Fat Cats Corner

 In 2020 restaurants and retail stores were closed, office workers, where possible, were sent to work from home.  Businesses closed, many, many people lost jobs. Supply chains dried up and people hoarded toilet paper.  Here we are 21 months later and some businesses have never re-opened, many people are still out of work, ships sit outside our ports waiting to unload the things we think we need.  And many, many people have died. I think people in general were naïve about the effects of COVID-19 and how long those effects would last.  My husband and I are both under the age of 65 and in good health.  We have been very fortunate to not have become sick and do not know of anyone in our family or among our friends who have.  We are fully vaccinated and plan to get our booster shots as soon as we are able.  We continue to wear masks in stores and whenever we are in close quarters with the public.  It's the safe thing to do.  It's the RIGHT th...

My Ever Loving Patient Husband took me to Germany the first week in May.  And because it was close enough to our 25th Wedding Anniversary he used his air miles to get us First Class tickets.  I was very grateful for those fully reclining seats during the 9 hour flight. We flew into Stuttgart, the capital of southwest Germany's Baden-Wurttemberg state.  It is known as a manufacturing hub.  Both Mercedes-Benz and Porsche have headquarters and museums there.  There are a number of large green spaces (parks) that are popular with the locals.  They are making significant changes to the main train station across the street from the Graf Zeppelin hotel and surrounding area but it was surprisingly easy to get around.  It was cool but sunny when we arrived and we walked down to Schlossgarten Park.  At Schlossgarten (Castle Garden), Lusthaus Ruins in background The more than 400 years old remains of the New Lusthaus in the middl...