I go walkin

I have such a love/hate relationship with this country. Spring has sprung in Germany. The tulips and bulb flowers have passed their prime, and the wildflowers are too varied to count. It's really pretty here. Except, it is mid-May and I'm still wearing a sweatshirt and jumping for joy at the rare sunshiny day. sigh. I find myself under a blanket on the couch, watching the rain and reading a book most afternoons. But I woke up this morning with sunshine on my face, and a desire to get out! When it's not raining, I love to go for walks. I have so many beautiful options here! I can walk out the back of my neighborhood and there are alpine hiking trails through the hills and woods. I see deer and farms and very few people. It's quite peaceful. My other choice is to walk into the town park which has a path that runs for miles in both directions. I could walk into Otterberg or Kaiserslautern without walking on any roads! And the paths cut between woods and farms as well, so I see plenty of cows and my favorite guard ducks. They make the biggest fuss when anyone walks past their fence. Like dogs, only funnier. :) Right now the farms are gorgeous swaths of yellow flowers because the rape seed is in bloom. From what I gather this is where canola oil comes from, but the large geometric blocks of yellow in the fields of green just make me happy. The yellow is so dense! I keep thinking I need to take pictures, but I am usually so excited to get out of the house when it is pretty that I never remember my camera. I will definitely miss being able to walk out of my house, and within five minutes, be on some sort of walking path or hiking trail, surrounded by nature. I just wish it was a little warmer and sunnier here. From what I understand, May 15th is traditionally the last cold day here, and the gardners say that it is only truly safe to start planting today. I sure hope they are right. I'm ready for some warmth. :)