There were 2 good things about winter in Germany....

I was looking through some of my old photos taken in January, and I thought that while my digital camera isn't working and I don't have a replacement yet.  That I'd share a few old photos. 

  One advantage of the long cold winters:  I could hang my Dr. Pepper, in a sack, out on the door handle of my classroom.  It would be icy cold by lunch.

This is the school parking lot.  You can see some 'footprints' and sometimes we had to walk across this snowy mess.  There was no path from the cars to the school- you had to walk across the grassy area for about 8 feet or more (now under the snow of course) over the snow to get to the road that was in front of the school.   See the arm?  That raises and lowers for the buses to leave the road/loop right in front of the school onto the actual road that leads into the parking lot and to the school.  The actual road is between the 2 different sections of  parked cars.   This area had a slight incline too and when it got icy - it was very difficult to get to your car!   Even with snow boots!   One morning, we had to form a human chain to get across the 'bus road' right in front of the school -- because there was black ice and you couldn't walk alone.   WE just shuffled our feet slowly and held each other up.  

This is the start of the 'mountain of snow' from the plowing of the snow in this immediate area.  This was so that cars could park in immediate area.   This mountain of snow got much bigger as the weeks passed.  This photo was taken in early January one year.  Eventually, you wouldn't be able to see the school.   We'd have a guessing contest for the kids to guess 'the date' the date that the snow in this mountain would finally melt.   In April.     *IF YOU look right in front of the green car -- see that area from the front of the green car to the dark grey blacktop road?  That's the area that teachers had to cross after getting out of their cars.   It was never shoveled.   We'd make several pathways with our feet- and it would get icy and we'd have to make new ones.  You had to wear snowboots just to get from the vehicles to the road because this snow would be 2 feet or more in places.

What was the 2nd good thing about the long German winters?   YOU could go grocery shopping and then go out to dinner and not have to worry about the food in your vehicle spoiling! 

Hey, I had to find the good where I could.  ha ha

King's Day...

The last January that I lived in Germany... in 2012... I had a knock at my door and I opened it to find these children dressed as Kings for the 3 King's Day or the last day of the Christmas holiday season which is also called Epiphany.

The children sang a song and took an offering for charity.   I gave them some money and gestured that I wanted to take their photo.  Aren't they cute?   I also had the top of my door signed in chalk showing that they had stopped by and that my house was now blessed.  I lived there for 4 different months of January and this is the first time that they came to visit my house for Epiphany. 

*Read down below for more information about why/what/etc.

I didn't have anyone stop at my house here in Italy last January or recently- since, this event was just recently celebrated.

Not much snow, huh?   Soon, that sidewalk would be just a walking tunnel in the deep snow all around it.

*Some information that I found on the web.

This day (known as Three Kings Day, Epiphany or The Feast of  Theophany, depending upon what country you live in and what religious traditions you follow) and the night before (known as Twelfth Night).  There is more about all the different customs here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiphany_(holiday) Christians celebrate is that on the 12th night after the birth of Jesus, the Three Kings were led by a star to find Him in Bethlehem.  They brought gifts of frankincense, gold and myrrh.  This night marks the end of the Christmas season, and is also traditionally the time to take down the Christmas tree and all decorations (although some traditions do leave the Christmas greenery up until Candlemas on February second). Many families make a cake for Twelfth Night, with a bean or pea tucked inside it for a little Queen or King to find! In England, Twelfth Night is a festive time for merriment and good cheer! (Wassail is a beverage associated with this night as well). In Germany, children dress up as the Three Kings and go from house to house to collect money for a charity.  In Scandinavian countries, there may be a procession of singers led by “Star Singers” that move from house to house.  Russian children wait for Mama Babouschka to fill their shoes with gifts, as children in Spain wait for gifts from the Three Magi.  Italian children wait for Old Befana to bring gifts as well.  The local grocery stores had lots of Befana stockings for sale last weekend to celebrate the arrival of Old Befana. French families typically share a Kings’ Cake. The day after Twelfth Night is Epiphany.  Epiphany is actually one of the very oldest Christian festivals.  Besides the Three Kings, also celebrated is  the Baptism of  Jesus and The  Divine Manifestation of the Holy Trinity and the Revelation of Jesus to Man.  In some parts of Europe, someone will write above the front door in chalk C+M+B flanked by the year (so for this year it would look like this:  20+C+M+B+12).  The C,M,B can stand for the Three Kings themselves:   Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar, although many of German friends say the C,M,B stands for “Christ Bless This Home” or a variant of that.

