The Ultimate Sacrifice

I made the ultimate sacrifice today.  There was a school wide garage sale going on at the exact same time I was scheduled to give a talk at a Women’s Aglow meeting.  That flea market went from ten until two and I had to be at the talk by 10:30.  I held out hope that I’d be done by one o’clock so I could get in on the last hour’s ten-dollars-for-all-you-can-fit-in-one-bag deal, but as I sat there after I spoke and prayed for women, I realized it was probably a more worthy thing to do than hit another flea market.  I couldn’t rush the prayers, but it wasn’t easy.  Such is my addiction now to Norwegian junk.  I do believe I’ve developed an obsessive-compulsive hoarding disorder that probably needs some prayer of its own.  Uff.

Actually, Kory and I were standing in line at that school this morning a good 15 minutes before they opened.  I was hoping to be first in, first out, but many beat us to it.  I knew I only had a few minutes to walk through there, so I grabbed just a few things – some old canning jars ($2 each), a brand new blender ($10) and some doilies ($10), and we were out in less than ten minutes.  It wasn’t enough time for me, but based on the wave of people that came in after us and filled that gymnasium, I knew there was no going back.  Such is life.  On our way out, we bought a cozy little knotty pine cupboard ($8) that fits nicely above my desk, and then we were out of money.  Oh, how I sacrificed today, but God honored my efforts at Women’s Aglow, because the Holy Spirit was certainly on the move in that meeting! 

I was honored to ask to speak on the subject of faith today.  I have a little bit of experience in that regard so it was an easy talk.  I’ve been praying all week for this event and this morning, first thing I saw when I woke up, was a rainbow across the sky (see photo).  I took it as a message from God that He does indeed keep His promises, so I knew the day was going to be good.  Some women that came, really needed to hear the message, and that was my prayer.  God did a number on some of those women, and set them free from all kinds of anxieties and fears - so Hallelujah for that.  I just hope He does a number on the hole left in my soul because I missed perhaps my last chance for a good old-fashioned garage sale!  Just kidding.

Andre and Daniel were home all morning with Kaleb.  Andre left around three.  Kory went across the street and did a little volunteer work at the Philadelphia Church because they had a big work party going on.  I’m sure the boys were glued to their electronics and didn’t know if we were home or not.  Andre left to go spend the night with his grandmother, who lives near us.  Kaleb’s good friend Toban, joined him.  Toban has yet to spend the night with Kaleb, so I’m not sure what the dynamics are there, but Kaleb doesn’t seem too upset by it, so that’s good.  Our time is running short and I’m not sure they are all realizing that yet.

It rained most of today so I wasn’t motivated to go for a walk.  Shortly after I got home this afternoon, Roar Bjerknes dropped by again with something he wants me to take home and give to his friend, Larry, who lives in LaConner.  He stayed on for another great visit and told us even more stories from his journalist days and the efforts he went through to get his Vietnamese wife out of her homeland.  She was the first one to leave Vietnam after the war.  He showed us a big magazine article written about them and all they went through at that time.  I feel terrible for him that he’s suffering so much with health problems now.  He needs to be out once again, reporting on all that’s happening in the world.  He’s quite a guy.

After dinner, Kaleb and Daniel put together a solar powered model of a Viking ship that Kaleb’s had in his closet for at least a year.  Kaleb was so not interested in that, but when I made them stop their electronics they were desperate for something to do.  It was Daniel’s initiative to get that thing put together as Kaleb’s never shown any interests in models, much to Kory’s dismay.  Sometimes Kaleb can be a real pill.  Go figure.

Roar told us the new 3D “Thor” film was spectacular, so tonight Kory took the boys next door to see it.  According to the boys, Roar was right.  I stayed home and concentrated on what we need to pack for our trip to Israel on Tuesday.  I can’t concentrate on stuff like that with any kind of interruption, so it was time well spent and twenty bucks saved by me not going to the movie.  We are now packed and ready for our next adventure.  Woo hoo!

