I was again invited this year to Edyta’s house, the Polish geology professor from Warsaw who also has a house here in the village. I had made a special trip to my favorite butcher in Czarna Góra for baby back ribs, which I prepared in my Ninja Foodi. Unfortunately, a combination of exhaustion and some early indulgence in some holiday libation caused me to sleep through most of it, waking only at 11:46 PM. I ate some ribs the next day and gave the rest to Štefania and her family.
Yesterday I drove to Krakow to meet up with Michał and family. The trip up was much worse than I anticipated because thousands of people were returning from Zakopane on the same route, extending my two-hour trip to four. I arrived Bagelmama’s feeling tired and hungry. Nava greeted me as soon as I entered. Michał, his mother, and Leon arrived shortly thereafter, having already left to go for a walk. Magda, now Michał’s fiancée, returned a short time later.
For Christmas, I gave Leon a set of small rubber duckies (perfect for bath time!) and a xylophone on wheels. Leon seemed to like the duckies but was more fascinated by the ribbons that decorated the packages. At my suggestion, Michał wore one set for a while.
After a long lunch in which Nava joined us, Michał and I left to visit Grzegorz at MOCAK. The neighborhood, where the famous Schindler factory sits, was nearly devoid of any population a decade earlier. But is now a thriving community with expensive high-end boutique stores. We spent nearly two hours reminiscing. Grzegorz has two daughters. His ex-wife lives in her own house on the other side of town. They share joint custody of the girls, who move from one house to the other each week. It sounds absolutely exhausting. Grzegorz says the girls, aged 8 and 11, are used to it by now.
Our visit over, we drove back to where my car was parked. Magda and Elżbieta were still walking around town with Leon. As it was already dark, I didn’t want to wait any longer. So, I said goodbye and began my drive home. I hate driving at night now, as my nighttime eyes are not what they used to be. But I made it home in just over two hours. Poochini was glad I made it home. Me, too!
The new year signals a time of renewal, to rid oneself of the old and replace it with new. All my clothes are old. I haven’t gone clothes shopping in 2½ years. But if I were to throw everything out, I would have nothing to wear. I did notice that my toothbrush was pretty worn out. Although it may seem petty, the act of replacing my toothbrush is certainly in keeping with the spirit of New Year. So, it is done.
This year I will focus on tying up loose ends. First, Ľudka and I have to finish up the contest results and present prizes to the winners. Other tasks include getting the story The Golden Apple translated into Slovak, and then figuring out what to do with the Osturňansky Receptár, the book of home remedies compiled by the famous Monk Cyprian. Other ideas are going to have to wait until I get these under control. But I do have a lot of ideas, some of which may actually come to fruition in the future.
Happy new year!
