In many movies and books there's a quintessential scene of a kid swiping an apple from Old Man Grumpy's apple tree and then having to run for his life while being chased by the mean, stick brandishing, old man. Growing up in Houston, I never had the chance to do that (because ... well, I really don't have any idea why they don't grow in Zone 9). So one day while Bob and I were strolling back from a delicious dinner at Ivanschitz's, I spotted an apple tree just behind a rotting fence - yes, right there on Main Street (called Odenburger Strasse in Klingenbach)! I'm a person who never breaks the rules, but I had a sudden impulse and pulled a ripe apple from a low hanging branch. I felt so deliciously guilty (yeah, I know, it's sad; I just never took anything except a pen from work once).
And here's the booty!
Looking out our back window one day, I was startled to see this!
I've rarely seen a double rainbow.
Coming from Houston, I'm used to bugs. But we're on the second floor (first floor for Europeans), and I definitely didn't expect to see this mantis on the ledge outside our living room window.
This guy reminds me of the movie, "Arachnophobia," and seeing him gave me some of that! He really looks like he wants in, doesn't he?
Didn't mind this sweet little guy. He looked like he was drying his wings preparing for his maiden flight (I guess a 'he' can have a maiden flight).
You know how in many places people say if you don't like the weather, just wait a minute? Well, Klingenbach could have written the book on that! We have a digital thermometer in our kitchen; the sensor is on a wire just outside the window. Here's the temp one June afternoon. I was glad to get to Houston in July where it was only 95.
This was the temp one afternoon around August 23rd or so.
One week later, on August 31, this was the temperature! This is at 1:15 am.
And this is at 1:39 pm. In August!
I'm not used to dressing like this in the summer. I had to haul out the cold weather clothes.
Although we have fantasies about barbecue and Mexican food, there are some dishes we really love over here. At Schoko's Restaurant here in Klingenbach, these are our favorite dishes. Bob likes their chili served in an iron skillet.
And I love their penne, with arugula and cherry tomatoes, and shrimp wrapped in potatoes kind of like hash browns on long strings. Bob's beer and my wine spritzer are tasty, too!
Another of our favorites at Schoko's is Janusz. The nine-year-old Hungarian Vizsla rules the roost. Janusz naps a lot ...
... greets and 'talks' to us ...
... then goes outside to survey his kingdom from the top of the stairs. He also loves the owners' two young daughters; we've frequently seen him walking with them.
He never begs either, unlike any of the dogs we've had.
I've seen this sight several times, but it never ceases to amuse me. It's not uncommon to stop for a cold one on the way home from work ... even when your work is in the fields.
I'm enclosing this picture to show the bank across the street from us. And look at that tree. I've enjoyed seeing it through the four seasons.
Austria prides itself - and brags a lot - about being so green. They're nauseating on the subject of recycling - witness us having to have five trash cans in the flat. But I have to say I don't altogether buy it; we've seen so many of the villagers getting in their load of wood for the winter, and that's a lot of trees.
So imagine my surprise when I saw this last week!
They cut down my lovely tree and a couple of others.
They moved quickly ...
... and I thought looked a little guilty about it.
We don't use this bank even though it's across the street - it doesn't even have an ATM machine! We've been inside to pay an insurance premium, and while I was watching other people in line reach the teller, he went to deep drawers full of account cards. They're not on the computer at all! So maybe this renovation is inside as well as out. And it does explain the tree cutting although I don't see why they couldn't have done it with the tree.
They use this Austrotherm on top of the pressed board. It looks like styrofoam, but it supposedly insulates, too. It's attached with plaster.
You can see the blocks of it here. I imagine they'll paint over that and then hang a new sign.
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