Small Victories!

Christa: +1 point for trying to speak German!

Laugh as you may, I consider it a victory when I speak German and someone understands me !! You see, I have been told (and I readily admit it is true) that I speak German with an Italian accent. Yup, not much Italian in my blood, but apparently it comes out in my German speaking.
So here's what happened....I went to a wool store in Lucerne to buy some wool to knit Sarah a sweater. I saw that there wasn't enough in the colour I wanted, so I was almost out the door when the store owner asked (in German) if she could help me. I said (in German) that I would like a total of 6 balls of the wool, and she said something back....So I did what I normally do: I stood in silence, smiling, trying to figure out what the heck she was saying. I stood long enough that she placed a couple phone calls and I **THINK** she said that the wool would be in her store within a few days. She took my name and phone number and I **THINK** she said that she would text me when the wool comes in. Fast forward 2 weeks and I have heard nothing. I tried calling twice but couldn't get through, and the message on the machine was in Swiss German, so goodness knows what that said!

Here's the victory: I just hung up the phone now and I spoke with the storeowner and she has my wool!! YAY!!! 

Small victories - take them when you can!

Starting again.....Happier times, Busier Times

Phew - that was heavy....After that onslaught of homesickness I took a break from writing. I think it was all too much. But I'm back and I mean that both in my journalling, as well as in my happier state of mind.

The winter months here are a bit tough beacuse the fog comes into Zug and sets in....I mean, REALLY sets in, where I cannot see the mountains (or the houses across the field) for entire days at a stretch, then it clears only slightly and then returns.  Having never lived in the mountains, this was/is new to me.  In KW, it could be dreary, but not so dark and foggy for so many days in a row. And with no snow in town to brighten things up, there isn't much to brighten the days. So I have embraced the Hygge way of living as they do in the Scandinavian countries, and I create my own light - CANDLES ....and lots of them! Ah, now this is better!

Last summer we had lots of visitors, which was exhausting (touring around and feeling responsible for showing the best of our area), delicious but fattening (touring around and feeling responsible for showing the best of our area) and wonderful (touring around and feeling responsible for showing the best of our area)!!

With the start of the year here, I am starting the planning for 2020: where to travel and when! This is the biggest joy of living in Europe and I'm excited to get our trips planned for the year - small trips and some bigger ones. It should be fun to explore!

But first, I must get my German studying done, so off I go to prepare for this week's test - enough procrastination!!