Oh, well

... so I have spent almost half a year  roaming through Sweden, Poland and Spain - in person and virtually... only to do about face some two weeks ago, deciding to move to Central America for a while, workin part time ... in Belize again and then living for a while in Playa del Carmen, near Cancun in Mexico.

So some new adventures on the new continent await... while Europe needs to wait for me a little bit longer, again.

The Path to Prosperity?

I moved to the USA first time about 30 years ago. During this time frame USA gradually ceased being a prosperous developed country and  became a third world country that it now is.  How sad!
Enormous wealth and income disparity, enormous differences in rights - and possibilities - of the privileged rich and the rapidly growing percent of the population that is poor and becoming even poorer.

Sweden might look cold and  in April - and weatherwise it is - but politically, socially, it is a much "warmer"  place for its citizens and residents than USA ever was.

The audacity of a Republican/Tea Party  budget that calls itself  " a path to prosperity" while shamelessly dismantling the crumbling remains of a social  system in the USA in the name of  "deficit reduction" while showering lower taxes on the rich - both individual and corporations.  Whew!  I am glad I made the decision to leave this country permanently and executed it swiftly: I now live in Europe, again.

I no longer need to personally worry about what is happening with Medicare: I won't be using it.
My only worry is the sinking dollar, as a part of my income is in this currency. And as dollar sinks further and further against the euro ( you have now to dish out almost $ 1.5 for one euro, while ten yers ago dollar was stronger than euro, and even 6 years ago an Economist prediction that a dollar would fall to 1.40 to an euro was greeted with utmost dibelief - that's how low Amarica fell!) the percentage of my total income in dollars shrinks, too.  Thanks heavens for strong Swedish crown ... though it does me no good in Sweden. :-(((
But at least its practically free health care makes me smile, as it saves me a bundle of dollars I do not have to spend on health care in America.

Cats now and then

My friend, Anna, an avid photographer and animal lover came for a visit and took this photo of Missy.

Then she let the cats out on the  balcony to "help me" with spring planting. That's how they are helping! By an unruly committee meeting! Missy and Tuno want chives to be planted everywhere. And all chives for them, none for me! Sweetie prefers catnip and cat grass, but is willing to share. Rascal is satisfied with my asiatic lilies, which came up in abundabce this year - he loves to chew on their leaves.

At least Sweetie took pity on my needs and  is pointing out that mint needs replanting and the hanging basket is waiting for fresh spring flowers. I agree with that! :-)

And that's how all four of them looked two years ago, in March of 2009, before leaving Puerto Rico. Time flies and cats become older.

Going back to Europe?

A typical street in a medieval city of Ystad in southernmost Sweden (photo by Magnus)

I think this might be the year to go back home, to Europe - for good.

To Sweden, Poland and Spain.

Why? One of the reasons would be nostalgia: I am a citizen of Sweden, I was born and raised in Poland. So if I have - again - taken a residence in the southernmost province of Sweden, Scania (Skane), I could enjoy it's picturesque charms,


its well preserved medieval towns, like Ystad or Simrishamn (photo above)
cheerfully coexisting with avant garde modern architecture, like this "Turning Torso" building in Malmo,

its quaint villages and bucolic landscapes,
its soft, sandy beaches with colorful beach huts, its proximity to "wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen"
Oresund bridge connecting Sweden with Denmark

(about one hour by car or train) , while being only 7 hours away (by ferry) from my first home country - Poland.

Old town square in my hometown of Poznan, Poland. This picture could have been taken from the windows of my old office in the research institute, Institute of Western Affairs, where I once worked.

And why Spain? Well, both Sweden and Poland are in the northern part of Europe and "suffer" long, cold winters, so in winter, i would do, what many retired Scandinavians do: move to southern Spain for a few months.

No, not to Costa del Sol, which is now overrun with - mostly - Brits, but to a more than 2000 years old pueblo blanco (white village) on the Granada's coast: Almunecar, or to neighboring Nerja or Salobrena.

A view of Almunecar

Those Spanish small towns and villages are winter havens for northern Europeans, who already constitute about 25% of their permanent population, while many more northern Europeans spend winters there renting flats or townhouses overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

Another reason, this one negative, is that I have grown disenchanted with America, which - especially tea party and republican America - seems to be now going full throttle into a wrong direction: toward more inequality, more uncaring about its citizens, who are allowed to be pawns of greedy insurance companies, "big pharma" etc. etc.

Tea partiers and republicans seam so eager to dismantle even the very, very modest (in comparison to Europe) social safety networks... that it makes me want to puke - and not stay in this country any longer.

Yes, I shall miss certain comforts of America, and - most of all - I shall miss a proximity to my daughter, who lives and works here. It won't be easy for me with advancing age to board a plane to USA to visit her, and it won't be easy for her to have to board a plane to visit me, as vacations in America are also far shorter than they are in Europe, but I hope that, perhaps, we could meet during her business trips to Europe, or... she, too, shall grow disenchanted with America and decide to go home to Europe.

