Project; fixing up at the farm

We've gotten a good start fixing up at the farm. The cellar is DRY! Which means I can actually store things down there.

Runar is going to put in a water tap and I'll get a new hose. Now I have to use the indoor tap and have the hose running through the house, which is a bother, or I can carry buckets of water, which is heavy and a bother. We'll be storing garden stuff and furniture down there. Now we store those things in the barn and they get covered in goo and bird droppings...yuck!

The lawn is semi finished. Runar has put up a natural stone "wall" to enable a flat lawn in front of the house. We'll be planting red currant bushes, etc along it on the lower level and a hedge on top of the stones to shield against wind gusts. Also to enjoy sitting out there without staring the neighbours straight in the eye.

We're planning a masonry natural stone wall up against the barn as well. (to the left of photo, where Marianne is dosing in the shade) We'll have to wait until next year, to let the grass grow properly before driving on it with heavy machinery. Runar is contemplating putting in a natural stone bench - which he saw at some friends' house a few weeks ago. It was gorgeous looking! The reason we need a stone wall there, is to prevent the whole barn from gliding out.

Next weekend we're putting up stones and filling in dirt for a flowerbed from the steps along the house to the driveway. I'm going to see if I can get roses to grow up there. Because of the lower temps up there, not all flowers thrive.

We've finished with painting the upstairs hallway and stairway. The difference is huge and amazing. The 150+ old logs were old and blackened. The whole hallway was dark and scary. As you can see on the photos, they didn't use nails, they notched the logs and they insulated with EVERYTHING, like old newspapers, moss, sawdust, you-name-it. The 100+years old dry moss is hell to paint on. I vacuumed countless times, but we still had a hard time putting on paint on those old logs. The floor was easy in comparison.

 The other thing you'll notice, is that they used whatever planks and logs they had available. This cottage was built by folks who mainly got by without much real money. They bartered and swapped goods for favors, etc. There is a wonderful story about the former owner. I'll tell you another time.














Thomas and I had quite a job using wood impregnation with antiparacitics to get rid of the common furniture beetle that has been eating away on the house up there. It took a couple of weeks to finished the treatment, as we had to do a few parts twice before it helped. But, knock-on-wood I haven't spotted the fine sawdust anywhere afterwards. w00t!
(the photos are from before the second coat of paint)


Healthwise I kept it up until this week. The new meds arcoxia my doc has me trying out works wonders, but I can't take them for more than 4 days max. Neither can I use the ordinary anti-inflammatory meds Vimovo, while using the Arcoxia.  My arms and neck are killing me this week, so we're taking it easy. Right now I'm even having trouble lifting my cup of coffee without grimacing and it's so hard not getting low. Ugh!

Listening to audiobooks and crocheting when I can, watching netflix when I can't. Tomorrow I'll be able to take Vimovo again and hopefully I'll be able to avoid fullblown inflammation and fever happening.

No jobs for Runar, yet. The oil industry is starting to suffer and there is such an increase in unemployed people. With a decrease in available jobs, things are rough.

I'm on the last arm on the jacket I'm crocheting for Helene. It was supposed to be for myself, but I've sort of outgrown it... Here's a photo of the back, just to give you an idea of the pattern. I told you about it earlier. There were no pattern available anywhere for the kind of jacket I wanted, so I used the pattern for a wedding-dress bolero and just "invented" the rest of the pattern on the go


Oh, I proudly present....poppies!!! I dug up a poppie plant last year, from my garden here in Mandal and brought it up to the farm, just to see if it would grow. It did. 3 flowers happened this year. Who knows what'll happen next year

spring update

Yeah, I'm still alive and kicking and I'm still busy. Time is funny in the way it seems to go by faster the older you get. Not quite true, because if you add boredom into the equation, time stands still. That doesn't really change with age, other than having even more worries to think about when you're bored...

Go away, I'm sleeping. I hate my period, it steals away all the fun in the world











In short

• Marianne has been in heath
• I've suffered from rheumatism and psoriassis, but I'm getting better because SPRING
• Runar is still unemployed, but he's been to a few interviews and things are looking up
• Got the flat sale money/inheritance and paid debt and credit cards
• Started drainage work around the farm house and the field. The basement has been filled with water since last summer and Marianne is showing off "her special swimming pool" to visiting fourlegged friends, like she's bragging...
• I've started knitting again
• Simen is in the process of moving out. It'll be so weird and empty without any kids around...

This is how it looks like up at the farm these days. I'm working hard to convince myself there will be grass and pretty again...

See the huge rock at the bottom of the picture. We're going to try make it into a stone table. 

I've made this dress, but in a different color (sea-green)

Since I had left over yarn, I made a pair of socks and a hat as well. Probably will be making the mittens too. PS! I found a wonderful site that shows how to make pom poms in a much faster and easier way How to make 2 different pom poms - easy and fast

I've also made myself felted slippers and a hat, but I don't have pictures of them yet as they're on the drying rack

Peace out!

Storm season

Update:
Storm's name is "Nina"

The authorities have issued storm warnings in my region among others. Not sure if it has a name, yet. You know, I think that's something we got from you Americans; the naming of storms. It's silly, like a storm with a cute name is going to wreak less havoc than an unnamed one?!? Late last night when I was outside with Marianne, I could hear the storm out on the sea.

There is something magical in hearing the sea roaring and the thunder of breaking waves. In my back yard it was eerily silence, no wind, no rain. Still, it was the kind of silence before the storm kind of silence.

 It's reached the shore and the wind gusts are threatening to tear down the windbreakers in the back yard. They're bolted down to the patio, but they are thin and not too solid. Crossing fingers they'll hold.

We're heading up to the farm. The storm is supposed to be much worse up there. We need to check on things up there and we need to get the water out of the basement. We've had issues with water in the basement for a few years now, but since measures to fix it involves a lot of hard manual work, it never gets done. I suspect it's because Runar has ignored my plee to fix all the ditches up there.

