nr 4

By Monday 23th you should get this response, George.We are this day! Leslie's birthday it is!! I recall her today... born in Utah, seeing the first snoW flakes falling! Seeing the Rocky mountains out from my window. Just before THANKSGIVING... And I had the loveliest baby on a Sunday; the only one that precise day...

How are you doing, darling? I am writing a new letter and a letter is sent not too long ago. ;)
Yes, it's ugly in Brussels!! You've read certainly how things work out here since the attack in France!...
It creates an atmosphere of angst, and people are scared.

I am well; I take care of my problem foot. Shoulder, head and neck tensions are gone.
Love you! Warm embrace from Rita xxx

Nr 5
hi George, it's the first day of the new year. ;)And I take the opportunity to wish you a great year.Make the best of it.
I will translate something.

Each step forwards,
that the spirit
does on its yourney
towards insight,
brings one or another discovery
which not alone is new, but,
at least for the moment, also
is the most worthfullest. - John Locke

A little present for you! :))

It comes out of the wise booklet greet gave me. :) I treasure her booklet.

My foot is doing so much better, George.

I celebrated yesterday, the old day, at Simonne's. It was nice; and all the neighbors were present.
At the last moment I decided not to go out and dance with Marion.
AT twelve o 'clock I an hotel.

I gave you a big hug symbolically. The one I repeat here too.xxx Respond me as soon as you can, ok?
It says here you will get this message on the 4th of January. I listen to the Beach Boys and to Looka Bloom right now.Kate Wolf sings a song from San Diego too. :))

^sorry; the third sentence here above was wrong.

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hey,hey hey,finally I see your presence here on internet!!!I consider it as so very marvelous to read you,George!
And also I wonder WHEN exactly you wrote it BEFORE I could read it TODAY?The'13th of February'is the 37th birthday of Elke!:))
I was so enchanted to have her!!!...
I waited so very long to hold this child in my arms...;I told her as I called her.We had a good chat! Mom called her as well.
I recall in Amerika when she attended preschool and spoke fluently English that she not only got B-cards from her friends but also MANY Valentine cards!
And since we've VALENTINE DAY tomorrow I take the occasion to give my most dearest wishes who are filled plenty of warmth and tenderness,George.They express totally what I can't give you personally,but you know they are just exactly the same in spirit,do you?;))Much much TLC and xxxx on the day of LOVE, sweetie!:)))
But to me every day is as special as Valentine day.Nat King Cole sings here:'There is no greater love then what I feel for you'.And it just came on time when typing!... :o Can you cath it, George!?
Probably yu know by now that Bart and Elke got their son,Lars?He is a easier baby than Lynn was.A stron and calm boy, with big eyes!He changed already in those last days, Simonne told Elke(she is the other godmother;Bart's mom)and the day you'll receive this mail(Feb.15)I will babysit at theirs.I held him a long time close to my bossom,lately.He liked it and slept very long in my arms!His weight goes up gradually and he sleeps quite well.The burb comes rather late.:)
She got a nice present from Bart and they'll go eating in a very fancy restaurant while his sister babysits tonight.She feels good and had a caeserian.She feels actually stronger than with Lynn.
Lynn passes a difficult time nowadays; but she adores her brother!He laughed on several occasions.Has dark brown hair; more than Lynn had.Lynn is a very gifted child!She spreaks out words of three without any difficulties and recalls several songs.Elke will let her sing in a group.Until now Elke stressed the music in her little life!We sit at the piano sometimes too.:)
I wrote in a 'long'letter(which came late I heard!)that I hadn't a room for only!one day and so April was not on the menu:(!Neither May/June, because Paul & Claudine come to Europe and we'll celebrate mom and Paul(70 and 90 of age).I will arrive on the 22nd of June and leave on the 9 of July.Celebrate while you B-Day!:)I reserved therefore 2 stayings at the hotel Irish House.Today I book one trip. Through Milwaukee.No cessna.:)I will fly another time to the USA.To visit one day later, as again there was not room for that day for me.The 24th of August,till the 9th of September.No visits at Leslie this time as I gave her a "donation".I've to manage my budget.:o

muchos besitos de Rita!xxx

Oh,here and there I've typing errors.I meant three 'syllable'words. :)Lynn always comes with other books to read outloud.She memorises veru well...I told you that both children will be brought up billingual,did I?
Quite a story from Noelle!Loved how you discribed it to me!:)Me too I dreamed from holding baby Elke and not finding a bottle of milk; haha;I told her my dream.:)

Tell me how it came that you could held a cat,while all prisons don't allow this!!Robert can't believe this!He said it can spread diseases,others than like to keep another animal,etc.

