Saturday

11 May 2013

I’m just giving up any hopes or expectations of making plans for sunny days.  I have to go with the flow and with a heart of gratitude.  I think this is the lesson God is teaching me.  When I plan things to do outside, it rains.  When I plan to have folks for dinner, it’s sunny and therefore, I can’t go outside because I have to make food.  It would be comical if it didn’t bug me so much.

The locals even commented on how much sunshine they got the entire winter here – it started after we left last fall and it ended the day before we arrived here this spring.  Apparently, there is a black cloud following me overhead when I am in Norway.  There’s gotta be a message in there somewhere.

The sun was shining this morning for a while, and Kory and I spent so much time discussing what we should do with the few hours we had free, that we never did a thing but talk about it.  Kory had already told Odd he’d come over and finish up some trim work in his living room, so we couldn’t go far because he was waiting for Odd to call and tell him when he was ready.  Kaleb had spent the night with Daniel again so it was quiet in our house when Kory left. 

I was out on the deck in the sun for about 10 minutes before the clouds moved in.  I went inside and wrote a few articles, packed up a few more things, made cookies and started plans for dinner, since we had company coming again.  I had tried to change the date to another day so we could go for a hike today if there wasn’t rain, but it didn’t work out for them to change, so I just stayed home and made the best of it.

We had an interesting chat with our friends from England who came for dinner as we talked about Norwegian culture and how different it is from our own.  Kory defended many things, of course, but overall we agreed life in Norway isn’t much like life elsewhere.  Some of it is good, some of it is scary.  The saddest part is how accommodating they are to the Arab nations – allowing them to come in and demand certain rights, which change the Norwegian culture. We certainly can’t go to their country and expect the same treatment.  In the end, Norwegians are just too nice – which may be the end of them someday.

And so as not to seem like such a sourpuss today, I’m sharing this original piece of work by Kory he wrote this past week, because it cracks me up every time I read it:

Kory's Psalm

Mickey is my nutritionist;

I shall not want.

She makes me to swallow down green vegetables;

She leads me past the meat and the dairy;

She restores my body.

She leads me in the paths of rightness, for Vegan's namesake

Yea, tho I walk through the grocery store isles, 

I will fear no cholesterol;

for Mickey is with me;

Her voice and her look, constrain me;

She prepares a table before me,

it won't contain my enemies;

She keeps my mouth from oil.

My vitamin cup runs over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me, 

All the days of my life;

And I shall dwell as a Vegan,

In the house with Mickey,

Forever!

(So no photos from me today, as I never left the house until after 10 tonight when I went to pick up Kaleb.  Photos are from Kory’s camera a few days ago.)