Neighbors Helping Neighbors

I was still sipping my morning cup of coffee when our (almost) neighbor and friend, Willie Schaub called. He said he was going to the dump and wondered if we had anything he could take for us. Unbelievable. That was one item on my to-do list I wasn’t too sure I’d get around to doing anytime soon. Kory always goes to the dump and I don’t even really know the process. I told Willie we had six full cans of garbage and he said he had room for them all (we don't have garbage service). What an incredible blessing that was! I got to cross something off my list and I didn’t even have to do it. Hallelujah! The to-do list dominates my time these days but I’m now down to the final TEN things. Woo-hoo! The whole list has had to do with “resettling.” I do have a new to-do list started, but that’s just normal life for me and I’m now free enough to do things that aren’t even on my list. That's such a good feeling.

Kory got the new pump working and installed in the pond today, so that’s a load off his mind. He also hooked up the new BBQ regulator so that’s now off the disabled list and we had Bar-b-qued chicken for dinner tonight. Life is returning to normal. He watched several movies today too so he's still taking it easy.

When we were at the library yesterday, Kaleb saw a sign for the “reading to dogs” program I believe someone here in Washington State started. Basically anyone with a mild mannered dog can get them certified to be part of the program. The owner takes their dog to the local library and kids sit for ten or fifteen minutes and read out loud to the dog. There is no judgment, no correction, no snickers. (Our local library even scheduled the times when the library is officially closed so there are no distractions.) The dog just sits patiently and listens to the kids reading. It’s a great way to improve their out loud reading skills and even though Kaleb doesn’t really need help in that department, he couldn’t resist signing up – especially since he knows the dog. (He had been a “Dog of the Week” in Kaleb’s “Weekly Puppy” newspaper.) So this morning I took him to the LaConner Library and he sat with Lucas and read him the first chapter of "McGrowl" – one of Kaleb’s favorite dog books. Kaleb owns that entire "McGrowl" series and has read it five times. He sat on the floor with Lucas and scratched his head as he read. It was pretty sweet. Then later Lucas laid down behind him and put his paw up on Kaleb’s back (see photo – it looks like he either fell over laughing or is just giving Kaleb a little back support – either way – I thought it was pretty cute.) I was watching and listening the whole time. Kaleb read a few sentences then he’d look at the dog and keep on “reading” word for word – several of the next sentences. It wasn’t like he was reading ahead and just finishing up the sentence, he was quoting the book word for word without even looking – like an entire paragraph’s worth. I asked him about it later and he said he’s read the book so many times he has it memorized. That kind of stuff just freaks me out, but the dog didn’t seem to mind. (It’s been a long while since he’s read that book, too. Weird.)

I had my share of freak-outs with technology today. The wireless network I installed bites. I had the modem downstairs where it got the best signal, but about every hour I’d have to go down and reboot it because the signal would drop. I finally got fed up and moved it upstairs where I can see if it’s working or not and then I just hardwired it to my office computer as the wireless system isn’t going to cut it. The signal is obviously affected by the weather, too, as the fog was pretty thick this morning and I couldn’t get on the internet until the fog lifted around noon. I hate my dependency on computers. And the repair shop called today to say the only way to get my laptop back up and running is to format the hard drive. Lovely. Just lovely.

Our dear neighbor Priscilla had surgery yesterday so I made enough dinner to take some over to her and her husband and son. It felt good to be out from under all the pressure so I could do something to help someone other than Kory or Kaleb. I still haven’t unpacked all my clothes or brought up all of Kory’s clothes from the basement (item #2 on the list), but I’m working on it. Each day is full of new possibilities and I’m just thankful I’m alive and well and able to still get stuff done. Hallelujah!

A Fine Fall Day

It was 79 degrees today in Aalesund! I wasn’t sure if I was having hot flashes or if my classroom really was hot, but I was overdressed for this day, nonetheless. Kory stayed home from work with Kaleb as he had a fever again this morning. Kory didn’t want me to miss any of my class since they are moving so quickly through the material. He can work any two days he wants so it didn’t cramp his style to stay home and I think he was glad to just hang out on such a sunny day.

W e have 28 students in my Norsk class, from 18 different countries but English is a language we all can understand and speak (some better than others). It makes for some interesting coffee breaks. I have had the chance to talk to a few of the people in my class and they each have a story I find quite interesting. The woman that sits behind me is from Germany. She’s 31 and is a pediatric doctor, her husband is a dentist. The Norwegian government solicited them to come work here because there aren’t enough medical professionals here. (German dentists are the norm, I guess.) The woman that is my partner and sits next to me (we get to practice our pronunciation together) is from Lithuania. She is 22 and came here with her boyfriend to work also, but on the opposite end of the scale from the doctors and dentists. Many service jobs and fish factories hire people from Eastern Europe to do the grunt work that no Norwegian citizen wants to do. My partner, Vestina, works in a fish factory. Then there is the woman from the Ukraine who met a Norwegian on the internet and moved here to marry him. (They only speak English at home and she can barely speak English.) They’ve been married a year now and they still act like love birds (I saw them together during lunch one day). He’s a balding forty-ish almost okay looking guy and she is an early twenties hottie. These Norwegians aren’t dumb, that’s for sure.

Today, during break, Mai, a classmate from Thailand, offered to share her snack with anyone brave enough to try it. She had some apple slices she was dipping into something, and then eating it. The “something” was a mixture of sugar, salt and a dry Thai spice mix. I tried it. It was better than a cup of coffee to wake me up. She said people in Thailand always like to have a little “hot” with something sweet. Boy, she’s not kidding. No one else that tried it asked for a second slice, but I did. I only had five hours sleep last night (I was up after midnight helping Kory get out his report on The Sinking Houses), so I needed the extra “wake-up” call. I think I’ve moved to a new level of respect in the class now as everyone looked at me in awe as I took the second bite.

The photo today is of the harbor I walk up and down on my way to school every day. Every day there are fishermen that tie their boats up to the dock and sell fresh seafood right on the spot, caught that morning. Twice a week a guy is there with cooked shrimp; today it was a guy selling whole torsk (a type of cod). I could smell the boat from blocks away. I watched him fillet those fish in no time flat while the lineup of old men waiting to get the goods continued to grow. He had sold out and was gone by lunchtime. It’s all part of the charm of being in a sea town. I love it.

Kory was raking up grass tonight and found a huge hunk of mica in the yard. It’s a very cool type of mineral or rock or something that peels off in layers. It used to be used for the “glass” on old lanterns, as it won’t burn, and when the layers get peeled apart, you can see through them. Certain parts of Norway have mica everywhere. I guess this is one of them. I only remember one mica mine in New Hampshire in all our travels around the US and I was fascinated by it. I never get tired of all the things God has put in nature for us to enjoy.