Two items one is unlikely to see in the States.

For this first one, I have a feeling I could write, "You know you are in Sweden if..."

I went to IKEA this week. 

- BTW, Prior to moving here, I never noticed that the IKEA logo's colors are basically the same as those in the Swedish flag.  It is pretty obvious now, but I simply didn't think of it. 

Anyway, so I went to IKEA with some friends and, not surprisingly, I found lingon sauce (think cranberry) available via a pump container.  Lingon is well loved here.  

Reflectors. 

- On adults' outerwear.  Let's be practical.  A lot of Swedes walk and / or ride their bicycles to get around town, which is great.  It is good for their health, it is good for their pocketbook, and it is good for the environment.  Anyway, in the cold-weather months much of the day is spent in the dark.  Today, October 25th, the sunrise and sunset times are:  07:59 and 17:45.  Tomorrow, after the time changes, the sun will only be up from  07:01- 16:42.  And on December 21st, the sun will only be up for 7 hours and 2 minutes, from 08:35-15:37.  So with up to 17 hours a day of dim to dark weather, reflectors are not just for children's cloths.  They are a sensible safety precaution. 

Side note:  In the States, songs of Autumn typically speak of the harvest and the beautiful Fall colors.  Here, Autumn (höst) songs seem to often speak of the coming darkness. 

As any American will tell you, Americans recycle.  Yes indeed.  Please do not think that we throw all of our trash into the garbage.  Thank you very much.  Sadly, some Americans don't do all they could.  Swede's are, I believe, more faithful to recycle.  

 

This picture is the area under our kitchen sink.  The only garbage bin is the blue one.  Although we simply do not have room under there for every different type of recyclable, when it gets taken down to the trash room, we separate it by newspaper, packaging paper, plastic, colored glass, clear glass, metal, and now we are recycling food (including meat products).  The food is turned into energy which is being used in the local buses (and maybe elsewhere?).  John and I are having trouble figuring out a good plan for where to put this latest addition, and I think something is going to end up being suspended on the cabinet door.  As I said, Americans recycle - although I do not know of an area in the US which collects food scraps.  Typically however, we now place all the recycling in one container and let the sorting machines deal with it

But however it is done, recycling rocks.