Along Life's Road

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Snapshots of the Day

"Det finnes ikke dårlig vær, bare dårlige klær."

I thought about this Norwegian rhyme as I walked the dogs today. I ventured outside at noon when the thermometer read -8°F/-20°C—almost subtropical compared to -22°F/-30°C temperature reading at 8 a.m.

With Norwegian-wool socks warming my feet in my old Sorel boots, snowpants over my insulated wind pants, a hooded sweatshirt and flannel blouse on my upperbody, a fuzzy scarf around my face, gloves covering my hands and a hooded-barncoat zipping in the works, I faced the elements and grasped the Norwegian rhyme which could "very-loosely" translate:

"There's no such thing as bad weather, only an inadequate sweater."

The wind blew. The sun shone.

Even as I walked the Arctic Avenue, I was warm. So warm, in fact, that frost begin to form over my glasses, on my hood and even in my exposed hair.

I held out the camera for a snapshot to see just what kind of havoc this bad weather was wreaking.

I snapped another of wintry way.

At home, I checked my email to find one from my husband who was stationed for the work week in "Sunny Jacksonville." He'd sent me a Florida beach photo.

"Ouch!" we responded in turn.

Me to him. And him to me, after I sent him my two Snapshots of the Day!

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Are You Connecting With Your Fifth Grader?

Noah's a fifth grader this year. When his science teacher assigned the class a biome project, Noah chose to research the tundra. He wrote:

"The tundra is a place with permafrost, which is ground that barely thaws. This biome has a short-growing season which makes life hard on plants and animals."

In his studies, Noah learned the earth has two types of tundra: the arctic and antarctic kind as well as the alpine sort. For images to use with his project, I opened a coffee table book called "Rondane" - a publication about Norway's oldest national park. We found images of reindeer habitat, food and young.

We also opened my treasure trunk and found a lichen-covered "map rock" from Rondane. When I suggested Noah bring the rock and the reindeer skin hanging in our entryway to show along with his project, he said, "YES!!!"

As we carefully removed the nails tacking it to the wall, Noah asked,"Why did you even bring this reindeer skin back from Norway?"

I explained how skiers roll up these skins, attach them to their backpacks and use them to cover the snowbenches they build at lunchtime.

"Before I left Norway, I bought cross-country skis, boots and poles so I could keep skiing when I came back to Minnesota," I said. "While traveling the west-coast mountains with my host family, we came across a vendor selling reindeer skins at a reasonable price. I bought this one to continue the tradition."

Then I confessed, " Only, I never did take it out on the ski trail. Instead, it's hung every home I've made. It's hung here for 14 years now."

"Oh!" said Noah. "Then maybe it's good we're taking it down— "
"For a dusting!" I interrupted. "Probabably..."

Today while Noah was off at school with his tundra trifold project and visuals, I set out on foot to walk the dogs down our gravel road.

As I crossed the large expanse between the glacial moraines to our north and south, the frigid temperature and wind brought to mind my fifth-grader's biome project.

When I returned home, I made my own tundra trifold project using photos from my morning walk.

"Why?" I asked myself, and answered the question with another:

"Are you connecting with your fifth grader?"

Monday, January 16, 2012

My First Article - Written in Norwegian

"You're officially part of Eidskog history!"

That's how I started a letter to the ladies from the 2008 NorwayBound trip this weekend. Our photograph - taken back then while picnicing at a lake with my host parents - was featured in the annual norsk Christmas publication, "Jul i Eidskog."

Just after New Year's Day, I received my copy from the book's editor. Not only had he taken the photograph, but he had also convinced me to contribute an article - "a little greeting" explaining my connection to the community located an hour east of Oslo on the Swedish border.

His request came early last fall - while I was up to my ears in projects. I told him if he could wait until October's end, I'd help. He agreed to the deadline. When I emailed a month later asking for a word-count size, he said not to worry, just let the article run its course. He could cut out an article he'd written on the area's last three cowboys to fit in mine.

I sent him my draft of "Julebrev fra Amerika" (Christmas Letter from Amerika) and wrote, "I won't be disappointed if you don't use this and instead focus on real Eidskogingers - also, folks who live there now." He returned my article with "not many" edits and the intended photos, including the lakeside one, another with the boys and me leading a Norwegian Christmas program at our local elementary school, plus our family standing on the snowy hillside behind our north-central Minnesota home.

The editor's decision to use the article gave me a surprise gift for my host families. The publication came out well before Christmas. In his holiday greetings, my host dad wrote, "Many people have read your article with the fine photo at Hesbølsjøen. Another host mom explained how the thread that binds us is strong indeed. To increase its strength, she sent a framed version of Eidskog's lumberjack poet Hans Børli's

Road to Eternity and a pair of house nisses.

When my copy finally arrived, I was happy to see "The Last Three Cowboys" didn't get cut. Instead the book grew to 128 pages. I showed my article with the photos to my husband and sons. They said, "Now we're a lasting part of Eidskog history too!"