Thanksgiving and my apartment... before I mess it up again.

Our Thanksgiving turkey - filled with herbs from my balcony: rosemary, thyme and oregano under skin and in neck cavity, salvia and rosemary, quartered lemons and onions in the body cavity, roasted on a bed of vegetables: onions, carrots, leeks and selery and basted with drippings and good Spanish sherry. Yumm.

(Since this post is dedicated to my Polish friends who asked about American Thanksgiving and typical American apartments, it will be mostly in Polish.)

Swieto Dziekczynienia w tym roku nie zaczelo sie najlepiej: Dosia przyjechala bardzo przeziebiona i odradzila mi wydanie $79 na turducken, czyli indyka nadziewanego kaczka, nadziewana kurczakiem, skoro bylysmy tylko my dwie.

Wiec kupilam stosunkowo malego jak na Ameryke, bo zaledwie 10 funtowego indyka, nadziewajac go - zgodnie z tradycja - ziolami (szalwia, rozmarynem, tymiankiem i oregano, tudziez cwiartkami cytryny i cebuli, a pod skore piersi - lekko poluzniona - wkladajac tez ziola z dodatkiem masla - dla dodania dodatkowego smaku i soczystosci miesu indyka. Indyka ulozylam w brytfance wylozonej mieszanka warzyw: marchewka, pory, seler (zielony) i cebula. W ten sposob soki z indyka, a takze mieszanka oliwy i sherry, jaka jest w trakcie pieczenia polewany, dodaje tym jarzynom swoistego smaku. Pieklam go jakies 3 godziny.

Our "typical, but healthy" Thanksgiving side dishes: mashed yams, green beans almondine, cranberry sauce and - a Polish element - cucumber sallad with dill and sour cream. I made gravy, too, a fabulous one, from scratch with sherry and turkey drippings...
but forgot to serve it!

W Ameryce istnieje kilka, a moze nawet kilkanascie - w zaleznosci od regionu - tradycyjnych dodatkow do indyka, takie jak tzw. slodkie ziemniaki (yams), zielona fasolka, sos z tutejszego odpowiednika borowek... Z reguly sa one jednak makabrycznie "wzbogacone" = szalenie wysokokaloryczne, wiec ja swoje "odchudzilam".

Zamiast zapiekanki z zielonej fasolki ze skondensowana zupa pieczarkowa, maslem i usmazona cebula - czyli dania, w ktorej ta nieszczesna zielona fasolka zostaje calkowicie odwitaminizowana, ja swoja fasolke zrobilam po francusku: krociutko obgotowana na parze posypujac przed podaniem podsmazonymi w odrobinie masla migdalami.

Uproscilam tez slodkie ziemniaki, po prostu gotujac je i miazdzac z dodatkiem odrobiny masla i smietanki, podajac z pietruszka, podczas gdy typowe amerykanskie swiateczne slodkie ziemniaki sa makabrycznie dosladzane syropem klonowym i dekorowane tzw. marshmallows, ktorych to polskiego odpowiednika nie znam.

Konfiture z tutejszych "borowek" i pomarancz z dodatkiem cukru, cynamonu, imbiru i gozdzikow usmazylam w tzw. "crock-pot" - trwa to wprawdzie az szesc godzin ale sie nie przypala i wypelnia mieszkanie swiatecznym zapachem.

I dodalam polski element: klasyczna mizerie ze smietana i duza iloscia koperku, ktory rosnie jak wsciekly na moim balkonie teraz, gdy sie nieco ochlodzilo. (Bo latem, gdy bylo goraco, nie chcial rosnac prawie wcale).

Acha: upichcilam tez - ambitnie! - typowy amerykanski sos do indyka: na wywarze z indyczej szyjki i podrobow, z dodatkiem sokow z pieczonego indyka, wzbogaconego dodatkowo sherry i smietana... ale, niestety, zapomnialam go podac ... a indyk byl tak soczysty, ze zadnej z nas sie nie przypomnialo. Nie ma straty: choc polowe resztek indyka udalo mi sie wcisnac Dosi przy jej dzisiejszym wyjezdzie, to i tak zostalo mi tych resztek sporo, wiec i sos sie do nich przyda.

Dosia, z okazji Swieta Dziekczynienia zafundowala mi staly abonament na comiesieczne "doglebne" sprzatanie mieszkania, wiec korzystajac z okazji, ze jest jeszcze wzglednie czysto, zamieszczam kilka zdjec mego amerykanskiego mieszkania, typowego pod wzgledem rozkladu oraz wyposazenia kuchni i lazienek, ale nietypowego odnosnie umeblowania, bo Amerykanie sa konserwatywni odnosnie wystroju wnetrz, a moje jest wspolczesne, IKEA-owskie, w dodatku niewykonczone, jako ze ja jestem tak "zagorzala" dekoratorka wnetrz, ze przez ponad rok nie moge sie zdycydowac gdzie jakie obrazy powiesic... bo te co mam jakos mi nigdzie raczej nie pasuja.

