Gehzundheit! Well, it's been a trying few days as we have all caught the horrible fever/cough/runny nose plague which has taken the country by storm. I was off and running on several new projects, plus re-vamping my lectures for the week, when the daycare teacher called to say the baby had a temperature and could I please come get him. Chris came home that evening with the same symptoms. My version, thankfully, has been milder, but we have gone through an entire bottle of echinacea and one each of children's motrin and tylenol (not to mention the homeopathic remedies.) We took Joji to the doctor just to make sure he didn't have anything serious - it was 2 visits, actually, one in the morning and one in the evening for a follow-up to check that the meds were working. In between he managed to bash his head on the corner of my nightstand, and got a gash/goose-egg the size (and shape) of Kansas on his forehead.  Chris has been calling him Frank (as in -enstein). How old do they need to be for Teletubbies? (and more importantly, where can I get my hands on a 4-5 hour supply?) 

Lia had a sleepover at her friends on Friday, and then I took the two of them ice skating - Lia has taken to it like a fish to water, despite the fact that it was more like slush-skating as the weather has been warmer than expected the last few days. No surprise though, as she tends to do great at any sport which requires balance and grace (unlike her mother!!). She's already looking forward to the next time.

And now comes the news that the schools will not only be closed on Wednesday (known holiday) but Thursday also as the Greek Archbishop has died and all public offices need to shut down for official mourning. I'm sure all those public employees will have a great time mourning on the ski slopes and in the mall! What the rest of us poor shlubs are supposed to do about childcare is a mystery...

SO we've been playing tag-team on childcare, and trying to get a few minutes of grown-up jobs done here and there (I did manage 3 loads of laundry!!) and now everyone seems to be on the mend. We went out looking at land again yesterday - saw some interesting spots and mused some more about what a mess this stupid road will create. The search continues... Then today I finally gave up and took Joji out for errands as we were going mad cooped up in the house and the sun was shining and the wind was blowing and it was perfect blustery day. Got to the post office to find at least 75 people in front of us, so decided to leave it for tomorrow (corinny your package is yet another day late!). Went off to find some cookies and cheese pies and then to the park - wind or no wind we had a great time on the swings and the slide. (Joji's favorite slide position seems to be the 'legs-akimbo-and-backwards' version.) And it must have done the trick 'cause he slept for two hours when we got home, and I managed to get a little bit of work done!

Now his favorite game is climbing up and down on the laundry basket - with mommy's help, of course (where's the fun in doing it by yourself??) or climbing into and out of the toy cube. I think I will give Sesame Street a try so I can get the potatoes into the oven...

So the weekend has passed without accomplishing much of what was on "the list" - but of course that's no surprise. I did get one load of laundry done, the groceries bought, and the kitchen is free (for the moment at least) of dirty dishes! Friday had a nice chat and coffee with my American buddy, and last night we went out for Indian food with a group of friends. Had a great time - excellent food as well! Real curry -what a surprise, and the best part is that it's walking distance from our house! I got a to-go menu - why didn't we know about this place sooner?? So now, Lia is working on her homework (in between breaks to sing a little Avril LaVigne), and Chris has taken the baby out to lunch with his parents. We have a birthday party to go to this evening at 6 - its at a "kid place" (you know - big blowup structure, ball pit, lots of running and screaming in enclosed spaces - kind of like Chucky Cheese...) which, luckily, is also walking distance so I don't have to give up the FANTASTIC parking space I scored last night. This may seem trivial to all y'all in the US where houses come with all mod cons like driveways (or maybe even garages!) but here in Thessaloniki the daily battle for parking is an unfortunate fact of life. It can take up to 45 minutes to find a spot in our neighborhood, except during the dog days of summer when everyone's gone to the sea. (One of the reasons I actually like the city in the summer!) Anyway, the parking situation is one of the many reasons we are trying to move out of the city. We've been talking about it for a while now, and we finally got off the bench to look at property out in the country. We're looking in an area that's pretty close (only 20 minutes away) to the city, with beautiful rolling hills - it reminds me a lot of the Napa valley (without all the great wineries - not sure if that's fortunate or not!). We've seen some great plots, but the situation is complicated by a planned road that will cut through the area. Our friends have a house there and have helped us out tons by showing us land and and getting information about the road - the final route hasn't been decided yet but it's 99% sure they'll go through - you guessed it - the exact plots of land the realtors show us! Now we know why the prices were so good...  Well, its time to start the spaghetti bolognese. Ciao...

Sunshine! yesterday and today, and warmer temps.  The fog persists on the waterfront, but here we can at least see a small patch of blue sky. 

Here are some new mixed media pieces - winter, spring, summer, fall. I thought they were finished but have decided to work them a bit more I think. Click the image to see it larger and with truer colors - all comments welcome...

Some friends told me the beehive didn't show up so I've tried again. Thanks for the feedback; I haven't gotten to the studio yet but it's on the agenda for the weekend. Along with kids, laundry, cooking, gym, and possibly another extended foray into the countryside (more on this later). And of course a million other projects (cleaning out the storage room, organizing the office, work?!) which may or may not happen first. I suppose it will depend on the weather (can you tell I'm jonesin' for sunshine?) 

Which makes me think it's time to go shopping for a kid seat to go on the back of my bike for Joji. We do have the bike trailer, but frankly I don't think he'd take kindly to being stuck in there without company, (not to mention sit still long enough to be buckled in to the harness!) and anyway it's not safe (or practical) here in the city. In Berkeley we used it instead of another car, taking Lia to school and truckin' groceries all over town, but Thessaloniki is another place entirely. Between the double-parked cars and the crazy drivers I don't think I'd even make it off the sidewalk in front of the house... Anyway, I'm desperate to go for a ride and the walkway that runs the length of the waterfront is closed for the foreseeable future while they refurbish it and turn it into a showcase waterfront park. (This will probably finish just in time to be torn down again when --and if-- the undersea tunnel starts construction!) So that leaves the countryside, with its miles and miles of unpaved roads (and crazy dogs and tractors!). Hopefully my tires are still good for dirt. 

Speaking of trailers, we put a hitch on the back of the Toyota last month. Hopefully this will make camping a little more feasible - we've now acquired enough stuff that each summer the choice comes down to 'kids or bedding' when we pack the car. (All you guys who've seen us at Sani know what I mean!). Also it will come in handy for moving olive oil and farm stuff back and forth. Now all we need is the trailer - anyone for a motor home?!

Well my coffee is finished and my children are stirring, so it's time to get moving this morning. We'll see how much gets done today - keep your fingers crossed for sunshine!

So I woke up this morning with the idea that maybe having a blog would help me finally write down all the stuff that spins around in my head - and maybe actually get rid of some of the guilt for not writing any letters! Not sure how long - or how often - this will last, but I suppose it's worth a try. 

What's new? here in Thessaloniki the sun finally came out yesterday (maybe that has something to do with my urge to communicate) and it no longer felt like Berkeley in June. Of course, after checking the forecast and finding rain on the horizon, I suppose it's "too early to be happy". The cold weather is great for cooking, though, and I actually made a really great dish last night - pork with leeks. (Yup, even though I don't eat meat I do cook it.) And the farmer's market is brimming with great cold-weather veggies (hurray for broccoli!) so I may even get Lia to eat turnips this week!

Have been looking back at my drawings from last fall and finally got the itch to get back to the studio. Perhaps the monoprints can be pushed a little further - and then there are the word projects that I have been turning over in my mind for 3 months now. More on this soon. Meanwhile - check out the insects...