vun Johnny Meyer

"De Tapeten in 'ne lüttje Stuv, de mööt dar rut, dat schall vun nu an anners utsehn, dar heff ik de

Näs vun full."

Jo, un nu gung dat denn jo los, nee'e Tapeten utsöken. Wat een Begebenheit.

Glieks steeg Mudder up't Rad un föhrde nahn Malerreebedreef, um na to kieken of se dar woll

Tapeten harrn, de na eern Geschmack weern.

Mit eeren geelen, holten Tollstock harr se dat denn uk utmeten, man so "ungefähr" at se seggen

de. Wiel an denn Tweemeter Tollstock jo dat eerste Gleed fehlen de. Wi Kinner harrn dar mal mit

speelt, un dar weer he us affbroken, over man blots so bi de twintig centimeters rum fehlde dar an,

anners weer de Tollstock noch bold at nee.

Over se wuss nu jo Bescheed, wo groot de lüttje Stuv weer un Froh Ahlers kunn er denn woll

hölpen un er seggen woveel Tapeten se köpen moss.

"Mit denn Tollstock, ji glövt jo nich wo faaken ik dat all hört heff" meende Froh Ahlers, "meiss

Tiet fehlt dar wat an."

Jo Tapeten harr se woll, "over dat Popier döcht jo nich, over ut seen doot se goot, näch?

Mudder wull denn uk noch weten of de ole "Ferdinand" woll noch leben de, wo he woll wohnde?

un of he de Tapeten denn woll eben vor er ankleistern kunn.

Dar wuss Froh Ahlers aver nix vun, wiel he jo nich mehr för er arbeit'n de, all vor Jahre nich, sä se.

"Ik will jo woll de Tapeten un denn Kleister verköpen, over vun't ankleistern dar weet ik nix vun."

Mit usen eeken Handwagen togen wi denn na een paar Daag los um de Tapeten aff toholen. Een

vun us Kinner droff in'n Wagen sitten un de anner moss mit trecken.

"Ferdinand" wohnde na de anner Siet vun't Dörp, furns nahn Hazelkamp, dat eerste Huus links.

At wi em denn na't tweete mal in de tokamen Week andreepen deen, meende he dat he dat woll

noch dissen tokamen Harvst mit maaken kunn. "Wat?" segg Mudder "wo sitt dat denn mit

tokamen Week ut?"

"Immer mit der Ruhe kleine Frau" segg he noch at wi rut gungen. Toseggt harr he dat jo, un in

Harvst keem he denn jo uk. Um sik dat an to kieken.

Mudder un Ferdinand besnaken dat noch een beten un in twee Weeken, up'n Mondaag schullt

denn woll passen. "Nä, töv mal even, dat geiht jo nich," meende Mudder at he all bold up't Rad

seet. "Denn is jo mien Geburtsdaag un denn kamt jo all de Verwandten und de Nobors to Besök

un denn dat ganze Huus dör'n annern, Nä, dat geiht nich." "Jo wenn dat so is, denn kam ik in't

Fröhjahr mal woller.

Un so kem dat, dat dat ganze Huus up'n Kopp stund to Mudder's Geburtsdaag. All de Möbel

wurr'n in Flur un inne Schloppstuv upstopelt. De Verwandten un Nobors mossen in use groote

Stuv un wi Kinner inn'e Kök Geburtdaag fiern.

"Ferdinand" leet Mudder dat denn uk glieks weten, dat he uk woll wat vun denn

Geburtsdaagskoken eten kunn. "Un wenn'k dar so över na denken do, denn laht mi man uk furns

een Stück vor mien Fro legen." "Siet wenn büst Du denn verheirot?" wull Mudder weten.

Oh, wat weer us Mudder fuchtig, so wat up eeren Geburtsdaag. Dat fung all dar mit an, dat he nich

mal siene witte Baskenmütz aff setten de. Sien Tänen harr he vundaagen uk nich in, rasiert harr he

sik all vor een paar Daag nich. So at he ut seeg: "nä, so wat, bi fremde Lüüd in Huus de Mütz

up'n Kopp, sowat gehört sik doch nich", meende Mudder. Dat druffen de Nobors doch nich seen,

se maakte gau de Döör to de lüttje Stuv to.

