The First of May - International Worker's Day

It’s a National holiday all over Europe and most of the industrialized world today – a day for celebrating how far worker’s rights have come, but also a day to protest if some feel they haven’t come far enough. Most people here in Norway have nothing to complain about, so a marching band here or there might go down a street blasting out tunes, but otherwise, people are up in the mountains or at their cabins just enjoying the day off. We took to the hills today as the weather continues to be outstanding for this time of year. Kaleb perfected his flying skills (see photo) once we were on top. It was a rough landing, but he’ll do anything for a goofy photo. The hike up was slow so as not to overtax Kory’s heart. I appreciated having that as an excuse as the going is pretty slow for me these days too – my knees sometimes feel like they are going to give out on me so I go slow and steady – so afraid I’ll fall. Tante Kari’s fall a few weeks ago broke her hip and now we found out yesterday the pins they put in her to repair the break didn’t hold so she has to have hip replacement surgery next week. I’m extra cautious because of stuff like that because I know I’m not getting any younger and I’m beyond trying to impress anyone.

The spring wildflowers were out in force today and made the two hour hike up ever so pleasant. We also encountered plenty of dogs, which kept Kaleb happy. The hike up was without incident, but the hike down provided one of the funniest moments I’ve experienced in a long time. If anyone would have seen it, it would have been embarrassing, however. It was so hot today I drank a little too much water while we were sitting on top of the mountain. On the way down, nature called. I went off on a side trail and then into some bushes to relieve myself. I had forgotten to bring my walking sticks that my friend Paula gave me, so Kory found a stick I used to steady myself when stepping down from uneven surfaces. I used the stick to beat around in the bushes and make sure no poisonous snakes were lurking nearby, as they often end up, literally, biting people in the butt when they using nature in such a way that exposes their behind. I was confident it was a safe location to pee and when I was done, I used the stick to help me stand up, but it broke in half and I lost my balance and fell head over heels backwards into the bushes and down a little hill. I didn’t go far but I got a few scratches on my butt and plenty of little branches in my hair and places I’d rather not say. I was so worried I’d encounter a snake as I made my way back up the hill and while looking for my camera (it went flying out of my shirt pocket as I rolled backwards). I couldn’t help but giggle all the way back to where Kory and Kaleb were waiting for me and when I told them what happened, Kaleb nearly collapsed in laughter. He wanted all the details, as I’m sure he will repeat them time and time again. He insisted on seeing my scratches when we got home, and then he howled all the more. I guess I’ll be the butt of that joke for years to come. Too funny.

We didn’t spend as much time up on the mountain as we would have liked to because we were invited to Benjamin's birthday party. Benjamin and Kaleb have played together several times over the years as he’s a foster grandson to Kory’s cousin Axel. We were happy to be invited to Kenneth and Miriam’s (Axel and Kari’s daughter's) house for a wonderful outdoor BBQ and time with the whole family. And after the party was over and everyone went home but us and Axel and Kari and Tante Aslaug, we all watched a movie together. But it wasn’t just sitting around watching a movie in someone’s living room kind of thing – no – this was something special. Kenneth built an incredible movie theatre in the basement of their house that is one of the coolest things I’ve ever experienced. One wall is just the screen and it’s set up to show movies made with Blue-ray high definition quality so the picture is crisper than anything I’ve ever seen before anywhere. And behind the screen wall is a room with a huge movie library, so we got to go in and pick the film of our choice. The surround sound vibrated the furniture when the volume increased, but the whole room is sound proofed so none of the sound escaped and woke their baby sleeping upstairs. They bought special comfy couches to sit on that are so deep our legs couldn’t touch the floor - so we got to recline back with our feet up and watch the show (we picked “Ratatouille”). Kenneth even stair-stepped the floor so those in the back row sat up higher than those in front so every seat was a good seat. What an experience that was. Now Kory and Kaleb are conniving and planning on how they can do the same in our basement. We could never do something as extensive as Kenneth did, but I really think the boys will keep harping on me about it - maybe hoping I’ll just settle for a flat screen TV with some kind of cable hookup when we get home. I’m holding out as long as I can.