Translating German

I fell in love with Bernadette Mayr's quilts when I ran across her book Modern Nature Inspired Quilts. 

This is her only book that is in English translation.   At the exact time of the flood I was working on a white batik and taupe solid quilt with snow and intricate trees.  I had one whole tree completed.  No idea where that is now.

The Swimming Pool is her design as well.  I will finish that up after I get back from North Carolina. 

Then I saw the Goldfish.  I emailed her to see if that book was translated into English.  It was an amazing book.  But alas, it was not.

She graciously sent me a copy of the pages of instructions, in German!  She also sent me a handmade card and some post cards with images of her quilts.  Including the one I was working on, Winter Wonderland, and

So I talked to my friend who is a PhD in Language Studies and speaks fluent German.  She is at a dog show this weekend in Houston, but I am having a go at it with a translator app.

German is an interesting language.  After I got the cadence going, I could figure out some words.  Like wasser, is water.  So I guess people who are named Wasserman might have been fisherman or boatmen at one time. 

After a while wasser sort of looks like water.  Now it was seerosenblatter that threw me.  Turns out it is waterlily.  Blatter is leaf, so if you know that it makes sense.  Then there were some really great words.....like quiltgarn for thread.  Don't you just love that?  Even better....mitteldickes means batting.  Gotta use that one in the quilt guild.

Of course the name of the quilt is Goldfischteich.  You can work that one out yourself.

Oh Oh!

I was shocked!

I went to feed the Fishes of the Seas this morning and was greeted by this:



I thought, Oh, Ahab finally got Moby!


Actually it is OK, I give the fishes zucchini.  It floats for about 2 days then they start eating it.  They strip the flesh of the zuke and leave the peel.  They love it!  I also supplement them with goldfish pellets.

You can see there are still two fish in there.  And I saw Dino the Plecostomus two days ago.  He looks very dinosaur like, so he is called Dino.  He was hanging on the side of the bowl, just chillin'.

this is not him, but someone else's photo of one in an aquarium.  I can't see Dino in my dark bowl.

I poked him with a stick just to make sure he was still living.  He was.

I will give him to someone with an aquarium during the winter, as he won't be able to live in the cold we have.

Swimmy Things!

I was quite concerned.  I didn't see the white stripey guy for a whole day.  I could catch glimpses of the goldy one, but he would scream and run under the bricks when he saw me hovering.

Carrie told me I would react the same if someone plucked me from here and dropped me in Dallas.  She assured me I would be hiding in a closet if I could find one.

But today I was able to look at the goldy one.  And the stripey one appeared late in the afternoon for a brief moment.

He really freaks, that one.  But I haven't killed them yet!  But no pictures either.  But I guess I can name them now.

Carrie needs to come over and meet her new brother and sister.  Or brothers.  Or sisters.  I guess there is a bigger chance they are same sex ...........which is good.

I have a root canal re-do tomorrow..........So I will sleep it off in the afternoon.  And once again, Frank will be in another city.

New Fish

Unfortunately we had two burials at sea this week.  I am now known as the fish murderer in some circles. I had to go to another PetSmart so they wouldn't recognize me at the one near me.

Now my fountain is dechlorinated and super good bacteria laden.

And we have two new victims friends.

This time I was smart enough to get a white stripped one and a goldy gold one so I can tell them apart.

You know, when they do really good, smart stuff. 

Fish and Fishing Camps

Well, one of the goldfish didn't make it.  But the other one seems to be OK, although he is not convincingly healthy looking.

 Every time we go look at him, he panics and flees to the safe house.  Frank said he felt he was terrorizing the fish and won't go look at him anymore.  I think fish are pre-disposed to fear things coming from overhead to eat them.  And that after he is conditioned to know I will feed him, he will be more stable as a friend.

In other news.......I created another block.  None of these actualy look like what is in my head.

And it is also dark.  Louisiana must be a very dark place!   It didn't occur to me the the sky would take such sharp turns around the house.  But then there were other issues as well........









And of course there is the requisite house boat. 

I will put an antenna on the roof and maybe some fish in the canal.   

And it needs a pier to tie up to when they are not motoring their 12 Cajun kids around the bayou.