Glad to leave the 6 month long 'snow season' behind... Photos of where I used to live

I was looking through some photos... and came across some photos of my house in Germany that I never posted (because the Internet was so slow/bad that it was almost impossible to download photos to post to my blog and of course... I had pneumonia for months at a time due to the horrible cold, damp, long, winters... but, that's another story.)   This is my backyard and the balcony that leads out a door from my living room.   My backyard was small and triangle in shape.   They used 'tree or shrubbery' lines to divide the property.   You can see that at least 5 houses (there are 2 you can't see) that all have yards that meet in the center.  The 'yard' space is actually a big circle and the back yards are like parts of a pie shape-- my slice of the pie was small and I didn't mind-- less leaves to rake up. 

I was doing a 'science/snow experiment' in this corner but my landlord made me remove the snow.  I was just going to see HOW DEEP the snow would really get in this one place!   The table top is open mesh so it took many inches of snow falling before it even starting sticking to the top surface of the table.  

This is early in the experiment.  The rest of the snow- I would shovel -- I just left the far corner of the table and one chair.  I had a theory about the painted houses in Germany.   The houses were painted in very bright colors- orange, lime green, purple, (the house in my photo is a light purple), greens, blues, etc.   My theory?  It snows so much-- that they needed the bright colors to be able to find their houses in the snow!??

House down the street-- they all end up looking like this... tiny front yards... with huge mountains of snow 'taken' only from the short sidewalk in front of the house.

This is my house in Germany- you can see that my 'front yard snow mountain' is in the early stages-- but, it is almost as tall as my Jeep parked in the driveway.   This photo was taken on a RARE SUNNY DAY.   I think that was what I had the most difficult time with... no sunshine for 7 months a year.  I'd drive to work in the dark and drive home in the dark.  (It did get dark by 4:15 in the winter.)   The snow from the driveway... I had to haul by snow shovel full to the empty lot across the street.

Front of my house in the early part of winter.  The snow mountain got taller and my shoveled sidewalk area got more narrow- eventually it became the 'width' of the snow shovel. 

As I drove away from my street (that only had 3 houses on it) and onto the main road and just after I turned onto the last street that would lead me to the highway... one of the locals always put this Santa on a real sleigh on their property.  I finally had my camera with me and took his photo. 

His face is made out of hay!   There is a barn that you can see in the other Santa/Sleigh photo.   I'm not sure what the zoning laws were... but, you often saw barns right in little towns... Animals are kept in barns not on the grassy fields/lots/pastures like I was used to in the states.

This is what happens if you park and THEN THE SNOWPLOW comes down the street.  Note the color of the fire hydrant.  I always notice the different colors of them when I travel.   They are red in the states.

This is what happens when you don't move your car for a few days... Less than a week results in this type of 'car trapped' situation.  I was glad that I had a driveway to park my car in and that I did not have to park on the streets.

My old sled that I found (bought of course) and brought home.

This is the tree that I was able to put up in my living room in the rental house in Germany- I was glad to finally have enough space to put a tree up.  See the wooden arch in the window?  Movers broke it when I moved to Italy.   See the glass snowman in the window?  Movers broke his head off.  : (

I enjoyed my time living in Germany- but, I really didn't like the lack of sunshine during the long winters combined with the 6 months of snow.  All of the above photos were taken on a couple of rare sunshine days.   Here in Italy?  Sunny most of the time, cold; but bearable... if it gets down in the upper 20's it is very cold for here.  So far, the temps have been in the 30's - 40's.  

Sometimes, they do get snow in this area-- but, it is only a few inches and it leaves quickly.   I am always excited when it first snows.   Always hoping that school will be cancelled... just like the kids.  "Teachers" hope for snow days too!!

anybody miss me?

I'm not even going to try to post a photo-- since, that is one of the reasons that I haven't been posting- super slow Internet in the German boonies. THAT won't let me post photos- it will be downloading them for an hour and still not download/post photos. grrr

So, this is just a 'test, test, test, 1, 2, 3' (pretend that I'm hitting the microphone like you see all those people do before a performance starts up).

What's been going on?

