The Significance of Keeping Order – German Style

Germans are known to be orderly. Whether we truly are or not can only be based on personal experience. My husband will tell you we are. And he claims to suffer from it… 🙂

The forest workers have been very busy for the past few years. Storms, parasites, and extreme heat have taken its toll on the forest. But this stack of trees near our home was a good reminder of how we supposedly are. Orderly.

For some interesting observations from an expat to Germany, visit: BBC – What Makes Germans so Orderly

When I saw this neatly stacked pile of wood, it just warmed my heart, gave me a sense of pride, and put a smile on my face.

Oberursel Forest

I would even take it a step further, and claim Germans have national pride for this sense of order. More so than for the German flag, as we only use it when it comes to soccer championships and the likes. On national holidays, we do not display the flag. Instead, we clean up.

We are proud when our garden is tieded, the grass has been mowed, our car has been washed, the flower boxes are neatly arranged, the windows have been washed, and the sidewalks swept.

Keeping things orderly might be our own ‘national flag’.

Spring Time in Germany in April 2020

Thanks to social distancing during COVID-19, I get to live a very different life. This special time also has its good sides, and I find many things to be grateful for.

We live in an area close to the forest, and within the social distancing frame, taking walks for pleasure is still permissible. The cherry trees are blooming, we’ve had sunny weather, and I’ve had many chances to get out and about.

Spring time in Oberursel

Even in the midst of a green leafed forest, if you happen to look up in the right spot, you can spot a cherry tree just as tall as the others. I would assume it was 10-15m in height.

I have the extra time to take morning walks, often with a friend on my side. I’ve noticed more Germans being friendly and saying hello while passing.

On a different note, once, we saw a female jogger heading our way. When she was about 10 m away from us, she suddenly left the way and ran into the forest, hopped on a tree stump, and stood there, as if she was getting ready for a ski jump. We passed by her, continued walking, and then turned around to watch her run off again. This was the most overcareful measure of safety precaution I had ever seen. This will remain rather unforgettable.

I know, some people are burdened by fear and anxiety because of the COVID-19 outbreak. Fortunately, I’m not one of them. I will make do with what I have, and enjoy it: a good sense of humor, wine in the bottle, and a good friend on my side.

A euphemistic term for this period of slowing down in German is:

die Entschleunigung.

“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.”

– Anne Bradstreet (Writer, Poet, First woman to be published in Colonial America)

21 Amazing Places in Germany

​This is a comprehensive collection of unusual places to visit around Germany. I haven’t been to a single one.

A Walk through Oberursel Forest

I passed only two people in the woods this morning; it has been rather cold, moist and foggy.

Oberursel forest in autumn

Oberursel forest, near the Tierheim

Oberursel forest

Some vandals marked the bench and there’s a bit of forester’s work left to do yet, but …

The greatest step is out the door.

– German proverb –

August Forest in Germany

After this fairly wet month of August, we were not surprised to find the wooded grass area covered with mushrooms.

We don’t know anything about mushrooms, so we hold them in high esteem and leave them there. Some of them had come up for the first time ever and with them also came more snails this season.

Poisonous mushrooms

In the sunshine we could also see the grass was lined with slimy trails of some sort. A whole regiment of snails must have traveled across. Every season brings forth something different.

snail leaving for a road trip

The reason for our trip to the garden was to give away fire wood (pine). We have plenty more and our friends appreciated the two wagon loads of free wood. It was hauled down to Heidelberg to be stacked in their garden for future camp fires.

wagons full of fire wood

Our forest garden requires no gardening work such as planting, watering, fertilizing, etc.  If it does not grow on its own, (whatever it is), then it will not survive. That’s fine with me.

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