Happy Halloween everybody!!!

Happy Halloween everybody! It's a working Halloween day for me, but just as well, because Amsterdam does not celebrate Halloween in a big way. Come by La Naranja today if you're out and about on Bilderdijkstraat and say BOO to the gal in orange and black behind the counter!!!

Halloween Display

This was a fun one to put together, and the kids are dragging the moms over to see the pumpkin. It's been up for about a week now, our first display since the permanent "La Naranja" banner was installed.

Pear still life by Brett Scott Laumeister.

She's eating!

I'm ready for my close-up, Suzanne

Hi everyone! Been very quiet here in blogland, because I've been busy as nursemaid to the above feline. Dot is my 13-year-old darlin', and she recently had to have a tooth extraction, after which she needed a great deal of encouragement to begin eating again.

As all caring pet lovers know, the vet time is usually an unwelcome event in our lives. Being an expat just adds to the anxiety. Being unable to communicate about complex medical things while concerned about our beloved pets is a stress cocktail that I've imbibed way too often. So, thinking that others may be combing the internet for solutions, I'd like to share a bit of my experience with vets in Amsterdam. I have two cats, and I visited three different clinics before deciding that Dierenkliniek de Jordaan was my favorite. I love the neighborhood, and I find the vet there very caring yet cautious, an open-minded traditionally trained vet. I'm not keen on treatment-happy vets. I also am a believer in natural raw meat diets and am now back to making my own cat food.

A recent visit required a tooth extraction for my cat, and my vet recommended a specialist for this, Magnus Soeverein of Dierenkliniek Hoofdweg, a state-of-the-art facility in a nice area of De Baarsjes. The tooth extraction appears to have been done extremely well, and the clinic was very attentive about follow-up.

Dot vexed me greatly by taking a very long time to begin eating after the tooth extraction, longer than normal. The Dr. Soeverein was getting anxious about her lack of feeding, and beginning to consider a feeding tube in the side of her esophagus for a few weeks to make sure her food got down. I was against this, knowing that Dot processes everything super slowly, and wanting to let her natural hunger be the motivator. I did not want to put her through any more stress. My husband rightly assessed that her troubles were more psychological than physical.

Teeth act as hands for a cat in many cases. Tooth removal is huge for a cat, especially the canines, and Dot had both her front canines removed. Cats might not understand that they are still able to eat. Finally, going from feeding her with a syringe to a baby's nose cleaner to my own fingers going from the bowl to her mouth and encouraging her, she finally started to understand that she could still eat.

I am a huge fan of Dr. Pitcairn's Natural Health for Dogs and Cats and the raw chicken diet I am using on Dot now is based on his recipes. Today she ate a meal without any coaxing, which is huge, and I'm finally starting to breathe a little easier.

So, if you are wondering about vets in Amsterdam, I can tell you that I am still happy with my regular vet in the Jordaan. It showed a lot of humility for her to say, "this case is beyond my expertise," and I appreciated that she she knew who to turn to. The Hoofdweg clinic was professional in every way, including the bill, which is one reason I'll be returning to the Jordaan for my routine visits.

I think Dot has a lot of cuddles left in her, and I thank everyone for your good wishes and prayers!

UPDATE with good news: December 09 ... Dot is recovering nicely and chowing down once again, sleepin' by my side every night. Go Dotster! Go Dotster!!

All is Right with The World

Is it just me? The city seems happier to me than it was in summer. Maybe because half of Amsterdam residents apparently fled the city this summer, taking advantage of favorable pound and dollar markets over their holidays, which made the yuppie neighborhoods like ghost towns.

But it's not just that all the residents are back snugly in their homes. To me there is a relief that came over the people with the first cool rain and the first chilly evening. As if, finally, their belief that skies must be full of dark clouds was affirmed. The Dutch have a Seize-the-Sun mentality that appears to be genetic. They fill the public parks in droves at the first hint of sunshine. But at the same time, I have never seen a people so resilient in inclement weather. It's perfectly normal to see friends riding their bikes side by side on their way to work or play, talking and smiling as the rain soaks through their hair and splashes up their legs.

And, like the relief of returning to a humble home after a dazzling holiday, they greet the inevitable autumn gloom with a relaxed smile. After all, there is nothing so comforting as the familiar, and they have had centuries to acclimate to what most would label "inclement weather."

For La Naranja, this bodes well, as we sell things that are perfect for getting cosy. I've definitely seen more interest in our wares since the temperatures dropped, and the unique rugs are really getting attention.

We had a fabulous summer this year in Amsterdam, a nice long stretch of idyllic clear skies and mild temperatures, so, as one Dutch acquaintance said to me, "now it's time to pay," a perspective which I find a very sensible.

Then again, if you are paying for your idyllic summer with months of gezillig coziness, then just how steep a payment is it, really?

Do you have a great idea for keeping your thoughts sunny during the Dutch winters? Let me know, and I'll share.

Welcome to Amsterdam in October!!!

Yes, we Amsterdammers can now all collectively sing, "The Party's Over." The cafe tables are taken up, the promise of the odd Indian summer day becomes a fantasy, and as the days get shorter we are greeted by more frequent gusts of wind and longer sprinkles of rain. This my friends, is when the going gets tough.

Yet, the Dutch have braved cold, dark winters for centuries without fleeing the country en masse, so perhaps it's time to take their perspective. The key to enjoying these potentially dreary months is, everybody now, "gezellig."

Shortly after arriving in The Netherlands you will hear or learn of this word. It does not translate directly, but it in part refers to that unique sense of camaraderie and coziness one feels when welcomed into a warm, friendly place on a cold night. Bundle up for a walk through the residential streets during the cold nights through the winter, and you'll see little charming scenes everywhere. Living rooms filled with people talking and sharing a bite; dining room tables lovingly set for six or more, candles burning everywhere, one living room looking more welcoming than the next. Oh, it's not hard to see, for the Dutch usually keep their street-level curtains wide open. This is expected. Why, only somebody with something to hide would need to close their curtains before bedtime.

But there is more to winter here than gezellig time with friends. And thank God, because that little scene is hard to come by for the new kids in town that don't know anyone to be gezellig with.

Enter, The Culture Season. The beauty of culture is that it's there whether your friends are organized or not. One can always venture forth alone and see or do something, and in Amsterdam there is an official "culture season" that runs from October through June, and it's the best time to catch a great performance or musical event.

For basic information about being here in October check out this site by Sharon McAllister. And while there check out her other articles as well. Sharon writes very knowledgeably about "Mokum" and her postings are full of links and hints to help you with your experience here.

If you are tired of venturing forth alone and seeking like-minded souls with whom to explore the city, I highly recommend going over to www.meetup.com and signing up for a few groups.

There. You now have no excuse. You have plenty to do, and people to do them with. Bring on the cold, bring on the dark, we have gezellig on our side!!!!!