1. I'm still in the same boonies part of Germany.

2. I have more yarn than I did the last time that I posted.

3. I have knitted several more projects.

4. My Jeep that I had to buy when I moved here is almost paid off (just a few more months).

5. I've been to Scotland. *LOVED that place!!

6. I've had pneumonia every winter that I've lived here.

7. I had unexpected surgery last summer.

8. I'm ready (past ready) to leave Germany. I enjoyed my time here- but, I've lived here for almost 4 years-- and the longest that I've lived in one place since started working overseas 22 years ago has been 3 years- so, this is a record for me.

9. I'm tired of the long, dismal, grey, cold, snowy winters here.

10. I have more Polish Pottery since I last wrote too. :D
(Hey, can you blame me? That stuff is cheap if you buy it IN Poland!)

Please leave a comment and I'll be encouraged to write more thoughts, tell more stories, share photos (I hope anyway)/etc.

I apologize, but... I've been sick a lot since I moved here. I had pneumonia last year for 6 months (Dec-June), had surgery last summer (July 1) and got sick this year in early January until now. Pneumonia. See, I need to leave Germany for my health! :D

So, what have you guys/guyettes been doing since I last blogged?

Let the HOLIDAY begin...

Today, at 3:05 pm was the offical start of: SPRING BREAK!!

I am so ready for a holiday. I have been busy getting all the 3rd quarter grades recorded on-line for my 'almost 700 students' last week. Problem was, I thought we had ONE MORE WEEK and I found out that I was very wrong.

I'm doing what is referred to as a: "Stay-cation"
or in other words... I'm staying here.

Today, at work... the electricity went off at 11:00... yes, right when my lunch started. I was glad that I had brought a 'salad' from home today; otherwise, I would have had COLD FOOD without my microwave to heat my lunch up!

I had stepped in the hallway after I dismissed my class for lunch and I saw the middle school teacher that teaches next door to my classroom... and I whispered to him... "Just 3 more hours before our holiday starts!" He looked at me and jokingly said, "I don't know what schedule you are following- but, I have 4 more hours left before the holiday starts." He was correct of course... since, both schools... end at the same time of the day.

Well, the end of the day finally arrived... Earlier in the day, -I had been busy packing up all the school supplies stored on the ledges and counters... (all teachers had to do it before we left for the day today)... because they are cleaning the windows during spring break. Once the first graders were dismissed from art room, I got up on the counters and was standing there balanced trying to rip off the strapping tape... and removing the art posters that I had placed on the windows earlier in the year, in an effort to block the sun- since, I don't have blinds on any of these windows... (no air conditioning in our school either) and the bell dismissing the students for the middle had just rung... they are dismissed 10 minutes after the elementary children are dismissed...

AND... the teacher next door came into my room... immediately after the 'dismissal bell' finished ringing and said to me: "NOW, we are on HOLIDAY!" It was pretty funny! I think he had been waiting to say that to me all afternoon after my 'time-telling' blunder.

What have I done to celebrate so far?

Tonight, I went out to eat GREEK FOOD with a few friends. Since, it had turned chilly again, (Ok, it hasn't been really warm yet) I got some great bean soup, garlic bread, a small salad, and some sort of bean/goat cheese/sauce baked dished. ALL very tasty and too much food to eat.

I drove back on base to get gas and I bought a real Dr. Pepper and a Butterfinger candy bar to celebrate. Yes, my joys are sometimes pretty simple. I stopped drinking all sodas about 2-3 months ago. However, sometimes I do buy one real Dr. Pepper as a nice treat. I never buy candy bars... so, I'm going to enjoy eating it.

Other news? We actually had SNOW falling on Wednesday this week... no accumulation- but, you know it just shouldn't snow in late April either. My tulips have started coming up out of the ground... no blooms yet.

My big holiday plans? I'm staying here for break. I have several doctor appointments, a couple of physical therapy appointments, haircut, and a pedicure appointment. I need to do some 'dreaded' paperwork, clean house, sort things, (yuck) I might even really step it up and get my car washed. Such excitement, right?

For fun, I am going to a small yarn shop that is in a nearby city on Thursday (after one of the doctor appointments), and I'm taking a friend to go shopping at a couple of shops found at an area called: 'glass road' More about that later this week. I'm also going to take most of one day to just: watch old movies, knit, and simply just rest and enjoy not having to do anything.

Signs of spring in Germany?

These little green mesh fences start sprouting up along the roads along the small ponds, streams, and river banks.








What are they for you might ask? Good question...




So, as the waters begin to thaw along with the frogs who suddenly find that they have a desire to meet other 'unthawed frogs' for some spring time fun... The Germans put up the fences along the roads wherever water does gather... to protect the frogs.

