91 degrees is hot over here

On a normal day, 91 degrees is blissful in my opinion.
I love the heat.
I love 100.

I know this is cool for Arizona.
Or, most anywhere else in the US right now.

In Germany, it is a little different.
There is no air conditioning.
Kind of like Alaska, only it is a little hotter for a little longer here.

Nope, just fans.

This being our third summer in Germany, it is definitely the hottest. The whole month of July has been sunny and warm and perfect for days at the pool.

Look at this nice melted coconut oil sitting inside the cupboard looks like it just spent a minute in the microwave.

It has been much-needed sunshine, but it makes for warm, stuffy, sticky nights.

We keep everything {rolladens} closed most of the way during the day, and crack the windows at night.

Of course, that only lets the bugs in. My legs are covered in bug bites.

It's ok.

I know the grey skies are just around the corner.
I love this sunshine.

T H U N D E R S N O W ?

We think Kansas weather is C R A Z Y!
German weather is proving to be just as W A C K Y!

Last year, we had NO snow. Maybe a flake but not enough to have to pick up the shovel.

A couple weeks ago, we had pouring rain, pouring snow {if you can imagine what that looks like}, then thunder and lightening on top of it. C R A Z Y.

Snow usually falls softly. Light and slow. Not this snow. Pouring out of the sky at the speed of a thunderstorm, the whole sky was white with snow. In the background, you could see the flashes of lightening.

Taken Friday morning as we were digging our way out

There is actually a name for it: Thundersnow.  It is also known as a winter thunderstorm or a thunder snowstorm. It is an extremely rare kind of thunderstorm with snow falling as the primary precipitation instead of rain.

It happened not once but twice in one day. During school, we received two or three inches of snow in approximately 30 minutes. It was something I have NEVER seen before. Listening to the thunder in the background made it even more exciting.

I was teaching first grade that day, so we stopped what we were doing, turned off the lights and watched Mother Nature's show out the window.
Friday night it picked up snowing again. Waking up to maybe four or five inches of fresh snow on the ground, we received the notice that there was a two-hour delay to start school. They just push everything back two hours.

It is the next best thing to a real snow day where school is cancelled!

By the afternoon, it was raining. Within twenty four hours, there was hardly a patch of snow left on the ground.

Taken 24 hous later on Saturday morning

It is fun, but I am SO ready for Spring. Ready for my tulips to show their faces.
Anyone else with me?

S C H N E E {snow}

Happy December!

I was just commenting that for me, it doesn't seem like Christmas without snow.

December seems to sneak up on me when the ground is still brown and the grass remains green. Pansies having recently been planted in our village really throws me off.

I'm not sure what I'll do if we ever get moved to San Diego or Texas where the sun is still shining.

That doesn't necessarily mean I miss the snow.

I just think that after living most of my life in a state that snow is a definite, I am programmed to associate snow and the holidays. It is pretty. I just prefer not to drive in it, or shovel it or scrape windows.

I'm happy for two little guys who are eager and excited to get out and shovel the {less than one inch} trace of snow we received last night.

I'm sure it would be a different story if we were in Alaska and shoveling was a chore.
A really different story.

It's never a question of if it is going to snow in Alaska, but how much snow are we going to get.

In Kansas and here in Germany, there are winters where there is snow and others {last year for us} that not a flake falls. It's a dark yet mild winter in Deutschland.

Rain just doesn't trigger the thought that I better get out and start shopping or baking.
Maybe now, I'll get into the holiday spirit.

This is the view we woke up to this morning.

These scenic pictures were not changed to black and white. At 9:00am, my camera on auto needed the flash to get enough light. If you look closely, you can see the brown or the green on the fir.

It is the grey of Germany.

The grey of winter.

Happy December!

M I S E A U pool

It's been a heat wave here in Deutschland this week.

We know it's been a HOT summer all over the US this year- we're getting a little of it now as well.

In our little Mackenbach grocery store the other day, the headline on a newspaper said, "Deutschland Sahara."

They must think it's hot, too.

My little Oma across the road yesterday told me, "This is German summer." I think it lasts a total of about two weeks.

The only difference is there is NO air conditioning in Germany.

None.



Ty and Chantelle

I love it (of course) because I can spend most days at the pool. Jim and anyone else who has to work in an office is miserable. They're so hot.
We've found a couple beautiful outdoor pools here- Miseau being my absolute favorite pool and something I've never seen in the US.