If  ditches aren't fit to carry off water, then water will find new ways to run. (old indian Eli-proverb)

***

Yesterday I took my mom to see the neurologist specialist. He was pleased and desided she won't have to increase her med dosages, which pleased us a lot. Parkinson meds have nasty side-effects and the less she has to take, the better off we all are.

While we were off to hospital, Runar stayed with my dad and made Venison roast. The first taste of Vintland's Big Norwegian Red Deer venison. Everyone loved it, except from Runar, who thought the meat was too tough and stringy. It wasn't, seriously, but there were parts that  had some tendons, or something and those parts were chewy, but duh...

When Runar cooks, it means, he'll do the roast, I'll do the rest, which meant he and my dad had a lot of time to sit and chat and drink beer. And nap. When Simen got there, they were both happily snoring. Dad then confided in them, proudly, that he was still in the "MAN-club" because he fooled us(meaning wife, daughters, doctors) by halfing his cortisone pills without telling. Not quite sure what I should do about this, but for now, I'm going to pretend I don't know about it...

The MAN-club is somthing the trio created back in the days when Simen was old enough to help them cut trees for firewood up at the farm. They'd go up for the weekend, work and have a good time without any womenfolk and usually the neighbour farmer would come up in the evening, they'd have a drink, tell wild stories and be generally obnoxious. They'd all come home happy.

Dad misses these trips and he is unable to make them anymore. Yesterday was a way to try re-create that and by the looks of it, it worked. While we were sitting down eating, even mom joined in telling wild stories from dad's youth while giggling and laughing.

***

Runar and Simen are finally getting over their head colds. I have managed to avoid getting it, so far, I think. I've used my cortisone asthma inhalator whenever I have felt the itch in the back of my throat. I have had a partially stuffed nose and fever has come and gone and come, my body aches like hell, but I'm not sure if it's just the arthritis or if I actually have had the dreaded cold, just not realized it. Because, head colds. Fuck! I decided I didn't have time to get sick when my dad got hospitalized during the holidays and so I haven't. Mind over matter and all that jazz.

***

I'm playing with the idea of writing a story. I might be posting a short story or two.

***

I keep wishing for a laundry fairy, so bad. I'm half way done with my mountain of dirty laundry, but more dirty laundry keeps on coming... I'm actually contemplating going to the cleaners with the whole lot, just to be able to see an empty laundry room. Just once.


Marianne wishes everyone a lazy weekend.

What my brain spewed out...

...when I realized how long it had been since I last blogged and knew I only had tonight to do it. 



First, Marianne is back to her good, old self. The swelling went away the fourth day. She had her last pills today, thankfully. Dogs get as low-energy as humans when on antibiotics. Poor baby. She hasn't wanted to go near that field where she got bit, afterwards. Lets all cross fingers she's learnt.


This is when we got back from the vet and the morphine kicked in. She was afraid to lay down, since the mouth hurt so bad. I had to help her, in the end. She was out for several hours and when she woke, she felt a lot better and her appetite was back....or perhaps it was the drug-munchies?







We missed Simen

Tuesday we're off to her 1 year old check up at the vet. Should be fun. She really impressed me at the emergency Vet. She hadn't been to a vet before, but took to all the instruments, benches, noisy machines and other sick animals, like a pro. The Vet could do whatever she wanted to, but when she touched the lips(?) she cried out miserably.





The shark slippers are finished.













I had to turn down a visit from a friend. That really and truly sucked. With Runar having so much to do with his new business and his stress level being as it is, I just couldn't make it happen in a way that would be an enjoyable experience. He is a gracious and understanding friend, which makes it doubly bad. But, I have promised myself to get better at saying no, rather than forcing myself to manage more than I can handle. The visit will happen and when it does, I'll likely be happy it got postponed. I hope. Part of me fears there is a train that has left and will never return. I hate that little miserable voice in the back of my mind. Someone ought to find a way to permanently stomp that dude and tell the rest of us.


I got tax refund. I didn't think I would. Very pleasant surprise, that.

 Drought has stolen all the colours. This little fellow is usually pinkish purple



Tuesday we took the boat out and ate supper sammies on an island. The drought is making everything look rather sad, to be honest. It's crazy dry. My lawn is a yellowish-brown dried out joke. Simen, bless his soul, managed to keep my flowers alive. Mostly. I love that boy.

Tuesday night, I wanted to strangle him slowly to death a time, or ten.

He had forgotten a fish in a plastic bag on the floor inside the boat. You cannot imagine the stink. I had to remove the rotten mesh and dry it up. G.R.O.S.S. We had to leave the hatch open the entire trip and we left the boat open, making Simen go down to close up late at night before going to bed. He had to clean the boat a later day. Grrrowl!

This one hasn't sprung out and doesn't know about the colours having been stolen, yet. Crude awakenings to come. Å, Jah!









 Next week, Helene and her Runar is coming home. Juhuu!









I'm crocheting a new summer hat for myself. Like this, but white.












The big cousin get-together up at the farm, is happening August 1st. None of us sisters has had the guts to start any serious planning. Runar has already started dying. It can't be helped, he'll just have to die gracefully around me, or suffer the consequences. I'm working on my mean streak this summer.

I got my hair fixed, yesterday. And my brows. I thought they got too dark and tried scrubbing the colour off with eye makeup remover.

I now have very sore and very red eyebrows. They're still just as too dark. Nobody can see that they're coloured and that I regretted it, tried to fix it and failed. Miserably. Nobody.    
Snort!


My attempt at a selfie, showing off my new caps. My photographic skillz still suck balls.  

Ramble-ramble-ramble-nonsense-and-shit

Tick season has started over here. I need to get some anti-tick drops for Marianne (They don't make tick collars for St Bernards - at least my vet don't have any) I also need to get an appointment for X-rays and the 1-year-old check up for her. She'll be 1 year May 21st. w00t!





