The Silver Bond Pin was awarded to Mrs. Vedder-Peer

Husband Pieter's Mom was the first secretary of the local association and she received a federal award.

This was on Thursday, November 20 in 1986.

Mr. Hermkens of the Federal Board, pinning on the federal silver award for Mrs. Vedder, the first secretary of the local association.

Mrs. Vedder's personal copy that she mailed to the USA...

April 1987... quite a while later!

Queen Juliana with Prince Bernhard on the cover of

LIFE'S

WINDOW

Department Horst 'Lambertus-Norbertus'

On Thursday November 20 of 1986, the 25th anniversary of this department got celebrated.

The festivity started with a eucharistic celebration, with the theme of supporting each other. 

During the party meeting, Mr. Hermkens did pin on the gold and silver awards.

On Saturday November 22, a reception took place that enjoyed a lot of interest from all groups and associations of the population of Horst. The mayor then opened the exhibition 'Elderly and their hobbies'.

Festive celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Catholic Association for the Elderly.

This was in the local newspaper and Pieter's Mom mailed it to us, inside her not yet dried up handwritten airmail letter... hence the ink marks.

Did you notice that my 91-year old Mother-in-law was wearing a hair net?

Popular at that time, especially during windy weather, instead of having to use hairspray.

Eco friendly but that is all gone now...

This was exactly three years + 1 day before her death on November 21, 1989 when we were living and working in Italy.

A timely honor...!

Saying our goodbye to Pieter's Mom...

Too bad, she closed her eyes and we had these developed back in the USA, no way of going back and doing it over!

Pieter having said farewell to his Mom on November 7, before departing back to Georgia/USA...

This was our 9th trip back to The Netherlands on KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.

We went to Regensburg before, for attending the German Mushroom Conference.

Me, after our goodbye. Standing in front of this newly built Elderly Home.

Wearing my favorite boots, also gifted one time by our Italian mushroom friends.

Pieter standing near the entrance/exit with a new gift, his 'The Bridge' fine Italian leather bag.

Our Italian mushroom friends gifted Pieter a nice blue Burberry shirt and this leather bag on November 3, for some advice during our barely three days being in Italy before flying back to Düsseldorf, Germany.

~

We had also driven in our Fiat Uno rental car, all the way to Regensburg in Germany for the German Mushroom Conference and from there by car to Bordeaux in France, see links below.

There was very little time for being with family but we tried our best.

21 September 2014 SLUITING BERKELE HEEM←click link

It is so sad that the entire building is GONE and new apartments have been built on this spot.

Government policies have changed and elderly have to stay at home, or being cared for by their children; called 'informal care'...

Unie Katholieke Bond van Ouderen - Catholic Union of the Elderly existed from 1958-2006

Sector: Charity and social work

Times have changed!

Related links:

Lecture by Pieter and Stay at UNESCO site Regensburg during German Mushroom Conference | previous post by me

From Regensburg, Germany to Bordeaux in France and Marl Cave Mushroom Growing | previous post by me

Our Year on WHEELS

 The year 2021 went so FAST!

Not so much on WHEELS, but in general...

Pieter did spot this 'old bike' long before I'd seen it, always zipping by too fast... So finally we captured it.

Both are GREEN deals!

The BEST thing we've done is to trade in Pieter's Male Trek bike for this: Vale Go! 9D EQ S

Pieter has been enjoying it so much!

Not bad for a 92.5 year old guy, don't you think?!

Well, I didn't go quite as far as Pieter did but I used my Vale Go! 9D EQ rather well.

For me, only 300 rides versus Pieter's 530 rides...

Pieter did 3,118.7 km over 2021, as he runs his bike for running errands to Home Depot, to Kroger, Walmart and whatever. He loves doing that!

For 2022, I would love to see me do more km as well.

Hoping to soon have all my digital work behind me, and looking forward to routine things.

For our Dutch Batavus Cambridge bikes we did not yet have the Strava app or any other app...

The Schwinn Hybrid was too risky for pushing up the many hills in our region and Pieter's heart could give out.

So, Pieter did search on his iPad Pro, for a better solution, looking for an Electra and for me as well.

Even if I did not want to go that way at first, but Pieter insisted by saying: 'Listen we always have done things TOGETHER!'...

So I was sold!

Only one trip I manually entered in 2017, for my Batavus Cambridge, when my youngest brother was here with his wife Wilma and daughter Caro, for Pieter's 88th Birthday.