Visiting Tante Ruth

If Kory had his way, he wouldn’t leave the house until that wall was completely finished and the furniture put back where it belongs. But I had a little of my way today and I dared him to stop in the middle of a project, get out of the house, and finally go visit Tante Ruth. I felt terrible we’ve been here for over two weeks and haven’t been to her new place. When we walked in and gave her a hug, and she figured out who it was (she’s totally blind now and can hardly hear), she said, “Imagine that! That you have the time to come see me!” I think it’s the kindest way I’ve ever been dealt a guilt trip in all my life.




I talked with her just a bit in Norwegian and she complimented me on how well I’m speaking the language (I’ve heard that a lot lately.) She then said to me, “But you don’t speak the local dialect. That’s OK,” she said, “We have enough people that do that already.” I thought that was funny. Kory had a nice chat with her, but Kaleb and I were in the wings, not making any noise so she could hear better. She can only hear if the person talking is about six inches away from her ear, so Kory spent a good ninety minutes on his knees in front of her, bending over to talk loudly into her good ear. She spent the whole time holding one of his hands and rubbing up and down his arm with the other. It was pretty sweet, but I guess Tante Kari hates that she’s so needy and clingy now. I think it’s understandable. Kory didn’t mind a bit. (Today’s photo is much better of her – we told her to smile.)



Tante Ruth asked Kory what she ever did in her life to deserve to go blind (she has glaucoma.) That was a tough one, for which he had no answer. She also wondered about who would be paying the rent now on the condo, and Kory assured her we would take full responsibility for it. She was relieved. She has no idea her stuff is all gone as she was telling him just where to find certain things in the condo. It was a bit odd since her sisters had told her that her things had been split up in threes, but I don’t think she understood what that really meant. All she was worried about was that no one have any arguments or cause any trouble over her stuff. It was so sad to see her in such a deteriorated condition (and so thin!), but her spirits were good and she insisted she not complain about a thing, because, she said, “You didn’t come here to hear me complain.” I thought that was ironic since her whole life she’s been a hypochondriac and has always been sick and complaining about every little thing (Kory even said once she was sure she had arthritis in her ears), but now that she really has cause for complaining, she’s chipper as a bird. Strange.



It was a scorcher of a day today so it was sad we were inside so much, but the visit was important and we certainly won’t wait two weeks to go back, even though those old folk’s homes give me the creeps with all those half dead people sitting around in chairs in the lobbies, not moving a muscle.



Kory drove Kaleb and I to the library in the city afterwards so I could get some more farm history books. I’m on a roll with my friend Stuart’s family. I’ve gotten nearly every branch back to the early 1600s (between eight and 13 generations back). I think I’ve entered over 500 names in his family’s database on my computer. Talk about roots! Before I started, all he knew were the names of his grandparents that all came from someplace in Norway called “Romsdalen” (a place very near where we live.) When Kaleb asked why I like to spend so much time doing this kind of research, I told him it’s like putting a puzzle together, but I have to go find all the pieces myself, they don’t come in a box. It gives the “detective” part of my brain something to do.



We dropped Kaleb off at his friend William’s house to play for a few hours after school, then he took the bus up to his best friend, Toban’s house to finally have a sleepover with him. Kory and I used the alone time to do a little more second-hand store shopping, but didn’t find much of what we were looking for. When we got back home we visited a bit with the other two Tantes, then Kory spackled all the nail holes and joints in the wall he built while I sunned myself out on the deck. I took a bold step today and sat out in just my bra (yes, I do own one), knowing only Kory and Tante Aslaug could see me (from time to time she peeks her head over the wall that separates our balconies.) I instantly fell asleep in the heat but I’m sure neither of them paid me any attention. Good thing, I’d hate to offend anyone.



This morning I got the “what-for” from the woman with the big boobs that lives downstairs that offends me when she suns herself. I was told by both Tantes that we can’t shake our rugs out over our balconies because the dust lands on the balconies below, but I was told it was OK to shake them out over the courtyard on the other side because it’s just common walkways on each floor below us. So, I had to shake the sawdust out of one throw rug this morning and that big boobed woman came out and yelled, “IKKE LOV!” (NOT ALLOWED!) Tante Kari said she’s also been yelled at by the same woman who screamed at her that it wasn’t allowed to hang rugs over the balcony railings either. Tante Kari said that neighbor woman is especially “sour.” After having seen her nearly topless, I’d have to say she’s right about that –both inside and out.