Marianne has been inventive() this week(read: Runar forgot to watch her) She managed to persuade Runar(read: she looked up at Runar and waggled her tail happily as normal dogs do) to take her to work with him. He had a meeting at his partners' shop and guess what she found? A whole mound of finely ground graphite - you know, the stuff pensils are made of  - and she gave herself a graphite bath.

Runar called home and warned me and told me to rig up the hose to give her a bath on the patio, because the black dust monster wasn't safe near anyone, or anything. Only thing is that the extra piece needed to hook the hose to our shower, had disappeared during winter(read: I'm afraid I threw it in the garbage during one of my frantic cleaning-out-the-damned-shed modes). It was either ice-cold water from the outdoor tap, or we'd have to get her into the shower. We chose the shower, because it's still cold enough that an outdoor shower in cold water would probably give her a serious cold. She's fine swimming in the lake, or sea, because her fur is such that it insulates from water getting all the way down to her skin, but as soon as you add soap/shampoo, that protection vanishes and they get wet and cold as us furless two-legged beings.

We barely got her into the shower. Runar pulled and I pushed and then forced the shower door closed. I had to hold the door closed during the entire shower ordeal, because Marianne tried to gnaw her way out.

I iz sowy










The shower got more than half of the graphite dust off her, but not all, so Runar volunteered(read: I was thiis |~| close to strangle the man to death) to take her down to the lake and get her to take a long swim. It didn't really help, but it gave me time enough to clean the dust off everything she touched on her way to the shower and to cool down a bit, so as not to stand ready with a cleaver when man got back. I don't think it did much good with the swim. She still has grey-ish spots here and there and it's been 2 days, 1 shower and 3 baths since she dove into the mound. At least it doesn't smear off onto everything else, anymore.

Helene ended up in the ER, yesterday. They suspected appendicitis and kept her over night, but her CRP levels was much better today and the pain was almost gone as well, so they let her home today. She got a note giving her immediate access to a hospital bed if she gets worse during the first 24 hours.

Runar has a minor repair job to do in Stavanger tomorrow, so I'm hitching a ride with him and will spend the day with her. I just have to see with my own eyes, that she looks okay.

 (yes, I admit I'm as hysterical as any other mom when it comes down to these things). I embarrassed the heck out of her. She gave me a text saying she was on her way to the hospital and that it was possible it was appendicitis, but that I couldn't call as she was out of power on her cell. Of course I called the hospital and got them to track her down and give her a hospital phone so I could talk to her. Duh! It's what moms do under such circumstances. Actually I was ready to steal a car and start driving, but Runar managed to persuade me otherwise.

It's funny, I've never viewed myself as a hysterical mom, but when things like this happens, the infamous mother-monster in me wakes up and roars. Loudly.




Messages like "I'm quite fine, you don't need to come". translates into "Oh, my god, I'm dying, you have to come. Right now!"  It's the same with messages like "I didn't do anything wrong, but..." They translates into "I've committed a terrible crime and will be locked up in prison for life" (When Simen calls and begins his sentences like this while out doing his russe shenanigans and has run out of money and needs help to get home.) I automatically interrupt him mid sentence and  half yell, "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE, NOW?!?"




Also, I have sadly reached the point where I have to start dieting. *pout* Damn 40+ Things really starts going downhill fast after 40. My mind tells me I'm still quick and flexible. My body shouts otherwise. And fuck! Kilos shows up in thin air and clings to my body for life. I expect to gain weight during the worst of the winter months, because I  take shorter and fewer walks and no hikes in the wood. I've done that every winter the last few years, but earlier, those extra kilos have vanished quickly enough when spring comes and I start hiking again. Not this year. *pout*

Okay, I still don't do dieting for realz, because my dieting consists of eating whole grain breads of various kinds and no chocolate or candy snacking. I still have a ton of butter on those whole grain thingies and I still eat normal dinners as always. Meh.

I have plans on starting doing yoga, but I still haven't found a youtube yoga session that I like. It's probably more a case of me  just not knowing what to look for. Halp, plz?


Oh, OOOOOHHHH! Guess what? Those pesky cottage neighbors actually PAID!!!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAH!

Uhm...it doesn't really give us any extra money to use on fun stuff, to be honest. We're in the minus after a winter of little, to no paycheck, so what it means is that we get to keep both our house and Vintland and escape bankruptcy. We are fit to keep on hanging in there.   HIPfuckingHURRAY!

I'm desperately trying to de-frost my freezer. I've got one of those combi fridge/freezer thingies. It is supposed to! be of the type that does these things automatically. After enough years and after enough incidents of forgetting to shut the door properly, the automatic-get-rid-of-excess-ice function, doesn't function. Ice was threatening to take over the whole thing.

I have a regular old fashion freezer too, so I moved all of the frozen wares into that and let the door open yesterday morning. The idiotic thing with these fancy automatic thawing wonder machines, is that when you actually have to do it manually, there is no way of turning off the power  for the freezer only. Options are spoiled food in the fridge, or thawing out the ice by leaving the freezer door open.

After 24 hours of open door thawing, the ice has been reduced by NOTHING!


Like this times 9.












Naturally, I've now done what is said you should not do. Ever. I've put a heating fan right outside the freezer door and it is working excellently. So there!
At least it hasn't started any fires...yet.  Patience issues much?!?

Since it's almost Friday I wish you a fantabulous weekend, guys!

Spring is here

Easter was great! Weather was unbelievable. We had temps up to +20C (68F) which is exceptional to say the least. Trees are sprouting leaves and flowers are starting to bloom and the wildlife is abundance.

So far I've heard the Black Grouse "play" which is a sure sign spring is here. My dad teased one doing the "choowee" blowing of air sound and got immediate reply as it reckoned my dad for a pesky challenger. The big grin all over my dad's face was priceless.

The video is from Froland - a few hours east of here, but it is much the same all over

At nights when I'm on the front steps waiting for Marianne to do her business, I've heard the Common Snipe do his famous pick-up-line to get some bird.

It's quite a fascinating sound. You can't see it, but by the sounds of it, it sounds like something is diving down to shoot you dead.

