Poinsettias, Pretzels and a Handmade Brush

I was invited for a visit to the Baker's house last week.  In the good parlor. 

The good parlor is the only room with heat.....and she uses the wood stove in all the ways any of our Grandmothers would have:  tea kettle, defrosting soup, warmer for the coffee pot. 

She made those big, soft pretzels again, too: 

This time with some sesame seeds.  Yum.....  !!

She also showed me another flour from my favorite mill, which I have overlooked  -- the German version of semolina. 

I didn't understand all the different ways she was telling me I could use it.  There were a lot of numbers in there:  80% + 20% for.....?!?  What kind of dough?   The German spoken at this house is more Schwaebisch (read that:  ALL Schwaebisch...) and I'm lucky if I get half.   I will ask later about the dough. 

But, much better than German pretzels & semolina was one of the guests at our little party.  Same age group, same demographic, same village.   This is possibly the ideal situation for permissable, interactive eavesdropping -- I sat in between them, and participated in the following: 

Guest:  Well, you know, you'll never get a straight story out of those neighbors.  They're from Schonaich, after all. 

Baker:  Mmmm...yes.

Tanya:  What?  Are you talking about the next village over.....? 

Baker:  They've just always been different, that's all. 

Tanya:  The neighbors, or the people living in Schonaich?

Guest:  Those people in Schonaich have always thought they were better than the rest of us.

Right now, I could have eaten this conversation with a SPOON.  Of course, all these villages are filled with modern-day families working for IBM, Daimler, Bosch, US Government ;-) etc.  But, I saw the chance for a little time travel... 

Tanya:  Do you remember this from when you were little?

Baker:  Oh, yes, I'm afraid so! 

Guest:  Of course, when you go over toward Weil, there's nothing but Gypsies....

Tanya:  Wait a minute...there are gypsies in Weil im Schonbuch? 

Guest #2:  Actually, they weren't gypsies -- they were the Brush Makers.

Guest:  Oh, yes....that's right! The Brush Makers! But there were gypsies, too.

Tanya:  Is this just a name, or did they actually make brushes?

Baker:  Oh, they made brushes and came around selling from big sacks on their backs. 

Tanya:  Can I still buy this? I want a handmade brush!  Where do I find people making brushes today? 

Baker:  I have an extra one in the kitchen.  I'll give it to you.  The man gave it to me for free last time he was here because I invited him in for coffee and pretzels. 

Tanya:  .......speechless.....

It just doesn't get ANY better than sitting at the table with women who are 80+....the THINGS they talk about are better than a book.   

:-) :-) :-)