Yesterday I attended the funerals of the mom of this Simonne here; she became almost 102 yrs old!4 days later she would have been!

And yesterday as well I bought myself a warm black coat,a lighter woolen one.It has one button.And a pretty dress,in terra cotta color!It has like a silk like pattern and has a shining texture.Long sleeves and actually quite sober in line.
I will swim today.
Tomorrow I will attend a discourse from a writer speaking about' Love'.:)
In the afternood I will go dancing in a home with Marion with a good DJ.Second time.She'd like to find uorselves a dancing group.Will see.
My foot is well. But tonight I had a nasty feeling in it again; it desappeared though?
It is said Glucosamine restaures the cartilage, George. Injections can help as well.

muchos carinos de Rita!

ps. Good luck with your French, darling!! Smooches! xxx

hello my dearest George,

Yesterday, I canceled my second trip to the States... :( I realised that two flights(in high season!!) were way too much in cost!I can book a cheeper flight through internet; but one never knows for the risks there?...
Nathalie from Connections(where I always book my flights; annulation and security,etc included in the price),- told me to mail her on the pc now and then,asking her when prices go down and than I take that price for the day.:)

So George, we will enjoy it in that time to the fullest!:)

Can you send me again the address and an example to ask my visit time there?
Happy Valentine Day,love!! Warm embraces!! and take vrry well care of yourself,Georgie.:)))))) xxx

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Here we go. Hi,I just got your comment today,the 7th of March.And that's exactly today!
Christine's mom died at 93 on Valentine's Day... and her dad died a little later,and her dad died on the 2nd of March! She died peacefully; he didn't!...:((( On the 5th of this month Stephanie her daughter and Aernout got Margot! That is so very healing for them.

Josh you drawing was fabulous!! Everyday I glance to it and see my dad... alife!:) George,you had this great idea!!A letter is sent to both of you. The two books and the calender came back... the carton board were not accepted. The calender in on its way in a yellow envelope.I've made a very good friend,in a movie theatre:'The source of women'.Her name is Boushra; she's a maroccan woman,younger than me;her mom is 66,I heard.:)
We went eating in a very nice restaurant:Au bon pain. Or'Daily Bread'?I told the story of 'our' life!!She had quite some special stories herself!!

Write soon sweetie!My foot is good; I treat it well! A warm hug from Rita!:)))))))

hello again George,

Our neighbor Oswald who had a stroke last yr in January and was placed in a kind of home,died. His wife Marina is my age; we're the youngest here.;).He would celebrate his birthday on the first of April:80...Not to be.
Johnny of our block, a neighbor, will replace his B-Day towards the 23 of March, and not tomorrow as he had planned.
Therefore I will replace mine to later,somewhere in April,I guess?

Christine's father was 98,a doctor and I will attend his funeral. This Saturday.Philip came to BE for his grandmother and read outloud in the modern church. Now he's coming back again! for his grandfather.He is the godfather of Margot,the baby of his sister Stephanie.
The baby had to be born in urgency as Steffie had problems with her liver,the kidneys and the blood plaques!!(plates?) The baby measured only 47 cm and she weighed only 2,870kg.Then Margot lost weight and has now an infuse...It caused tears to the parents.:((
A lot of emotions for Christine and Joost!

I got a BONGO- present to pass one night, including a breakfast in an hotel, somewhere in BE, NE, GE, FRance,or Luxemburg, etc
I got it from Elke because I cared for the kids when Bart had to camp outside, to be able to get a class for September for Lynn!...
It was really cold then!!
Mom and me will have that one night in a fancy hotel in Antwerp!

Hotel Banks,a four star hotel.:o Free source water on our room.A healthhy Breakfast with fresh and healthy ingredients and daily drinks and bitss from 4 till 8 pm!!I will order it tomorrow for the 4th of April.:))I will drink mine (the drink) on the health of you and Joshua!