I've grown up being explained it sounds almost like a machine gun, but I think that is just because my dad grew up during WW2 and is a bit weird, but with a vivid imagination it does kind of remind me of old war movies with those(by the sound of it) sewing-machines with wings they used with machine gun firing. Especially when there really isn't any other sounds around. It appears a lot louder.







The common lizard is out and about.  (PS! See the little white flowers growing all over? They cover the undergrowth like a carpet. They're white wood anemone

Norway's only venomous snake - the Viper, Vipera Berus also comes out of hibernation these days. Apparently this will be what we call "a Viper year", meaning there appears to be a lot of them. They're not particularly dangerous. Venom is about as dangerous as a wasp sting, but they say it's painful. They usually try to escape and hide, but if you tick them off, they can get nasty like this one. It hisses and strikes.

You don't want them around the garden. They don't go well together with dogs, nor kids...

We saw a Buteo buteo bird of prey dive down and catch a mouse in the field. Afterwards it sat searching for more on top of a telephone pole for a long time. We got to study it through binoculars. It was just like this one, dark of colour.  They're beautiful.












The owls and the wood peckers are active like crazy and more and more of the migrating birds are coming back. The White Wagtail is already busy building a nest in the barn.

The neighbour's lambs are baa-ing and doing their silly jumping dances. All in all, nature is letting it be known, spring is here and I can't explain how happy it makes me feel.


Oh, was at the doctor's with my mother, yesterday. She is now start using "Remember more patches" Or Exelon Patches  They're a bit like nicotine patches with much of the same side effects, it seems, which is odd, but.... They're supposed to help brain cells communicate better with each other.

Hopefully they'll help her and if not exactly make her better, they might slow down the dementia process. We're to see a specialist to try establishing exactly how bad things are.

Otherwise we can tell that spring has done both my parents loads of good. My father is in the process of re-painting the veranda rails. He shouldn't be doing things like these, but we have to let him, because it is so important to him to still feel ...manly, I guess,  and useful.


I'm working on this set now. I'll be doing a jacket as well, that isn't shown on the photo.

It's the first time I'm knitting using a drawn pattern instead of just instructions. It's difficult. I'm not doing it quite right, but pfft, I'm calling on artistic freedom and make things up as I go :P

Strained foot, courtcase, new business

We had a great winter break. I spent some of it up at the farm.

My sisters' cottages are both finished. Whoohoo!

Simen "lost" his cellphone while he was on the school trip to Denmark back in January. Turns out somebody stole it and managed to call international calls for 5000 NOK (836 us dollars) before I got told what had happened and blocked the subscription. I'm going to call the phone comp tomorrow and see if we can avoid paying all of it, but I have to admit, my hopes aren't high...

I went hiking with my friend Marianne and her cocker spaniel; Nori, on Friday. Marianne got so excited that she pulled me off balance and stomped on my foot. I noticed a little pain - I mean Marianne weighs 50+ kg and when much of that weight is concentrated in one big paw kicking off on your foot, you notice it - but it really didn't bother me that much, so we went hiking for an hour.

My friend calls the trail we took "the Puma-trail" It's a good name, because it's straight up along a creek and then straight down a rocky mountain side on the other side of the mountain. It was extra difficult because of all the fallen spruce that had become victims of this year's winter storms.

After I got home, my foot still didn't really bother me much. Not until I made dinner. while I was cooking I felt this sudden pain in the foot and from there it just got worse. Too bad, really, as I had planned to go to Kristiansand ( one of the bigger cities in Norway, except that there aren't really any big cities in Norway, we just like to pretend so) to eat lunch at a proper sushi bar. I've never been to a sushi bar and according to those I know who have been, that means I haven't really eaten sushi.

Ellen promised to buy me some excellent balls of yarn for a summer dress for Frida, at a new "secret" yarn shop she found, as a special strained-foot-treat. Loffs her, we do!




Marianne did her best to kiss it good again, so I forgave her for stomping on me.
















Remember the pesky cottage neighbours up at Vintland, the ones who built their cottage way onto our property? We're meeting them in court this Tuesday. Should be interesting.  We contacted our lawyer before Christmas and he tried to get a meeting with them to settle this outside of court, but that didn't work, so he filed a case for us to make sure we met them in the court that would best suit our case. The legal system in Norway is a lot different than the American one. I can't really explain it. I'll help find links of info for those interested in the comment section.

We had two choises. "Jordskifteretten" - which is basically a court for properties and they mainly deal in maps and don't take much else into consideration. We didn't want this. Instead we're meeting in a court called "Forliksrådet" It's basically the lowest type of court. it's legally binding and official,  but it is pretty informal and there are no jurors, just a judge, the parties and their lawyers. They will however take into consideration that we have a farm and taking out lumber is a source of income and it's the only way to make some money from the farm as it is today. The area that we own, that they have "conquered" is next to a private road that is the only way to an area of the wood with trees fit for lumber industry. The plan from the days my grandfather own the farm, has been to either sell it to a contractor or buy the necessary equipment and do it ourselves. We are not willing to take the risk of somebody's cottage being ruined by leaks, or their garden being ruined from the huge machine needed for this type of work. We have been clear on this and told this to these neighbours even before they started remodelling the old little cottage, when they bought it and we heard of their plans.

From what we've heard from the other neighbours up there, these pesky pissants decided that we just said all this to be difficult and mean and that this is why they didn't need to care about it. They can't for the life of them understand why we have to be so difficult with a little piece of wood(even though it is our property and not theirs) and think that we should just give this whole area to them. For free!

 Need I remind you that these pissants also thought it was their right to fish in all the lakes and hunt in all the woods up there in addition to take out as much firewood they needed for all 3! of the cottages they have bought/built up there...yeah...such lovely people.

