Sunday, March 18, 2012

Sunday 3/18/12

Coalie slept the day away as usual. We all had a lazy kind a day
in between errands and chores.
I spotted a bunch of cherry trees whose blossoms were struggling
against the pelting rain. Almost spring.
I love the weird, red, giant balls outside Target for some reason. However,
 I don't love Target. I was driving around to various pharmacies looking
 for a 2-person oximeter for my friend Susanne in Puerto Vallarta.
This will be dinner. Chuckroast slowly braised in the oven for 3.5 hours
in wine with garlic and onions.
When I drove to Damascus to pick up Sequoia from a sleepover
at a friend's house, it was snowing.

Bailey made himself pancakes mid-afternoon.



Chris practiced on his guitar.
Masterbath still life.
I took Soren and Ty to the store to buy
flipflops for our upcoming trip to Mexico.
Soren asked for a buzz cut.
In the middle of sunshine, a torrent of hail fell from the skies.  

My current reads.

Saturday 3/17/12 - Photo journal

I took Sequoia to the naturopath for an appointment.

Sequoia is checking out the mushrooms at New Seasons.

My trusty flaxseed neck pillow after 3 minutes in the nuker.
Spring in the backyard! Yay.

Croci. I love this plural form rather than crocuses.

Daffodils in the backyard. Woohoo!

Chris in his corner under the stairs. Harry Potter-like!

Bbqed fresh sardines with olive oil+s+p. Interesting.

In between rainshowers, Chris managed to bbq.

Mmmmm. Roasted potatoes.
Fresh from Portland Farmers Market at Lisa
& Kare's. Notice the troll lurking?
Chris is chillin'.
Kare's Schweinshaxe (pork shanks). Mmmm!
Lisa the luger.


Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Every Moment is Golden...

...if you can recall the moments that is. Sometimes during busy days, it is hard to remember an actual highlight because the whole day just whizzes by like a cheetah on the hunt, a blur of colors and sounds. Today seemed like one of those days, or maybe it was just because I didn't sleep enough last night that the day seemed blurry and unfocused?

I started the day by running to work with my REI Flash daypack holding my lunch, which was homemade chicken curry with coconut milk today and very tasty, and a change of clothes. The run to work is only 2.5 miles or so, but it is enough to work up a sweat and get energized for the day. The endorphins usually linger until late afternoon. I have vivid memories of the run like the freshness of the air post-rain, the shininess of large puddles I jumped, and the stillness between the roaring of cars spaced out by red traffic lights. Then, once I arrived at work, there was no time for reflection. I barely remember a thing until it was time to leave again. This can't be good. I mean, who wants his or her life to speed along so fast there is not time to toss out a few memory anchors every now and then? If there are no memories, life is a big blank space like a wiped harddrive barrelling towards oblivion. My superhero goal for tomorrow is to slow down time.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Freely Giving

Seeing that my kids enjoyed participating in Occupy Portland last Thursday was extremely satisfying. Bailey was immediately inspired to organize a sympathy sit-down protest at his high school, and both Bay and May wanted to come back and spend the night at the park with the occupiers. I wanted to let them even though they are under-aged. There is curfew in Oregon; kids under 18 are not supposed to be roaming the streets after midnight. Well, the decision was made for me when there was a conflict with the Portland Marathon downtown. Apparently, the marathon people had reserved the two parks where the occupiers set up tents months and months ago. Eventually the two sides worked out a peaceful agreement, and the occupiers helped clean up after the marathon. Generosity.

I went to pickup our share of vegetables from “our” farm, Dancing Roots Farm, today. Shari and Brian, the owners, said they had gone down to Occupy Portland last Thursday evening just like we did and listened to the speeches and hung around the crowd. In addition, they brought a donation of fresh food to the occupiers, and they are going again on Wednesday with another donation. It makes me happy to buy my vegetables from such altruistic and involved people. Generosity.

The other night my husband offered to give me a massage, a full body massage. He told me I deserved it and that my shoulders are always too tense. His hands are strong and he gives great massages. What’s not to like? Anytime, babe! Human touch drains away fears and worries. My husband’s touch always does. Problems dissolve in warm oil under dimmed lights. My mind goes blank as my skin comes alive. Thirty minutes rolled by fast like the surge of a single wave. I was glowing and grateful. He gave of himself and his time. Generosity.

Friday, July 29, 2011

Adjusting to a Semblance of Normalcy and Order After Travelling

Returning from a long trip is always surreal. The jetlag and my generally light sleep pattern cause me to wake up in the middle of the night discombobulated not knowing where I am due to the vestiges of travel stimuli. The recollections are vivid and wash over me like waves swirling around in my brain in the early morning hours. My mind and memory are full of impressions, reactions, sensations, and images. I spend time in the dark digesting the events of the last month and awaiting daylight.

