Poodee posted a great picture of her favorite fountain in KC. So, I tried to take a picture of my favorite fountain as well. What do you think Poodee? You can't really see the water because 1) the picture is a little out of focus and 2) it blends in with the surround of the tub, but its there. Believe me. I had water all over the front of my shirt to prove it.

Since I am staying in an empty place, with no food (Any food we had remaining in the fridge had to be thrown away because we had no power for as long as 6 days while we were in NY/WI), I went to the Fresh Market to get a sandwich. The Fresh Market had little bags of 12 freshly baked Pfeffernuesse cookies for $0.99. Of course I had to get a bag. I haven't had these little cookies in a few years. I did a little research when I got home. Pfefferneusse stands for pepper nuts in German. There are widely varying recipes out there. We always make ours with anise extract, but some recipes don't call for anise at all. While I was searching around for some dish on pfefferneusse, I came across St. Nickolaus' eve...back to the St. Nick blog! I found this "The more unique tradition was the cherished German custom of hanging stockings on St. Nikolaus Eve which would be filled the next morning with a small treat--an orange, popcorn, or a toy." - From Monya De, in her essay written for the German Heritage Society Essay Contest. So, St. Nick is a German thing...that makes sense since everyone around us growing up was pretty much German.