The letter from the municipal hall in Lyngdal has already stated that what they have done is illegal and that they have to tear down and remove everything they have built on our property. We should - according to our lawyer win. We'll see. I take nothing for granted at this point. At least our insurance cover most of the expenses. I think there is a set fee we have to cover ourselves, but it won't ruin us - lawyers and court cases are insanely expensive.

Runar is at a meeting today. Two investors have been invited and has accepted to join the firm. Runar and the two other investors will each own 30% and the young partner who couldn't afford to continue owning a business of any kind, will be given 10% as a token of sorts. Runar will be the manager while the young partner will go back to being an employee only (salesman).

We'll be taking up a loan and Runar and the two investors will put in money enough to end all of the financial difficulties they've had. It will enable them to invest in all the equipment needed and they will be able to have a stock. In other words, they'll be able to sell a lot more and a lot faster.

The firm will continue as it is today, but they will be manufactoring a type of sifters(?) for industrial use, basically for big mean mo-fo crushers.  link to their company: KSTEK AS It's all in Norwegian, but there are pictures of what type of machines they're dealing in.

For me it means that Runar is happy and easy-going and we'll be getting a regular paycheck at a set date each month. Whoohoo!

Sunshine

We've had rain and/or snow for a month straight. Today sun happened. I can't even begin explaining how much that really means.

Frida, my youngest niece, is in hospital. She has a hole in her little heart, but they believe this will mend itself in time and shouldn't give her any issues in her life until, maybe, when she's an old lady. What IS a bit more scary, is that they believe she has hyper insulinism. Yeah, I'm not quite sure how to explain what that is, but basically it's diabetes-opposite. Her body produces way too much insulin (as opposed to ordinary diabetes where a person produces too little). Results seem to be the same, her bloodsugar levels reach dangerously low. They have been in hospital with her for two weeks, now and they are on the last few tests of finding a diet and medicines that helps. We all hope that she isn't diagnosed with the more dangerous type, which means she'll need to go to Paris for an operation. Keep your fingers crossed.

We've been watching their dog, Vera. Two dogs is soo much more work than one dog. Just sayin'...

Vera trying to do her business in the snow. She wants you to know that is not easy!









Mostly they're good friends. What they want to do, is to play-fight all the time, until they drop dead. We've reached an understanding. No playing indoor. It works. Most of the time...







There is some jealousy, but as you can see, there's plenty room on the sofa for everybody

Well, hello there, 2014.

Christmas is over and January is here. Back to the grind and all that.

I got all of the Christmas deco put away and the house cleaned, yesterday. It was my first whole day here at home, since last year (that sounded rather dramatic). I also bought two new lamps for the living room. When we bought the book cases at IKEA, we also bought book case lamps. Don't buy lamps at IKEA, guys, they're crap! I've used a fortune in those little halogen weird bulbs and to no use. The lamps just don't want to function more than 5 minutes, before they start going out. I've talked to others who have had the same type of lamps and they say it's the same for them.

I was with my sister looking for lamps to her new cottage and fell in love with these. I bought two. They give a soft light and are perfect for when you watch TV, or movies, or you know, when you don't feel like having the bright glare of the ceiling lamps. The picture doesn't do them justice, but that's just because I'm a lousy photographer.




Dad got hospitalized today. I was there, yesterday to take my mother to her annual Parkinson checkup and he told me that he was feeling a bit under the weather and his legs were swollen. He was sitting with one leg up on the table and while we looked at it, it leaked fluid. I kid you not. By minutes his trouser legs were soaked. It's the freakiest thing I've ever seen.  I made him call his doctor and they decided to bring him to hospital and try fix it with medication. He is on a truckload of medicine and some of the side effects is that his body gets filled with fluid. He takes meds for this, but apparently they aren't helping, or not helping in the way they're supposed to. Hopefully they'll figure it out and get it fixed soon.

My mom's entire world falls apart immediately. She refused to go to her workout today. This is just physical therapy for old people at the local nursing home, with tea/coffee and cookies afterwards, so it's as much a social event as physical therapy that does her much good. And it means my dad gets a little break from her twice a week. Today she'll be sitting in a chair staring into empty space, waiting for my sister, Aslaug to visit her and let her know how things are with dad. Whether or not she manages to take her meds, depends on how sorry she feels for herself. She has always loved to be a drama queen, but with the parkinson it's gotten worse. Well, I'm not sure it's the parkinson, or something else, or just a way to get attention, but whenever something happens to my dad, she needs to feel worse and she acts out in various ways to make sure we give her the same attention... I wonder if she'll blame me for the freak-leakage?

The cold in the States is something, huh!?! I think you got all of this year's winter. And Wizz, minus 50?!? Yikes! That is ridiculously cold. I hope you manage to stay warm.

My nephew and his family got stuck in Pittsburg a week longer than expected, due to the cold. They were all on the plane, but the cold ruined something on it and they had to get off again. Their luggage, on the other hand, did get sent...yeah, I don't know how that is possible, either. His wife had to go shopping clothes and necessaries at Target.

 We're having the warmest winter in years. We're also having the wettest winter ever. This weather weirdness is really getting overboard. Enough, already! Whoever it is that is  P'ing off the weathergods, stop it!

UPDATE:
My father will remain in hospital over the weekend. There is fluid in his lungs and he is still on IV meds to reduce the excess fluid in his body. He'll be having various heart checks, etc too. Please keep him in your thoughts.

This is why smoking is such a bad habit and why I am quitting!

Ho Ho Ho

Christmas. What a heavy string of letters. For so many years it was a  nightmare for me. You tried to keep up the spirit of Christmas and show a happy face. Play with the kids, even though your head was killing you and you were so tired you could barely concentrate.

These days we've gotten into a routine that works well for us. We provide the meat and take on roles as cooks, the inlaws provide the house, vegetables and beverages. They are also cooks in charge of the greens, taters, etc. The rest of hubby's siblings have spouses and alternate spending the Eve with us, or his/her family. Time always varies, because it is for the families with the youngest children, to decide what suits them best.  It's relaxed and fairly informal, although everyone wears suits and dresses.The small children are happy and loud, running around everywhere.


