August 2005 Archives

Czechs love free stuff. I don't know if it's a Slavic thing or something that came from the decades of Communism, but people really dig frees stuff (I don't think "all you can eat" buffets would be a viable business model there). The cool thing is, that come summer and fall, there is lots of free stuff growing out in the meadows and forests. Especially on weekends, you can see people descending onto the country side with buckets (for berries) and wicker baskets (for mushrooms) and returns with pounds of fruit and fungi.

During our week in Stankove, we got to pick wild raspberries, forest strawberries, blueberries and mushrooms. We also saw blackberries, mountain cranberries (lingonberries), and hasel nuts, but none of those were in season yet. And that doesn't count the fruit trees that no one seems to be tending anymore but that continue to bear fruit (unfortunately it was too late for cheries and to early for apples and pears).

When a cousin-in-law inquired what's growing wild that's worth picking in Texas I could see the pity in his eyes when I said pretty much nothing. Then I mentioned that you could pick prickle pear leaves (I forgot about pecans) but I could see that he wasn't quite buying it. And I didn't even confess that you might get shot for trespassing...

During my home-alone weekend, I've been tasked with starting to baby proof the house -- power outlets and cabinet latches, for now. I'd also like to be able to block access to the DVD player and DVR that Magda is interested in. I'm thinking that I could attach an acrylic sheet wich would hopefully keep little hands out while allowing the remote controls to function.

You'd think that Home Depot would be carrying acrylic sheets, but they don't seem to. So I'm looking around for other possibilities and check out the Cathedral Stained Glass web site and whose picture do I find on their store page? Why it's Jennifer and me! I think this picture is from a couple of years ago when we were there looking for stain glass patterns for my mom.

BTW, CSG does not carry acrylic sheeting...

Our new bedroom furniture arrived last week, replacing my stuff I got second hand while still in college (or maybe just out of college). We got it from Furniture in the Raw, but being realistic about our spare time and abilities, decided to let them finish it for us in a nice warm two-tone color scheme; well, about as warm as you can get with oak (one of my least favorite woods). They did a decent enough job, though.

The most important thing, however, was delivered only yesterday: our very own, big ass king-sized mattress. I had always viewed king sized beds as excessively opulent pieces of furniture (it's the bed equivallent of a Hummer), but that was before I had to share my bed with a space-hogging wife and a squirmy infant. Sure, the bed is huge -- you almost need a step-ladder to get on top of the fancy mattress -- but this means that we can all sleep in peace and that the 25% of the bed that I get to call my own is wide enough for me to actually sleep in different positions.

I'm still waiting for Magda to say "Mama" again (maybe it was a fluke?), but she seems to have mastered a new word - "Woof!" Magda doesn't just say it, she jerks her entire body when she woofs like a dog.

I'd noticed it before, but she really got into it on Wednesday at our first obedience class for Rose (yes, it appears we have a new family member - my earlier claims to the contrary notwithstanding). When "Fred", with whom the teacher demonstrated the concepts, started barking, Magda barked right back. She did it repeatedly and with verve and the instructor had more luck with getting Fred to stop barking than us with Magda.

Magda barks in the park when she sees a group of dogs, she does it when Homer and Rose bark around, and, according to Jennifer, she's done it when she sees a drawing of a dog in one of her books.

Magda has had a couple of firsts since our return from vacation. On Thursday, I had called home about something and Jfer told me she was about to call me that Magda has sat up on her own after her nap -- for the very first time! And sure enough, the next morning while I was sleeping in, Magda woke me up with ther babble, turned on her side and casually pushed herself up into a sitting position. Maybe it only works on the bed right now, but it's still pretty cool. She's getting much more coordinated and her upper body strength has increased noticeably.

During our vacation Magda had become more and more chatty. Maybe it was because all those people were talking to her in a variety of languages, but she often babbles up a storm. Pretty much all of it is uninteligible, but it's getting more varied than the "ta ta" sound she'd been making pretty much from the get go. Jennifer told me all excitedly yesterday that she had heard Magda add the "ma ma" sound to her babble. Still, most of that seems random and without meaning.

Last night when I was supposed to be getting Magda into her PJs, but was instead playing with her on the bed, Jennifer snuck into the bedroom and peeked over the edge of the bed. When Magda noticed her, she lit up and clearly said "mama, mama!"

I'll backdate the entries about our vacation, but here's the overview of stuff we've done (since this blog tends to serve as my long-term memory).

Tue, Jul 19/20

Trip from Austin (10AM) via Chicago and London to Prague (Noon). Everything went surprisingly smooth and Magda was great.

Wed, Jul 20

Arrival in Prague. Visit from cousins Jana, Hanka and Alena, visit to grocery shop for comfort foods. Pleasant dinner with the cousins and Martina, Urs and Dominik.

Thu, Jul 21

First trip into Prague, cold and dreary. Some shopping. Visit at Hanka's and a way-too-late dinner in town.

Fri, Jul 22

Another trip to Prague with more shopping. Visit to the Museum of Czech Comunism, some of which brought back old memories (like the class room). Dinner at yummy pizza place and a reasonable bed time.

Sat, Jul 23

Trip to Staňkov -- through detour-from-hell around Jičín. Meeting up with family. Pig roast and celebration of my parents' 60th birthdays with lots of family, friends and locals.

Sun, Jul 24

Hike to Pecka for a family lunch at nice restaurant. Hike to St. Mary Magdalene church for Mass (the feast day od St. MM -- and thus Magda's name's day -- had been on Friday). Relaxing evening as most of visitors leave.

Mon, Jul 25

Very successful mushroom hunting in the morning with Mom and Dad. Bike trip in the afternoon (it's only going to be a few miles -- yeah, right!)

Tue, Jul 26

Trip to the Giant Mountains. Hike to the spring of the Elbe and down to Špindlerův Mlýn and, unplanned, back up to Horní Mísečky (look kids, the chairlift is not running today...)

Wed, Jul 27

Trip to Jitrava and visit with the Krajl clan. Climb up the White Rocks. Saussage and "snake bread" over camp fire.

Thu, Jul 28

Go swimming in Hrádek nad Nisou and then head back to Staňkov.

Fri, Jul 29

Some more Mushrrom hunting and another trip to the pool.

Sat, Jul 30

Day trip to Prachovské skály and Jičín -- just the three of us.

Sun, Jul 31

Trip back to Prague. Afternoon downtown walk (and shopping) with parents.

Mon, Aug 1

Trip back to the USA.

In retrospect, we were pretty busy most of the time. But it was out in the country and with family, so we still managed to relax.