Apparently, it is someone's paid job to check every so often and remove any frogs trapped on one side of the green mesh fence and take these frogs wanting to meet 'frog friends' to the other side of the fence which is where the larger water areas are located.

The little green mesh fences on both sides of the roads... help keep the frogs from being SMASHED on the roads as they try to find frog friends/families.

Hello, SPRING BREAK....

I had plans of traveling to Istanbul for a few days, or maybe even seeing the local sites..

However, the reality is.. I still have bronchitis and I was still too sick to spend big bucks to fly somewhere and not feel like doing anything once I arrived. I figured that I could save the $ and stay at home doing that- plus, I had another doctor's appointment that I couldn't miss anyway.

I'm slowly getting better... I finally made a chart so that I can remember to take the 4 different inhalers and the prescribed 'pills' for the actual lung illness at the right times.

I decided that my job for this spring break was to simply do a lot of resting and try to get well.. or at the best best.. a rested body will certainly be able to get well faster than.. not missing work, even while sick, because it was the end of a grading period.

At least, I'm not as sick as I was last winter.. I had pneumonia for 4 months and as you can imagine.. not fun.. and is draining for weeks/months afterwards. *Which was one of the reasons.. I wasn't posting much on my blog last year. (not counting the 3 months it took to get phone/internet service installed in my house)

Ok, I did go and do one fun thing.. On Saturday, a friend and I went on an adventure and found a couple of glass places that I had been taken to last year. MY friend is moving in June and I wanted her to have a chance to see this place. Apparently, there are stores and stores that produce and sell glass pieces for miles and miles.. but, I only had the energy to go to the two shops that are only a mile apart. **Of course, we ran out of money anyway.. so, it didn't matter if we'd both wanted to continue shopping.

Here is what you find on the grassy area when you arrive. A glass fence...



An owl tree.. they did have another 'just birds' tree..

And, doesn't everyone need a glass peacock on their lawn? Much quieter than the live peacocks and almost as pretty.

ahh spring returns to Bavaria...

The snow piles finally begin to melt.





Spring/Easter decorations begin to appear outside shops...


Spring flowers are sold in the markets...


And the tulips that I planted last year have started sprouting...


And what do I see here? Some tiny blooming bulbs.. that I had planted last year..

I'm sorry that I haven't posted lately.. but, I've been sick with bronchitis for a few weeks. However, I'm happy to say that I'm not nearly as sick as I was last year (one reason that I wasn't posting much last year) when I had pneumonia for 3 months and fever every day for 4 months.

March 8, 2010...

Lookie here.. an unusual sight: No, not the snow in March.. but, the SUNSHINE.. do you see the shadows? The sun actually came out for awhile yesterday. Pretty unusual.. I took a photo because it was so unusual.

What can I say? 4 inches of new snow or more on the ground and it was 7*F when I drove to work this morning.

It snowed off and on today. I had outside crosswalk duty today (and the rest of the week too)... not good when someone missed most of last week because they had bronchitis. I'm working on getting someone else to do my duty for me this week and then I'll do it for them another time later in the year -- when I'm not sick.

However, I am happy to report that it is finally much lighter in the morning when I drive to work and it doesn't get dark at 4:30pm now.


Now... can we start having "NO SNOW" and warmer weather please?

Ok, I'll admit it.. I DO NOT LIKE 6 month long winters. There, I've said it.. I feel much better.. still don't like the dark, dreary, cold, dismal winters.. but, at least.. we are in the month of March and surely it will get warmer soon, right? RIGHT?

It's FRIDAY NIGHT, you just finished eating dinner with friends, you walk outside and notice that ONCE AGAIN IT IS SNOWING!!!

So, what do you do? You stop at the local grocery store to pick up a few essentials, of course..

So, what are the essentials that you should buy at the GERMAN GROCERY STORE.. to help you cope with ANOTHER WEEKEND of snow??





Greek honey yogurt, gummy bears, and some new sock yarn...

I know, I know.. some people buy: chips, toilet paper, and sodas for upcoming snowstorms.

Now, if I just had someone to shovel all the snow.. I'd be set.

I'd only want someone to shovel the snow for me PURELY for the reason that if someone else shoveled the snow.. it would give me more time to knit for others.. You believe that, right??

No more snow!!! NO MORE SNOW!!

Enough.. is enough.. It has snowed constantly for 3 days/nights. I'm pretty sure that if I could walk in my back yard.. that it would be about 20 inches or maybe even more?

