I had forgotten that Ascension Day (Himmelfahrt) is a state holiday in Germany. Because it was drizzling that day, the outdoor Service that is normally held in the nearby castle was relegated to a huge tent, that also serves for the village festivities afterwards. Never having been here in May, this was new to me. What made up for the confinement to the tent, was a brass band playing some beautiful hymns. This made me think of my friend Gary, who besides being a composer and pianist, also plays trumpet and trombone. Some of the most beautiful music I have ever heard, are Bach cantatas played on the trumpet.

On to matters of the table: My brother Christian’s daughter Jacqueline had suggested Pommes (French fries) for lunch to go along with the BBQ chicken that my brother was marinating in Marburg and bringing with him. When they arrived, the search with Jacqueline for frozen Pommes in the freezer proved fruitless. So, I suggested making some, at which she was very surprised, that this could be done. Apparently, she must think that they are harvested in supermarkets. So I showed her, that potatoes could be peeled, sliced, and diced, to look like Pommes. She then went into the basement, and this time I was surprised, that she knew how to turn on the deep fryer — but then again, this girl loves to eat (or devour things). Unbeknownst to me however, the temperature setting (there are two) she had set it to, proved to be nonfunctional, so when I came in to check on matters (she had put the fries in by herself), I found our Pommes sitting in cold oil. Well — we then heated them on the other setting, but I will leave it up to your imagination what they tasted like after soaking up all that oil. Luckily we still had the BBQ chicken and a cucumber salad I had made. Both dogs were also grateful to lick said plates afterwards, as well as some spilled mayonnaise from the cobblestones. Convenient clean-up!