Shmuck kontor???

Dear Imaginary Friends,

What is this, a shmuckkontor, in Koblenz, Germany, you might ask? It means jewelry store in German. AH, the charming language that trips off the tongue so delightfully.

Here is another word I love: Shnell. It means, hurry up.

German Frau Mutter to imaginary children: Shnell, kinder, und eat dat wurst!

Only one problem: there are no children in Germany. Apparently, Germany is too expensive in which to raise children, and all couples work. Therefore, the Deutsch govt. tries to bribe families to produce der kinder. But to no avail. Two hundred fifty euros per year is not sufficient bribe. Maybe the govt. should throw in a BMW? The birth rate is a sad little .8%. We saw no kids in Germany. On the other hand, Prague was chock full of them. Strollers everywhere and mommies smiling.

Another German word I like: kindergarten. It means children in the garden. Just as we raise and tenderly cultivate our children, so are the flowers. They grow if tended.

Which leads me to a pic of the Bund flower show:

Your traveler,

Patsie

Having Another Moment

Parker and Me, Having a Moment

Dear Imaginary Friends,

Here we are celebrating Carlo and Danny's birthdays this past Saturday. Parker and I take a moment to cuddle up with each other. 

He likes jewelry, especially breaking it! There has never been a necklace or earring he could resist, preferably on someone else, of course.

He is cute stuff. And he is more to me than you can imagine.

Your Imaginary Grandmother,

Patsie

Paloma Picasso

Dear Imaginary Friends,

Tonight was very special: I met Paloma Picasso, who creates jewelry for Tiffany's. I was so excited to have my picture taken with her and to get her autograph. :)

We spoke a bit. Here is the scoop: She is about 5'2", with thick black hair. She is very stylish, and is married to a short French man. They spend 6 months of the year in Switzerland and 6 months of the year in Morocco. Marrakesh, to be specific, which plays an influence in her latest designs. I asked her if she painted, as well as designed jewelry. She said, no, she did not want to try to conquer the territory that both her parents worked in. So she draws her jewelry designs, but that is it.

Who else was there? The ambassador to Morocco, and also Linda Erkiletian, who is a former cast member of the "Real Housewives of DC". Linda owns a modeling agency, but herself is all of 5' tall.

Oh, by the way, Pablo Picasso is Paloma's dad. But you knew that.

Your Imaginary Friend,

Patsie

A Uchello, not a Picasso