Gruezi!!!

Gruezi is the extent of many of my conversations here. It is the same as saying Hello to persons you pass by. We are looking into language school as I am saying Sprechen zie Engliche, Bitte? far too often. And laugh at me if you will but I do introduce myself as Frau Olson fairly often - or am called such. When in Rome..... Names are important here and typically one is not on a first name basis until invited to be so. A little more formal. It has been a strange week - the Swiss Nat'l Holiday was Aug. 1st (like our Indep. Day) so Mon. was at the grocery to make sure we had essentials 'til Wed. - think Safeway or HyVee during Thanksgiving week. Bart was off that day (no US holidays off here except Christmas - rest are Swiss) and and upon a walk up behind our place, we found the source of the occasional odors - a riding stable up the hill. And here I was blaming the goats and cows.
We got our Satellite up and running yesterday - Skye out of the UK. We put it on the Disney Channel and Rachel was so excited she says "It's so cool, it's in English!" She's not the only one feeling language deprivation. I must admit though, after 3 weeks of hardly any TV, I'm already ready to pull the plug on their viewing!
It's rainy and cool. A nice change. Keeps the bugs away for a while. BIG Misconception here - in Europe (generalizing) they claim (as they did to us when we commented on the lack of window screens) to not have bug problems like in the United States. The only problem they don't have is mosquitoes that carry West Nile Virus or Malaria! They STILL HAVE all the same bugs and just live with them (admittedly a few less mosquitoes). I think must be the reason too for many of the sheer/lace drape linings - to keep a number of bugs out. We have all had bites - Bart and I are certain they are spider bites - but our moving in and cleaning up seems to have diminished the number of insects residing in quarters with us. My bro-in-law, Claus the Dr., says in his wonderful (and yes it is wonderful) German accent "This is a good thing to have the Daddy long-legs in your house, it means the environment where you live is very healthy and clean that they would want to live there." OK - so I will resist the urge to run around with the spray bottle of chemical pollutants inside (but I did on the outside perimeter of the house). Prob. doesn't help that a portion of our place is underground and surrounded by overgrown vegetation! That is the reason also the girls got their own little straw broom - so they could "wap" at the bugs on their own - besides keeping their floors swept up.
Have to get breakfast - Most of you reading this were still cosy in bed!