Tagged: holidaze

06
Jun
2011

AFTERNOON ON A SUNNY SUMMER HOLIDAY

The breeze is ruffling the parasol—it’s making flapping sounds like the wings of some large captive bird. A delirious dance of wind and rippling fabric. The eges of the parasol are frayed; it’s almost always windy here and they’ve had several summers’ worth of windy workouts. The sun has heated the wooden boards of the deck to a degree that makes them unpleasant to walk barefoot on. The wood is bleached to a soothing gray and darker knotholes contrast with marching rows of shiny nailheads. Dandelions, grass and clover stretch illicit green fingers up between the planks. Karin just came...

31
Dec
2010

RETROSPECTIVE

find closure in the year-end retrospective that I’ve been doing on this journal for—goodness!—8 years. It’s fun to look back and count up and tote up and list the things that happened, the experiences that shaped the year and the literary and musical discoveries I made. Outside the window, the world is white: still so much snow on the ground and the sky is white as well. The hoarfrost of yesterday is gone, but a heavy fog descending promises more for later. Two Swedish couples, very good friends of ours, are coming to celebrate New Year’s Eve with us; Anders...

30
Dec
2010

ICE ICE BABY

I suppose it’s that time of year again. To look both backward and forward; to make resolutions and promises and open your eyes wide to the wonder of what will come next. This morning, the white world was whiter: covered in thick hoarfrost, fat and full and frozen. Chickadees flock to the frozen feeder, grabbing seed and flinging themselves to the top of the bird cherry. From the bedroom window I could see a bird with a very red body and strained to make out what it was; there are no cardinals here and the red-breasted robins aren’t that red....

29
Dec
2010

R & R

It’s the day before the day before the day before (as Karin put it, earlier today). There’s nothing much doing this week and I’m managing to be just fine with that (beyond checking email a little too often). We’ve had my cousin Cate and her family over for dinner one night and an AWC event cancelled and mostly have spent the days sleeping in, reading, relaxing, watching movies and TV and eating too much. January is soon enough to get motivated and I shall. It’s a promise to myself, not just a resolution. Time to get a grip and get...

25
Dec
2010

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

This has been a cold, white, frozen Christmas…on the outside. On the inside? Warm, relaxing, and full of food, family and fun. Full Swedish julbord yesterday with Anders’ family here and a leisurely-ish American-style Christmas this morning, complete with stockings full of perfect stuffers, great gifts that had everyone smiling, an afternoon spent enjoying the new massage chair that Anders got me (!) and an evening at the movie premiere of Narnia, Voyage of the Dawn Treader in English AND 3D! A very merry holiday from us to you!

20
Dec
2010

LET NOTHING YOU DISMAY

I bought Christmas presents for my in-laws today: theater tickets to see Madame Butterfly at the Malmö Opera in January. All I have left to get are a couple of small stocking stuffers and I’ll do that tomorrow or Wednesday. Everything else is done, except wrapping. And even half of that is done already! Cookies have been baked (4 kinds: Rice Krispie Holly Bars, Reindeer poop, Holiday balls and tonight, frosted sugar cookies) and all the cards were mailed last week. We haven’t received several envelopes/packages that are supposedly en route, so I sure hope they get here in time!...

13
Dec
2010

TREES, FREEZE, GOODIES

Whew! I have a moment to sit down and catch my breath in this whirlwind month and by gum, I’m going to post while doing it! It’s go go go right now, with work still being crazy, though I’d hoped it would’ve slown down by now. I just made up that word: slown. It’s a good one, dont’cha think? (not really, I kid.) We rushed madly around yesterday in the late afternoon, after Anders got home from his hockey bockey game. Karin and I had run to the store earlier to buy her a winter jacket and then I dropped...

11
Dec
2010

PUT ONE FOOT IN FRONT OF THE OTHER

I’m feeling pretty good about Christmas preparations this year. I’ve already gotten so much done, I don’t really feel stressed at all! The house is decorated, Christmas letter written, all my cards addressed, signed and mailed except 3 that are getting sent with packages. Gift shopping is nearly done: Martin and I went to the mall today and I finished Anders. Just need a couple more things for the kids, and his family and that’s done, too. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to go get the tree today because the weather suddenly went warm and it was raining overnight and this...

26
Nov
2010

‘TIS NEARLY THE SEASON

It’s been snowing for several days. We’ve had the big fat flakes, the tiny polka-dotted blizzard conditions, full-on rain mixed with snow, which is the literal description the Swedes use for sleet. I wasn’t exactly excited by the first snowfall this year because I had to drive in it, twice. People get stupid in cars the first time the snow falls. They slow WAY down, they brake too hard, and some of them still have their summer tires on. I’m coming around slowly to enjoyment…it just seems too early for snow! Karin has been out sledding on the hill at...

23
Nov
2010

PERFECT PISA

I was in Pisa in the early 80s, as part of a choir concert tour. We were a busload of high school juniors and seniors, traveling around Italy for a week, sleeping on the floors of gymnasiums and churches and singing at various military bases. I have lots of fun memories of that trip, augmented by a travel diary and photos but after this week in Italy I realized that most of my memories had frayed and tattered around the edges. Things I thought I remembered had softened, blurred, sometimes been completely skewed by the passing years. We only stopped...

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