain the chai into cups.  Enjoy sweetened or just like this, the latter is my personal preference.

The preparation alone is a pleasure for the senses.  Crushed cardamom pods, fresh ginger…mmhhhh!  I find I’m craving ginger even in food now.  Maybe I should get myself analyzed by an Ayurvedic practitioner one of these days.

At day 1 of the test phase, my friend Sabine from Santa Cruz stopped by and I offered her a taste of my #1 recipe.  She liked it and we exchanged ideas and recipes over the following days.  She sent me her favorite formula which, of course, I had to try.  Now, my dear reader, I mentioned that Sabine lives in Santa Cruz.  If this doesn’t mean anything to you, click here to see a typical citizen of Santa Cruz.  These people are hardcore in any way nature intended!  I noticed at first glance that Sabine’s recipe compared to mine had about twice the amount of spices, plus some additional ones with only half the amount of liquid, but hey—nothing would stop me from finding the perfect mix, right?!  I paid the price.  Big time.  The most awful heartburn haunted me for the rest of the day…  Have you ever been to a yoga class where the teacher asks you to go just a little bit deeper into the pose and engage in just a little more ujjayi breathing to fuel the fire in your body?  If you want to feel said fire in your stomach and esophagus without stretching a single muscle, cook up a cup or two of Sabine’s chai recipe, which she says she got from Yogi Tea.  Now feel the fire!!

Real Masala Chai Latte

Ingredients:

- 1 1/2 cups of water

- 8 green cardamom pods

- 2 slices fresh ginger, peel

- 1 stick of cinnamon, 2 inches long

- 2 whole cloves

- 2/3 cups of whole milk or low fat

- 3 tsp of loose Assam Tea

- 2 Tbs of Agave Syrup

[Since Agave syrup is fallen from grace these days, Sabine suggests using honey instead.]

Instructions:

1) Crush the cardamom and cloves together until the cardamom pods open up.

2) Put the water and spices into a pot and bring to a boil.

3) Simmer for 5min.

4) Add the milk and Tea and bring mixture to almost boiling and turn off the heat.

5) Allow the brew to infuse the tea for about 2-3 min.

6) Strain the chai, add 1Tbs of sweetener to each cup, stir and enjoy!

No matter if lots of spices or only a small selection strike your taste buds, chai is always worth an inspiring and balancing break—especially if you’re in need of some inner fire. 

Go ahead, my friend, give it a try!

On a side note:  I have not had any coffee for the past week.  This is weird, since I’m usually a 'once to twice a day' coffee aficionada.  For some reason the desire to even open the coffee jar has plummeted to below zero these days.  Maybe next time I’ll try to add a piece of ginger…

Keep your eyes peeled for part 2 of our excursions into the world of chai—this time by guest blogger, herbalist and yogi Dagmar Jones.

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Holiday Cheer

(my parents' backyard in Germany these days)



Frohe Weihnachten & Merry Christmas, my friend!

It's Christmas Day. I'm sitting at the kitchen table typing, while my two daughters decorate gingerbreadmen. Actually, they are gingerbread-girls as I was forcefully informed. I'm itching to get out of the house. A nice hike would be awesome right now. In fact, I think that's what I'm going to do. Yay!

I received quite a few holiday-emails and cards in the past couple of days, also from friends and family in Europe. Thanks to all of you. While I'm glad I missed out on the long lines at the airport, canceled flights, and piles of snow to shovel, I sure wished I could share the white Christmas with you. Bay Area Christmas weather just never seems satisfactory if you grew up in need of Gluehwein to keep your core temperature somwhere close to 37⁰ Celsius at this time of year (if you're not sure what I'm referring to, check out the previous post). In fact, I moved here in December, 11 years ago. The weather had been lousy in Germany at that time, and I arrived at SFO with an awful cold and wrapped up in layers and layers of clothes. The first day, I took my then 2-years-old son to the playground where children played barefeet--yes, BAREFEET!!--in the sand. Talk about culture shock!

No, let's just talk about culture for now, without the shock. Yesterday I made Brataepfel (baked apples), like I always do on Christmas Eve, because that's what my mom does on Christmas Eve and probably my two sisters do as well. It's almost like a pandemic of Brataepfel cooking. One of my daughters commented last night "Mama, hier riecht es nach Weihnachten!" ("Mom, it smells like Christmas here.") Well, it looks like the next generation of Brataepfel cooks has arrived! See the picture below for my creation from yesterday. Just imagine them smothered in a pile of whipped cream. Mmmhhhhhhhhh!!

(Do you wonder how I managed to get the soft-edged, blurry-frame effect around this photo? I do, too. I awkwardly fumbled around with my camera, covering the lense with one sweaty palm--next thing I know is the photo turned out like this...)

It even appears that I am getting used to blogging over the holidays. I was warned by more experienced bloggers, that it has addictive properties and "checking the blog" would become a first priority. Well, I don't know, I'm still figuring out the technical side of it. So many colorful buttons to press! I discovered one yesterday, that I think is very cool: the "stats" tab. Clicking on it will give me a list of the activitiy on the blog--hourly. The pressure is on, my friend, make that click to view this blog--it'll show!