"Och, dar moss di nich an stören," sä Guste, us Nobor "bruuks em jo nich glieks to freen."

Over Ferdinand harr de Ruhe weg, he seet up'n Stohl un schnibbel ganz sinnig mit sien lange

Scheer an denn rosa Striepen langs vun de Tapeten, een Rull na de anner.

Wi Kinner druffen uk mit de Popierschlangen de he maakte speelen, harr he seggt.

Mudders Geburtsdaag weer eer verdurben, ganz un gar, so harr se sik argert. Nich blots

dat he uk noch sien Fro eer Stück Koken eten harr, nä, uk an de Popierschlangen de nu um't

ganze Huus to leegen un in eere Bloomen Rabatten weihden.

Huus is"

Trüch nah: Miene to Huus Siet - Homepage

Translated by Johnny Meyer

The wallpaper in the den, it has to go, I just can't stand it any longer." Yes, now we had to look at new wallpaper samples, what a job.

Right away Mom went looking at samples at the local paint store, just in case they might have some thing to her liking. With her yellow, wooden, folding two-yard stick she measured it, "roughly" as she called it, since the time that we kids had played with the yard-stick and had broken off the first link.

Only a few inches, other than that, the ruler was just like new. But at least Mom knew about the size of the room and Mrs. Ahlers could assist her in figuring out how much wallpaper she would have to order. "About the ruler" Mrs. Ahlers said "you won't believe how many times I have heard that story already, there always is a peace missing, if its not on this side, then its on the other side". Wallpaper that we have, but I tell you, the paper is no good at all, but it sure looks good, doesn't it?

Mom wanted to know if Ferdinand was still a life, where he lived and if he could paste it up for her? "Well", said Mrs. Ahlers "he doesn't work for me any more, hasn't for years. I will tell you, the wallpaper and paste I will sell you, but about pasting it up, I don’t know a thing about it. With our wooden hand wagon we went a few days later to get the wallpaper. One of us Kids could ride in the wagon the other had to help pull. After that, we went to look up Ferdinand, he lived on the other side of town, right behind the large hedge, the first house on the left.

After two attempts, we finally found him at home. Yes, he said he could paste it on the wall for us. Already next fall, he would have time and would be glad to do it. "What" said mom "how about in two weeks or so?" - "You just take it easy little women," he said but he did promised to come by, before that. Finally in the fall he came to take a look. Mom and Ferdinand talked about the job, and agreed, that in two weeks on Monday he would start.

"Hey, -- wait a minute" Mom yelled at him as he proceeded to get back on his bicycle, "that won't work, it's right on my birthday, and I will have all the relatives and neighbors over and then that mess in the house, no way, it won't work". "Well if that's the way it is, then I will come back some time in the spring". And that is how it happened that the whole house was in uproar on her birthday. All the furniture had to be stacked up in the hallway and bedroom, and the visitors had to go into the Living room. We kids had the kitchen to our self's.

Ferdinand let it be known right away, that he also could eat some cake, "and by the way" he said "'the more I think about it, why don’t you lay a peace for my wife over here right away to, just so that you won’t forget."

That really got mom going, she was already saddened that he still wore his white cap in the house, didn't wear his teeth today and hadn't shaved either. At least not for a few days, going by the looks of him. "Those are just not good manners," mom complained to the neighbor ladies "and that on my birthday." "Coming into other peoples home, and then just leave that cap on, oh no, and that in my house, that is to much." "Oh" said the neighbor lady "don’t worry so much about it, you don’t have to get married to him right away, so why worry?" But mom did.

Ferdinand was as calm as he could be, sat there, on his chair and very slowly, with his extremely long scissors cut along that pink line on the wallpaper, all the way, along each side, to trim it to his liking, the hole length of it, roll after roll.

The paper snakes he made by his cutting, nothing but waste, were to us kids liking and we could have it, all of it, he said so.

Mom's birthday was ruined this time, she was furious. Not only that he also had eaten his wife's cake, no also because by now all the paper snakes where flying in the wind, all around the house, and getting tangled up in her beloved flower beds.

"Such excitement is to much, and that on my birthday. I can't wait until that man is out of my house."

Trüch nah: Mien Heimaat Siet