For the Love of God, A Little AC Please!

With only about 5 months left here in Germany, we are already starting to think about the things that we are excited to have again when we move home. Here are three really big ones on my list these days:

(1) Air conditioning - though it's not often needed here, today is one of those days. It's not really all that hot but the humidity is off the charts. What I wouldn't give to be able to switch on the AC just long enough to cut some of the humidity. I was trying to blow dry my hair this afternoon (normally I wouldn't have bothered but we were having dinner with friends and I wanted to try to look nice) and my head was sweating faster than the hairdryer was drying. Yeah, I know, so gross. As I'm typing my arms are stuck to the kitchen table. They make a very audible sticking sound when I lift them up.

(2) US sized washer and dryer - It takes me three loads of laundry to wash the sheets and blankets from Carter's bed. 1 load for the mattress pad, 1 load for the cotton blanket, and one load for the sheets -- and it's only a twin sized bed. And don't even get me started on the dryer...over 4.5 hours to dry those 3 loads. Plus, the dryer doesn't vent to the outside like at home, it collects the water in a plastic bin that needs to be emptied after each load. This just adds to the ridiculous humidity already.

(3) Ben going to a proper barber for haircuts - Since we've moved to Germany, I have had the "pleasure" of cutting Ben's hair. It's nothing against Ben, his hair, or the hair cutting profession, but I hate that job. Even though I have been doing this for 2 years, I am still so nervous when I do it. The pressure is just too much. I am so scared that I am going to give him a hideous haircut for which the only cure is a full on buzz cut.

Of course, there are dozens of things that we will miss desperately once we repatriate, but that's for another day/posting. In other news, our garden is coming along nicely as you can see from the picture of our butter lettuce. We will be enjoying that in a salad this week. Our sugar snap peas are ridiculously tall and I imagine that they will be ready for feasting on when we return from our trip to the US. Now, you loyal readers may be wondering about the slug situation. The slug poison has worked wonders and now I never see any slugs at the front of the house. In fact my basil plant is starting to grow back. Occasionally I will find a slug or two in the back garden but usually just in the yard waste/compost pile. I have purchased another box of slug poison to sprinkle around the plants just for good measure.

OK, off to the wet sauna that we call a laundry room to fold some more laundry.