More walks around the lake

One Saturday morning in the middle of November (when it was a crazy polar vortex in America), the fall weather was perfect outside. We decided to take a long walk around our lake, and got to a new area I had never seen before.  The first couple pictures are in a wooded area. I loved the green moss sticking out of hundreds of leaves.

And then we found the most quaint little cottage I have ever seen. Complete with a grass roof, bubbling river flowing under it, fall leaves, outside, out in nature where you couldn't hear anything. Amazing! Barrett thinks you can rent places like this. We really should look into it.

A picture on our way back.

Barrett took these pictures from another walk he had with Lily. Aren't the swans here so bold?? I have never encountered swans that will just walk right up to you, especially when you don't have food.

I guess Lily thought it was funny since she was bundled in the stroller. She probably wouldn't have been quite so happy if she had been standing.

The Saga of the Washing Machine: Part 3

You didn't think there would be a Part 3 of this saga right? Yeah me either. In fact, I had planned to do a short, final post about how we have our washing machine back. But I think I have a curse. The other day Barrett told me that what he would be happiest to have back when we live in America again is the convenience of buying... everything really. I responded that easily my overall, number one excitement would be to have a normal washing machine AND even more so, American dryers back. I think it's the one adjustment I won't get used to over here.

Anyway, a couple weeks ago I went to wash my towels, after a couple days in between of using the machine, and the door wouldn't open. The door is completely electronic. I can't even open it if I drop a sock on the ground and want to throw it in really quick. Once the cycle starts it starts, and it gets angry if I turn it off and try to restart the cycle, ha ha. There's probably some special way, but none of the translated words even relate to canceling a cycle. So at first I wasn't too concerned about it and turned the machine on and off a couple times, and then I ran two really short cycles thinking the door always opens automatically after a cycle is done. But to no avail. I would hear the sound of the door unlocking, but it definitely wasn't unlocked. I wish I could say I handled it appropriately. But I was frustrated and then became mad as I tried to force the door open. I think Lily learned some bad habits from my poor reaction to the door not opening :) I had only had the machine back for maybe 3 weeks. I thought maybe Barrett could help when he got home, but even the suggested fixes he found in the manual did not open our door :(. This was right before the holidays and our landlords left town for 8 days the day after Christmas. Luckily, they are very nice and trusting, so I spent the last week and a half unlocking their front door, turning off the alarm, then starting a load, and finally setting the alarm again before locking the door. Every time I had to change a load. I'm glad I was able to do wash and it was nice not to have to coordinate schedules to do wash (probably for me and for them), but oh how I miss sitting in my pajamas to do laundry or starting a load late at night without having to worry about going out into the cold when it's finished.

They're home now so hopefully we can start working on another solution soon. But until then, our neighbors can look out their windows again to watch the pregnant lady running in the street with her laundry basket and a toddler trailing behind.