 I have to admit, this year I really enjoyed Christmas Eve. Even though Runar decided that Christmas Eve 2013, was the Eve we celebrated that our children having become grownups.

 The dinner was a success. So was dessert. Runar pulled a Spanish one and told MIL I had already made the  rice pudding. , the day before. I hadn't, but they like mine better than MILs.  I made too little, well, I didn't, but I thought 1 big bowl of it would be more than enough and left one bowl at home, because Simen loves it so much. Boy, was I wrong! They friggin' licked the bowl. And it was a big bowl, too.  Simen didn't get any at all. He had snuck off to wrap some presents and we didn't notice he was gone. Poor, overlooked kid. He knew about the full bowl waiting for him at home and took it in stride, though. That kid is so happy in love these days, I believe he'd let us off for murder. They look awfully cute together, the young turtledoves. It's almost icky.

It was wonderful to have Helene home, which is such a cliché, but it was. and it was really nice to get to know her Runar better too(It is very confusing, having two Runars in the house). I like him. If we measure him by how well and happy Helene looks, he scores well high.

We got home fairly early and everyone being in good mood, we brought out the aquavit, the JD and the beer. We then proceeded getting our kids so drunk they puked and Simen even needed to be helped to bed.

(My) Runar was pleased. "Now the kids know us, they've seen us with our guards down and we have showed them we view them as grownups. We've let Runar know he is welcome -AND! (here he held his index finger up) We all went to bed happy. Well, some were perhaps a bit on the sick side, but still."

He is right in many ways, but I'm not so sure it is a good thing to get drunk with your kids. Maybe it is my upbringing. Maybe it is all the lecturing on this, everywhere. Maybe I just need a bit more time before I completely can accept that my children are no longer children. Besides. Alcohol is a scary monster and always plays a tricky game. It doesn't always work out that well. Sometimes it works out downright bad.  There is also an inner voice screaming at me that this can lead to bad things, that they'll end up as alcoholists, or worse.

I beat him down, that voice, yesterday. Because, I know that sometimes it works.

Runar parents got us puking drunk when we were young. We discussed difficult subjects and embarrassing subjects. We laughed and we cried.  We were drunk-honest and we over-shared. But we were still on good terms when we went to bed.

I loved his parents for it, then. I really got to know them well, that night and we've had a good relationship up through the years. They made me feel welcome and I still do.  It's easy to ask them for help and it's easy to go to them for advice.

I don't know if this will be the case with our kids and their chosen partners, but I do know that was hubby's goal.  And mine.

Regardless, it was a really nice evening until the puking started and by then it was waaay late and time to go to bed.

This morning I woke up to Marianne having pooped on the living room floor carpet and after I had taken her out, she came in and immediately started throwing up on the bedroom rug. I threw out the rug and immediately went back to bed. When I got up an hour later, Helene and Runar were already up. Helene greeted me with a grin, asking me how I was holding up and after seeing my hangover face, they both burst out laughing. I choose to take that as  a sign they had enjoyed themselves. I later overheard Simen and Helene discussing their elegant exits the previous night. Helene triumphantly declared herself winner, as he puked first. It's good to know some things never change.

It was the first year, celebrating Christmas Eve with grown up kids. It has been one of the best Eves in my life, if not the best.

I hope yours were  good ones, too. Merry Christmas.

Hang in there, guys.

Christmas will come and even if things didn't turn out quite the way you dreamed it, it'll probably be a good one, regardless ;-)

So, how goes it with your Christmas preparations? I score a big MEH this year.

 I completely and utterly failed at getting the Christmas box ready for my family in Ohio. I ended up doing the last minute panic solution, that shouldn't have happened, but did.  I promised myself last year that this year I'd start getting it ready in August, but that didn't happen. July - December this year was quite the tricky solitaire to puzzle together financially. Everything that wasn't an emergency got put on hold. Each day was a puzzle and each week needed careful planning. It took up all of the creative space in my brains. The various car emergencies didn't exactly help. Still, it's really no excuse. It's not about the money, it's about creativity and making my American mom something personal. This year I just haven't been able to pull the creative me out of hiding. Except from the knitting, I haven't made stuff this fall.

Even though I haven't finished with the gift shopping, I'm not stressed out. I can't quite decide if that is a good sign, or a really REALLY bad sign, but I'm going to pretend it's a good sign, until the opposite has been proven. Christmas will come and I know it will be a good one. There will be good food and laughs and happy family. I am not going to stress out and become grumpy just because, you know, it's not worth it!

I'm counting down days to Helene coming home. I miss her and wish I could fast forward time. On the phone the other day, she told me she had her Christmas gifts taken care of. How did I get so well organized kids?!?

Danica has a really good influence on Simen. I gave him money to buy a new pair of pants that could work for family dinners and parties that didn't involve a dress code(suit+tie) and I hinted that maybe he could get himself a nice shirt, too - half expecting him to growl at the suggestion. But whaddayaknow. He came home with a black shirt with a silver tie and a pair of dark blue jeans that DID NOT sag to the knees. I was speechless. All I could get out was a silent W.O.W. Turns out Danica had the same idea as I had and went along to help him pick something out. Apparently, she told him that he needed to look nice when she introduced him to her family. *giggles* She also gave him an intensive course in how to appropriately greet grownups. *laffs* I'm beginning to like this girl more and more!

Tomorrow, Hildegunn and I are getting my parents Christmas tree up and the house decorated for Christmas. We'll also take care of an old Christmas tradition my dad has kept since we were little kids. Comic books are big over here and each year they have a special Christmas edition. We've gotten one comic book each, together with a lollipop and candy. It's something we've all looked forward to and when the dinner and presents are finished on Christmas Eve, we sit down to relax with the candy and comic books - we swap them after we've done reading our own. This year dad told me he was getting too old and confused about who got what comic book. I made a deal with him that I would take over the baton and continue the race. It's such a feel-good tradition. It can't end.