First, Chris and I travelled to Chicago to spend a week at the National Education Association’s annual national assembly as elected delegates from our union local. It was a week of meetings, eating out, and snippets of enjoying Chicago’s smorgasbord of attractions. Highlights of the meetings included Vice President Biden’s speech at the convention to 10000 educators, an appearance and speech by some of the Wisconsin 14 senators, as well as the general hubbub of the enormous gathering of people in a giant hall. The food in Chicago was infinitely better than in New Orleans, where we went last year for the national assembly and where every morsel was deep-fried and a salad consisted of sections of iceberg lettuce topped with a pound of shredded cheddar cheese, but for me the Chicago hot dog and pizza hype fell flat. It is still junk and the lines to all the famous pizza joints were way too long. An early morning run along the lakefront was memorable. Bulbous clouds were building up over the lake and the breeze was light and refreshing right before the ubiquitous humidity and heat rolled in over gobs of runners, bikers, rollerbladers, and swimmers. Chicago has very smooth and clean—hosed down daily it seemed—concrete sidewalks which allow for some easy barefooting. The requisite Art Institute, tall Willis building formerly known as Sear’s Tower, and handy river taxis all delighted as well.

Then we went to Sweden. Aaah, Sweden, the old country. I had envisioned an amorphous three-week bender of carousing, rambling about the country, and sleeping poorly in diminutive bunk beds. I was correct.

We arrived at Kastrup, the international airport of Copenhagen, and boarded a train for Kristianstad where my sweet sister Rille and husband Björn with kids live. After a few days of good food and drink, we headed by train for Göteborg to meet up with our friends Lisa and Kåre from Portland for five great days of parties with their amazing relatives and island hopping in the archipelago. On the island of Grötö, we encountered the first bunk beds, which actually was an entirely acceptable sleeping arrangement because the bunk beds were housed in a little cottage down a steep path from the main house right at the water’s edge. Sliding big screen doors facing the beach allowed us to rest to the sounds of the sea of Kattegatt. Unforgettable. I envy Kåre who spent every childhood summer on this tranquil island.

Another train ride took us back to Kristianstad with the oft-visited Otto’s ice cream store in Åhus, and nearby Sölvesborg where my parents reside in the country in a small community of summer cottages by the Baltic Sea. It was a whirlwind of my mom’s fabulous cooking, ice cream indulging, and visiting with dear friends and close relatives. My sister Suss and her kids and husband who usually live in London were also at my parents’ place. I met my new niece little adorable Daisy for the first time. My sister Kit along with my nephew Danne came down from Stockholm. One magical evening was spent by the nearby docks and boathouses. The twilight of a summer evening in Sweden lasts for hours and is best enjoyed outside preferably in the company of hotdogs, wine, and people idly dangling their feet from the docks watching the reflection in the water. One of the finest hours indeed.

Stockholm was next on the agenda. A few wonderful days were filled with Kit and Tomas’ hospitality and outings. We saw the state rooms at the Royal Palace, the changing of the guards, had ice cream in Gamla Stan, met up with old online friends in real life, visited Danne’s place of work which is the only remaining cavalry in Sweden, and ate endless good food in the company of wonderful people including my brother Håkan. After two days the train took us back south to my mom’s for another party with neighbors and relatives. You have never lived until you have played bocce ball or petanque late at night in the waning light holding a cocktail in your other hand. The whole international party walked over to a nearby court after dinner. We played hard until it was so dark the tiny ball, the jack, was barely visible. Players trying to mark the spot of the jack using feet and shoes had some close calls with heavy metal balls that night. The American team prevailed and beat out the Brits and Swedes.

The easy living at Rille and Björn’s and the ice cream store beckoned again. The last few days we relaxed at their house enjoying even more good food and beverages. Little niece Alize and Chris had time to develop a special bond despite language barriers. “I love you” easily rolls off even a Swedish three-year-old’s tongue. Blond blue-eyed girls take to him for some reason. He can’t resist Swedish girls and giant freshly made waffle cones filled with enormous scoops of sweet pear ice cream laced with milk chocolate ripples and eaten while walking on a sandy beach.

My visit to Sweden also holds multiple memories of days and evenings with long-time childhood friends, beautiful friends whom I have known for forever and who live entirely too far away but reside permanently in my heart.
Every time I see them, it is as if no time has passed and we just pick up where we left off only a little wiser and more wrinkled. I savor every minute I get to spend in the company of Lotta, Cilla, and Åsa and their families. In my eyes they don’t look a day over 9 like the shiny-faced, bright-eyed and fun-loving fourth graders I remember from good years past. Reconnecting with them and some other dear old friends (Unfortunately this time I missed a few I really would have liked to have seen.) grounds me and gives me a deep and satisfying sense of belonging even when I am far far away in a foreign land.