Here I would love to share with you our travels and adventures as international mushroom consultants. MEMOIRS about husband Pieter Vedder, who was a SCIENTIFIC PIONEER in Commercial Mushroom Cultivation Education. His practical handbook is in 9 languages and is called the MUSHROOM BIBLE: https://mariettesbacktobasics.blogspot.com/2020/08/modern-mushroom-growing-2020-harvesting.html
Planning our Master Bathroom Renovation from Tub to Shower started out with ordering our Danish, Damixa Plus Shower Set and Damixa Space Shower Mixer.
Our entire home is equiped with Danish Damixa faucets, except lately in our laundry room. We both agree with the Damixa company philosophy; Caring for the Environment and reducing water consumption by 25% or 30%. Going Green!
Just click the above hyperlink to read their statement.
So we did contact our long time business relation Kömhoff Sanitair in Meijel, The Netherlands.
They previously did ship some items to us, in case we did not go to The Netherlands for hand carrying it back home to the USA, inside our suitcases.
This was mid August... the first step was laid.
The reason we wanted to proceed with this renovation was because of the great difficulty I had in January of 2010 when I had become paralyzed. For husband Pieter, having to lift me over that tub's edge for taking a shower was nearly impossible. Not because I'm heavy but a motionless person doesn't give...
Not a great photo but you still can see the tub with mirrored tub doors...
Our vanity is from Italy. We did bring it with us after living there but not building our home in Italy.
On February 18, I got a reply comment from Jim, who writes the blog: RoadToParnassus. His last post was:Happy Snake Year, in regard to February 10, the beginning of the Chinese New Year.
Jim is always showing the most interesting oriental collections and this time it was all about snakes.
My comment in regard to his last picture was about the Hindu Deity Hanuman, or Hanoman in Indonesian.
We do have two Hanuman statues in wood and they both show this Hindu God fighting a snake. You can find a link about: {Our Veranda} below this post.
He suggested I show a photo of our statue. So this is in reply to his request.
What better way to start with our Indonesian Foster Daughter Anita, with the tall wooden Hanuman statue from Bali to the left.
Husband Pieter did receive this heavy 'Iron' wood statue from our boss in Indonesia in the 1970s. Iron wood is derived from the Metrosideros excelsa. Images of iron wood (click)
Hanuman is a Monkey God in the Hindu religion, believed to be an albino, a white monkey.
He fought evil and won. Symbolic, Pieter did give them good advise so the problems in their mushroom business went away.
Found the best description at Week-end à Maurice - J2 on Noushka's blog: 1000 PATTES - WILDLIFE GATEWAY
That's how we got our first Hanuman (Sanskrit language).
Below this post you find several links for reading more.
From the Collection of the Dutch Tropical Museum drawing representation Hanuman in fight with a snake
The Dutch did colonize Indonesia for some 350 years so they do have lots of art in their TROPENMUSEUM.
Blogger friend Jim did write about: Happy Snake Year where his last photo looks like another Hanuman
Okay, now let's look at our Hanuman statues.
First I show you the smaller one we got, from Bali in May of 1983 when I went for the very first time to Indonesia. In Ubud, Bali we found this at the workshop of a wood carver with 10 children!
Did bring them outside, near our pond against the big semi-evergreen oak tree.
This is Lord Hanuman fighting the serpent. It is biting in his foot...
You clearly can see the serpent/snake wrapped all around him...
This is the back side and the snake is wrapped up around his tail...
From the side, you also see Lord Hanuman's loin cloth draping down.
Those Balinese wood carvers are such great artists!
This is the tall and very heavy IRON wood Hanuman statue that was to the left of our Anita.
It resides in our veranda and it looks a lot lighter out in the bright daylight.
Above the loin cloth of Lord Hanuman you see the snake...
This is from the side...
Snake around his waist...
With one hand he is holding the snake that is around his waist...
Clearly the snake head in his throat...
Closeup...
Again, very intricate wood carving!
Okay Jim, let's hope this did satisfy your request for showing a photo of our Hanuman statues.
