Happy New Year 2022!

 

Happy New Year
Czech Off the Beaten Path

Hi Everyone,

I hope you've all had a very Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year! This is a little late, but things have been busy here! Even so, I wanted to put together a short update on what's going on here. 

Quiet Holidays

Jiri and I celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary in the first part of December! It's also the anniversary of my moving to the Czech Republic. It's now been 15 years since I stepped off the plane to my new life as an expat. It's hard to believe so many years have gone by! 

We had a quiet Christmas and New Year's. Our Czech family and friends didn't get together because of Covid. However, we still managed to celebrate with family and friends online. Even so, we still had a very nice holiday. It's been a great time to relax (after baking and cooking) and to spend a little time together. 

Covid Christmas

Covid Still Rules

Like the rest of the world, we're still dealing with Covid here, too. People are so tired of the pandemic, lockdowns, wearing masks, etc. There have been protests against the anti-Covid measures in this country; however, most people are abiding with the mask requirement and getting vaccinated. 

Vaccination has been a problem here, too, as it has in the US and other parts of Europe. However, with the onset of Omicron, there's been a slight uptick in the numbers getting vaccinated for the first time and those who are getting boosters.

They're expecting the Omicron variant to start causing problems once everyone is back from the holidays. So, we've been preparing just in case things get back. We're not hoarding! 

Instead, we've bought OTC meds a little ahead. For instance cough syrup. The kind of cough syrup I can take has been out of stock since before the holidays. So, I've bought the tablets instead. The freezer is also full. I've made some meals ahead and we have plenty of ingredients on hand. 

So, we're prepared as much as we can be.

Covid Vaccine

My Vaccine Experience

I'm an advocate for Covid measures, including vaccinations. That's in spite of continuing to deal with the side effects from the Pfizer vaccine. I've been dealing with neurological issues for the past few months. My last shot was in August. 

I'm due for a booster next month. However, I've got to consult with the doctor to see if the booster is safe for me or not. I'm concerned that the 3rd one could really cause some problems with my health. So, we'll have to see what happens. 

New Year Weight Loss Goals

New Year Weight Loss

As many others have done, I've also gained some weight since Covid started. So, I've decided it's time to start a weight loss regime. There won't be any specific diet used. My doctor has ruled out anything like the Keto diet or others that are trending. So, I have to use common sense. That means cutting out the garbage stuff, eating smaller portions, and exercising more. 

In the past this program worked pretty well for me. I'm older now, so it will be interesting to see if this type of weight loss program still works! 

I'd love to get an e-bike, but Jiri says they're too dangerous. Ach jo...that means walking and other types of exercise will be needed. That's OK. I can manage it, even without an e-bike! 

Writing on my Blogs More Often

Another goal is to write on my blogs more regularly! I've been busy with other projects and haven't had time to write here or on my other blogs. 

I have about four blogs with my own domains now. Each one is on a different topic, which keeps things interesting. But it's necessary to include these blogs in my writing schedule, which is already very full. 

It might be more realistic to write a blog post a month for each one. However, I'd love to write on my sites more often. We'll see how it goes. 

Never Stop Dreaming

Content Writing Work Continues

My work creating content for websites also continues on Fiverr. This is what keeps me pretty busy, with not much time for my blogs, etc! 

Creating Designs

I continue to create designs as often as possible. There, again, I don't always have enough time to devote to this work/hobby. However, I do create new designs every so often. 

My stores are on Zazzle and I have a new one on Gumroad, too. My main Zazzle store does OK. I don't do any promotion, so the sales are organic. This shop doesn't bring in so much, but it's OK. 

Then there's a new Zazzle shop Angelfire Mountain Designs (there's also a new blog that goes with this shop: Angelfire Mountain Designs). These are both new, so there aren't many products or articles yet. However, it's something new, which is always fun to work on!

I'm also looking at creating Canva templates and selling these on Gumroad. We'll see. These are some ideas. 

Then there's KDP low content publishing. I've also gotten into that a little bit. So far, there are only five books for sale. However, I hope to make more. It's fun and challenging to come up with original designs to potentially sell!

Wind Turbines Renewable Energy

 The Energy Crisis

As you may have heard, Europe is experiencing an energy crisis. I won't go into all the politics and issues with that. However, we've been told blackouts may be coming our way, especially if the winter is very cold. 

Blackouts are pretty common in the US. Where I used to live in the US, we would sometimes be without power for days! My folks installed a generator, which was a huge help. So, I learned how to manage when power outages hit. 

However, here, power outages have been extremely rare. I can count on one hand the number of power outages I've experienced since moving here. The power outages also didn't last too long--may 2 or more hours, but that's about it. 

