75th Anniversary of Auschwitz Liberation, Friends, Chocolate and Stuff!

My college friends popped by and we were missing one as she had a cold, sore throat and for sure didn't want to pass it on to me.  I so appreciate everyone being very careful.  We visited for 2 hours and over 30 minutes was Face Time with the missing one and I must say I do appreciate social media pretty often but I don't stare at my phone or computer all day.    I feel like I look like a "pinhead" with the beanie and no hair to fluff out my head.  It's just odd looking but odder looking if I take the beanie off which I now do more often at home when I get "itchy head".  And it still is not fun after chemo but at least I'm prepared for the tingly leg pain, nausea, no appetite, tired, itchy head, tingly fingers and all the other crap that lasts about 5-6 days.  Next chemo is Feb 10 with doctor visit, lab and infusion and the next 3 are not yet scheduled so I expect will know more at the next visit depending on labs and "stuff".  But since I was born with a positive attitude I guess I just go day to day and deal with it.

 Mary brought a bulb planter and as of today they are starting to bloom and it's fun to watch from my place at the table!

Yesterday another retired workmate stopped in for a couple hours and we had such a nice visit as always.  She was an RN and me a CDE (diabetes educator dietitian) and we worked with a team.  So in order to bring on good health I get 3 kinds of Abdallah chocolates which are actually Minnesota made in Burnsville and the best ever and I think it will make my hair dark brown when it returns.

 All week I've been listening to the events commemorating the 7th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp where thousands was killed in gas chambers.  We visited there Poland in 2010 on our own and took a tour.  Our guide was a young man whose mother and grandmother had both done tours and his family was in the camp so he heard stories from them.  I pray that this won't happen again and that the bad things stop around the world.

The rail track that screened and separated people - I think those who could do work went one way and those who were too frail maybe went to the gas chambers.

 This was from Dordrecht, the Netherlands in 2018 and they are called solpersteines in German "stumbling blocks" and 67,000 have been placed all over Europe in front of the homes of people who died in the Holocaust.  This must be a father and 2 sons who lived here.

And with the Novel Coronavirus going crazy in China I'm very glad we were able to cancel our Vietnam trip as our flight home returned through Shanghai with a 7 hour layover there - ugh - we probably would not have even gotten out as they are now stopping travel and flights.

And this was in 2013 in Hong Kong and our tour guide wanted all couples to kiss on the terrace overlooking the city so he could take a photo:):)

 Shanghai - our room was on the 14th floor and as I'm looking down on the river I notice water is flooding the streets but there was not much information given anywhere and I couldn't figure it out until I saw this the next morning at breakfast.

 And to end on a silly note - I love cemeteries and toilet photos and this was in German and very clear that you should not put toothpaste tubes or beverage cans down this toilet - duh???????