Sommerzeit

Leaving France, I traveled east to Berlin, Germany -- and even deeper into winter.  There were several inches of snow on the ground, with more falling almost every day.  After a few days, I received an email reminder that sommerzeit (literally, 'summer time') was about to start.  Looking out the window, I felt that sommerzeit was a cruel name for daylight savings time.

A snowy view from my window.

In my apartment, I was not the only one at the window waiting for spring.  When I opened one of the windows to check how cold it really was outside (very cold!), I found a lacewing that had been hiding in the crevice between the window and the windowsill.  Although the lacewing was brown in color, it was most likely a common green lacewing (Chrysoperla carnea), which fades to brown when it hibernates.

The lacewing I found hibernating in between the window and the windowsill.

At another window, I found a small beetle as it tried to climb the glass, fell, and rolled around on its back on the windowsill.  I helped the beetle back onto its feet, but decided to wait until it was warmer before letting the beetle out through the window.

A small beetle on the windowsill.

When the first day of sommerzeit arrived, I pulled open the curtains...

A snowy start to sommerzeit.

... only to see yet more snow falling.  Feeling disappointed but not at all surprised, I adjusted my clocks forward and left my short sleeve shirts at the bottom of the drawer.