But now things may be a little different with the energy crisis. No one really knows! So, like my Dad always taught us, I've been preparing ahead just in case. We invested in a small backup power source and a solar panel. These aren't very large, but would provide enough power to get through a day or so. 

I'm also looking at ways to change my work a little bit. I usually work online quite a bit. However, a new plan would be to do research before I write, saving it on an external hard drive. That way, I could still get work done and use my phone's data plan to upload the work when finished.

So, we're prepared as much as we can be if there really are blackouts and other energy problems. We'll have to wait and see what develops (or not)!  

Closing Thoughts

Well, that's about all for the update today! I just wanted to say hi and let you know what I've been up to! Even though I can't get out too much right now, there's plenty going on! 

I hope & pray that each of you stays safe and healthy! And I'd like to wish you all the very best in this new year of 20221

God bless,

Sher 

What's a Crock Pot?

Hi Everyone,

Today was the first day back to a somewhat normal schedule after the holidays. It was strange to be home alone, after Jiri was home with me for the past couple of weeks. I had to laugh this morning, when seeing Jiri off to work, our neighbor was also leaving for his job. Both Jiri and he had their briefcases in one hand and a garbage bag in the other. Really funny!

We had a very nice Christmas and New Year’s. One of my favorite gifts this year was a crock pot. Jiri and I bought it with Christmas money from my folks. A crock pot would seem to be a rather ordinary and mundane gift. However, I’ve been looking for a crock pot since moving here seven years ago.

Missing a Crock Pot

Slow cookers are one of those conveniences that I have missed since moving to Prague. We don't have a car, an electric dryer, etc., but I don't miss those things. A crock pot, on the other hand, I've missed quite a bit. It's not only the convenience a crock pot offers, it's also the smell of something really good cooking all day long. While I don't need a car--I do need a crock pot! It's one of those common place things that creates a cozy atmosphere at home--along with some very good food.

What's a Crock Pot?

Crock pots are not at all common here. I have looked high and low in the shops, only to find rice cookers and other appliances. We’ve even asked our friends and Czech family if they knew where we could buy a crock pot, but they weren’t even sure what one was! Most everyone thought we were asking about an electric pressure cooker. Czechs seem to be familiar with those, but not with crock pots.

Just before Christmas I happened to come across a forum thread on our local expat website, Expats.cz. Someone else was also looking for a crock pot. A helpful fellow expat gave them links to stores that might have slow cookers. I followed those links and sure enough, I found our crock pot. I was happy to see we could finally buy a slow cooker in Prague.

I had a crock pot when living in the U.S. Everyone has a slow cooker there. It also seems that crock pots are common in Canada and the U.K. Why these nifty appliances haven’t caught on with Czechs is a mystery. One reason may be the price--our Czech crock pot was pretty expensive. The same slow cooker back in the U.S. would be less than half the price. 

Back in the States, I used my crock pot mostly to make yummy pot roasts or maybe a pot of beans. Now, though, I’ve been more adventurous with our new crock pot.

Our First Meal with the New Slow Cooker

Our first meal was cooked from frozen chicken breasts, then I tried to cook a duck, we also tried a pork roast and tonight had turkey breast. One experiment—baking a gluten free cake in the slow cooker—didn’t turn out quite as well. I had to finish baking the cake in the oven. Even so, I’m in heaven! All I have to do to fix a nice dinner is throw in some veggies and meat, turn the crock pot on and let it cook for several hours. By the time Jiri is home from work, we have a nice dinner all ready and I didn’t have to spend an hour or more preparing it!

If you’re living here, in Prague, and would like to know where we bought our crock pot, just drop me an email and I’ll send you the link! If you're in the U.S. and would like a crock pot, check out the one at the end of this post!

Have a great day!

God bless,

Sherry

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Czech Christmas Artist Josef Lada

Hi Everyone,

Christmas is almost here; with Czech women (and at least one American wife married to a Czech!) are busily cooking and baking in preparation for Christmas Day. I’ve baked several batches of cookies and have other holiday chores to do, but today, I would like to introduce you to a wonderful Czech artist, Josef Lada.

Background

Josef Lada was born in 1887 in a village near Prague called Hrusice. Lada was the fourth child of a shoemaker. As a baby he lost one of his eyes when he fell out of a cradle and landed onto a knife of his father’s. The loss of his eye didn’t slow Lada down one bit. Though his family was poor, he had very happy memories of Christmas after he grew up. He would later uses these memories to create wonderful Christmas paintings.