Hildegunn will drive me up to the farm afterwards. This means I won't be able to join your chat, guys, which is sad. I love the video group chats. Mucho funn'o! I will, however, be able to greet Runar with a cosy warm cabin and a nice meal when he finishes work. He really deserves it.

That man has been busy lately. I am impressed at how well he copes with things waaaay outside his comfortzone. Last week, they attended a business meeting in Sweden and closed a really good deal with a German company that has had a Swedish company as sole agents in Norway, Sweden and Finland. Now Runar's firm will take over as agents in Norway. That deal alone will be enough to keep the company floating, plus salary to both of them. 

This week he's been in Austria visiting another big company together with a client and he's already made plans for another trip down there in January.

The guy is wearing suits on a daily basis. He is traveling by plane and whatnot. It's pretty amazing. I am falling in love with my old husband all over again. Nice!




This is going to be a baby hat when it's done. Nope, I can't make heads or tails of it, either. Yet. It's a new pattern I'm trying and Ellen says the hats come out very pretty when they're done. Time will show! [in Norwish accent (tee-meh vill sjåvv)]

The two finished baby hats. My niece, who is studying to become a doctor, is part of a project where they try to do something about the high rate of infant deaths in Ethiopia. She'll be going down there in January and will be bringing the hats with her.






Hope you guys have a fantabulous weekend!

A good week

This week started somewhat poorly but all in all it's been one of the better weeks for months.

Last Thursday my mom was rushed to hospital. She had a fit. She lost her balance on her way to the dinner table, sat down and proceeded to shovel food into her mouth and then kept asking my father when they were going to the Christmas dinner party for work. He called my sister, who's a nurse, who immediately called an ambulance. By the time the medical personnel came, she was back to normal, but didn't remember anything of what had happened the last few hours. At the hospital checks were done, but nothing showed. They suspect a minor stroke, or blood clot in her brain. She was released and came home from hospital the next day and all is well now.

According to my sister, she told the doctors at the hospital that the reason for the blood clot was because she had been so stressed out with all the work of preparing and packing of the moose meat... I was there the day before and cut, minced, packed and divided the meat with my dad. Mom was snoring on the sofa most of the time, but she did ask if she could help by the end and she did dry some of the bowls and knives we had used that I had washed. We thanked her profusely and she was very proud of having helped. I am no longer allowed to visit more than short periods and under no circumstances stress her out...   Gosh I'm such a troublesome daughter![/end sarcasm]


Monday morning started with a close encounter with a rocking chair. Result; a smashed toe and the loss of a nail. Well, the nail is still on, partially, it's just blue. And there is leakage. Gross! And Pain! I guess the fact that I had to force the foot into a boot and spend all day walking on it, didn't help much, but it did grant me the next two days where I couldn't do much other than knit. A lot. Whee!

I've been knitting woolen baby hats for a project I was asked to help my niece with. They're sending a load of hats down to Ethiopia. I've finished two and if there is time, I'll be doing one or two more. I'm beginning to really enjoy knitting baby clothes. They're so quickly finished and I'm learning new stuff and new techniques. F.U.N. 

Tuesday Simen had Occupational-Booth-Day at school, which meant he had to attend school from 3 - 7 pm (his stand won, by the way and he got his picture in the local newspaper) and had the opportunity to chauffeur his old mom around all day, or that is, he drove me up to see Brit(MIL) and she gave me most of her button-collection, because she knew I was going over to my friend, Ellen's that evening and she thought perhaps we could make use of some of the buttons for the things we were knitting. Ellen was ecstatic and we both agreed that I have one helluva MIL. Ellen is drowning in work, btw. She has her own net shop that her oldest daughter is managing and she's been taking orders like crazy -  that are to be finished and sent out before Christmas - because she's quit smoking and is majorly p'ed off, Ellen says, but that is just Ellen talking cause she's p'ed off with the work and her daughter's lousy mood. here's a link to her page. Her work is amazing. She's made up half of the recipes herself. The name Mormor og Mia translates to Granny and Mia (her granddaughter's name)

Mormor og Mia

Runar's new firm is doing quite alright, but even if they are selling goods and making money, they are still in phase one of the whole business-starting-cycle and there hasn't been enough money for paying wages, yet. That means we are now down to zero, financially. Suckage! Runar has assured me there will be enough for half a months wages by next week, so that we can pay our mortgage and the rest of the month's wages will be paid the week after, so that we can afford to celebrate Christmas.

Update: 
forgot link to site - only in Norwegian yet, but you can see what machines++ they're dealing with Kstek.no

Marianne is doing great. She's getting so big. 40 kg here's an "action picture" of Runar and her - I love Google for this -  and a few of Simen and her. How Marianne greets the boys when they get home.

Marianne loves Daddy
  

 

And she loves Simen just as much. This is what normally happens when he gets home from work in the evenings after having been gone since early morning. 

PS!
Best news of the week: HELENE AND BOYFRIEND WILL BE COMING HOME FOR CHRISTMAS!!! They won't stay for long, only from 23rd to 25th, but it doesn't matter, because they'll be spending Christmas Eve with us and that makes me ridiculously happy! ^__^

PPS!
Oh, note to Helene's friend, Maria. I will send you your scarf today. Promise! 

Whee!

HELENE IS COMING HOME!!!

Yeah, I am silly-happy. Tomorrow is the naming-day ceremony and party for my newest niece, Frida. The afternoon and evening will be spent just lazying about and doing girlie-things with Helene. I have an evil secret plan for us girls to conquer the living room and turn it into an all-night movie-night, or marathon series-watching Maybe I'll be able to persuade her to watch FIREFLY (crossing fingers like crazy)

In other news, we're still dealing with the sneaky cottage neighbours up at the farm. I can't decide whether they're just plain stupid, or if they're Bona fide douchebags  trying to bullying their way to total rule of the mountain. We're at war, now, and it just sux. I really, really, rea-a-lly dislike rude, sneaky people disregarding all laws and common decency.