Ascension Day

Today is a national holiday in Norway so everyone had a day off. Most holidays in Norway are religious in nature and today was no exception. Forty days after Easter, the Bible says, Jesus departed this earth up through the clouds and on into heaven . On the calendar in Norway, this day is known as “Himmel farts dag” – literally translated as “Heaven speed day.” It’s funny to say it in either Norwegian or English but I tried not to say it at all because I couldn’t help but laugh and that just seemed too disrespectful.

Kaleb was quick to do his chores this morning so he would be free to play with his friends the entire day. He actually arranged a sleep-over at Toben’s house so he was gone first thing this morning and I don’t expect to see him until dinner time tomorrow night. I’m so thankful he has so many friends here and they are all very good kids.

Kory was up bright and early this morning too because Odd declared it a work day, inspite of the fact it’s a “red day” on the calendar. Odd was anxious to get the window out of his old bedroom wall and installed in the new wall Kory built for him, so they worked the entire day on his remodel project (see photo). They not only got the window moved but Kory installed a huge support beam to replace the old exterior wall Odd was so pleased to knock out. Odd loves to do the destructive work, but ends up making more work for Kory because he’s often a little too destructive. Kory just laughs. Odd is such a funny guy and he’s unbelievably satisfied with every little thing Kory does. He told me today he’s been waiting ten years to get this project done. I asked him why he didn’t just hire it out and he said because he wanted “control” over the work and the carpenter’s he talked to would only work during the week, when he wasn’t home. It’s funny he thinks he’s in control of the project when he doesn’t know a thing about construction and keeps asking Kory what they need to do next. It’s all a matter of perspective, and I’m sure Kory is good at letting him think he’s in control.

I was over watching the “show” for a little while this morning and having coffee with Turid while Kory and Odd were hard at work. It was weird to have a day off and not have Kaleb home. I just sat around all morning, with not much to do. I felt like a lost puppy. This afternoon I came home to a quiet house and collected all the information from the e-mails I’ve received with reservation numbers and addresses, phone numbers and directions to places, and made a nice little chart so all the information is together for our road trip. At least that part of my life is now organized and I feel confident we are well prepared. If one thing goes wrong, however, I’m in big trouble, but at least I have all the phone numbers written down if I need to start canceling things. It felt good to be done with all that planning as it’s taken me way longer to do it than I expected (mostly due to Kaleb’s slow computer response time). I miss my laptop!

Turid invited Kory and I over for dinner tonight so I was glad I didn’t have to cook anything. It felt so comfortable to be there again, as it had become our home away from home after all the times we’ve stayed there over the years. We sat out on their deck and watched the mountains light up from the setting sun, then turn a nice shade of pink, then glow in the aftermath of the sunset. So beautiful… and now the sky isn’t getting dark until about 1am so it’s hard to go to bed when there’s still daylight. I’ve been up until nearly one almost every night this week.

One peculiarity I’ve noticed about Norwegians after they eat a meal is that they like to sit around and pick their teeth with toothpicks, for at least an hour after they’ve eaten. Even in restaurants, all tables have toothpicks holders on them and no matter how fine the dining, the customers will sit and dig for that last little morsel of food, while carrying on a conversation. I find it a little disgusting, but it’s just the norm here. Kory has always done it at home in America, but it’s like he relishes it all the more now. It wasn’t a good idea tonight however because a few days ago when he was knawing on some dried fish (that’s hard as a rock), he knocked a cap loose and tonight, while picking his teeth, he knocked the whole tooth right out of his mouth. I guess it wasn’t really a cap, it was more like a fake tooth glued into place, but it’s the one right next to his front teeth so now he looks like some hillbilly from the Ozarks. Last week when he knocked it loose in the first place, he made an appointment with a dentist but couldn’t get in until next Tuesday, so I’m not sure what he’s going to do now. I just hope he doesn’t smile too much because he looks absolutely ridiculous.