Yearly Archive: 2011

17
Apr
2011

FETCH

The sky is that peculiar shade of blue that fades into white where the light shines into it. I can see contrails, streaky cirrus clouds, the beginning ripples of sunset. The sun is low and shines orange against the house. If you look you can see it shining through leaves, tracing their patterned skeletons. Earlier today, we took the dog up on the hill and threw a sodden drooly tennis ball for him. Over and over, he never gets tired, though his lolloping return slowly decelerates after awhile. We could feel the wind scudding across the hill. We could see...

13
Apr
2011

PREPOSITIONAL MONOTONY*

On the brain: All the things on my Anticipation list Finalizing Iceland trip dates and purchasing airilne tickets Giant salamis (Karin was selling them for her soccer team and our fridge is full of them until we get them all delivered). GIANT! SALAMIS! On the table: Work laptop & work papers home phone & iPhone AWC folder and calendars to update GIANT SALAMIS! On the floor: Dust, though mostly it’s under things Dirt, tracked in from soccer practice and pansy potting Hair, soon to be shed by Mental the dog who arrives tomorrow! Various Things my family doesn’t seem to...

10
Apr
2011

THINGS I’VE ACCOMPLISHED THIS WEEKEND, SO FAR

Attended an AWC sushi night with friends Took down all the curtains, washed them, did other things while my MiL ironed them all, put them back up. Several of them involved those little metal hook things that slip in the band and pleat it: I HATE THOSE THINGS. Every year I say I am never doing this job again. I say it again this year. Stripped and changed the beds 5 loads of laundry, all together Washed dishes and took out recyclables Dusted almost the whole house Vacuumed the whole house Grocery shopped Made a really yummy dinner for Martin...

06
Apr
2011

THINGS I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO, THROUGH SUMMER

Bookworms tomorrow Lunch with Geena! Sushi Night on Friday (which means sushi TWICE in one day!) Sleeping in on Saturday Little Big Bookgroup next week, which means this interminable book will finally be over Bonfire at Mats & Annelotte’s for Walpurgis Eve SPRING! Willow Weaving course GAME NIGHT at our house! It’s been ages! Anders’ birthday Martin participating in his second World Run Wonders at Angie’s in May and at a castle in June to celebrate Debbie’s big birthday Midsommer strawberries and new potatoes! Bookworms at the beach in June Summer vacation 4th of July party at our house! Trip...

05
Apr
2011

CARE PACKAGES

Two awesome care packages in such a short time! Thanks to the best seester who sent my order of Girl Scout cookies, we now have a freezer full of Lemonades and Peanut Butter Sandwiches. And thanks to the best mom who acted so quickly when I called her with an emergency order for American medicine and sent a complete care package of items I was running low on. When I moved to Sweden 14+ years ago, the list of things I craved was long. My mom was awesome about sending stuff over to keep my homesickness at bay. Everything from...

02
Apr
2011

STUCK

I feel stuck. In almost every way, just now. I can’t seem to write about anything until I come unglued. But I don’t know what it is that will pull me out of this. Maybe nothing can pull me out of it. Maybe it’s ME that has to do the pulling. And maybe what’s keeping me stuck is the fact that I don’t know what will happen if I pull. In the meantime, talk amongst yourselves.

26
Mar
2011

WHERE IT WENT AND WHERE IT GOES

Oh my goodness, where did the week go? It went into single-parenting, crazy busy work-ness, losing Karin in the dark trying to find the place she was practicing in Lund. It went to a planning meeting, pizza 3x in a row, a family birthday party (Anders’ niece), phone calls, sunshine and a yard full of pheasants and jackdaws eating the birdseed. It went to working from home as much as possible, paying bills, translation work, AWC web work, work work work. It went to grocery shopping and an emergency room visit for Karin who busted up 2 fingers at soccer...

20
Mar
2011

SLUGBEGONE

Yesterday, I’d had enough of my own sluggyness. So I cleaned the bathroom. THOROUGHLY. Everything out, and scrubbed top to bottom. I felt much better when I was done. It was another day of downtime though, as Anders and the kids didn’t get home until 10 pm. So, after the major bathroom blitz I sat down and watched the pilot episode of The 4400 TV show box set that Anders brought home for me from Shanghai last August and which I hadn’t gotten around to. After only a couple of episodes I’m hooked and a little bummed that it only...

17
Mar
2011

CHASING RAINBOWS

Rain streaks the windows and the streetlights spangle through the speckled pattern of droplines. I keep thinking I hear someone’s voice from the other room but it’s only the rain’s soliloquy. A pattering poetry of water and glass and the light shining through them. Someone at work asked me what’s happened to my usual sunny self. She said, “Where’s my Liz?” and I couldn’t look at her for a moment. I was afraid I’d cry. This whole week has been emotional: the sorrow wells up for the people displaced on the other side of the world, their stories spinning out...

16
Mar
2011

SOUNDS OF SILENCE, STRESS & SUNSHINE

Man, it is quiet in this house. There’s a hole of silence where Karin’s voice usually is, and another hole that Martin’s laughter usually fills in. There’s no sound at bedtime of good night, or I love you or I’ll see you in the morning and no hugs to hold me through the night. BUT! It’s okay, because if there’s one week I look forward to all year, it’s this one: the one where downtime fills my evenings and I can be selfish all I want: happy that I don’t have to cook for anyone else or pick up after...

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