Elephants on the stairs

I am thinking there is a major cultural difference between the US and Germany as to the presence of open vx shut doors.  I will have to inquire further. In any case, I shut doors when I need to keep people out such as being on a Zoom call or protecting things from small people. But in general, all the doors in our house are open. Not so in the German homes of friends. Walking into an entry way, all one sees are closed doors with no clue where they go. The same is true for any upstairs floors. Ok, I understand privacy. But I really don’t think there is a difference between company and non-company days. I really think that all the doors are always shut.

This leads to trips up and down stairs and a lot of banging of doors opening and closing. Perhaps in your house you keep your bathroom doors open. In mine, a closed bathroom door probably means that the room is occupied. You don’t need to try the door handle to see if it opens. And you don’t embarrass someone inside who forgot to lock the door.

But it does mean that I know where everyone is. I can hear the heavy footbneats of the guys as they go up and down the stairs and the “firm shutting of doors.” Me? I try to be as quiet as possible so as to disturb no one with my comings and goings. Perhaps this is a “me” thing, but it occurs to me that it also just might be a bit gender related.

I have been doing a little stitching, decided not to go for a hike and am seriously considering a nap to finish adjusting to the current time zone.

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About Holly

fiber person - knitter, spinner, weaver who spent 33 years being a military officer to fund the above. And home. And family. Sewing and quilting projects are also in the stash. After living again in Heidelberg after retiring (finally) from the U.S. Army May 2011, we moved to the US ~ Dec 2015. Something about being over 65 and access to health care. It also might have had to do with finding a buyer for our house. Allegedly this will provide me a home base in the same country as our four adult children, all of whom I adore, so that I can drive them totally insane. Considerations of time to knit down the stash…(right, and if you believe that…) and spin and .... There is now actually enough time to do a bit of consulting, editing. Even more amazing - we have only one household again. As long as everyone understands that I still, 40 years into our marriage, don't do kitchens or bathrooms. For that matter, not being a golden retriever, I don't do slippers or newspapers either. I don’t miss either the military or full-time clinical practice. Limiting my public health/travel med/consulting and lecturing to “when I feel like it” has let me happily spend my pension cruising, stash enhancing (oops), arguing with the DH about where we are going to travel next and book buying. Life is good!
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2 Responses to Elephants on the stairs

  1. AlisonH says:

    Our first house, in New Hampshire, was brand new and code was very strict on insulation and R factors. What we found was that with all the doors and windows to outside closed, you had to give an extra little oomph to close an interior door. The place was built like a German car.

    Which is also how we ended up in the ER with CO poisoning, but never mind.

  2. Holly says:

    Not so fun. Windows here routinely open. But walk between bedroom & kitchen? Open close open close. Slam. Tromp…

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