There's no place like home, there's no place like home...

Here's what we woke up to this morning. Yeah, we get up before it's even light outside...
But that's not the point. This mass of white greeting us this morning was strangely reminiscent of a Michigan winter. Even my students and employer were joking with me this morning, "I bet you feel like you're home!" Haha, everyone. Snow is one thing I can live without.








































At the same time, I do find it really pretty. Maybe it's just relief that I don't even own a car, so I can't be tempted to drive anyplace in the snow (one of the things I hate most about winter: driving in it), maybe I'm just happy that the creepy gray, rainy fall is finished. But what's not to love about snow-covered Wilhelminian-style houses and our very fine Romanesque Martin Luther Church?
























The Christmas Market on the Hauptstrasse is in full swing, complete with a giant Christmas tree, blaring bad Christmas music and the gigantic rotating pyramid!



















And for whatever reason, a little part of me was thrilled when I saw the trucks putting up these Christmas lights on Louisenstr. last week. I'm not such a Christmas nut, but I do like the decorations.

On another note, I have sore toes after tramping through the snow the last couple of days to drop a certain someone off at preschool. It is a special kind of exercise pushing a stroller holding a one-year-old and dragging along a 4-year-old through that much snow.

Oh, and one final postscript: am I a horrible person for relishing the fact that someone else's kid threw themselves flat on the wet, slushy floor of the supermarket and pitched a huge tantrum? For once it wasn't one of my kids screaming and throwing themselves down. I think I'm allowed to be thrilled.