The first few flakes fell out of the sky on Tuesday afternoon. From inside the clinic on the second floor, I could see them melt when they touched the ground–nothing too serious. But early the next morning, it was an entirely different story. The whole world had turned white overnight. I made my way to the bus stop through the silence of ankle-deep snow in my fabulous sheepskin-lined boots and waited for the bus. And waited, and waited. Finally I realized that even in Germany, the first snowfall of the year had caught the transit system by surprise, and gladly returned to the comfort of my warm, snug home.

After an hour or so, everything was back on schedule, and I arrived uneventfully at the clinic. I couldn’t wait to see how the bus would cope with the now-icy 13% grade hill on the trip home. However, the driver was very skillful, and there was a minimum of slipping and sliding, and just one tense moment on the narrow street when the bus had to unexpectedly yield the right of way to a car.

Speaking of tense moments, my Inner American and I picked up our long-awaited laundry on Thursday. And it was perfect!! No stains, no shrinkage, and folded ever so much more neatly than I could hope to achieve. The only drawback was the incredibly high price. My Inner American is now officially in love with the concept of someone else doing her laundry–but hoping to find a better price!