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For all the complaining I did about the gray days this winter (and fall and spring), I can't sing the praises enough of our weather the past two weeks. Trees are leafing out, bulb flowers are in full bloom with daffodils found around nearly every corner. Birds that we can't identify are singing songs we aren't familiar with, it seems to be the universal "Song of Spring" trilled in Swedish Bird. We aren't being lulled completely in to believing our last 62 days will be all sunshine and happy birds, the forecast says rain is on it's way. However, we're making the most of each sunny moment.
You've heard me speak of my friend, Gunnel, on several occasions. Her husband, Sture, passed away on Monday evening - he was 80 and, by all appearances, lived a good life. I had met Sture a few times, and each time he was a charming gentleman. I can see how he swept this amazing woman off of her feet 56 years ago. On Tuesday, I was honored to sit with Gunnel and Sture's sister, Monica in what might be my favorite place in Sweden...Gunnel's back yard. As the sun set, we had a
glass (or two) of wine and raised our glasses in a grateful "Skål" for the life of this man.
The kids had a school dance this week, as well. I'm not sure how much detail I've gone into about the actual schooling that our kids are getting, but the Swedes place a lot of value on "feel good" and "practical" pursuits. Our girls have spent a lot of time learning to cook, sew, woodworking and apparently, dancing. Every year the classes learn a new dance - and it's always the same dance for the grade level, ie the 9th graders waltz, the 8th graders salsa on down to the lower grades where the little children learn traditional Swedish folk dances. They perform these dances to a packed crowd in the gymnasium. Neither of the girls had said much about this event, but both of them had grumbled about it. I had no idea what to expect and I was spellbound. First, the day care children paraded around the gym waving flags. SUCH a relief that I had made Jorgen change his clothes after 3 days in ripped sweatpants (what is it with boys tearing up their clothes?) and he
was dressed respectfully, at least, considering I didn't know he was parading! Signe's group was awesome - I swear, the girl has morphed into a Swede. Though she will never "perform" on command, or maximize that God given talent she has for music and dance, she is a natural performer. The look on her face as she breezed through the rolicking dance nearly brought me to tears. Signe is happy - at least when she's whirring across a dance floor, stomping to the beat. Emma's experience? Well, I'm with Emma...this would be my worst nightmare. It was clear that she did NOT enjoy being placed in full view doing something she did not enjoy - fortunately, their dance was short and her pain was minimal. Emma is marvelously talented, she just chooses to use her talents in other ways. Thank goodness for freedom of expression. I'm sorry I don't have any dance photos, it's all on video and from a distance.
Speaking of Emma, she took her first official swim in the sea yesterday. School was released early, due to the dance activities (school programs are mostly held during school hours). Most of her class went to the vik
(bay) by Gunnel's to take advantage of the afternoon sunshine. Emma called about an hour after she had gone and said her friends were all jumping off the cliff and she wanted to join them. O.k., clearly the first thing that goes through your mind is, "if your friends all jumped off a cliff, would you do it, too?". Doesn't apply here. Yes, she would. The real question is, would I let her? There were no parents there to supervise, they don't have lifeguards at the sea (but they do have jelly fish!). It was a huge leap of faith for me to say, "sure, go ahead...have fun". She had to walk 1 1/2 miles to get there, I knew about the lack of supervision and the jellyfish and I still said "go". That's a HUGE step for me. As to jumping off the cliff, I said no. Fuddy duddy Mom. I explained that I really wanted to take pictures of that first leap off a cliff. How many parents do you know who looks forward to photographing their child leaping off a cliff? Really, I just want to be there...to protect her. That's my job. Jeff came home shortly
after the call, I explained the situation to him and he said, "let her jump". We clearly have different comfort levels with this. We tried to call her back, but she didn't answer (I'm glad). She came home and said she had a great time and she's glad she waited to jump...so we could all experience it together.
Today is an official Swedish holiday, similar to our Labor Day. Last evening, we celebrated the Swedish welcome to spring, officially called Valborgsmässoafton. Say that three times fast. Or once. Now you know why I don't speak Swedish. In Kullavik, the event is celebrated at the harbor near our place with songs and storytelling at the sea. Leading up to this day, we had been told that it's always cold and rainy - that we should dress warm and dry. Yesterday's weather was absolute perfection. As I sat listening to the many people surrounding me singing traditional songs in a language I don't speak but still love, as the sun dropped into the sea in an glorious display, I thought to myself, "is this a dream?". There have been many times this year that have felt surreal, and this was one
Baking!
Look at all that counter space! of them for me. They haven't all been this picturesque or pleasant, but this memory is one I will treasure.
Jeff's brother, David, arrives tomorrow. We're a little excited about that, especially Jeff. Unfortunately, we won't really see him much, as Jeff has a baseball game THREE HOURS AWAY, so he and David will head from the airport to the ball field. I'll be sitting that one out. We anticipate the arrival of Grandma Jan, and her sister, Joan on Tuesday...let the games begin!
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Keith and Pete
Postcards from Europe
Valborgsmassoafton!?
I always enjoy reading about the life ya'll are leading in Sweden. I rated your sunset photo, it's beautiful. Happy Spring!