miscellaneous

This is from yesterday's picnic


Today I got really dirty de-limbing trees for firewood.




I made this prototype for a moravian star I want to have for christmas. Yesterday night I had the surprising priviledge of meeting some guys who happened to be visiting Knaften from Herrnhut. So I had all my questions answered about how to get the light inside.

Strategic poop explosions

As far as the word of God and shopping in Umeå goes (see previous entry), it wasn't too much problem having zero income with which to shop. It turns out my dear friend Z shops so fast that I didn't have time to even start making the arduous decision making process when I saw things that were pretty. If it wasn't for my little friend S needing to be nursed and that explosive diaper situation at Ute Butiken, I never would have come home with anything. Since the major time sinkhole was the outdoor store, I had enough time to get some long wool underwear to help me survive the winter. Thanks, S - (try and poop at the book store next time, ok?)









Z made these lovely lamps out of handmade papers from around the world. If you want to have one of your very own (or one to give away as a fabulous gift), she will make and sell you one. Just let me know if you are interested and I will give you more info.

This is my little project. Not so lovely as Z's lamps at the moment.



Here is the best project ever.

Going on a picnic with Z and J

#1 – If it is raining or snowing has no bearing on the fact that hotdogs are cooked in the forest over a fire on weekend outings.






#2 – It can be hard to find friends that will go with you on your outing because not everybody else adheres to #1. Z and J’s friends M and J do adhere to #1, so they are good friends for snowy-day picnic outings.

#3 – Since I haven’t made up my mind yet if I adhere to #1, having never participated in such an endeavour, I participate gladly with the help of the extra wool underwear Z lent me.

#4 – The baby has no choice – and similar to #1, baby diapers can be changed multiple times in the forest when the need arises. The baby is so used to #1 that she has no problem sleeping through the whole thing.




#5 – Quality food is important: For example, Coffee and hot chocolate, homemade flat bread for the hotdogs, roasted bananas and chocolate, bread that you cook on a roasting stick over the fire, and homemade sweet rolls. Yummy.



#6 – Next to a well-made fire with good friends and food, one can sit quite warmly and happily for a long time, enjoying the beautiful sights, sounds and smells of the early winter forest.


#7 – It is pure divinity to come home and warm up with a nice shower and snuggle a little happy baby near the crackling antique stove in the kitchen.

#8 – Good luck getting me to come home, Mikael. You’re going to have to make me a pretty good offer.

A prize to anyone who can find Knaften on the map

Now I am in the north part of Sweden. That’s the part where you have to watch out when you are driving at night so you don’t run over a moose. It isn’t pleasant to hit a moose with your car. It is also the part where the sun is always low against the horizon in the early winter and where there aren’t so many houses so the stars shine really bright. It is also the part where there is a whole universe in miniature on the forest floor with hundreds of different kinds of mosses and fungi and other amazing little creatures.




It is also the part where my friend Z and J and their little baby live.





Every day Z and I go out in the forest. We walk and walk and S gets to ride in the chariot and have a nice snugly nap. She gets bundled up so much that she can hardly move and she looks like an overstuffed dolly.

We find a sunny place to sit when we get hungry and have hot chocolate and sandwiches and fruit – except for S, she has milk…and usually a dirty diaper.


Sometimes we go to church meetings and then I get myself into trouble because I start asking people about what they believe and then they ask Z in secret if I am actually “saved” or not. I am reading a book about all the different revival movements in Sweden since the 1940s and so between that and church meetings, I can have lots of interesting theological and bible discussions with Z and J. I never had so much fun studying the bible than I did on Sunday night.
We were excited to discover that the Bible says some things very contrary to what the offertory preacher claimed. We have decided that our new reference for tithing is to take the Deuteronomy 14 approach: “Then exchange your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the place the Lord your God will choose. Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice.” Funny how that verse never gets used in offertory sermons (actually, most of the verses we read said that tithe and gifts should be given for the support of the hungry, poor, and vulnerable). We plan on going to Umeå on Monday according to the words of Deuteronomy 14 to fulfil our duty before the Lord, buying whatever we like. Unfortunately a tithe of my current income ends up being exactly 0 crowns, so I will have to find some other reasons and ways to rejoice in the presence of the Lord my God. But just wait until we get an income! I can’t wait to follow the injunctions of the scripture. (And they wonder if I am saved or not!)

Sexy Urban Faux Hawk European Glitter of Love

Thanks Lotta!

Labyrinthanization

Hi people. Today Mikael and I visited the ancient labyrinth in a forest just outside of town. Lovely. Mikael needed a break from studying. He is working on his take-home final and it is a doozie. I am sad for his pain, but enjoying sharing the chocolates he gets to numb the agony and refuel his brain.







Mikael got lost in the labyrinth (or else we was confounded because I just told him the labyrinth is some kind of magical fertility thinggie.)






A strange thing happened to me on Sunday. I went to a church that I was at one time before that I liked. It gets even stranger than that. At the end they were praying and asking God to help them find their new pastor and youth pastor. I thought to myself, hmmmm it just so happens that I am looking for a job. I had not even though of looking for a job at a church because I figured my Swedish wasn't good enough yet. I applied to work for the postal service the other day thinking I can probably handle sorting letters and delivering mail fine - except for the part where I always get lost (but that can be managed with a good map). After the service was over I found an older lady and asked her what was up (the older ladies always know what is up). She brought the person in charge to me and we talked and so I am thinking about turning in an application. I never saw that one coming. It would be nice to be able to make money doing things that are interesting, fun, challenging and actually within my areas of study and interest. It is a lovely and growing church with lots of children, young families, youth and older people. You can see their website here: http://www.korskyrkan.cc/

On Wednesday and Thursday I am taking some Swedish tests to further find my appropriate level of study and on Friday, happy Friday I will get on a train and ride on it all night long until I am in the Swedish north. I will get to stay with Z and J and their new little baby. We will mostly go for walks in the forest and have picnics. I can't wait!

I want to feel fresh for my little adventure, so I will have all my hair cut off tomorrow. That will feel nice. Mikael is worried I will come back too "different" because I am going to this salon: http://www.nello.se/?dnode=4 . I need the right artist that can give me a change, a fresh start - a new way to be sexy european. Since I can't afford tall boots, leggings and a long tunic, the hair will have to do. It must be spectacular.

I convinced Mikael to take me to the store so that I cound try and find some jalapenos to make salsa. I didn't find the peppers, but mikael found the bin of movies - 2 for 99:-. I think we have the complete set of Mr. Bean now. Hopefully Mr. Bean can keep Mikael good company while I am gone.

Culturally Shocked en Route to Tahini

Culture shock is something that can creep up on a foreigner in unexpected situations. I guesss that's what makes it so shocking. For example, I was looking for tahini at the grocery store, and not really knowing what it was, I was stalled at the dairy section thinking it might be hiding in there. When I turned around there was a store employee set up with a little table to give people samples. Not samples of miniquiches or microwave shrimp; sports bars or bean dip. Salad. He was giving out samples of Salad. Green lettuce with cherry tomato and honeydew melon sprinkled with a herb spice. It was quite nice. I didn't think about how strange it was to give lettuce samples until after I got home, so it is a good thing I returned the favor to the store employee. He asked me how it was and I said it tasted funny because I had just brushed my teeth. From the look on his face, I don't think Swedes are used to strangers talking to them about their oral hygiene.