While Pieter napped, all four of us rode, we still had the Batavus Cambridge and the Schwinn bikes.

~

Pieter had bought the Trek Verve +3 MALE bike but when we together once started at home and he tried to swing his 92 year old leg over the back+saddle, PLUS Pannier bag, he fell on the lawn.

It was then, that I made up my mind and when coming back from our ride, getting in touch with Edward Angus Hall from Atlanta Cycling Vinings.

He went out of his way for getting Pieter this new green one; A LOT SAFER!

Our longest ride was 58.5 km or 36 miles and we reached home just before dark, riding with our lights on for the final 5 km!

Pieter wearing his down puffer jacket and I should have worn it too, as I got rather chilly in my cotton sweatshirt with cardigan below, under the thin jacket...

Friend Engracia took this photo on her iPad, just before we left.

My eyes show bags, due to my hyperthyroidism and CKD stage... But I'm still alive! 😏

But it sure felt good having visited our widow friend and sipping some tea together and enjoying the mixed unsalted nuts and rice cake with Tamari seaweed that I'd carried inside our Pannier bag.

I'd baked almond amaretti cookies for her and she gifted us with a heavy scented candle that went back inside my Pannier bag as I did not want to make it harder for Pieter to push some real mean hills.

This one shows you the rolling area!

Engracia captured that when we left her home.

Sunny and 18℃ (64℉) and it should be 16℃ or 60.8℉ when riding back... 

But in reality it was only 11℃ or 51.8℉ when riding back around 5:00 PM and the days were short after mid November!

Proud of my Pieter for managing this!

There were some very mean and steep hills to tackle.

But on October 20, when Pieter's cardiologist had an ultrasound done to check his heart, he said his heart even had improved a bit!

Soooo, let's keep rolling our wheels together as it is good for a healthy heart and for a healthy living.

My CKD level is in stage 4 but due to me being 'muscular' it is mentioned as 3b.

Not that it ever improves but keeping my 28% function as stable as can be, I HAVE to continue!

May God grant us some more blissful days on wheels together.

Related link:

New Green Deal | my July 21st post with more info about Pieter's virgin ride... 

WORST Ever USPS Experience

 What can you do if something you mailed out does not arrive?!

You cannot shoot them... or? 

Well, this resides at my Pinterest board; GIFTS of LOVE and it is titled 'Amazing Origami Using Only Dollar Bills'

Sure, mailing out a GIFT of LOVE to my youngest brother and using ONLY 16.25 Dollar Bills... Haha!

But what can we do?

USPS Tracking ←click link for viewing this INCREDIBLE journey, crossing trice the Atlantic Ocean and still not going anywhere...

You have to scroll down to the very bottom, to start out.

From Miami, Florida it departed on May 31, 2021.

BUT on June 23, 2021 it got processed through international mail facility in San Francisco, California!

July 16, 2021 it got processed in Amsterdam, The Netherlands... 😊

A MINUTE later it reads 'attempted delivery'!

My brother lives a good two hour drive away from Amsterdam, in the South and to the East 😳

It got processed again in Amsterdam, wonder what they did in those hours...?!

August 17, 2021 the 'row boat' must have made it back to San Francisco, California again.

Five days later it arrived in Macon, Georgia = one hour from us.

So we expected it to go: return sender!

Two days later it was again in Miami, Florida at International distribution center.

Three days later it came once more to Macon, Georgia...

And good six hours later it was at Seminola-Orlando, Florida distribution center.

Hours later it was back in Miami, Florida for the umpteenth time!

It went back to Atlanta, Georgia and from there to Macon, Georgia AGAIN!

Two days later on September 6, 2021 it arrived at the Boston, Massachusetts and it dissipated...

Isn't that all GREAT?!

Blogger friend Mary, already mentioned in November that parcel postage is a nightmare...

A busy week........and postage! ←click to go to her post.

When trying to mail something out to my nephew, via UPS, having driven 43 miles to hand them the parcel, I nearly fainted when they calculated the price. 'Just $ 121.00' and believe me it was NOT heavy.

So I gave up. They used to say, only the birds can fly cheaper but now it is almost cheaper for buying an airline ticket and to deliver it in person.

So much fun being an immigrant!

Wishing ALL of our readers a Happy New Year

Related link:

Shipping HEAVY BREAKABLES in USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope Max weight 70 lbs | previous post by me