Hjemkomst=Homecoming

Today I
traveled
to Norway -

in my
mind.

I figured

it was

about time

for my escape.

My four guys

had each

had theirs.

So after Noah's
honor band
concert,

we navigated
our way

to Moorhead's
Hjemkomst Center.

The place

houses

two

modern-day 

replicas

of
ancient
Norwegian
history:

the

Hopperstad

Stave Church

found in
the community
of Vik

on

Norway's

western

coast

and the
Gokstad Ship
housed in
Oslo's
Viking Ship
Museum.

Norwegian friends

and family

who've visited

the Fargo-Moorhead area

were surprised

to learn I'd never toured

the center.

Today was
my third time
- in 18 months -
coming through
Minnesota's
northwestern region.

The rest of our day's schedule
was wide open.

What

better time

to explore

Noah's

ancestoral

heritage? 

What an
opportunity
to reminisce
on my second
homeland?

The

two-hour

tour

lived up to

the interpretive

center's name

 

"Hjemkomst=Homecoming."

A Get-Away

We all need a "get-away" now and then.

Aaron's had

his moments

locally - 

hunting wild turkeys

and catching carp.

(This one on April 22nd.)

Isaac spent six days
on a high-school
music-department
trip to New Orleans.

(A portrait from their April 21st riverboat tour.)

Dan worked in Jacksonville, Florida 

from one Friday to the next Friday.

(The April 21st view from his hotel window)

So when Noah got selected to travel to Moorhead with his tuba to play in the NW Minnesota first-year honor band, he and I made the event a mini-vacation.

Friday night, we overnighted in Fargo. This morning, we marked his first trip to North Dakota by snapping his photo while crossing the Red River upon our return to Minnesota.

 

At

Moorhead's

Horizon

Middle

Noah
warmed up
with his fellow
band students
during registration.

Then their

band director

led them

to their sectional

practice groups

to work on numbers

for the noon concert.

Both a first-year band and a second-year band performed during the 40-minute concert.

The combined honor
band groups totalled
195 beginner musicians -
with about the same
amount of applicants being
turned away.

The seven students

and band instructor 

from our school

who joined 

the Get-Away! 

By Design

One month until graduation.
Time to send out invitations.

Just a courtesy.
No obligation.
Sharing our joy!

Hope

At the end of
a sunshiny day,
a long commute,
and deep mediation,

a few dark clouds appeared
releasing raindrops
on the windshield.

It seemed odd
until a few sun rays
beamed through
the gloom.

A rainbow appeared,
and I understood:
Hope!

Remember When?

Today I traveled home

to the farm for a visit

with my parents and niece.

This beautiful spring day

helped me

"Remember When?"

Turkey Talk

What began Friday during

the high-school Rewards Day

concluded this afternoon

between the bouts of rain.

About 3:30 pm, the phone rang.

"Guess what, Mom?"

Aaron said, "I got one!"

But before he could tell his story, 

Aaron said their field spotter 

just saw four more turkeys.

He ended the call saying,

"We're going after one for Chase!"

About an hour later,

Aaron called again.

This time the group was

at the weigh-station

registering their birds and

preparing for a photo shoot.

The boys' buddy, Tristan, jumped

 into the portrait too.

Aaron reported Tristan had

come along to watch

but was soon saying,

"Where's my gun?"

On the scale,
Aaron's jake
(an immature male)
dressed out
at 17 pounds.

Chase's tom
weighed in
at 20 pounds.

The beard on Aaron's jake

measured 3-1/2 inches

compared to the 9-inch beard

on Chase's tom.

Aaron's jake had button spurs

(the white notch

above the top toe)

on its feet, while those

on Chase's tom

were 1-1/2 inches long.

When Aaron arrived home this evening, he finally got to tell his story about spotting two turkeys in the field, driving past them, parking the truck across the road, finding a tree to lean against for the shoot, luring them in with a turkey call, picking out the bigger of the two from 50 yards, getting a good view of its head at 15 yards and taking the shot. Within 30 minutes, Chase had his bird too. His dad was glad.

Apparently, male turkeys hunker down on days without sunshine. This weekend's forecast called for clouds, rain - and even snow on Sunday. That the boys even saw turkeys this weekend was something of a miracle. And to have avoided hunting in Sunday's forecasted cold and snow, well...

Aaron reported Chase's dad raised his head and folded hands heavenward as he said aloud, "Thank You!"

Talk about a true Thanks Giving...

Thanks, Shorty!

Sometimes, it's just good to go home.

