Spring is on the way!!!

We saw these on our way to the store on Saturday! The first flowers of spring!

Our "view" as we go to "work."

If you look carefully, you too can see the alps. Once the trees leaf out, we will probably lose this "view." We can always climb three flights of stairs from our apartment and go out on and roof-top balcony and see the mountains, to check that they are still there!

See Where We "Work"

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Santa's Lost Reindeer?

I saw these tracks in the snow on the roof over the entrance to our apartment building, and my first thought was, "Reindeer tracks???" More likely a bird, but a big one!

Farewell to Elder Middleton

Elder Middleton was one of our first "trainers" and is off to Germany. This was his last night at Institute. He is from England, and we will miss him and his "posh" (that's British for "proper") accent.

An Amazing Dessert Table

We played our alphorns at a "Neighbor Appreciation" dinner put on by the Burgdorf Ward. About 24 people were there. This was the dessert table, and it was all done by one woman. And, sadly, we had to leave to catch our train before dessert time.

The Temple on a Snowy Day

You can't see the snow too well, but it was coming down, believe me. I love how it clings to the trees.

Big Cheese Pies

The fruits (or is it "pies?") of my labor. Five cheese pies and the custard, all ready to be assembled and baked. There is no picture available of them once they were baked. The first three were eaten before the last two were out of the oven!

Little Cheese Pies

These were so cute, I had to take their picture! I got seven 9cm mini pie tins at the Salvation Army thrift store. They are heavy and brown the crusts well. I wanted to see how much cheese they used (not much) and how much work they were (a lot) before I decided to make them for the Insti dinner. (Insti will get the larger pies.) I also found out that I can taste the difference between all Emmenthal cheese and half Gruyere and half Emmenthal (the mixture tastes better).

Happiness is a New Hat

I was at "Fizzen," a shop with quirky, inexpensive things, looking at their winter hats. I had seen a hat I liked there last November (see post below). I fell in love with this warm, Russian style "lammy". It is SO warm, and was only 20 francs. I had seen similar styles on very elegantly dressed ladies. The sales clerk said the style was similar to one that sells for 250 at the department stores! You tie the flaps under your chin when it is really cold, and can tie them back when not needed. There is a flap in the back that extends to your collar line. There is also insulating "dead air" space between the top of your head and the top of the hat (no wise comments, thank you!)

I was looking for another scarf, since I just brought one with me. I found this nice warm knit one at half price, and it even included a matching hat. This picture was taken on our balcony. Notice the wintry weather behind me. It's so nice that they have the sales while it is still cold.

Another New Hat

I had seen this hat in a store last November, and thought, "Do they really wear these hats here???" Yes, they do, mostly children and young people, but some older folks, and even some young men. The "braids" tie under your chin when it gets really cold. Otherwise, they just hang there. I went back to the store and this hat was 70% off! It cost just over 5 francs ($5)! I haven't had the courage to wear it outside yet. Maybe next year...

Our New Couch

Here is our new "sleeper" couch. The arms fold down so it will seat four. Then the back can fold down flat to make a bed 110 cm (about 44") wide. It is pretty firm to sit on, but should be better that way for sleeping. It is only about 6' wide (or long), so it tucks nicely into the corner assigned to it. (And we can still get out the door on to our balcony.) It looks pretty cheerful in our living/dining room.