Lizardek

09
Sep
2017

SODDEN SATURDAY SPECULATIONS

It seems as though lately it’s always about to rain, raining, or wet from having just rained. It falls in sheets, in a steady frizzling drizzle, in bursts with the leaves turned sideways and inside-out, showing off their silver undersides. The ground is dark with water, rivulets run from every rooftop edge and corner. If waterdrops were diamonds, I’d be a rich woman…they’re hanging from every leaf and faded summer bloom. And yet, it’s a gentle (if annoying) constant patter of water against our lives. Nothing like the thundering gales that are battering other parts of the world. We have...

06
Sep
2017

H’IVE GOT YOU UNDER MY SKIN

In my seemingly neverendingly-growing list of things that I need to fix about myself, today I went to see an allergy specialist in Eslöv. I have been to many, many allergy doctors in my life, but it’s been years and I figured it was time to get a handle on my worsening symptoms and see if there were new possibilities that might help. I spend so much time sneezing and blowing my nose and having itchy, running eyes, etc.—finally figured enough was enough. I already know what I’m allergic to, but the nurses sat me right down and did a...

03
Sep
2017

PRESENT TENSE

Pursuing: tickets to next week’s Cirque du Soleil perfomance in Malmö Targeting: my disinclination to get out and walk Devouring: Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel Perceiving: faint calls from the cockatoo next door Dithering: whether to continue paying HBO Nordic after the first free month Continuing: never-ending laundry, even with one kid gone Consuming: Anders’ homemade Cheddar & Chantarelle quiche Recovering: from the annual crayfish party last night…fun, but SO tired today! Luxuriating: blue skies, warm temperatures, sunshine, puffy white clouds…last gasp Swedish summer? I’ll take it! Distracting: Two Dots, Instagram, iPad Cribbage Resigning: myself to 18 months in open...

28
Aug
2017

PARTY HEARTY PARTY POOPER

We knew what we were getting into, honestly, we did. Allowing our 18-year-old social butterfly daughter to invite 94 people to party at our house in celebration of her birthday. By the RSVP date, the tally stood at 71 people and was up to 74 a couple of days before. Anders and I have, of course, met many of the kids at some point, though not all of them, by any means. There were teammates from the 3 different soccer teams that Karin has played on. Classmates and school friends from junior high and high school. Theater kids from the...

27
Aug
2017

BOOKS BOOKS AND MORE BOOKS

We survived the party, but I will write about it tomorrow. For now, books! I realized that I had not posted about the book group recommendations and winners and figured I would just write a book post first, since I have been lame and not posted anything for a couple of weeks. Time just gets away from me, you know? I just finished reading The Mermaid’s Daughter by Ann Claycomb and loved it. I immediately went and searched for more books by her but alas, that is the only one so far. Before that, I read My Life With Bob...

16
Aug
2017

BOGGLING ABOUT EVERYTHING

I continue to be flabbergasted at the apparently unending depths to which the US president is sinking. When will the nightmare end? I am also boggled at how anyone who voted for him expected anything different. Honestly, this trainwreck of a presidency was obvious from the start. GAH. People keep asking me how it’s going, how it was to leave Martin in the US, how it is to be almost empty-nesting. To be honest, it’s fine. I’m fine. I mean, I miss Martin, but at this point, I’m just really glad that he’s starting school and that we aren’t driving...

05
Aug
2017

SO BORING EVEN I AM ZZZZZZZ

There’s nothing quite like the feeling of satisfaction you get from cleaning out a closet. Even if you mostly just tidy and don’t purge that much, it still feels like a big accomplishment. We have no plans this weekend…well, at least *I* don’t…Anders is still painting the window trims on the house and Karin worked 10-4 today, came home to shower and change, and left again for the evening/night. It’s like we’re already empty nesters. Anyway, since I had no plans, I have been taking it pretty easy. The weather has been so changeable: sunny one second, cloudy and raining...

01
Aug
2017

TRIPPING

On summer nights, with the windows open, you can hear the frogs in the pond across the street from my mother’s house chuckling. They laugh all night long. At least it sounds that way from the distance of a driveway and a gravel road. “Heh, heh heh,” they chortle. “Heh, heh heh.” ALL NIGHT LONG. The first time I heard them, I couldn’t figure out what it was or where the noise was coming from. Karin and I were sharing the big bed in the front bedroom and I rolled over and poked her. “Are you giggling under your breath?”...

25
Jun
2017

SUM SUM SUMMER

Got home from the week in Germany last night, sailing up through the country like we had jet propulsion, in stark contrast to our crawling, staggering, stuttered drive down. What took us (and should take us) about 11.5 hours including the ferry and stops on the way back took a horrendous 16.5 hours on the way down, thanks to massive, unending construction and unbelievable traffic. Between Hamburg and Hannover on the way down, while I was at the wheel, 30 kilometers took us nearly 3 hours. ON THE AUTOBAHN. We had a lovely week with my brother, Simone, the boys,...

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