I am happy with my warm and colorful Wordless Wednesday this week. Summer is finally approaching…
To check out more summer bliss and colors, swing by Jude’s blog for her Garden Challenge, or see what summer prompts at The Daily Post. 🙂
Happy Wednesday and don’t forget to smell the flowers!
One of the big advantages of a house and pet sitting lifestyle is that you have the chance to live in different places with every assignment. While we primarily prefer longer term sits for our own comfort, sense of settling in and being able to concentrate on work projects without having to move constantly, we also enjoy being immersed in a new area and having plenty of opportunity and time to explore its surroundings during the weekends.
Recently, our temporary dog Jenny needed new food from a pet food store quite a drive from here. Dave’s Soda and Pet City (interesting name for a pet food store) has a location in the city of Northampton, where other chores could be accomplished, and where neither of us had been before. We decided to combine the necessary with the pleasant and explored the college town around noon on a Saturday.
In the cold and rain
We wait in vain
For summer to maintain
And revoke winter pain
Submitted to Six Word Saturday
Every month, I post a report of our expenses to show that it is possible to live a comfortable, exciting and relatively adventurous life without being rich. Or even without owning/earning a lot of money. That being said, Mark and I seem to manage one big expense a month for some reason, whether it is car, plane, travel or computer-related. Luckily, we live totally rent-free and in comfort, wherever we end up. 🙂
This report includes ALL of our expenses, for the two of us. Under groceries we incorporate all the food, produce and non-alcoholic drinks (100% orange juice, oat milk for Mark and organic 2% milk for me) predominantly bought in supermarkets. Dining out means eating at a restaurant and/or take-out food. The health category covers medicines and Mark's vitamins and supplements. Utilities are always phone and Skype-related, now that our internet is free.
We have added a new expense category in May: charity. From now on, we will donate $10 a month to the animal sanctuary Best Friends. And, maybe, one day we will even adopt one of their rescue dogs. We both read a book about this amazing no-kill sanctuary in Utah years ago and the stories of the animals and caretakers still have a place in our hearts.
Here is an overview of our expenses in May. The amount I spent in Belgium is relatively low, thanks to the hospitality and generosity of my parents. It includes 150 dollars worth of chocolate goods I brought back to the US. Yum!
On my final day in Belgium, I did not pack my bags, raid the grocery store for chocolate and pay a last visit to my 96-year-old grandma, like I usually do. I had squeezed all that into the previous day. No, this year, my final day was spent with my mom, going on a daytrip to Luik by train.
Luik might be better known as Liège, since it is located in Wallonia, the French-speaking part of Belgium. The Germans of our country call it Lüttich. Yes, we have three official languages in this tiny country, none of which is English. This can cause some confusion with visitors, who have no idea that these three names actually are the same city.
Not if I keep giving it all away… 🙂
This is my tasty contribution to Six Word Saturday this week.
I’ve mentioned before that one of the nicest things about the A-Z Blogging Challenge was meeting a bunch of interesting people online through stories and comments. That I would actually meet one of these blogging travelers in person a month later came as an unexpected bonus!
The second half of April, I discovered Jaye and Dan’s blog “Life Afloat”, where she writes about her minimalistic life on their 33’ sailboat Cinderella. I learned that, over the summer, she and her husband would crew on the tall ship El Galeon a second time. This life-size replica of a Spanish galleon would pull into Newburyport over Memorial Day weekend. And the rest was history as they say…
With our “off duty” tour guides Jaye and Dan in front of the tall ship El Galeon
Submitted to Wordless Wednesday
To many it came as a surprise that, all of a sudden, I showed up in Belgium. It was only May, and I had “just” been there, eight months prior. At times, it even felt as if I never left. Usually, I visit my home country once a year, or every other year, based on my current location. Why was I going back so soon? Because I craved spring and it refused to arrive in Heath, MA! 🙂
In the past, visiting Belgium had multiple purposes, ranging from special events (like weddings and birthdays) to medical reasons to having been away too long already, in combination with needing a break from the challenging boat life. And, I always preferred to go to Europe during the summer for the nicer weather and delightful atmosphere of high-spirited people, fun festivals and sunny café patios. Continue reading
Gate in the Belgian countryside
Here are other Wordless Wednesday submissions.
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