Bon Appetito!

Dinner with friends is one of the things we enjoy the most and we had a blast with this group. Frank served up delicious Italian food to these special friends from Rome and Como, Italy. Though he was nervous about cooking for them, they gave him the greatest compliments by cleaning their plates through all four courses! We didn't run out of things to talk in spite of speaking different languages. We are so blessed by the great people who come into our lives!

Tanti Auguri, Fratello Botta!

...or Best Wishes, Brother Botta!!  Our special friend turned 94 years old. We couldn't let this milestone pass without some special recognition.

So at the appointed hour, some of the Temple Missionaries that live in the Missionary Apartment Building (M.A.B.), as well as  a few visitors, gathered to surprise him with a musical birthday greeting. Brother Botta was the first Patriarch in Italy. He and his darling wife have been temple workers in the Swiss Temple for more than 30 years. They are amazing!! We are so glad to call them "amici" (friends)!!

Rag Rug Friendships - The Continuing Saga

For some reason, Beth's Rag Rugs have created quite the stir and several friends asked for lessons on how to crochet them. 

 The adventure began with a train ride to Bern to get the big crochet hooks and then a stop at a Second-hand store to pick up some sheets. Just so you know the word for fabric in French is "le tissue"!!
There was ripping and rolling and crocheting as Beth feebly attempted to explain in multiple tongues to three French friends, one Italian and one other American how to make rugs.

Since then several other Temple Worker friends have asked to learn so another  international "session" has been scheduled!!

INSTALLMENT 2 of Rag Rug Friendships.....

We gathered again to have fun with fabric. Sister Foucher has almost completed her rug, Sister Schwendener concentrated on making mini-rug red hearts for an upcoming event. She was concerned when she saw me rip into a piece of red fabric that looked like the Swiss flag! I assured her that it WAS NOT a flag but had been a duvet cover commemorating a football game victory. We got a good chuckle out of that!

Spring in the Apartment

 We love to watch things grow and picked the perfect objects to bring Spring into our home. In one week, hyacinth bulbs EXPLODED into bloom! They grew...no kidding...one inch every day and continue to fill the air with lovely fragrance.

 Five teacups will become living Easter baskets. The Cat Grass we planted sprouted in just 4 days and is growing fast. We may need to "mow" in a day or two. We will add picks of paper flowers before giving them away to friends.

An Aerial View

 Our grandson, Asher, saw this view of the Temple Grounds and wanted to know where we live. This labeled map is his answer... we are in the Missionary Apartments just 288 steps away from the Temple. (The commute to "work" is perfect!)

A Mosey Around Moosseedorf

 Look what we found as we strolled through the Village of Moosseedorf! We had to take a look inside this lilliputian-sized chapel. Parts of its construction goes back to the 1500's.  It is as cute as the village that surrounds it!!

A Clever Concept....

We see these structures everywhere we go. They are converted from what we call a "Barn and House Duplex".

It is a clever construction idea with the house (on the left) and a barn (on the right) and a separation breeze way in between.   Can you picture what it might have looked like long ago? Farmers wouldn't have had to go far to milk the cow or collect the eggs.

The side view would look like this.  Some people might be concerned about the dirty barn being so close to the house but....this is Switzerland...where even the barns are clean!!