This means- stop taking my picture, let me swim! The swirly is behind him... so much fun!

The three pools that we like are all similar and all within 20 minutes of our house.

We have been rotating between the three.

It seems in the US, most pools we've been to are either a simple pool and maybe a diving board or simple slide, or a full-blown water park which costs a pretty penny.

Like everything else German, it's super clean- bathrooms included which is huge.

This pool is stainless steel- the entire thing. Another thing I've never seen.

I told Jim when (haha) we put a pool behind our dream house, I want it done this way.

He said the maintenance is low, but probably a little expensive.

Looks really good.

Here at Miseau they have laps lanes, a baby area totally separate, a slide with a shallow non-swimmer area, a super cool swirly round thing with jets that push you around (super fun), bubble massage chairs in the water, a jetted area, and diving boards with a deep end.

That's just the pool area.

Around the pool is tons of grass and tons of shade on the outer edge to camp out. There is also a soccer area (of course, we're in Europe), playground equipment, food, showers- indoor and out, dressing rooms, and a whole playground area with equipment. 

We don't leave the pool area- it's too hot not to stay in the water.

All of this for less than $2 each for the whole day. Plus, Caden's free. I can't go anywhere that cheap! We pack our cooler with sandwich stuff, snacks and drinks- we're set for the day.

You can always take any of your own food in anywhere even when they sell food at the Imbiss here. Very, very nice.

Last week of vacation for these boys- we're trying to soak up the sun! Our lazy days are almost over.

burg E L T Z

We woke up this morning to rain. Last week, it rained every single day- it may have even been more than a week. It was grey. It was cold. It was depressing.

Thankfully, yesterday was glorious. A perfect 80* day in Deutschland.
It was the first feeling of warmth and light of the season. We all needed it. Especially me.

Plus, we had a day trip planned. Now that the weather is nice, I plan on having our family out seeing the sights every open day we have.

I'm pretty sure there are more opions for day trips from our house than we have days in Germany.

We've already learned in our short time here to get out and see what there is to see. Experience it.

This weekend: Burg Eltz.

I thought it would take a while to get the boys to another castle after the last two during Spring Break.

But, we did it and they didn't even complain.

We've heard from several friends this one is a favorite. Just under two hours from our house- it made for a beautiful {winding} drive along the Mosel River.

Around for more than 800 years- it didn't disappoint and might be my new favorite as well.

I LOVED it.


This was up toward the top of the hill on our way back to the car

Accessible only by foot, we parked and walked down the hill to the castle.

Burg Eltz is one of the few castles that was built down low in a valley. Surrounded by forest, you walk down at a pretty good decline before reaching the enormous structure.

Most castles are up on a hill for obvious reasons- you can see for miles and miles. Not here.

It's also one of the few that wasn't ruined during war times. I found it amazing- felt like we were in a page out of a fairytale.

It's that astounding.

The boys had a great time walking down the hill to get to it. Coming back up wasn't quite as fun.

Down below the castle is a nice stream that they took off their shoes and walked across. Next time, we'll pack a sack lunch and hang out for a while longer.

It was so, so hot! If you're German, you just drop your pants, or take off your shirt {even if you're a girl}.

Eighty degrees in Germany feels the same as the rare eighty-degree day in Alaska.
For some crazy reason, the rays feel much hotter here than in the midwest.

Are we really in fact closer to the sun? Anyone who wants to come see us... I'd be happy to repeat this trip.

we're F R E E Z I N G

Three weeks ago, I noticed these sweet bulbs coming up out of the ground.

Knowing it was early, I didn't think too much except Spring had to be around the corner.

We hadn't had much of a winter, just lots and lots of rain and lots and lots of grey.

Boy, were we in for a surprise! Our winter has arrived. Three weeks ago, it snowed less than an inch and has stayed on the ground with freezing temperatures every since.  Freezing! Hovering around zero, it's been horrible!

It started snowing again this afternoon- three of the boys are praying for a snow day or at the least a delayed start. Ty on the other hand is hoping the snow will stop since he's scheduled to get his braces off at 7:00 am tomorrow.