Mieszkanie polozone jest w kompleksie skladajacym sie z dziesieciu budynkow mieszkalnych polozonych dookola 3-hektarowego jeziora, oraz z budynku klubowego z internetowa kawiarenka, silowni i basenu kapielowego z pysznicem-fontanna, zadaszonym pawilonem, stolikami, krzeslami i lezakami.

Moje mieszkanie ma laczona kuchnie, jadalnie i pokoj mieszkalny, ponadto dwie sypialnie - po jednej po obu stronach pokoju mieszkalnego - tak, ze wszystkie okna wychodza na jezioro. Kazda sypialnia ma osobna lazienke i osobny pokoik-garderobe. W korytarzu, tuz przy wejsciu jest osobna garderoba na plaszcze. Korytarz oddziela sypialnie goscinna od pralni i kuchni. Zapraszam. (Na kazde zdjecie tutaj mozna kliknac a wtedy sie powiekszy - czasem znacznie) Oto goscinna sypialnia polaczona z moim pokojem do pracy. Pol pokoju przeznaczone dla gosci... a pol dla mnie - do pracy.
Przy przeciwnej scianie, miedzy drzwiami do garderoby i drzwiami do goscinnej lazienki jest kacik polski: bardzo stary, bo z XIX wieku, ludowy talerz z Bolimowa, znacznie nowszy (bo stary, niestety sie stlukl) wazon z tegoz Bolimowa (w ktorym na ogol, zamiast lowickich baziek, bo takowych nie mam, trzymam wielkie liscie palm typu palmetto,

ale panie sprzataczki mi je wyrzucily i jeszcze nie udalo mi sie ich uzupelnic) oraz polska "barbie"... a nawet dwie ;-). Gdy pracuje przy biurku, w gabinecie z reguly towarzysza mi koty, pokladajac sie w kocim lozku, jak tutaj, albo na Dosi lozku.

Ponizej kilka ujec z goscinnej lazienki:
Umywalnia i toaleta.
Inne ujecie umywalki i toalety - z wanna, pokryta kurtyna

A tu widok na wanne i prysznic za kurtyna" obie lazienki maja takie same kafelki.

Idac dalej korytarzem z prawej strony mamy kuchnie:

Kuchnia, niestety, ma za malo i szafek i powierzchni uzytkowych, wiec jest zagracona takze po sprzataniu, bo nie ma gdzie tego wszystkiego pochowac.
(otwarte drzwi do pralni pokazuja, niestety, balagan, ktory juz zdazylam zrobic, probujac - po Dosi wyjezdzie - zdjac cos z polki nie uzywajac drabiny... ech, ciezkie jest zycie niewyrosnietych leniuchow! :-((( )

Dalej przed nami jest barek, a wlasciwie wbudowane w sciane miedzy jadalnia a pokojem mieszkalnym biurko, ktore ja uzywam w charakterze barku ...
i gdy trzeba, bufetu. W jadalni stoi skandynawski stol brzozowy i cztery krzesla...

a w pokoju mieszkalnym podobny skandynawski stol kanapowy z autentycznej arktycznej brzozy
otoczony IKEA-owskimi fotelami, polkami na ksiazki i kanapa.

Ot, typowy dla rencistki wystroj wnetrza ;-)
Zwlaszcza ta zywa czesc wystroju!

Miedzy barkiem a drzwiami do mojej sypialni jest kacik czytelniczy

I wreszcie moja sypialnia

gdzie Pier 1 czesciowo zastapil IKEe. Z sypialni dwie pary drzwi po obu stronach lustra prowadza do garderoby ... wielkosci niemal 10 m 2 ... i do lazienki

gdzie jedna z pan sprzatajacych tak pieknie poukladala reczniki...
ze nabralam ochoty aby sie tego od niej nauczyc.

October morning on my balcony

When I opened my eyes this morning, all I could see was a pretty dense fog over the lake.

But when the sun came up, the fog started dissipating rapidly. I could see wild geese, making a stop on our lake on their way south

When they walk on the grassy shore beneath my balcony


Sweetie gets crazy, wanting to jump down and chase them

Fortuno does not care - he is too busy chasing something else. A small lizard, perhaps?

or this green bug next to hibiscus' flower? (Now, what's the English name of this magnificent bug?)
Misssy and Rascal don't care either. Rascal, apparently angry that his breakfast is being delayed by this morning gathering on the balcony, went under the balcony bed, so I can't see him... and neither can you...

... while Misia jumped on the table...
to consume garlic chives, undisturbed by either me or Tuno - the other chives' lovers.

Fall is a good plant season here in the south - they thrive in the cooler weather

Within half an hour... there is no more fog

just flowers in the autumn sun
blue salvia
Siam tulips
Mandevilla...

The wild geese flew away for the day. There will be another flock coming in the evening, but now the lake is clear.