rounding the bend

Here it comes. Can you feel it? All the signs are there. If you haven't figured it out by now, our first Swedish winter is right around the corner:

-The sun is setting lower and earlier in the evenings and rising even later in the mornings. The fall equinox was only a couple weeks ago. Just as it was dramatically light during the summer, so it is getting dramatically dark at night. The totter has teetered. I've said it before - the stars are amazing, just amazing. During the summer I don't remember any stars, but now - even on my excursions to western America I don't remember seeing as many stars as here, Milky Way and all. Perhaps I didn't have the time to explore them back then like I have had here. I just walk out into the backyard and look up. The night sky in Montana was one of the things that brought me to my knees. They are humbling still, no matter the vantage point.

-Snow tires are on sale everywhere. The guy who heads up the trade associaton for tire companies advised the public to get their snow tires early this year. Apparently last year there was an early snowfall and the public was caught off guard. Companies were out of stock for some time because of the rush. Of course the Swedish business world's not-so-secret motto is 'we get to you when we want to get to you and not a moment sooner -- we already know you're not going to a competitor because there aren't any! Muuuah haa haa haa!!!!' Snow tires can be put on as early as October 1st. Snow tires are required by December 1st. For the record, snow tires have small metal studs to grab the winter conditions. They must be removed by some date next spring. The car we bought in June din't come with a set of snow tires. Guess we'd better explore some of those tire sales. Snow is in the forecast for tomorrow already. Rain is falling now.

-Winterizing the car. Though we got a car without air conditioning - a first in my adult life - it does have seat warmers. The lack of AC was a non-issue this past summer because of the cool weather. It wouldn't have worked in the hot Midwest where we are from. Their summer was blistering. Makes me wonder what my old garden and young trees look like now. The seat warmers have already come in handy this fall. Hot as a sauna bench but not able to melt the credit cards in your wallet. We are also looking into having an engine warmer, possibly a compartment warmer, installed in the car. Even mormor highly recommends them. Just makes it easier to get yer car going on Swedish winter mornings.

-Ugly reality. I did the math. At yesterday's exchange rate I paid nearly $80 US dollars for a tank of gas in a car that is smaller than either of the cars we left in America. At that rate, it is more than double what we use to pay, even when gas was nearly $3 a gallon. With my Swedish class and having to drop off the boys at their schools I have to drive nearly 30 miles round trip daily. Not a lot, but it guarantees a need to fill up the tank every one or two weeks.

-Frost has taken out the pumpkin patch and soon every other form of vegetation. We are reminded every increasingly brisk morning that we left our winter coats in America. We bought new coats for the boys already but haven't gotten to Mom and Dad yet. Haven't had to. Out of desperation Mon got one when she was in town today and I'll get one soon. I was really hoping to get a decent North Face jacket. I know it will cost more, but I think it will be worth it in the long run.

Not quite sure what we are in for with this thing called Swedish winter, but we're getting ready.