Why I like fall but why it is also killing* me

*not literally/immediately, but it doesn't help my health, that's for sure

My two favorite times of the year are spring and fall. Coming from a state that has very distinct seasons (though many feel as if winter lasts really long), I view those two seasons as the times that birth two other seasons. Plus, I don't like really hot weather but I can tolerate cold weather.

Spring is a wonderful, hopeful, and beautiful time. Remember how good it feels when the weather starts to warm up and the early flowers are pushing their way up from the ground? Everyone seems to be in a better mood as they shed bulky winter clothing and get some sunlight. Fall is lovely, too, as the hot and humid days of summer dissipate and the leaves change color (assuming it's a climate such as in Michigan or in Germany).

Fall is also great because of the fun seasonal things to do, such as visiting Herbstfest in Heidelberg (which may/may not include drinking grappa and dancing in front of an ice cream store) or drinking Federweisser and eating Zweibelkuchen.

However, sometimes I think that fall is trying to take me out. I suffer from seasonal allergies and chronic sinus infections. As the leaves fall and it rains, I feel awful, probably from the combination of mold and the leaves. I've been sick twice in September alone, then sick again in October. When I'm not actively sick, I feel as if I'm on the verge of getting sick, suffering from nasty congestion, headaches, and feeling as if I'm about ready to spike a fever. I'm exhausted; perhaps I don't get as much oxygen or I sleep poorly from being congested.

To be fair, I feel that springtime has it out for me too, with all the pollen flying around, which also induces more sinus infections. However, fall is made even more difficult by the decline in daylight. Even when I go straight home from work and not to one of my many engagements after, I am totally exhausted and am ready to go straight to bed. Sometimes it's difficult to stay awake even until 8 p.m. I guess it's a good thing that I usually have commitments after work; otherwise it's so hard to ignore the siren call of sleep! It can be 6 p.m. and feel like it's time to go to bed. I definitely feel some grumpiness settling in because I know that it'll just get gloomier with winter settling in.

Maybe one of these days I'll buy myself a special lamp for light therapy. I wonder if it would help. Readers, have you ever used them, and do you feel a marked improvement in wakefulness and mood as a result?

Crazy weather

This winter has been so much easier than last year's winter; it's been so mild, with temperatures in the 40-50s. There has been basically no snow (though there have been plenty of rain showers). Last year, it was colder, with temperatures in the 20-40s and more snow. It was more mild than where I'm from in the States, but it packed a bigger punch last year because I was walking around outside a lot.

Anyway, I have noticed flowers growing recently. It is so weird to this Michigan girl to have seen flowers in January (when I took this picture). I plucked one and stuck it in my hair and practically went skipping off into the sunlight. That's the bonus of this year's less dreary winter: people are in better moods, probably because of more sunlight. Don't get me wrong; it's not Florida by any means, but after seeing nothing but gray skies last winter, the bits of sunshine we've been having this year are wonderful.

Flowers in January? Mind blowing!

Snow help me, if I have to buy winter tires...

As someone who's from a northern state, I'm quite well versed in driving in snow...and ice...and slush...and a combination of all three. When I was researching the western edge of Germany where I'll be moving, I looked at snowfall averages and winter temperatures and was pleased to find out that the climate is a bit more mild than where I am currently living. It appears that they get snow but not as much as we do here, which sounds good to me.

I learned that there are some strict German laws on the tires that one uses (is this a surprise? There are definitely a lot of German laws and regulations to shift through for everything, pretty much :), especially for winter tires. The most important rule is that in conditions of snow and/or ice, the car must have either winter tires or (all season) tires marked with M+S (mud and snow). Failure to have such tires can result in a ticket. Apparently there is a saying that one should use winter tires “von Oktober bis Ostern” (from October to Easter), as a rule of thumb, to account for the snow season. The winter tires marked with a snowflake are highly suggested but the all season tires marked with M+S are also acceptable.

While researching this, I decided that I would just get the all season tires to avoid the expense of buying one set of tires for snow and one set for the rest of the year. I felt confident in my decision. Why buy extra tires if they're not needed? I'm a northerner and I *know* snow. I was given immediate pause when someone who had moved to Germany from a state farther north than I where I live said that she wished she had bought winter tires. What?! Oh no. If someone from a place with a lot of snow is saying that winter tires are recommended, then that makes me think I'll need them. I couldn't really figure out why, if the area doesn't get a huge amount of snow, the tires would be needed. I was told that it's hilly there and that the roads don't get plowed/salted much. 

So, is this true? Is it hard to get around? How has it been to get around with or without snow tires? How often do you get stuck? Are the roads really not maintained when it snows?