We have tried to come to an agreement. They want everything. period. And they want it for free. It isn't only that they have removed the old boarder markers and built on our land. They also want to do exactly what they want no matter what, like digging down an open septic tank and polluting.

They even felt entitled to do so without permission from the local authorities. They show us papers dating back from 1960s regarding a farm that no longer exist and think they are entitled to all fishing and hunting rights. They claim they are allowed to cut firewood on our land as much as they want. The list goes on and on and it just never ends.


Why do such people even exist? Couldn't we just gather them all up and throw them on a distant planet in another solar-system?


On a different note I've discovered() the Icelandic group that are absolutely fascinating. Love their music and some of their videos.

First I heard of them was this one

Imagine a dark stormy night, wind howling outside and the fire crackling in the fireplace.

Wishing you all a pleasant weekend.

Peace - out!

A break

...from the internet. There are a lot of things going on in my real life and I need to focus my energy on taking care of my family.

Things are fine, I just don't have much extra energy these days. I'm not going to say I will go offline, I'm just saying I won't be blogging regularly and I won't be as active on forums, blogs, facebook, etc.

Today Sue and Rick is coming. I'm picking them up at the airport tonight and will drive them up to the farm at Vintland. They'll be staying for about two weeks. I'm sure there will be pictures posted at some point or other.

Marianne has discovered the joy of pillows. We'll be practicing enjoying sofa-life and watching netflix, when not busy with other things.

She got her 3 months-vaccine, yesterday. The vet confirmed what we already know; Marianne is a perfect and healthy pup with the cutest face ever.

Yes, I finally got around to ordering netflix and Helene helped me to access the American netflix. I get to catch up on my favorite shows. Like Dr Who. *beams*

I crashed...

Big time. Not like it wasn't expected. We got the last of it painted Wednesday evening and Thursday I had to clean the house, because hubby had arranged a business meeting to take place at us. I was so worn out by the time I was done I barely knew my own name anymore. I was ready for bed at 4: 30 in the afternoon. Instead hubby persuaded me to take the dogs with me up to the farm. He would be coming in the semi-broken car, later, but late. I realized that perhaps it would be best if I removed myself and the dogs from the house, so that nothing would interrupt the meeting and agreed.

I cried most of the way up and continued to cry all evening. (When I say cry, I mean tears were running and I couldn't do shit to stop them) Marianne was absolutely crazy. After a week of having to behave and being a lot alone, while we painted, she was in a frenzy. She vented on Georg and when I took her away, she snapped, growled and tried eating me... It was not funny. It was your classical melt-down scene.

Sometime after midnight the hubby arrived and paled when he saw me.

I have known I would crash. The hectic pace since spring and especially after I got my cortisone shot and let the gang know I could now move my arm again, has been ridiculous. People getting serious ill, but only two of us know it and we aren't allowed to tell ANYBODY. The new puppy. Hubby has been rather manic, because so much has been going on in his life - changing jobs. New job heading toward bankruptcy. Starting up a new business with a colleague. All the jazz that goes with all of this.

I knew I had to have a serious chat with him, but there never seemed to be a good time. He's a bright guy, he would instinctively know when he'd step on my toes to the point of explosion and would take measures to  prevent that by either accusing me of something, throwing me off with a new crisis of some kind, hand me a new job I absolutely had to do RIGHT NOW!  You name it.

I am the worst arguer in two shoes. I can stand up for anybody else with a fierceness that scares the daylight out of most people, but I swallow camels on a daily basis to avoid confrontations with things regarding myself. Stupid! Old bible verse from my childhood jumps into my brain when I try to speak up for myself. "Let him who is without sin, throw the first stone", "Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own?", etc  I know! I open my mouth to speak up and these things threatens to come out instead. WTF?!?

I sat down and wrote a letter the other week, when I realized I wouldn't be able to keep it up much longer. I got all my frustrations and all the wrongs that had been done to me the last 6 months or so, down on paper. It felt great, but I couldn't actually send it before I had done some editing. Or so I told myself.

It didn't get sent, because I didn't ever have time to sit down and read it through, edit and send it.

I gave him the un-edited version this weekend.

I do a lot better in writing, than I do speaking out loud. Those written words hit home. Yesterday he put in a new water pump in the old volvo. He also asks permission to call his work colleague, but I'll let that sarcastic stab in the gut, pass unnoticed. The main thing is that he got a wake-up-call and he admitted that most of what I wrote was true and he knew it, just...I don't know.

Hopefully he'll be a grownup for a while and help pull the load with me and not add to the load and run away. Hopefully I'll be able to write him a letter more frequently than every 5th year.

Enough whining.

Pictures are better.







Morning bliss - yeah, I'm wearing my PJs and yes, my PJs is an old pair of karate pants. See what I use my iron board for these days in the background? We desperately need to get a stair gate...

Marianne weights about 14 kg here. That means she's gained 6 kg since we got her 4 weeks earlier...







Helene fell in love with this hat. Her boyfriend immediately bought it for her. Her boyfriend spoils her rotten! She still loves bunnies, although she is no longer into hellbunnies...

Marianne thinks Georg is nuts for bathing like this.



















It feels sooo good to cuddle on Helene's shoulder



















My poor garden suffered from lack of care, then got terrorized by a pup and finally my flowerbeds got raped by hubby's preparations for the paintjob...

I managed to save bits of it, at least.









The patio(?) painted, windows and doors painted. I can at least enjoy some sunny warm days down there this fall.
















My peace rose bush did survive. The buds are yellow, then they pale as the flower blooms and they get a pale pinkish tint to them.














I haven't done any knitting, or crocheting since Marianne arrived. The few moments I'm not busy with her, I'm too pooped to do any craft. I have knitted a pair of red felted slippers. They were supposed to have been made for a lady who approached me on my blog, then mail, but when there were talk about actual money, she went silent as the grave. I'm giving them to my kid sister as a bday present, instead. They are being felted as we speak. I'll put up a picture when they're done