Catching mice in the fall

Since our return from the U.S.A., temperatures have been warm, hovering in the mid to high 20's Celsius. We've enjoyed wearing T-shirts and shorts and not having to turn on the heat. Locals tell me that while we were away, it rained incessantly and was quite cold. Although they didn't have much of a summer, the rain refilled water reservoirs and brought ground water levels back to normal.

Yesterday, the weather started changing and the temperatures became more fall-like. I look forward to the disappearance of fruit flies.

Neighborhood children have been setting traps for field mice that have been making mounds of dirt in the meadows. One can see their many little white flags marking the location of their traps. Every evening after school, Ramon, the 14-year old next door, makes his rounds, collecting mouse bodies and cutting off their tails.  Did you know that our commune pays SFr 1 per mouse tail? These children are making a fortune!

Last week, I was excited to meet Jason Donald,  a novelist from South Africa who lives in the same valley as we do. Our book club has chosen his debut novel Choke Chain to be the January book.

I am looking forward to tomorrow's hike up to the Glacier.

A global warming theory

Thank goodness we had snow during the Christmas holiday. We could ski nearly every day of our two-week break. Since then, the weather has warmed up considerably, to the point that we have been sunbathing in T-shirts in front of the house.

The sun has done wonders for our Vitamin D levels but wrecked havoc on the snow. Grey-green patches are now visible on many a southwest-facing slope. Some mountains have closed their lifts.

With worried frowns on their faces, locals say in hushed voices: "This is April weather. It doesn't look good for the rest of ski season. We need more snow."

With temperatures hovering around 10 C, it's even too warm for snow machines that work best when temperatures stay below -5 C. I don't like snow machines. They are ugly. They use too much electricity and water. Mostly, I don't like them because they are just band-aid solutions to the bigger problem, that the earth is warming up and that we are unwilling to reduce our use of gasoline and electricity.

Sure, I benefitted from snow-making while skiing over the holidays. Sections of slope that used to get scrapped up, icy, and bare, were well covered with artificial snow, making the the whole run much more enjoyable than before. Once back in my car, I was happy "Ah, that was a good day skiing," I thought. Instead of having the following thought: "Yikes! That sucked! The base was too thin. We don't have enough snow. Perhaps, we should really DO something against global warming."

Meanwhile, we read in the news that the USA has been slammed with yet another snow storm, bringing out the global warming naysayers. I have a theory.  The USA, holder of the "World's Worst Polluter Award," has the strongest anti-environmental rhetoric, because it gets the coldest weather. You see, pollution emitted by the USA rises into the atmosphere and travels with the winds to Europe, where the glaciers are melting and the snow falls are diminishing.  It's like living downstream from a polluter.

The USA is experiencing meters of snow and cold weather. Americans don't feel the effects of global warming, explaining why they don't believe in climate change. So I will join my European friends in being angry at the USA for melting our glaciers and our snow; in the meantime, I'll work on my tan.

Hoping to de-stress Advent

Each year by mid-November, moods change. The switch is clear and noticeable. My children come home from school and tell me about fights and bullying. They have trouble focusing on homework. They are on edge. I feel it too. Some of my anxiety if self-imposed, i.e. I should order the Christmas cards; I should make gifts with the children for relatives; I should buy all the presents now; I should wrap them all before December. If my super-mom friends can do this, so can I! Mostly, the stress comes from the outside. Scheduling conflicts occur. People are moodier and lose their tempers.

When I feel unhappy, I blame cold weather, a sedentary lifestyle, and creeping weight gain. I conclude it must have something to do with Christmas, and I start to fantasize about leaving town for that forced holiday.

Boundaries are disappearing

My friends in the construction trade work crazy hours in order to get chalets ready in time for Christmas. They work over lunch, evenings and weekends--yes, even Sundays--rarely seeing their spouses and children. Their bosses can't say "no" for fear of losing contracts. And those contracts are worth a lot of money in Gstaad, which is home to many of the world's billionaires. Known as die gute Gäste, these rich chalet owners have insatiable and exorbitant demands. And this trend is worsening. The worst are the newly rich, who seem drunk with their new wealth, unable to think of the human consequences of their demands.