Bart's father is in solitary, and receives chemotherapy!He will need new bone marrow!He is my age. To prevent he'll have leukemia...His blood was 'younger' than his age, 67 and so they will have that treatment! Normally they don't do it anymore above 65 of age! :o I assume he's lucky!!
His immune system is low and so they put him in an isolation room for a month and a half. I heard he receives only a week of chemo, then they'll see for the result... He has an I-pod and can read the daily papers, see his football matches, etc; they can skype with him and see and talk with the family members, and Simonne comes to visit him every day for some hours.She than wears a special outfit to enter the room.

No godfather... 'vake' Karel,hardly would see the child...Bart has no brothers and his own dad,Jan is already the godfather of Lynn, comprendo?
Bart and Elke realise how much we as grandmothers are in tow(?) for the kids, :)))

A warm hug for you and your friend! xxx Rita

bitss, has to be bites. :)

hello darling!

Tomorrow Oswald 79 will be burried... All the neighbors are invited to the coffee table; which is nice. Marina now is the 3rd widow since I came to this apartment.
Now christine and Joost will be in peace as her parents are togehter again.:)
And baby Margot is home.She is doing well, I heard. Philip was here for the funerals of his both grandparents who died with 17 days only apart... They were so very long togehter!...
After the funeral I could eat in a Chinese wok reataurant. They just would close, but I still could eat and it was so good!!
I returned to the store who stopped- they would move- and the prices were reduced.They had georgeous clothings, George! I thought about you! ;)
Well, I bought three itams:dark bleu +-lacy pants;a blue blouse with long sleeves= two different designs on them and blue irregular spots all over and small pearls in the front, so to say. A spiffy blouse it is!High up it has three little buttons.It is a stretchy material.
And a kind of hippie knitted sweater/poncho type, no buttons.It has all around fringes (??). It has a mixture of old rose, and greyish colors.So beautiful!!
Then I just missed my bus. I had to wait an hour, and I picked up a magazine,you just can take on a stand outside of a store. Sun shone.And I decided to read it close to a tree, sitting on a stone border of a tree.
A man came; his name was Michel.We had a very good talk!He saw I lived much in my flow.:)I saw I could trujst him and so I drove in his car. We drank some tea in a gym place, where he knew some friends.He had to visit a friend in the clinic as well.He lived in Africa, traveled in America, and he took my email address and How I wonder if he will write as he promised?...
he makes music, and he said he could contact some friends to look for a place for me to exhibit my art??...

Just now I ordered a visit to Brussels in an Art Deco hotel for 3 nights in May.A breakfast is included for a reasonable price. I needed to add some Rewards from Hotels.com, otherwise the 4 others would be lost. If I have 7 I get a night for free.I've 7 for now.

Take care, say hello to your artist friend! and have a big hug both of you!! Love, Rita xxx

hey George, while reading things and looking to the head of your blog again, I noticed that the address of Galesburg is still there!
So, if people try to reach you... they write to this address and you moved!! :o

Inform yourself on the blog how you can "change" your address there!!

We had those terrible attacks here in my country! We never will live anymore without this threat...:((( Our lives have changed... there is no return back.It weighs upon us.
I am again a year wiser now! ;)) Thanks a lot for that nice and color full pastel water color heart, George!I do find it lovely!! You're a sweetie!!:))
I celebrated my B-Day with mom in Brussels.Didn't feel safe going by train to her though... At the entrance were three soldiers where I went out.We haven't known this.. until now. Very sad.

Kisses, many... for you! xxx Rita :)

We're the 12th of April today and it says here you'll get my news on the 18th Monday. See if this happens!! :o

Dear George how I miss you... And I got the letter where you were concerned about my well being.I am well. I also called your dad. He tried to reach me, he said. Well, I will print my number again in case of an urgency.0032/36699330.
Doing this, he at least can place a message on my voice mail.
To be sure, I'll give your address to Lily if something should happen with me; then she at least can reach you.Never know, eh.
There also will come more pictures!
BIG NEWS this time!!! Leslie and Philip bought a house in SD!A big one near a small canyon.It has five bedrooms!I saw the pictures and it's just a perfect house.Near their work at the university, near parks, the ocean, and even the schools of the kids.Not too far from the airport. In Clairmont.

And yesterday I took up my brushes again!!Just very emotional it was.We all had good results with the teacher. She has a grand curriculum in many areas!Of the group I had the most experience though.:)
Till pretty soon, darling!! xxx from Rita :))))