Tag Archives: living in Maine
How the Dutch can be second when America comes first
Dare to be proud
Recently I read a blog from a friend in the Netherlands, in which he admitted to be proud of himself. It got me thinking. I think here in the US people easier admit to be proud than in the Netherlands. There is an expression in Dutch that literally translates as: “Act normal, that’s crazy enough.” […]
Are the Elections, stomach bugs and organizing frenzy related?
An unexpected stomach bug came to visit me two days after the announcement of the unexpected new President of the United States. I don’t know if and how the two are related, I just know that on Veteran’s Day I spent my entire day and night alternating between sleeping and puking. On Saturday I felt […]
Why taking down the screens isn’t a 10-minute job
November. The leaves are falling. We had a beautiful summer and a gorgeous fall. But now it is getting cold. Northern Maine experienced the first snow fall this season already. The heat is back on. We are working on getting the house ‘winter ready’. The lawn chairs will be stacked and brought inside. The lawn […]
Being Dutch, becoming American: a good time for a tough decision?
And today? Today I just sat.
It was a regular Wednesday in the third week of school. Slowly, but surely, we all got into our normal routine and in the rhythm of the ‘normal’ week. Husband went to work like usual, kids went to school, and their afterschool activities as piano, Robotics, soccer, cross country and fencing. And I? I make […]
Line drying laundry as an easy way to reflect
I pride myself in being ‘earth conscious’: having solar panels, and energy efficient appliances, doing composting and recycling, and during the summer I line-dry most of my laundry. There is something deeply satisfying about doing laundry that way: I plan it in the morning, so the laundry has all day to dry. That first morning […]