There's no lack of effort in the Siebert family. We push and pull and walk and do every last thing we can to get whatever needs be done, DONE. This afternoon after Papa left for work, heavy snow began. Kai and Ming take the public bus about 10k from their middle school home, and then from the bus stop it's an uphill climb home. On a regular day the walk can take about 20 minutes - Ming has a mild form of spina bifida and has nerve damage to one leg, and that leg is shorter as well, so she has to work the hardest! I was getting worried as it started to get dark and still no kids, so I hung out of the upstairs window until I saw them coming over the last hill, big brother carrying the heaviest bags. Then I made hot cocoa for everyone, and Kai Dong went back out to shovel the snow.

I hope the town snowplow gives the village a visit. Papa is due home late from work tonight. On any workday, if the snow makes the road impassable, he will walk or bike to the train station 3K away. Having one vehicle isn't easy, but it's way better than having none, which was the situation for several months this summer! Occasionally, if I need to visit the doctor for a checkup or refill, I'll bike and take the train for the 20k rt to town and back.

It's been tough, but occasionally we mess up and have to laugh at ourselves. This summer, after a particularly grueling grocery run in the heat on bikes and walking, we realized that we'd forgotten to buy butter. So the next day we did it again, because, well... BUTTER. You can't go without butter.

This is kitty Zen Wolke Mao. He looks worried about his kids too.

Spring, 2017 ~ grocery shopping on foot