We'll see what happens.

too D A R K

Now that we've been here more than a year, I'm still trying to figure out the very best time and season for everyone to come VISIT us. Christmas markets are charming. Spring is green. Summer is filled with light.

That being noted- January is definitely NOT the time to be in Germany. I'm guessing not in Europe unless you're a skier headed for the Alps.

On our second floor, we have a window that opens up- kind of part of the roof. This is the view from the top- looking down our street at the church. Love the church bells. Don't love the grey. We haven't had a flake of snow this winter which is fine with me. We have however had an abundance {more than enough} rain. It seems to literally rain every single day bringing dark clouds and grey skies.

It was black ice and rain one morning last week. Justin and Ty left early to work out {they leave around  5:30} before school. In a role-reversal moment, Justin sent me the following {very sweet} text after he and Ty decided they needed to let me know about the roads.

It said:
"If your driving be careful of black ice. Road from Mackenbach to east gate there was a flipped car."

Just last week, I was driving and my auto-lights popped on. You know when it gets dark enough outside that they automatically turn on lighting up your whole dash? Yep, that happened.

It was pretty routine except for the fact that it was at 3:30 in the afternoon. That's too early for headlights- anywhere.

It's just too dark. I'm ready for Spring. I was doing ok {well, a trip to some sun helped...} until Jim let me know it was in the 70's this week in Oklahoma where he's on a business trip. Now, I'm feeling homesick.

Only a couple more days of January, right?

back to D E U T S C H L A N D

Not bad for a quick, four-day weekend. We agreed we could have been just fine staying just one more night. Instead, we hopped back on our plane to a frigid Germany and families that we missed.

The view while flying over the snow-capped Alps was breathtaking. My friend Carrie took this picture from her window seat. Amazing.

While I don't enjoy being in the snow and cold, I can appreciate it from the comfort of a warm place. These screens are pretty cool while in flight- they show where you are, speed, temperature and time until landing.

I still can't believe we were that close to Africa.

I also enjoy looking at the monitors in the terminal showing the gates and so many different destinations. We live in a huge, huge world- no doubt.

Goodbye blue skies and warm sun... Ok, I'll {maybe} quit posting my tropical island pictures. It's back to January...

birds of P A R A D I S E

How beautiful is this?
I'm pretty sure I could live the rest of my life just fine on an island. Any island- as long as it's tropical. Love. Love. Love.

new S C R E E N S

I'm trying to focus on solutions rather than problems. Attempting that optimist-like perspective in hopes that it lifts me up. This week it's bugs. They're terrible and we know as it gets warmer they'll only get worse. More than once, I raved about the windows here. I still think they're fabulous, but they're missing one very important component- screens.

We're in the country, with chickens, cows, horses, fields, tons of flies and BUGS- we need screens. None of these houses {German or American rentals} have them. I just don't get it. Along with the abundance of insects, there is no air conditioning over here. Just another convenience along with ice-makers and garbage disposals that they have yet to figure out. Americans truly are spoiled. 

I discovered aphids last week on my basil plant {on our lower level}- no wonder I couldn't keep it alive. It wasn't until a few days later that I noticed aphids ALL over our bathroom window one level up.

There are no trees outside this window {actually, no trees around our house at all}, no plants in the bathroom and I have no idea why they decided to make their way in that window. That's just way too close to everything... our toothbrushes, brushes, our bedroom, our bed. Yuck.

So, Caden and I set out and bought screens. More like netting, we found them in the German store- in little boxes with tape even included. What a deal. While putting them up, it seriously felt like the most ghetto {even perhaps redneck-ish} project to date over here or even ever. Taping up screens?

I think I laughed out loud as I opened the window and saw Scotch tape holding the black rubber sealant around the inner rim of the window frame. That's not the only tape holding this house together, either.

The tape is adhesive on the back side, then little teeth on the other side. You put it up around the window, then stretch the netting up over the teeth-like edge. Done deal. You're supposed to cut off the excess netting as well. I didn't think it would make much of a difference, so it remains untrimmed.

My taped-up screens fit right in with the rest of this house.

Surprisingly, they're up on a few windows and they're actually working. Way less obvious than I expected and they are still in place. I thought for sure they would have fallen down by now.

Not one of my proudest DIY-moments, but I am excited to not have aphids.

For now, at least.