Today was one of those days.
The church was nearly
empty when I arrived.
I thought I was late.
But instead, I was 45-minutes early.
The extra time provided me an opportunity for reflection.

I'd been carrying a burden -
one totally unrelated to this day's events.

Yet in this place, I felt it begin to lift.

The funeral readings

and songs carried

the burden higher.

But it wasn't until after the reception meal
that I was given the tools to let go.

Out-of-the-blue,
her grieving son-in-law
came to me saying,
"I'm getting too old to hold grudges."

He explained how his career as a prison guard
had opened his eyes. His mission with the prisoners became to help them see: It's healthier to live with a respect for the afterlife so that "There's nothing to lose."

Then it dawned on me:

In The Lord's Prayer,

Jesus teaches

his friends to pray,

"Give us this day

our daily bread,

and forgive us our sins

AS we forgive those

who sin against us."

Forgiveness is the key -

to lifting burdens,

to heaven

and to peace.

Suddenly I realized:

I'm getting too old to hold grudges too. 

He finished his story noting 

that after having served

their sentenced time

and on their way out

the door to "freedom,"

the released prisoners

would smile and say,

"Thanks, Shorty!" 

Tonight I echo

those sentiments

and RELEASE.

April Blessing

 We woke this morning to a white world. No motorcycling for Dan today. Instead, we dug out Noah's boots for school recess.

By early afternoon, I was fielding calls about cancelled sporting events. Cold temperatures held the flocking in place. "No baseball game or practice," Aaron said, "And the track meet's been cancelled too."

For me,

the day felt like Christmas

without the stress

of baking or gift making.

Instead, nature provided

the best gift -

postcard beauty,

nitrogen-rich fertilizer

and a quiet moment

in our busy family schedule.

Truly an April Blessing. 

Sweet 16

"We haven't had kransekake
for a while," Aaron said
when I asked him what
sort of birthday cake he wanted
for his Sweet 16th.

And so it was:
with equal parts
powdered sugar
and ground almonds
bound together by egg whites.

In fact,

the whole house

smelled sweet

as I baked six pans

of graduated rings

- three at a time -

and later drizzled them
with icing to form
Norway's celebrated cake
which is wrapped in plastic
to "age" and gain
its characteristic chewiness.

Numeric candles,

Swedish fish,

gobstoppers

and a

 miniature Jeep

garnished

the macaroon

wreath cake

for a moment.



And then,
it was gone.

All but the
Sweet 16!

Icicle Cascade

Flowing

sap

from

a

new

stump



forms

an

icicle

cascade

on

this

chilly

(15F/-9C)

 morn.

Easter-Time Birthdays

We met to celebrate New Life - in our faith and family. We did it with three kinds of cake. Happy Birthday to five folks marking another year within a two-week time span of each other and Easter!

My Husband Chose My Washer - Again!

About a week ago, I jumped out of bed fearing a fire. I tracked the burnt smell to our laundry closet where our top-loading washer was having difficulty. I quickly turned off the chugging machine, pulled the plug from the outlet and made sure of no flames or smouldering before leaving the load in limbo and returning to bed.

The next morning, I alerted Dan to the trouble. He eventually diagnosed a worn out transmission. To fix or replace it? That was the question with our four-year-old washer.

At the time we bought it, I wrote a blog post called, "My husband chose my washer." Dan figured we'd get 10 years use out of this one being our previous washer had lasted that long. What he didn't foresee was how our washer's work load would increase as our boys grew. Sometimes the machine washes eight loads a day and into the night, especially if the boys return late from their sporting events. One could surmise that we got 10 years of normal-family use from that machine in less than half that time. Or perhaps, as Dan concluded, "They just don't build machines to last like they use to."

Given our active household of five, our rural septic system and the cost of repair, Dan opted for a replacement. This time he chose a front-loading washer for its water-and-soap efficiency as well as the five-year warranty. His hope is that if this machine doesn't last as long as the other one, the warranty will cover a replacement.

Our front-loading machine arrived today. During installation, one of the delivery men ran a test round. The machine lit up and sang a musical tune.

"It sounds like R2D2," I said. He replied, "Oh, it'll talk to you. In fact, if something ever goes wrong with it, you just call the 1-800-number and hold the phone up to the machine. It will talk to a computer that will diagnose the problem right over the phone."

Later when I explained this feature to Dan, he said, "You know what the washer's gonna tell the computer? Help! Get me outta here. These people work me too hard!'"

Wish I could tell someone that too. Meanwhile, I'm glad my husband chose my washer, again!