I understand that people need money, but there are boundaries; and too much money makes us forget those limits. For example, the overworked husband, who doesn't see his family during Advent, and then, out of guilt, spends a month's salary on gifts, damages the family finances and spoils his children. Is this what he really wants?

Organizing Advent

This year on November 28, my neighbors turned on their outdoor light garlands. I was puzzled. Then, I googled "Advent" and learned that November 28, 2010, was the the first of the four Sundays before December 25. I also learned that Advent (from the Latin word adventus meaning "coming") is a time of expectant waiting and preparation... and of hope.

Then, I had lightbulb moment.

I realized that I will never be like one of my over-achieving friends. So to alleviate stress this year, I decided to split my to-do list into four parts, corresponding to the four weeks of Advent. So far it is helping.

Then, today, I read that Advent used to be a period of fasting starting in the 4th-century. This fast began after St. Martin's feast (November 11) and lasted 40 days. Perhaps, this could be the answer to my weight loss woes?

Black ice and the Range Rover driver

Walking my son to the kindergarten bus stop this morning, the ground was so slippery that even my miniature Schnauzer was scrambling to stay upright. He reminded me of Willy the Coyote not being able to stop running after chasing Beep Beep the bird.

Then, I saw her, the fur-clad woman driving a silver Ranger Rover. She sped down the hill going at least 60 kilometers an hour, seemingly unaware of the dangerous conditions.

Our street is a one-lane country road with no sidewalks, and the speed limit is 40 kilometers an hour. Even though it's a private road, many non-residents use it because they see it as a shortcut. It is a road that is frequented by dozens of primary school children walking or on bicycles as well as contractors speeding by, apparently late for their appointments.

"She nearly crashed into me," said the van driver, whose face was still white from the incident. "If I hadn't backed up in time, she would have slid right into me."

The truth is that all cars are dangerous on black ice, not just the heavy Range Rovers. What I think is really dangerous are clueless drivers. These are the ones who park their cars in heated underground garages and who haven't tested the condition of the roads with their own feet. These are drivers who think that just because they operate a four-wheel-drive, they can speed with impunity.

If your Subaru Justy has a head-on collision with a Range Rover, it's pretty clear who will come out in one piece.

Why the Swiss change their tires

It's snowing, not a lot, just a dusting. And it's not really sticking at my elevation of 1,300 meters.

In light of the weather, my karate teacher Roland, who happens to be an automobile aficionado, told me that it is dangerous to drive with summer tires, even if the roads are clear of snow or ice. He said that summer tires are made to only be effective at or above 7.5 degrees Celcius (45.5 ºF) and summer tires will not grip the road properly at temperatures under this limit, especially in curves. This could be a problem when attempting to stop.

Changing tires in the US was never a thing, so I double checked, and Roland was right. So from now on, I will have my tires changed before the risk of a first snowfall.

The cows are back, winter is coming

A cow with horns, as it should be. (Photo by Lisette Prince)

Yesterday morning, I awoke to the comforting sounds of cowbells and mooing. Looking out my bedroom window, I saw our bovine friends--their heads down--chewing their breakfast of dew-covered grass and dandelion leaves. It's nice to have our tenant farmer's cows back after their summer-long vacation at higher pastures.

Nevertheless, these particular cows appear sad.

I think the reason is that they lack horns. Removing horns from calves is becoming a trend, here in Switzerland, due to the advent of the less-expensive free stall dairy barns. Without horns, cows need less space, therefore stables cost less. Also, if cows are allowed to wander freely, they are less likely to hurt each other without horns.

Many believe that the quality of milk is compromised by the removal of horns. My neighbor, an old lady who has lived here for the past 80 years, no longer wants milk from our farmer because he has removed his cows' horns.

Regardless, I love this yearly cow arrival in my backyard, serving as a warning that summer is over, and that snow is on its way.