Tagged: goodthings

01
May
2025

RABBITS! RABBITS!

Well, I’m writing a blog post on the first of May, which is a holiday here in Sweden, and even though I didn’t say “Rabbits! Rabbits!” first thing when I woke up, I am writing it now, and that ought to count for something. It’s been an absolute stunner of a day, quite perfectly perfect: sunny, warm but not too warm, a cool breeze, blue skies, butterflies and bees and birds singing. The neighbor’s cat came around twice but is super shy, which is a bummer. I slept in and then played games and read before doing anything of import....

09
Mar
2025

SO MUCH EFFORT, BUT THE PAYOFF IS PIE

We ended up being 34 people for Pie Night yesterday, which was perfectly manageable. We have a party palace of a home. I was bummed about a couple of the people who dropped off the list, as I was hoping to see them, but one was sick and the other couple had something come up. We didn’t even have to borrow chairs from Lisel, as I was an idiot and completely forgot about the fact that we have 6 chairs on the porch and a further 2 cafe chairs from the swing patio. Anders spent the majority of Saturday morning...

05
Mar
2025

THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE QUIZZY

I write a good things post every day on Facebook, usually in the evening between 8 and 10 pm. Sometimes, during the course of the day, I jot down good things in my Notes app on my phone so I don’t forget about them. Some of the good things are small stuff, like a hug from someone or the sight of spring flowers. Some are big things, of course: an event or an experience, or something I did. Some are silly, some are just notice of something yummy I ate. I’ve found that it’s not hard to find good things...

03
Mar
2025

READY FOR PIE AND SPRING AND BED

Anders being gone all the time is getting kind of old. This is his 4th week in a row away for business, and even though I like having quiet evenings, it’s nicer to have quiet evenings WITH him. He says I’ll be sick of him always being around when he retires but that’s at least 2 years away, and right now, I’m tired of being alone all the time. It’s really amazing how much sunshine makes a difference. We had several grey days again last week but yesterday was sunny all day long and even though it was still quite...

24
Feb
2025

SPECTACULAR!

Two compliments today, how nice! One was for the second presention I fixed up for an American colleague. She was equally ebullient about the first one, but this one (which was only 15 slides, an easy-peasy one for me) she called “spectacular”! 😀 And tonight I called to activate a new member of the AIC, an older (than me) man who moved here a year ago to be with his long-distance Swedish girlfriend. He told me I did a great job of giving him info and thought it was awesome that someone called him and talked to him so well...

22
Feb
2025

CHECK CHECK CHECK!

It’s simultaneously so weird and so cool to see my children at their work, at their places of employment, while they’re working. We haven’t been to the restaurant Karin is working at in Denmark yet, but we’ve seen her in action at Beachgarden last summer, and I worked directly and indirectly with her at Axis for 5 years. We’ve been to all the restaurants here in Sweden that Martin has worked at, and it gives me such a feeling of pride to see them working. Not because I had anything to do with the super cool adults they’ve grown into,...

03
Feb
2025

I SOMETIMES WORRY ABOUT MY SHORT ATTENTION SPAN BUT NOT FOR LONG*

You know, since the advent/addiction to screens and social media, my concentration span has been for shit. I used to be able to spend HOURS reading. Now I read a chapter or two, then I have to check emails or scroll through Instagram for a bit, or play a round or two of Two Dots. Then I can go back and read a few more chapters. And this is even with books I’m very engaged in and enjoying. It’s way worse with books that are just so-so (or some of the book group books that I don’t enjoy at all…though...

01
Jan
2025

SLOW START

Yesterday’s New Year’s Eve party at Mats and Annlotte’s was really nice, even though I was slightly dreading it, because it was a lot of people, and we had to dress up. I was also not looking forward to driving home super late, but as it turned out, we were 10 people, and I already knew 8 of them. The dressing up was not too onerous. Anders bought a new blazer on Monday, and I wore a black tunic dress with white embroidery over leggings and the white flower necklace that I bought ages ago to go with it. Comfortable...

30
Dec
2024

RETROSPECTIVE

nd of the year retrospectives are fun to do. I’ve been writing them since 2008. I guess they appeal to the listmaker in me, and the OCD-me as well, because now that’s it been a tradition for 16 years, I can hardly stop now, can I? 2024 was a good year in many ways, judging by the family Xmas letter that I wrote and posted last week. Lots of travel for all of us, and I DID make it to Ireland, after dithering for a very long time between it and the south of France for my birthday trip. Karin...

26
Dec
2024

THE THREE RE’S: REST, RELAX, RECHARGE

It’s the day after Christmas. Boxing Day in the Commonwealth. Annandag Jul in Sweden. It’s a holiday here, too, though lots of stores are open. We had a lovely Christmas. The kids were both home for Christmas Eve. We watched Kalle Anke (which is obligatory in Sweden) at 3 pm with glögg and cookies, then opened one present from under the tree. Then we had julbord, which Anders fixed most of. All the trimmings: 3 kinds of herring, cold smoked and warmed smoked salmon, homemade hovmästarsÃ¥s, romsÃ¥s, brunkÃ¥l, rödkÃ¥l, and creamed kale (from our garden!), smoked sausage, liver paté with...

November 2025
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