This Was My April – Again With World News

Last updated on May 9, 2024

May is already here and now it’s officially spring. I hope your April was a good one. Mine – our – April was full of mixed emotions, just like the weather, with ups and downs.

We need new mattresses for both of our beds (we sleep separated because my husband snores like a bear in heat – but we fall asleep together just in case you wondered). For the first time since we lost everything in 2009, we are now able to buy brand-new mattresses, and not another used one from Craigslist or other places. Can you remember when a mattress was given to us? I can and it feels a bit surreal. After years of buying second-hand and saving money, after a decade of stretching the good old dollar as far as humanly possible, we are now in a position where we can afford ‘new stuff’ and it makes us nervous. It feels like we don’t deserve it, and I assume it must be difficult to comprehend and understand. Even replacing something simple like a shower curtain makes me always wonder if we are wasting money, because I know the universe punishes quickly. You think I am kidding. I am not, I have been in the market for a new shower curtain for almost two years but I can’t make myself replace the old one. The fear of wasting something will stick to us – like pet fur – for the rest of our lives. We are so privileged. Let’s be honest even buying a used mattress is something so many in this world can not afford.

And so we went mattress shopping. We even applied for a new store credit card, because how could you resist an offer of 0% interest on your purchase if you pay back in a certain amount of time. (They think we won’t, that’s why they offer it. They don’t know us!)

And so we ordered two new mattresses, and then I canceled last minute. We went to mattress stores, bounced on mattresses like little kids, and acted like we knew everything about it – when in reality we know nothing at all. We compared, read up, and watched YouTube movies. “Bed Testers” now that’s a job I would like to have for a few months, ok perhaps only for a week. Let’s not be too greedy.

Now we have nailed it down. It’s even going to be the Purple mattress (the hybrid) or the 16″ Dreamcloud Premier. I am waiting for the right time to order. Maybe the Memorial Day offers will be good, if not, there is always the 4th of July, and from there, it’s not too long until another Black Friday and then another year. Oh goodness, don’t go there Bridget.

Imagine, after twelve years of being judged by numbers and being treated like low-lives, our credit score is now so good that they throw cards at us. 2020, was the year when everything negative was taken off our credit report. From then it took three more years to get the numbers up. I learned to play the game, our numbers were rising and so was my knowledge. We opened and closed cards and finally…eleven cards later, our credit is good to excellent. Who would have thought?

TV Series we watched in April

First of all, let’s talk bout THE BEAR. You have seen it right? I didn’t know what to expect. A TV series about a star-decorated young chef, who, after his brother’s suicide, takes over the family business. A sandwich shop in Chicago. What could be interesting about that? Like so often, I wasn’t hooked after watching the pilot but then it grew on me (us). The characters are brilliant and the actors and actresses have gotten quite a few TV awards if the news is accurate. One day, when I am older and officially board, I will watch the award shows myself, until then I completely rely on the internet.

Jeremy Allen White as “Carmen” and Ayo Edebiri (no I did not remember her name but had to look it up) as “Sydney” are magnificent. The storytelling is wonderful, it doesn’t just get your attention, it touches your heart. Some big names show up for small guest appearances. Some of my all-time favorites Olivia Coleman as a chef, and Jamie Lee Curtis, playing the drunk mother so full of rage, to name just a few.

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The Bear had an episode that took place in Copenhagen and now my husband wants to move there. Bless his big heart, he is stubbornly insisting that we will spend our golden years overseas. He fears the outcome of the next election (so do I) and he fears another worldwide inflation (even though the US is with 8% again somewhere in the middle). “Let’s move to where we can live the best life for our money,” he insisted and I have to admit, it’s fun dreaming and planning a little.

I suppose we will stay in Ohio, but don’t tell him I said so. Who knows, dreams can move mountains. As long as we stay fairly healthy, the sky is the limit. (In our dreams wee have settled now to Portugal, Denmark, Spain, or Italy).

Shogun If you’re close to my age, you might remember the 1980 series with the same name and how could you forget the handsome Richard Chamberlain (I’m just saying Thorn Birds) as Anjin-San and the legendary Toshirō Mifune as Lord Toranaga. Those were the days! Haha. 🙂

This shogun story has now been remade and we follow the intrigues around the Japanese prince and the romance around the British navigator and his enchanting, as well as intelligent translator Mariko, with excitement and are very well entertained every week.