Oh, and even better, it gives a list of countries the blog has been accessed from and shades those countries dark on a map of the world. Now that's were the fun really starts. The U.S. is in first place so far, followed by Germany, Czech Republic (Hi Kate, I hope you have an awesome, well-deserved vacation with your family!), and Malaysia. That's odd. I don't know anybody in Malaysia. Somebody traveling? I'd love to see photos!

So much for this Christmas Day post. I'm off to the outdoors! That's one reason to love Northern California for sure. I'm also feverishly experimenting with chai (see my first post in German for details, or simply know that I'm on the verge of discovering the most delicious recipe for chai from scratch). I'll share as soon as I found it. And I'm also seeing a guest post or two in the near future of this blog--inspired by the muses!

Have a beautiful day, filled with warm fuzzy thoughts,

Ute

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Süsse Freiheit

Alle Jahre Wieder...

Weihnachtslichter-Segen auf Hudson Street (einen Block von uns)

Lieber Leser, Dies ist die erste Blog-Post meines ersten Blogs. Sei lieb zu ihr. Es ist drei Tage vor Weihnachten. 11 1/2 Monate nonstop Vollzeit-Studium liegen hinter mir. Seit fast einer Woche gibt es nun endlich eine Pause--Weihnachtsferien! Süsse Freiheit! Zeit sich inspirieren zu lassen und Neues auszuprobieren. Was liegt da naeher als zu schreiben? Das mache ich ja sowieso zur Genuege--essays, research papers, reports, case studies, care plans, study guides,... Aber diesmal soll das Schreiben etwas spassiger werden, denn durch all die viele ungewohnte Freizeit jetzt bin ich von der Muse geküsst worden! Ein bisschen jedenfalls. Turbulent geht's bei uns trotz süsser Freiheit zu, denn ausser mir haben auch alle vier Kinder Ferien. Nachdem wir vor 2 1/2 Jahren aufgehoert haben zu home-schoolen bin ich mit dem Geraeuschpegel und der Fuelle an dringenden Beduerfnissen erstmal wieder ziemlich (über)ge-fordert. Puh! Gut dass der Regen gerade nachgelassen hat und alleman draussen im Garten das Laub unserer vier dicken Eichen aufrechen durften. Das daemmte die überschiessende Energie wenigstens etwas ein, und renkte mir fast den Ruecken aus... Was gibt's nun also zu tun für die naechsten fast fünf Wochen?

• Lernen, lernen, lernen! Mein letztes Semester Nursing School an der San Francisco State University steht bevor, und damit auch das Staatsexamen, der NCLEX-RN, im Juni. Das will natuerlich laengerfristig vorbereitet werden, denn durchzufallen ist nicht nur peinlich, sondern auch recht kostspielig.
• Entspannen, entspannen, entspannen! Denn es sind ja schliesslich Ferien. Aber irgendwie habe ich das Gefuehl als ob das erst nach dem 3. Januar 2011 der Fall sein wird, wenn die Schule fuer alle unter 150cm wieder beginnt.
• Feiertage. Da gibt es vorzubereiten, zu kochen, zu feiern, und vor allem die Nerven zu behalten.
• Lesen. So viele gute Buecher warten auf mich! Aus diesem Blickwinkel betrachtet, moechte ich doch noch gerne ein paar Regentage extra bestellen.
• Yoga. Mein Lebensretter durch das letzte Jahr, vor allem die letzten Monate, in denen ich relativ regelmaessig fruehmorgens um 5:30Uhr ein Stuendchen damit verbrachte. Was ich dabei an Balance nicht habe, kann ich meist mit Flexibilitaet aussgleichen--ganz wie im Leben generell. Meine neueste Errungenschaft: Kopfstand (ohne jegliche Hilfe). Das freut mich diebisch, denn das habe ich selbst als junger Huepfer noch nie gekonnt. Jetzt, mit 38 Jahren, sieht die Welt wundersam anders aus wenn man sie andersherum betrachtet.
• Chai, ein weiterer Musenkuss. In einem anderen Blog habe ich heute ein Rezept fuer selbstgemachten Chai gelesen das mich so begeistert hat, dass ich gleich in den Laden ging und mir die Zutaten--Schwarztee, Kardamom, und frischen Ingwer--besorgte. Ab morgen geht es los, ich braue meinen eigenen! Mal sehen ob es eine Alternative zu meinem gruenen Jasmintee wird.
• Dieser Blog. Das duerfte interessant werden aus mehreren Gruenden. Ich schreibe mittlerweile deutlich mehr auf Englisch als auf Deutsch, was mit Anlass war hier in beiden Sprachen zu schreiben. Mein Deutsch scheint mir oft schon ein bisschen rostig und meine Rechtschreibung fragwuerdig. Es kann damit also nur bergauf gehen! Interessant wird auch zu sehen wie regelmaessig ich zum Schreiben komme mit Semesterbeginn Ende Januar, und der wilden Bande hier zuhause. In den naechsten Wochen klappt das hoffentlich haeufiger.
• Umlaute. Ich moechte gerne lernen wie ich die Umlaute auf der amerikanischen Tastatur mit shortcuts benutzen kann. Hat da vielleicht jemand einen heissen Tip?

Wie ihr seht, liebe Freunde von ueberall verstreut auf der Welt, es gibt eine Menge zu tun und eigentlich klingt das alles hier sehr spassig.
Kein Wunder--ich hab ja auch Ferien!
Herzliche Gruesse und einen angenehmen Rest-Advent,

Ute

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