On December 16 our German Class performed a show which was filmed by my son-in-law, Charlie Michaels and put on You Tube. Now everybody can watch our show that took some energy and and colaboration of the actors. Not everyone in my class wanted me to do this. After all, they came to the German class to learn German, not to put up a play. I had full understanding for this and had the three rehearsals that were necessar done on a different day than our classtime. The class is on Thursdays, and we rehearsed on Fridays. In fact, the show took place on Friday, Dec. 16. It so happened that my daughter, Doris Michaels and her husband Charlie arrived in Castro Valley from their home in  New York on the way to their mountain cabin in Bear Valley. They attended the show and Charlie shot this great video. Now all my visitors can see and enjoy it.

I don’t quite know what will happen next. I am continuing with my German classes, two private German students, Rotary, a few clubs, book groups, and cleaning two dentist’s floors (for the money), tending house and garden and trying to be a good wife to my husband who has to put up with all of that. My family is great, they are in and out. Marty, my mountain guiding son, will attack Everest again in March. My niece from South America, Regula Rohland, will visit us in March, too. Marty will show one of his videos at the Castro Valley Sunrise meeting on March 23, a day before he leaves for Everest. An interesting life. I haven’t mentioned yet that my grandson, Jason Cruz, is stationed for one year at an airforce base in Korea and will take his family to Germany for the following three years when he is serving at a base close to Heidelberg. For this year Jason’s wife, Gennie and his two children, Brianna (3) and Justin (1 1/2) are living with my daughterBarbara and Randy Cruz in Windsor, CA. Barbara, who works for INFO as senior programmer, is my main editor. She and Doris support me all the way with my writing.

this year has been very successful for me. I have finished my 5th book “My Father, Hermann Apelt”. My daughter gave me a roaring birthday party for my 90th in New York and invited over 45 relatives from Germany, America, New Zealand, France,k Argentina, and Canada. That was back in april. zmy German Class gave me much pleasure, there were 18 students last quarter. We put up a play which was staged on December 16 which can be seen at the link “Hansel&Gretel ddirected by Mathilde Schmidt, You Tube”. It takes less than 1/2 hour to watch. We had a wonderful holiday at our mountain cabin. Happy New Year to all of you. Mathilde

Halleluya! My book has been printed and shipped. that is, I have not seen it yet, but it is in the mail. Shipping takes another week or too. But that’s okay, I waited so long, just a bit longer. It is always so esciting to have a book finished. Now I am really looking forward to my big birthday party in New York, where about 50 relatives and friends are gathering at the nice apartment of my daughter Doris and her husband Charlie. that will happen on April 16. Everyone of those guests will get a signed copy of my new book. I will write another post after that party. mathilde.

My new book about my father is on the way. The manuscript is finished,  edited, and sent to the publisher. It is such an exciting thing to publish a book. Though this is my fifth book, it is just as uplifting and enlivening, as well as frustrating as before. but once the final version (Is there ever such a one???) has been sent, the feeling is great and now starts the end phase, the printing process. Soon I’ll have my book in my hands. I still don’t know, how it’ll look, how the pictures turn out, how it will be accepted. I know that my family will love it. My two daughters Doris and Barbara helped me all the way with their editing skills. Doris will host a big party for my 90th birthday in April. That party (about 35 relatives are coming from all over the world) will take place in New York, at the beautiful apartment of my daughter and her husband Charlie Michaels.  My four children will be there and even my husband Leo is coming with me. (He is not exactly the traveling type.) Meanwhile, while waiting for my book to come out, I keep busy with other things, my German classes, my bookclubs, my big garden, and (the least desirable task), my household.

Being 90 years old (Ithink the word is “nonagenerian”) isn’t so bad, really. Somethimes you look back on your long life with many ups and downs, but mostly you live in the present, only hope the best for the future.This severe winter did havoc on the the forest around our cabin in the Sierra. Still many fallen trees are lying like matchsticks around and my husband Leo has to find some helpers to clean up the mess. But all that will pass and life just goes on.

Last July we had our second great grandchild, a little boy named Justin. Now Brianna has a little brother. She’ll be two in February and she can say her brother’s name and many other things, more words every day.

I let you know how the big party in April is going.

Castro Valley, Jan. 19, 2011

It is now end of October of 2010 and time to put another comment on my blog. Old age is around the corner but it hasn’t really kicked in yet. I am too busy for that. I play a lot of “spider” and “Scrabble” to keep my brain going. I also wrote another book, which is now in the hands of my daughter Doris Michaels who is a successful literary agent and editor and wants this book to be perfect. It is about my father who was a great man. He never published a book but he did much writing and public speaking. Others wrote a book consisting of his best writings and speeches. So, while waiting for my manuscript to get back to me and going once more over it before submitting it to the publisher, I keep busy with German teaching, classes, book clubs, garden, house and husband (in that order). Actually, the husband is the best part and I should concentrate more on him. But he is always around and taken for granted. I meet once a month with my wonderful friend, Cecelia. She is a lawyer, very busy, much younger, and also loves to write. Twice a week I meet with my “one on one” student, Meri, who wants to learn German. she speaks already very nicely and now we even play German Scrabble together. Her mother, Erika, is a wonderful friend. I admire her ability to raise two great children and carve out an interesting life for herself inspite of difficult circumstances. I walk four times a week early mornings,with another friend, almost my age, at our Lake Chabot. She keeps as busy as I do, much more so. My two German classes are my pride and joy. they are small classes, but we love exploring the German language together. Singing, putting on plays, and having parties together is good for all of us. Most of them want to go to Germany some day. And lately, there is our grandson, Denali, from New Zealand. He studies now at the California Art School in Oakland and visits us often. so, you see, I lead a busy life. Love to all, Mathilde

My new book will be nonfiction. The title is: My Father, Hermann Apelt. The reason for writing this book? I should have done it long time ago. My father was a great man. He was born in 1876 and died in 1960 and accomplished many things in his long life. He died in the night after accomplishing a goal that he had for many years, after having lived through two world wars and seeing the fruits of his work (being senator of ports and navigation in Bremen, Germany) demolished twice. Twice he had to build up again what Hitler’s war had destroyed. He never published a book himself. Others did it for him after he died. I have one of thse books that contains his speeches and writings. It took me three months to ;put the book together and it is now in the process of beeing edited. It might come out before Christmas. It might take longer, who knows.

Otherwise I’ve been busy teaching German. I have now three classes, one beginning class, one advanced class and one private student. We are usually giving some performance every quarter. This year we played “Rotkäppchen” (Little Red Ridinghood), a concert of German songs, and another play, “Der gestiefelte Kater” (Puss ‘n Boots). In fact this play will be shown next Thursday, September 2, at the Kenneth Aitken Social Center on Redwood Road in Castro Valley. That’s where I live, in Castro Valley, California, where we had an extreme cool summer this year. Today it’s August 28 and I’m wearing winter clothes!

Oops, I started my blog in the wrong place. Last Saturday, a gorgeous, sunny day, I went to San Francisco to meet with several agents, publishers, and other professionals in the writing field. These “Meet the Agents” event are always stimulating. though you are allowed very limited time (about three minutes), you meet wonderful people and get very excited. At noon I walked to the Mandarin Hotel on Sansome where I met with seven members of my family to enjoy the day and spend the night. All of us were housed on the 41st floor from where we had a great view of the city. We had tea at one of the rooms, dinner at BIX, just a few blocks away and came home to the hotel at midnight, singing an ode to the full moon in German. Yes, I am a German teacher again, a job that I love and feel very competent with. On April 21 I’ll be 89, a wonderful age if you have still all your faculties together. Life is very good!