In 1901, at the age of 17, Lada was sent to Prague to become an apprentice to a painting decorator and scenery painter. It was at this time that his first pictures were published in a magazine called Maj. In 1906, Lada attended the Academy of Applied Arts in Prague. He studied there for one year. During his studies he was introduced to a movement of anarchists and proletarians who were dissatisfied with the rule of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. During this time Lada became associated with politics and satirical caricatures.

Naïve Art

In the early 20^th century, Lada developed a distinctive form of drawing that would be classified as Naïve Art. He focused on the village and country life from his earliest childhood memories. He had a happy childhood. His drawings are filled with the visages of village life, along with that of country people working on their fields. Lada also depicted many Czech holiday traditions in his paintings, such as the Easter pomlázka and Christmas carp being sold in the square.  

Lada’s works are simple, yet have bold lines with the use of primary colors. His works give you a warm, cozy feeling. You can’t help but smile when looking at his paintings.

While he was known for his political caricatures and satirical art, Lada is also fondly remembered for his children’s book illustrations, along with the children’s books he authored. In addition, Lada is known for his illustrations in The Good Soldier Švjek, by Jaroslav Hašek.

Svjek

Christmas Paintings

Czechs, including my husband, associate Christmas with Lada’s paintings, many of which have appeared on Christmas cards in this country for many, many years. His paintings even survived the Communist years, though at times Christian imagery was censored by the regime. 

All through this post you can see a few of Lada’s art works. Don’t they make you think of Christmas from a child’s eyes? And yet, if you take in all the imagery, you can see a depth of information in each picture. You can see the joy of children playing in the snow or looking with wonder at a Christmas tree through a window. There’s a father carrying home his family’s Christmas tree—you can feel the frost and cold he is experiencing. 

Then, in the painting below, you can feel the coziness of a family’s Christmas celebration. Just tell me you can’t feel the warmth of that room, smell the Christmas feast and feel the joy! There’s even a picture of a carp being sold in the village square. It reminds me of Christmas here, in Prague, with the tubs of Christmas carp in the cold outside grocery stores and in markets around the city.

I wanted to share a few of Josef Lada’s holiday paintings with you as we get ready for celebrating Christmas next week. I hope these paintings will give you as much joy and holiday spirit as they’ve given me.

I’d also like to wish you and yours a very wonderful Merry Christmas, and all the best in the coming New Year!

Before I go, here's a video showing some of Lada's paintings through the seasons.

Have a blessed Christmas,

Sher :0) 

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Happy New Year 2012

Hi Everyone,
Today is New Year's Eve! Where's the time been flying? 2011 has been a very good year for me, despite some challenges with my health (namely, my back/leg injury from the Krknose trip). It seems to me that the year has passed by in hyper drive, and now we are in the very last day of this year, 2011, looking toward 2012 just after midnight!


Jiri and I have had a quiet holiday season this year due to my back. Entertaining has been pretty much out of the question, so we celebrated Christmas together, and will be just we two for New Years this year, too. It's been nice. The only thing I wished for was a white Christmas. Our winter weather is a bit off this year, as we've had lower than normal precipitation and the temps have been warmer than normal. Well, if lack of snow is my major disappointment, then I don't really have too much to complain about.


Going into 2012 will be an adventure for freelancing and also with medical stuff. I'm anxious to see what the neurologist will tell us in mid January--what will she want to do to get my back better? That's a question, very much up in the air. One thing I'm certain of is that I'm very ready to be fixed. I was ready almost 6 months ago, but sometimes these types of injuries take a while to improve.

Freelancing work will also be an adventure as I would like to try some new things, such as creating my own products. I've only done a very little of this type of work, mostly in my Zazzle shops. So, this will be a new branching out for me, one that I hope will teach me more and also add to my income a bit. Czech Off the Beaten Path will continue into 2012, and I hope to write here  more often than there was time in 2011. 


Thank you for continuing to visit and read Czech Off the Beaten Path. Thank you, too, for your comments and corrections/clarifications. Discussion is what really makes a blog, and I hope we can have more discussions in 2012.


That's all for today. I would like to wish you and your loved ones a very happy New Year 2012, filled with peace, joy, love, and good health. I also wish you a prosperous 2012.


God bless,
Sher :0) 


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Online Gift Shopping for Expats

Christmas presents by heybucketme

Hi Everyone,
Today's post is my way of supporting expats and capitalism. Online present shopping can be a boon for expats. Christmas shopping can be challenging when you’re an expat far from family and friends, who live back in your home country. The years when I go home for Christmas, it is easy to buy gifts to take back with me. I usually buy gifts that are found here, in the Czech Republic. These presents will be the most exotic and different since they are from a foreign country. However, when I spend Christmas in the Czech Republic, I typically shop online for gifts for everyone back home. There are several benefits for expats who shop online for their Christmas gifts:

1. Shopping online saves money on postage. Mailing gifts back to the U.S. is not only costly, but you also have to worry about presents being broken, lost or stolen.

