My sister’s son, Bryce, who is 2 years old, has a wild mop of bright orange curls on his head and bright blue eyes. Driving around Detroit yesterday, every time he saw a car he recognized he would call out its name until someone acknowledged him by repeating it. So the ride was punctuated by his chirpy voice, “PT Cruiser! PT Cruiser! Mini Cooper! Buggy Car! (Beetle)”
Our new digital camera is scrumptious. It has so many nice features and takes such wonderful pictures! It’s driving me crazy already that I can’t post them from here.
As we pulled into my mom’s subdivision last night and passed my uncle’s house (it’s for sale), Anders saw a light on there and a car in the driveway, so we backed up and pulled in to investigate. My aunt and uncle were there, along with one of their sons and his family, going through the nearly empty house to take some more things home. It was so great to see them as we hadn’t yet called to arrange a time to get together. I’m sad that they are moving out of that house…and sad that they are moving away from the neighborhood and my mom. They’ve essentially moved to Florida in the last couple of years, and have now bought a condo near their grandchildren in Detroit to stay in when they’re in Michigan. They were suggesting that WE buy the house and move back to the States 🙂 heh.
It’s been close to 90 this week and expected to last a few more days. Tomorrow we are going to the Art Fair, which ought to be interesting with 4 little kids in tow. Maybe we can convince Anders and Tom that they’d rather stay home and entertain the kiddies. 🙂
It’s not as weird being in the States this time as it has been in the past. Then, I was so struck by the differences that I seemed unable to stop noticing them. This time, I’m just enjoying it (and granted we haven’t been out of the house much yet). It’s just “home,” in a different way than it’s been in the past. It’s NOT home, but it’s the country that formed my biases and cultural identity and I think it’s comforting to be here in some fundamental way.
I keep speaking Swedish to strangers, though. 🙂 It takes me a minute to realize what I’m doing. The kids are doing really well with all the English, although Karin is struggling a little to use it. Being here will be really good for her speaking ability, and for MINE! It’s funny that I need a good solid dose of English immersion myself, as my own language has gotten sloppy and deteriorated and Swenglish has taken over in too many ways.
Carried to Ridiculous Heights: A sign at the upscale marketplace grocery store, Nino’s, proclaiming the availability of “Gourmet Lump Charcoal.” wtf?
My sister and I tortured my husband on the ride home last night, by putting ULTIMATE MANILOW in the CD player and singing along at the top of our lungs to Barry’s greatest hits. At one point, he asked me for the bag of books we had bought earlier that day, and I passed him his new motorcycle book. “No,” he said, “I want the bag.” “You can’t barf in the bookbag,” I said, while the dramatic strains of Even Now swirled around us. “Well, I can’t barf in the seat pocket!” he said. Sarah and I howled with laughter but we didn’t turn the volume down.
I’m paying for it today though. Miss Doxie was right.