Both of us sat through such a Ramayana play with dance and beautiful costumes.
A different culture but very exotic!
Hope you enjoyed this info about our life in Indonesia.
Right now, from our bay window area we can enjoy our many Ipheion Blue Stars.
They truly are A Constellation of Blue Stars. Perfect for naturalizing, as each year there are more! Do you also have this great flower bulb in your spring garden?
Just love this combination of early spring flowers with still some fall leaves on the ground.
A perfect transition of seasons...
The first photo was from spring 2010 and the above photo is from spring 2013...
For her 2012 Commencement speech to the USC (University of Southern California) Annenberg School of Communications, Maria Shriver used a GREAT SUBJECT!
"Have the courage to press the PAUSE button!" Her message was a strong one and it is worthwhile to listen to her video tape. Also excerpts from the text, from Maria Shriver's address, can be read below video on the actual YouTube.
This is the Pause or Break button from my keyboard...
Maria Shriver delivering her power speech in video below:
USC Annenberg School of Communication Commencement Address by Maria Shriver
Reading Forbes.com I found this incredible advise by reading Travis Bradberry's story.
March 18, is Mom's 5th Dialysis Anniversary! She has made it more than one year past the statistics, according to the American Association of Kidney Patients, for people above 80. We are certainly grateful for having her still with us here on earth. On Sunday, after coming home from Church we did call Mom & Dad via Skype. On her 5th anniversary day she is having again her kidney dialysis.
This is how she is in her hospital bed during the dialysis treatment.
Weekly 3 x about 4 hours on her back...
Boring time and she is longing for some visits of course!
We did go each time when we went to the Netherlands. Also Anita our foster-daughter from Indonesia did visit her together with us.
If we calculate the time she's spent in her dialysis bed that would be non-stop 130, 24-hour days so far...
Quite a challenge but the alternative is no option!
Thank you all so much for the lovely comments on my previous blog post about my Short Hair (see link below).
Just like to react to one particular comment; that of Bea from Modern Country Lady.
Also on my FB Fan Page, Bea did react. She would love to see me once again wearing the Stacked Bob Hairstyle as I have shown in a previous post.
For your memory I will use the photo here below:
Bea even did remember my yellow sweater... This was in April of 1992.
How I myself would LOVE to wear this Stacked Bob Hairstyle again.
The end of 1988... Thick hair!
Would love to still have full hair like that...
Very full hair...
This was me while working and living in Indonesia in the 90s - healthy and happy hair!
My natural curls are still there but my hair is no longer that thick and healthy because of the Prednisone that I have taken for almost two years.
My favorite hair dresser, Peet Kleeven from Happy Hair in my hometown Horst, The Netherlands told me in September 2011 that the very brittle and dry condition + hair loss when shampooing my hair, or brushing it, was a side effect of Prednisone... SCARY!
During winter time especially it gets so dry, that's also a reason that I had it cut off this week.
But I did indulge in the world's best hair brush... purchased at Neiman Marcus, see link below post.
In August of last year I did invest in these two Mason Pearson brushes; one for travel or in my purse and one for at home.
The cleaning brush (left) is included with the purchase of each brush, except for the pocket size that I got for traveling.
HOW I also WISH to have bought them sooner...
Since I brush with those, my hair loss was and is a lot less!
Hope it will work as well for step-daughter Liz whom we gifted with exactly the same in the spring of 2014. It was very hard to obtain one as Neiman Marcus, neither Nordstrom had ANY. So I had to order mine from the UK and had it mailed to The Netherlands
Though Liz is always SLOW to react, here she shows that the brush is doing its work!
Now, 1-½ year later this same brush has gone up to $ 205.00...
This might be a valuable tip for all those women that are going through medical treatment with Prednisone, or any other drug causing hair loss. See listing in link below.
I can only highly recommend this to anyone; regardless the steep price you pay for them.
But compared to my healthcare bills it is nothing!
Also in England they do make similar Kent brushes, for men. See link below.
Again, I hope this will help somebody else with the same condition!
If any of you has had a similar experience, I would love to hear from you.