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Movies we watched in April

“American Fiction” Wow, I did not expect much of the movie and I will try very hard to not give too much away. It’s a satirical look at the cynical side of publishing and at the people who publish books, and of course, the people who buy them. A black writer with lots of talent but little success writes a book under a different name, way beyond his normal standard and it becomes a hit. The title of the book, or the change of the title, had me in stitches. The whole movie is full of giggles and frowns. I wish I had better literary skills to express myself. The movie has so many angles, it’s a thought-provoking very entertaining film. And it ends with a BANG.

Books I read?

None I fear. No time, but I listened to one which I returned because it bored me senseless, so I will not name the title. See, I am learning or adjusting to the mainstream, not sure which it is.

Work

I had to put all my projects on hold. A golf club asked me to ‘freshen up’ their barstools and while it sounded easy enough at first, it kinda got a life of its own. 60 barstools, after that 18 different barstools, all banged up and a bit on the dirty side (understatement), and then 50 dining room chairs, all to be done by the end of summer. (Hello Mattress company, you bet your butt we will pay it off in time). I consider myself officially lucky! I do five chairs a week besides my normal schedule, so I am a bit behind with everything – as usual.

Time for some GOOD NEWS

Zambia: New law prohibits marriage under the age of 18.
1.7 million underage girls are already married in Zambia. 400,000 of them are under the age of 15 and this is about to change. The parliament has set the minimum age for marriage at 18 years by law. This should also apply to so-called traditional marriages according to local customary law, which are common in rural areas. This is great news!

Japan: A machine recreates threads of the spider’s web. Is this important? Yes! The threads of spider silk can be stretched by three times their length without tearing and one day, it could even replace carbon compounds, for example in aircraft construction. While they react sensitively to the impact of objects, spider silk would give way elastically.

Brazil: Brazilian researchers have developed a sensor that measures the pesticide content in fruits and vegetables. Until now, food samples have to be sent to a laboratory. In the future, the sensor could be used by health authorities around the world. Organic farmers could quickly prove that there are no pesticide residues in their products. Conventional farmers could monitor their pesticide use. 

Brazil again: The deforestation in the Amazon at its lowest level in six years. The Amazon rainforest is considered a CO₂ reservoir and has an important function in the international fight against climate change. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva had announced that he would strengthen environmental and climate protection. While the situation in the Amazon region has recently eased somewhat, deforestation in the Cerrado has increased significantly.

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Sweden: Swedish researchers developed a truck front that could save lives To reduce the number of fatal collisions, a team from Sweden’s Chalmers University of Technology has now developed a new truck front that has been able to reduce damages to the car interior by 30 to 60 percent in crash tests.

USA: President Joe Biden signed an executive order to promote health research for women. It aims to close gender-specific differences in clinical trials and treatments. Federal agencies are instructed to collect comprehensive data on women’s health. In addition, research is to be promoted on diseases that affect women more frequently after menopause, such as osteoporosis, infarctions or Alzheimer’s disease. (Now that was about time.)

Germany: After almost 100 years, seahorses are back in the North Sea.

Worldwide: An international research team has developed more effective solar cells that can capture sunlight from both sides and it’s up to 70% cheaper to produce than conventional ones

7 countries worldwide are completely supplied with renewable energies. Albania, Bhutan, Ethiopia, Iceland, Nepal, Paraguay, and the Democratic Republic of Congo – now rely entirely on renewable sources like geothermal, hydro, solar, or wind power. Applause!

New Recipe

I tried Turkish Hummus and now I am addicted. Goodness, it’s different from the normal hummus. Give it a try. It’s delish!

1 Can Chickpeas – 2 Garlic gloves, smashed with sea salt – 2 TBS Olive oil – 3 TBS Fresh pressed lemon juice – 4 TBS Tahini – 1 Tsp Salt (to taste) – 1 TBS Cumin – 1 TBS Paprika smoked or normal – 1 Tsp Paprika hot

I’m happy if you have (again) managed to read this far. Thank you for being interested in my life. And now I’m enjoying May. We bought two new birdhouses at Aldi, both are now occupied, which forced me to order binoculars. Watch me, I will turn into a bird stalker.

Our outside table is full of new plants all just waiting to be planted because someone vandalized one of my flowerbeds last year, and ultimately stole two of my freshly planted rose bushes last year. I am trying really hard to not name any names. (Ok, it was Vader)

See, that’s what happens. You go to the garden center for two roses and you drive home with four hydrangeas, two azaleas and four rose bushes. They made me!

I hope you will spend a lot of time with loved ones in May and have some good thoughts. Feel free to tell me what is on your mind if you like and…

…well, until next month!

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