The price for beauty

Germany is really green, lush and beautiful. At least the parts we've been in so far, which is a fair amount considering all the time we spend lost in the car! They have really done a great job of keeping growth in cities and villages, and then all the space in between is farm land and natural beauty. I'm sure I will be posting a million scenery pictures, because it's all breath taking! I will keep the pictures, I have hastily shot out of the car window, to myself though. [That is unless u all rise up in alarm at the thought and bombard me with desperate pleas to share my stunning concept pictures with you.]

There are just a few problems with being surrounded by all this beautiful nature. The 1st and foremost is that all this greenery needs a certain something to stay green and lush. Water. And lots of it. So, it rains here, alot. If you wake up one day and it's not raining, it's threatening to rain. If it's not threatening to rain when you get up it's because a) it has been raining the entire night or b) it will threaten to and/or start to rain later that day [after you have been lulled into a false sense of security and have your flip flops, jeans and t on with perfect hair and no umbrella to be seen!]. I understand the whole concept of rain = green, but can't Germany take a lesson from Hawaii? Hawaii has it right, it rains every day but only for 10min-30minutes a day. AND the rain is a nice body temperature, so you barely even notice as you go about your business in your shorts and tank. Here the rain comes down strait from the north pole. It pricks your skin like little tiny tattoo needles, and gives a numbness to any exposed skin that is similar to when a limb falls asleep.

The 2nd problem with the beautiful nature is all of God's precious little creatures (read that as bugs, snakes, mice, mosquitoes, and things you've never even seen before). I mean really, what is the point of making a mosquito? To pass on diseases? Couldn't we just do without them and teach bats to eat flowers? There's all this beautiful scenery, and I could just imagine running through the field of flowers and climbing over the boulders, the sun shining on us all as we laugh together as a family and wonder in amazement over the beauty surrounding us.

Then I cut to a more realistic scene; we walk thru the flowers until Corn Niblet gets stung by a bee all over the place and she's afraid to move, so the J man has to carry her, as she continues to cry- then Sweet Pea looks down just as a mouse runs by her and jumps onto my back for the rest of the trip across the field, screaming randomly to watch out- and as we put them on the boulder the J man reaches into a crack and gets bit by a snake - as the kids are crying and screaming we sit on the rock sweating from the heat of the sun with no water in sight wondering if the GPS will stay on long enuf to point us to the nearest hospital for a snake bite kit, as I scratch the 200 mosquito bites I have acquired in the last hour! That is the real type of adventures we have!

I LOVE nature, but I love a sterilized version of it better!

So no matter when you come to visit us [and I'm counting on the fact you WILL come to visit us! Or I will start a daily email and phone campaign to motivate you, don't think I won't!] make sure you bring a raincoat, umbrella or both. You can also borrow mine for a small fee.