Poncirus trifoliata or Japanese bitter-orange

Sure enough when immigrating to another continent, you want to explore your new surroundings...

We usually did so on a Sunday, afternoons as we would drive around and look what all was growing in our area.

Here, Pieter is holding a little branch from a tree that we were puzzled by.

It turned out to be a Poncirus trifoliata or Japanese bitter-orange.

Mean thorns and tiny green fruits as it was May 24, 1984.

Many more things to be discovered...

More about Mauzie our Dachshund that Immigrated to the USA

Mauzie with me at Pieter's office after I'd hung my hand crocheted mushroom window decoration.

On my very first Birthday, February 6, happy in Georgia!

Yes, I was having braces...

We enjoyed our mild winter in Georgia!
Wearing my woolen Burberry skirt.

May 18, 1984 Mauzie girl on the new 8 PK John Deere...

Pieter had gotten home by noon with this new 8 PK John Deere

Pieter is mowing together with Mauzie on May 23, using a somewhat more powerful John Deere here!

We had traded the other one in.

Taking his sunglasses down...

Mauzie in her sports back, ready to fly with us to Amsterdam, the Netherlands on KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
Mauzie peed 7 x outside on the pavement and after drinking some water, she did an 8th time and she made me use the plastic bag for something else!
She fully understood we were flying for a long time and there are no doggy bathrooms...

Mauzie was a smart and cute girl!
She stayed with best friend Ellie and the kids, as both of us drove to Hungary for the Conference.
Sure I was knitting while waiting, needed to have always something on hand!

Related link:
August 29, 1983 We Immigrated to the USA | previous post by me

Our First Christmas and DEEP Frost in Georgia

On December 24, 1983 Pieter just liked to hose down his car, after lunch.

He could NOT as the water was freezing below his hands... 

It went very suddenly to -3ºC and in rapid tempo to -18ºC or 26.6ºF to -0.4ºF.

At the construction site for the Campbell mushroom plant, a couple was living in the trailer.

They had no water, nothing, and they didn't bring warm winter clothes from Belgium... 

The pipes at the site got all frozen too, cutting them open proved too late already.

Disaster!

On 2nd Christmas day we invited the couple, including their cute doggy Monpetit, to our home.

After a warm meal, I insisted they soak in the bathtub to get their chilled bones nice and warm.

So they went to the guest bathroom and master bathroom and did just that.

I'd provided Addy with some nice warm sweaters to wear.

Also I ran their laundry and put it in the dryer, they had NO water.

With a lidded Tupperware bucket full of fresh water for coffee and such, they went happily home.

You can see the Christmas cards still hanging on the door...

That's me to the left, feeling happy for being able to feed them a warm meal and making them warm again.

We had our fire place burning and it felt cozy!

With a warm Toast Hawaii from the oven, they left for home...

We sure felt very privileged with a warm and comfy home and running water...

Mauzie girl too!

It NEVER has been that cold again here in Dublin, Georgia

We did visit Wil & Addy Buster in 1985 in Achel, Belgium but we lost since track... don't know where they are.

WISH somebody would find them!