H U N D R E D S of them

It is definitely one of those grey, color-of-Europe days. The sun has already hidden behind the abundance of clouds and a cold wind is blowing. On the bright side, the temperatures are warming up a little making it a little more comfortable outside. As Caden and I headed out for our daily walk, I looked at the neighborhood houses with a different perspective. Knowing I'm not the only one who thinks it can be draub and grey in this country, I can't help but wonder if they add color to their houses to help cheer things up just a little.

Colors we would likely never use for the outsides of our houses and even consider tacky are very normal over here. Lots of yellows, pinks, oranges and purples. It's not unusual to pass by a huge, beautiful house then wonder what they were thinking painting it lavender with a lime green trim.  Or, dreamcycle orange with pink trim or bubble gum pink with coral shutters. They come in all varieties.

Really, I can't blame them. If color makes them happy, more power to them.

Toward the end of our walk, we were turning around to head back and I happened to spot this beautiful herd {are they even referred to as a herd?} of deer on the hillside. Hundreds of them- even from a distance, they were absolutely beautiful. They wouldn't all fit in one camera frame- they covered the hill. It felt like we should be at San Diego Wild Animal Park or up in Denali Park looking at the caribou. Instead, they're just minutes from our house- practically in our back yard. We stood watching for a minute- enjoying the calmness surrounding the area. Not sure I can bring Jim back- he might be tempted to pull his bow out.

What a great walk- a little fresh air does do the mind good. I have to admit, I even got three {3} little grandpas and one {1} grandma to say hello to me as we walked by. I'm sure they didn't quite know what to take of my outgoing "Guten Tag" but they each managed to squeak out a soft, "Hallo" while continuing on with their work. Two were sweeping... Ah, I wonder if they ever get tired of sweeping...

B U D S on the trees

Right now, the sun is out and everyone in our house noticed it. By the time I finish this post, I'm sure it will be hidden back behind the clouds. The days are still so dark here, but I'm still holding on to the hope that Spring is just around the corner.

Returning from a grocery shop this week, I inadvertently purchased more frozen food than would fit in our little mini-freezer. I didn't have Jim shopping with me {to remind me} and forgot. Our last refrigerator/freezer unit was the largest in stainless steel that Costco sold. There was plenty of room. Additionally, we had a medium-sized chest freezer in our basement which was very easily filled as we returned from our Costco runs in Kansas. Oh, I was such a spoiled girl and didn't even realize it. In order to make the food fit in our freezer this week; I had to take out a bag of ice. Even with rearranging the food and shoving it in really fast before slamming the door shut, there wasn't enough room.

I stuck the ice outside. Remember, there are no ice makers here- our ice comes in bags or trays. Three days later, the ice is still frozen as it sits outside our door. The end of February and it's definitely still winter. Yes, a lot like Alaska.

I asked a friend the other day if the end of Winter was in sight. She's lived here for two years, so I knew she would know. She hesitated, then gently broke it to me that there is at least another month of yucky winter-ish weather here in Deutschland. Maybe, it would have been better if I just didn't know. Until it arrives, I'm trying to focus on the buds I just found on our neighbor's tree.

The date imprinted on the carton of milk I bought this week is March 5. At least March is close, right?

the S U N was out

  

Oh, blue skies. We woke up this morning to sunshine- something we haven't seen much of here! It's gone now, but felt so nice while it lasted. We still have a bit of snow on the ground, but it's quite cloudy and dark most days. Sunset has been somewhere around 4:30, but by 4:00 it already feels darker. Sunrise is around 8:00am, or even later. Feels a lot like Alaska, I just hope the summers follow suite with long days.

Here's a look at the front and back sides of the house we're living in. We still feel grateful that we were able to find a place close enough to base that would allow us to have {so many kids} and a dog. It's a modest house. An older, remodeled house- nothing special. Our rent alone {not including utilities} is close to $2000 USD per month. While this is pretty normal for this area, it seems like a lot for what you get {or don't get}- especially after all the extras we had in Kansas. We actually do want to move on base- something we never thought we'd say, but the wait list is 12 -18 months long. Maybe something will open up sooner than later- we'll have to wait and see... We're hoping it's a good week... should get our van, our household goods and Internet set up all this week. Plus, the boys are back in school {not so exciting for them}.

A little wildlife.. for Grandpa Mike to check out!
** click on photos to enlarge them for a closer look **