I just know that I have an upstairs window that opens onto the sharply slanted roof.. and I did take my 12 inch long plastic ruler and stick it in the snow.. let's just say.. that not only did the blue plastic ruler disappear but.. my fingers also disappeared and the ruler still hadn't touched the terra cotta roof!

Can you find the hidden stairs? There are 12 of them leading to the below ground level patio area... under all of that snow.
The snow isn't as heavy at the bottom of the photo- because that area is protected by a roof overhang.. however, the snow at the balcony railing? That is how deep it really is.. and you'll notice that the snow is almost to the bottom of the patio chairs.

Say it ain't so...

Last Wednesday morning, I walked outside to my car, ready to drive to work. I walked outside without a jacket or coat- since.. it hadn't been cold up to this point- just early morning chilly-ness.

AND.. what did I see? *Notice the red roses in the background?





Not only the first frost of the year.. but, a light dusting of actual snowflakes. I opened up the door, put in my purse and my lunch.. and grabbed the now very cold cotton cloth thin jacket that I had left in the car the day before- because of the rain... and I started digging around for the ice scraper from the last time that I had used it in March.

The next morning, Thursday, I looked out my classroom window and I had to do a double take.. it was snowing.. not only snowing but the snow was already sticking on the blacktop, the grass, and the rooftops visible from my classroom. It snowed all day long and when I got home.. I still had a few reminders of the first snowfall of the upcoming winter season....Look at the roses now!




It also snowed all day on Friday... and it sleeted for about 30 minutes on Sunday afternoon.

Good news... my snow tires are on my Jeep now.. but, truthfully.. I just never, ever thought that I'd ever live where I needed snow tires. :D

Behold the POWER of the YELLOW BAG!!

WHITE GARBAGE bag inside the YELLOW BAG



In Germany where I live, there are very specific 'garbage pick up rules'... I left Seoul, Korea, a year ago, with twice weekly recycling garbage pickup of any type of trash that you'd possibly have. It just had to be placed in the correct recycling bins.

TO...my new home with once a month paper pick up, twice a month 'refuse trash' or as I call it: Bad food and once a month 'yellow bag' trash.

Yellow bag.. trash consists of: plastics, Styrofoam, pieces of aluminium foil. There is no arrangement for the pick up of: cans, glass, or cardboard boxes.

I continued using the American kitchen trash bags in 3 plastic kitchen trash cans.. to help sort the trash and keep it divided up in the proper categories of: PAPER, aluminium cans (even if I don't know where to toss them- I know that they don't go in the trash that does get picked up and putting them in their own bag helps), and of course the yellow bag trash.

When I first moved here.. I asked my landlord where to get the 'yellow plastic bags' for the yellow bag trash. HE gave me a few and they did last a long time- since, this trash is only picked up ONCE A MONTH! I would simply lift up the white kitchen trash can plastic bag from the 'yellow bag' trash can.. and slip it inside the provided PLASTIC YELLOW BAG.

However, recently... I ran out of the YELLOW BAGS for YELLOW BAG TRASH DAY. I asked around and no one knew where to get them either or they told me that they'd been given regular amounts from their landlords, or they just put the trash out in the regular American plastic garbage bags and that the trash guys had taken their 'trash' and left them the much needed plastic yellow bags.

So, that is what I did. However, apparently.. the trash guys in my town.. follow the rules a bit more stringently. They left my nicely tied white plastic regular kitchen trash bags... on my yard to wait for the next month's yellow bag trash pick-up day.. but, they did at least leave me a roll of the REQUIRED PLASTIC YELLOW BAG TRASH BAGS.

So, apparently.. that plastic 'yellow bag' wrapped around the nice, clean, white plastic garbage bag.. lets the trash men know that THE PLASTIC YELLOW BAG is TRASH.. but, a plain PLASTIC WHITE TRASH BAG??.. well, clearly it could be just anything.. but,apparently trash and must be left behind.

So, the lesson is: THE PLASTIC YELLOW BAG HAS POWER... the WHITE PLASTIC TRASH BAG does not!

Some flowers found at the local German Garden Center

*Click on the photos for a larger/clearer view

In the area of Germany that I live, it seems that the national hobby is growing and maintaining a beautiful flower garden and/or the most amazing window flower boxes.







Window box flowers... aren't these amazing? My window box flowers make me happy.. but, I'm not sure what the secret is.. because, they aren't lush like these flowers are..