2. Checking “wish lists” makes choosing a gift easier. Wish lists make it easy to find the best gift for your loved ones or friends. Several online stores allow customers to create wish lists, including sites such as Amazon and other online stores.

3. Create one-of-a-kind gifts. You can even create one-of-a-kind gifts by visiting online stores such as Zazzle and Café Press. These shops are known as print-on-demand stores, where you can order a gift, and they will print it up and send it where you specify. You can use a favorite photo, a graphic image you’ve created, and more to create a unique present for family and friends. It’s possible to personalize all of the items available for sale at these stores. Each gift you create will not only be personally selected, but also created by you. If you aren’t artistically gifted, you can find many items that can be personalized to make wonderful gifts. One more note, Zazzle and Café Press allow you to offer your unique creations for sale to the public. This is a great way to earn some extra money to add to your expat budget and/or to use for holiday shopping.

4. Digital gifts are popular. Other gift options include digital gifts you can give via iTunes and Amazon, among other online shops. You can gift digital versions of music, movies, books and more through these shops. Another gift option is to make a present of a gift certificate for your giftee. You can specify the amount to be credited to the gift certificate. Many major online stores allow you to send real gift certificates via mail or virtual (digital) gift certificates via email. Digital gifts are wonderful for people who have e-readers, such as the Kindle or Nook, or who use tablet computers, such as the iPad or Kindle Fire. Digital gifts are also great for family and friends who have iPhones, Android mobile phones and iPod Touches. Digital gifts are easily downloaded onto the devices and computers of your giftees.

5. Several different payment options. Ordering presents online gives you various payment options. You can pay for online gifts using debit/credit cards, PayPal, electronic checks and even bank transfers.

Some people believe online shopping is too impersonal and that it doesn’t take much effort to choose or send a gift. I tend to disagree. Online shopping takes real time and effort, for by the time you take to check “wish lists,” read reviews and compare prices, you will have spent as much time shopping for the right gift as if you had been to several stores. And you may have to visit several online stores before finding the right present. Online shopping is a wonderful way to find personalized gifts for your family and friends.

Gift-giving can be challenging when you’re living in a foreign country. However, with all of these online and digital options, you’re sure to find gifts to please your family and friends back home. Online shopping is convenient when done from your own home and offers several types of payment options. Following “wish lists” and/or sending physical or digital gifts or gift certificates ensures you’ll find just the perfect gift to send back home. I personally have used each of these methods, and will do so this Christmas. These are just a few ideas to help you with shopping for Christmas gifts for family and friends back home.

Have a great day!

God bless,

Sher :0)

PS You can find unique Christmas gifts by following the links to my online shops in this post and below! You can find books about the Czech  Republic and Prague, along with travel gear and gizmos. You can also find unique gifts such as t-shirts and more made with photos and images I have created. 


If you use these links to make a purchase at Amazon or Zazzle, I will earn a small percentage from each sale. These programs are part of my freelance work online.

Have a great day!

God bless,
Sher

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Note:  Sher Vacik is a participant in the Amazon services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees and linking to Amazon.com.


Sher Vacik creates designs and images to sell on her Zazzle shops. Sher is also a Zazzle Inc. affiliate.  

© 2011 by Sher Vacik. All rights reserved.

Veselé Vánoce!

Hi Everyone,
As you read this Jiri and I are preparing for Christmas Eve at our own place this year.  This is our very first Christmas to spend in our own home!  I've been sick and so we are staying home.  I've spent the past couple of days baking.  The flat smells so good.  And this evening, I'm preparing a traditional Czech Christmas Eve dinner, well, mostly traditional, but with no Christmas carp.  We are going to have garlic soup (doctor's orders, by the way), řízek from chicken, potato salad, and carrot compote salad, along with some white wine.  Dessert will be some of the cookies and sweets I've been baking the past couple of days.  It's been a lot of work, but I don't mind.  Presents and reading of the Christmas story, with Christmas music playing, will finish our evening.  Having our very first Christmas in our own home, after 6 years, will be a treat!

Merry Christmas!

I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas!  I hope you will enjoy your time with loved ones and friends during the next few days!

God bless,
Sher :0) 

Image credit:  Sher Vacik

(c) 2010 by Sher Vacik  All rights reserved.