Tagged: thisisjusttosay

01
Aug
2015

RENEWALS

It was a purely lovely day today, filled with nothing much to do. I realized not so long ago that there are more and more of these “no plans” evenings and weekends happening. I used to be so busy! I remember feeling overwhelmed sometimes with how much I had going on and now there are whole weeks where I have no plans at all. Of course, there are still plenty of weeks where there is something every night, but I think it’s evened out quite a lot. And, after all, it IS still summer…the kids have nothing much going on,...

28
Jul
2015

SLIDING

I went to the mall this afternoon to check out a couple of opticians…I need to get new glasses, not necessarily because they are no longer good, though they’re no longer perfect, but because the frames aren’t holding together anymore and the film has worn off the glass in spots on both sides. It’s not noticeable when I’m wearing them but I’m sure it’s time to consider new ones. The problem is that I really like the style of my eyeglass frames and now I have to find new ones that I like enough to spend a fortune on, because...

10
Jun
2015

WHIRRRRRRR

Martin: (from the other room) What’s a “more”? Liz: How do you spell it? Martin: M-O-R-E Liz: Oh. It’s the values or ethical standards of society. Martin: Like a norm? Liz: More or less. Liz: *giggles madly* Liz: See what I did there? Martin: *sigh* It’s the last week of school. Both Martin and Karin are done on Friday and summer vacation begins. Remember that feeling? The whole sunny summer stretching out in front of you? Days at the pool, evenings playing blindman’s bluff and statues on the lawn, visits to grandparents, freezers full of Fla-Vor-Ice popsicles. Mmmmmm yummy grape...

25
Apr
2015

SEASONALITIES

I don’t remember this so clearly from my years in Chicago, but here in Sweden, one really lives after and by the seasons. I find myself looking out for the annual marker of the start of each season and feeling such satisfaction when it’s noted. Spring: pied wagtails Summer: clouds of gnats hovering in the summer evening air Fall: sugar beets on the side of the road (fallen off trucks) Winter: Advent candelabra Yesterday, I saw my first pied wagtail, so now it’s OFFICIALLY spring. The lacy tracery of bright green leaves wasn’t enough. The lush pad of fresh grass...

07
Apr
2015

UNSCINTILLATING

I feel rather boring these days. Cleaning the bathroom, inventorying my library and working do not make for scintillating blog fodder. And yet, here it is, into the second week of April, and I had been trying to write more. What happened to that? We have had very changeable weather lately. All possibilities within the space of an hour: sun, warmth, wind, rain, snow, hail, you name it. As we say, if you don’t like the weather in Sweden, just wait five minutes. But it IS warming. Despite the frost on the ground overnight, the trend is definitely upwards. Martin...

22
Mar
2015

WHERE’D THE WEEKEND GO?

Anders made dinner tonight and it was so delicious that I’m sharing the recipe. He has been using an app he found called Kokaihop (there is a website too, but it’s all in Swedish) which is chock full of fantastic recipes and this is just the latest. Pasta with Garlic & Crayfish Tail Sauce 1 package of crayfish tails in brine 3 dl creme fraiche 1 bunch parsley 4 cloves garlic 1 cube vegetable bouillon 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper 400 gram tagliatelle noodles 1 TB olive oil 0.5 dl water Cook pasta according to directions while making the sauce. Peel...

02
Mar
2015

NOTHING, REALLY

I’ve been meaning to write for days, DAYS, but I keep getting thwarted. Thwarted by children, by distractions, by headaches, by work, by laziness, by sleep. There are pussywillows blossoming and snowdrops. Pansies just went on sale at the nursery. It’s light out when I leave for work, and light out when I leave to go home (depending on the cloud cover, of course). Despite the crap weather (grey, rain, cold), the harbingers are everywhere, if you just keep your eyes open and your optimism on high: spring IS coming. It IS. We went to look at a car this...

07
Feb
2015

MELLOW FOR MELLO

Another week gone and what do I have to show for it? The house is half-clean, my book is half-read, my work is half-done and my kids are half-grown. I woke in the middle of the night on Wednesday around 3 a.m., sweating hot and feeling very weird. I went and sat in the bathroom for a bit, convinced I was either going to throw up or was having my first and most horrendous hot flash. Felt feverish and generally discombobulated, but finally went back to bed, after nothing happened. Still felt like crap in the morning and even though...

01
Feb
2015

KIBBLES AND BITS

Martin managed to rip holes in the seat of two pairs of pants this past week, so I had pants shopping on the agenda yesterday. When Karin heard that we were going she announced that she needed pants, too (since she only has 2 pairs, MOM), and I wanted to go to a specific store at one of the nearby malls that carries clothes in my size because my friend Debbie had the prettiest shirt on at the jewelry swap on Friday night and when I asked her where it was from, she said she’d just gotten it. I asked...

17
Jan
2015

LATE ON A LAZY SATURDAY

I was gonna write more. I WAS writing more. And then suddenly days go by and I haven’t written, though you know, there are LOTS of posts…in my head. Some days there just isn’t anything to write about. And some days even if there is I can’t be bothered. And some days there’s neither. You know, occasionally I can just sit down and start writing and even IF I have nothing to write about, I will end up with a post. Like now. I’m doing it right now. RIGHT THIS MINUTE, in fact. That said, it certainly does NOT mean...

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