the cherry tree.

When we first moved into our home, our landlady told us we had an apple, plum and cherry tree in our yard. She said they only bear a great harvest every two or three years. Boy, was she right! Last year, our cherry tree was slim picking, and by the time we realized the cherries were fully ripe, the birds had stolen much of the fruit. 

This year, however, it was impossible not to notice the cherries. They are bright fire-engine red and there are TONS of them. Together with our friends, we have been picking buckets full and snacking on them for three days and there is still no shortage! We also have wild strawberries peppering our yard - a delicious treat! 

Here are the pictures I took of Iris picking cherries last year!

a little taste of summer.

Summer in Germany is punctuated by an abundance of fresh fruit. I don't mean to say that the markets are stocked with fruit (although that is usually the case.) The fruit relevant to this post is grown right in our own backyard. Most yards and other open grassy areas boast at least one fruit tree. 

Our home has three fruit trees growing out front - yellow plum, apple and cherry. It's really quite a wonderful feeling to pick fruit that grows right outside your door. The convenience of supermarkets has taken that simple pleasure away from many of us and it feels good to get back in touch with nature. It was especially nice to show Iris exactly where fruit comes from - she loved this experience!

We even picked these on the side of a back road in our town!

our new home.

Remember how I mentioned that although we had found our dream house, we were still looking for something better to present itself? Well, as it so happens... something did. 

After pouring through the books of house and apartment listings for the hundredth time, I marked off a couple of homes in a town very nearby to where we are stationed - a town we had never been to before. We looked at the two homes, unimpressed by the 70's style decor in one and the very heavy smokers on the first floor of the other. As we took a short tour through the town on foot, I spotted the peak of a handsome looking little house on top of a hill we were passing. Cute white lace curtains peeked from the two windows I could see, and there was a "home for rent" sign at the base of the driveway. "We should call! We're right here anyway," I mentioned to Marius. He agreed and we met the landlord shortly thereafter. 

You may think this odd, as the house is just about the complete opposite of the last one I posted photos of. It's very small, recently built and located on the outskirts of a more populated town. It's really lovely both inside and out, not a potential fixer-upper like the other one. It has a real yard, a patio and garage. It is a two minute walk from a Kindergarten and a grocery store, where while Marius is gone I can buy fresh food for myself and Iris (in case I haven't mentioned it before, I don't drive). The town has a train station, numerous bus stops, and a couple of restaurants and shops. 

The bedrooms are absolutely tiny, but the living room is a good size for the three of us and that's where we spend the majority of our time anyway! Living in a smaller house will keep our acquisition of "stuff" to a minimum, unlike at the other house which was massive and we felt we'd have to buy more furniture and such to fill the hugely open space. Our new house is cozy - the other made me feel almost uncomfortable considering its size. 

Our shipments of belongings haven't arrived yet by plane or by boat, but we will be loaned some basics from the base until they do. We did feel a bit of uncertainty and even sadness at the decided loss of our other potential home; its charm and all the many things it had to offer us. However, we feel we made the best choice possible and this house also has much to offer us, and especially Iris. I'm really looking forward to our move in date this week!

The view of our house from the driveway.
I plan to add potted flowers and the land lady is putting in a garden for us too!

The view from our patio and yard!

The front hall with marble staircase and tiled floors throughout.

sneak peek.

Here is a small preview of the house most likely to become our home for the next four years!

The first floor includes a modern kitchen, dining room, living room and laundry room which leads to a one car garage. Upstairs there are three bedrooms, a walk-in closet/dressing room, and a large main room at the top of the staircase which will serve as our library. 

In addition, there is a lofted attic as well as a full cellar. A stone driveway leads all the way behind the house, allowing for a small outdoor play space for Iris. There is also a huge stone staircase behind the house, leading up to a grassy area. The cellar will be perfect for food storage and for aging beer and wine. It will also accommodate our intent to delve into the art of brewing beer on our own.

The oil heat is being replaced with a wood chip burner, almost guaranteeing cheaper heat (which is included in the rent anyway.) The windows and shutters are fairly new, though considering the house was built in the late 1700's, it will probably be a bit drafty in the winter. 

The house is in a perfect location; right down the road from a Kindergarten, public park, butcher, bakery, and bus stops to the city. We are still keeping our options open and are actively looking at other houses, just in case something better presents itself. However, we are so excited about our find that we have made an agreement with the land lord already. The agreement legally promises the house to us for a period of five days - in other words, the land lord can not rent the house to someone else. If all goes as we foresee, we should be moving in this month!