Snow on the ground in the middle of November. This is a sign to beef up or get beat by the winter blues this season. I am determined more than ever not to let this winter business get the best of me. It already took one ACL.

Eventually I’ll start a gym membership with my rehab center and on weekends visit the heated swimming pools in the area. So far my winter conditioning is in the form of shop hopping. It is very easy to exhaust the variety from our down-the-block Tenglemann and Aldi. All the random finds within the last 2 years in Munich have made us one of those couples who just aren’t satisfied with one place to shop.

To find that one place that carries the things we want, need and like still wouldn’t be a dream for us. Of course there’s the V-markt or Walmart superstores withing driving distance. But those places aren’t very attractive when you need a map to find the one item you were looking for and the prices are just as pocket burning as the smaller stores.

So I run around - in the rain, wind, hail, sleet, snow - for things like bread. Turkish bread (pide) was bought on the Turkenstraße until the corner market on our street started selling baked goods. Occasionally, we like Kastenbrot (box bread, loaf bread) to make toast. But it is never to be found with any regularity in any of the neighborhood bakeries. I have to make a special trip to Sendlingstraße. Croissants are the best at the Post-Bakery a few blocks down, which is convenient because this bread is a must for Alex for our weekend breakfasts.

Then there is the vegetable saga. I’m always disappointed in the veggies at Tenglemann. There are always flies hovering over the produce. Instead I walk 10 minutes in the other direction to a corner shop delicatessen, where they sell bio-products or Class I produce: never over-ripe, but ready to be eaten within the next few days. Every other week we’ll order bio-fruits and veggies from the Öko-kiste. But only if I plan to cook a lot that week. A whole head of cauliflower is just over the top for the two of us.

I’ve yet to divulge my full trust with a Metzgerei (butcher). More like I have to gain trust from them. It is hard to shake the feeling as if I’m getting the second-grade cut because I said Grüß Gott with too much foreigner flair. It’s probably one of those things where you have to establish a rapport. Yet so often, I just want to pick up the non-discriminant pre-packaged dealio and move on. I suppose if I want to get serious about making my own stock, it’s time to start sucking up.