I AM Somebody!

Today was meant to be a day of moving things into our storage unit, thinning out the herd, as it were, in case someone rents our place while we are gone.  I’m sure they don’t appreciate my “thift store” motif.  Alas, the sun was out and in no way could I stay indoors, when I’ve been longing after some time out in the sun for months on end.  So, the inside things just didn’t happen, but a hike up in the mountains, did.

While Kaleb was still at school, Kory and I took a drive out to Eikrem, where we’d walked around a lake a few weeks ago.  There’s also a hike up onto the mountain called Sula, which I was curious to take.  I knew I’d never make it to the top, but I figured if we went for an hour then turned around, it would still be a good outing.

The autumn colors were hit and miss, as most of the hike was through an evergreen forest.  The trail was actually just a well-maintained gravel road, so at least I didn’t have the challenges I usually do with watching every step.  We didn’t make it to the top in an hour, but it was still a worthwhile outing as the air was crisp and Kory’s in a much better mood if he’s in the woods or on a mountain, so since we had both, he was downright giddy.  His constant complaining about other aspects of life gets to me sometimes so it’s nice to be with him when he’s actually in a good mood, and this was just the ticket.

We made it back to the condo before Kaleb got home.  Kory went to buy some bread and came home with a newspaper also.  He was intrigued by the cover story about Bill Clinton and how he changed his diet to fat free vegan after he had so many problems with his heart.  The same doctor, Dr. Esselstyn, that wrote the book I’ve been following for Kory’s situation, is the same doctor that is helping Bill Clinton.  He’s also the same guy who phoned me personally and talked for a good long while about Kory’s diet a few months ago, after I sent him an email asking about something.

God uses all things together for good… as I’ve been praying something would help Kory start to embrace his vegan lifestyle.  He does it, but very begrudgingly, and with non-stop complaining and whining.  I told him today the hardest part about being vegan is his attitude toward it.  It would be so nice and so easy if he would just decide it’s what’s best for him and there are no other options, like a diabetic must do. 

After reading the article, I think he shifted a bit in his thinking, as the newspaper was touting how healthy of a lifestyle being vegan is.  One of the studies that Dr. Esselstyn mentions a lot in his book is the statistics collected in Norway regarding heart attacks before, during, and after World War II.  The years the German’s occupied Norway and took all their meat and dairy away for themselves, the Norwegians death rate from heart attacks plummeted down to nearly zero.  Once the Germans left, the heart attack rate zoomed right back up there again.  The story was not just front page but filled four additional pages, so it was a big deal.  I’m trusting God he’s getting through to Kory on this one.

So then tonight we were invited over to Odd and Turid’s for dinner, and he ate fish again.  This has been the most UN VEGAN week we’ve had here, but it’s soon over, so I have to believe that no damage is being done as that’s the downside of being vegan – it kills the social life as no one knows what to make.  Oh well, we had a great meal with them and at least Kory didn’t put cream on his fresh fruit for dessert. 

We stayed on for a good visit afterwards and Kory tried to help Turid figure out better marketing strategies for her artwork.  Kory’s been able to sell small cards of his black and white drawings of Aalesund at a tourist store right by the dock where all the cruise ships come in.  The guy asked for more of Kory’s stuff so next spring he’s going to load him up.  Kory thinks Turid should do something similar, but real artists are hesitant to make copies of their work, they like selling the originals, but copies are cheaper and more people can afford them… so it was quite the discussion.

Everyone has been commenting on how quickly time flies around here as it seems we just got here and now we are leaving.  But we’ll be back again in the spring, Lord willing, so it will fly just as fast between now and then.

Tonight I found out I won 2^nd place in Washington State’s “Best General Interest Column” for my weekly article in the LaConner Weekly News about Norway.  And here I was thinking I’ve got to stop that column as I have such a tough time each week coming up with something to write about.  If I could talk to my friend Sandra’s husband Karl each week, it would be so much easier as he is a wealth of information about all things Norway, but my well is running dry.  This is the second year in a row I’ve won 2^nd place, however, and as I posted on Facebook, “Maybe if I start writing about the Swedes, I’d come in first.”  Ha.