I have just spent four marvelous days in a small rustic cabin which previously was owned by a soldier farmer in the 1800s. The Swedish name for this structure is torp, often referred to with the added definite article, torpet. While there, I visited with 2 couples, then stayed with one of the cousins for 3 sweet days of relaxing, talking/talking/talking, laughing, and writing/writing/writing. We even collaborated on a poem. I will post the writings soon.
I hope you have been well. I continue to flourish in Sweden with my relatives and with the land.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Bus trip north to Ämäl--nope, not by Greyhound
July 25, 2013
One more missive before off-line.
Time is rushing by. I am riding the Swebus from Göteborg to Åmal to visit with all Sindsjö families. The ten days in Göteborg went quickly. I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with everyone in Karin's family. All are warm and friendly and are family. Peter provided the backdrop of checking in mornings and afternoons and by phoning to and fro to confirm plans. I had a wonderful balance of alone and together time.
As I write, when I know the Swedish words, I automatically start translating, but vocabulary continues to be limited, as evidenced by my continued challenge to understand any more than rudimentary conversational sentences. Yet I am understanding more and more general phrases, for example, posted advertising messages--so gratifying.
Pretty scenery, so much like Northern Minnesota--rolling, rocky, wooded hills, disconcertedly interspersed with Southern Minnesota flat farmland--a Jacob's ladder of Minnesota topography. I love the red painted farm buildings with white trim. Many homes are painted a goldish yellow as well as the red/white combinational; I refer to that palate as ketchup and mustard, which I figure is a sharp and welcome contrast to long, dark, snowy winter months. When home, people fly a long Swedish blue and yellow pennant from a flagpole or from their porch. 'Tis a nice overcast Seattle-like day. Spots of blue and peeks of sun; temperate temperature (nicely redundant words!); comfortable. The highways are fenced against älgar/moose, which are smaller than US moose, but just as lethal when run into by a car--or vice versa. Many people walk and bike, as we are being encouraged to do in Seattle, but the walking/biking trails are separated from car traffic, much like the Burke Gilman Trail, but were not a former train track.
This trip is almost 3 hours, a nice transition time. I sign off for now to enjoy the scenery.
Time is rushing by. I am riding the Swebus from Göteborg to Åmal to visit with all Sindsjö families. The ten days in Göteborg went quickly. I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with everyone in Karin's family. All are warm and friendly and are family. Peter provided the backdrop of checking in mornings and afternoons and by phoning to and fro to confirm plans. I had a wonderful balance of alone and together time.
As I write, when I know the Swedish words, I automatically start translating, but vocabulary continues to be limited, as evidenced by my continued challenge to understand any more than rudimentary conversational sentences. Yet I am understanding more and more general phrases, for example, posted advertising messages--so gratifying.
Pretty scenery, so much like Northern Minnesota--rolling, rocky, wooded hills, disconcertedly interspersed with Southern Minnesota flat farmland--a Jacob's ladder of Minnesota topography. I love the red painted farm buildings with white trim. Many homes are painted a goldish yellow as well as the red/white combinational; I refer to that palate as ketchup and mustard, which I figure is a sharp and welcome contrast to long, dark, snowy winter months. When home, people fly a long Swedish blue and yellow pennant from a flagpole or from their porch. 'Tis a nice overcast Seattle-like day. Spots of blue and peeks of sun; temperate temperature (nicely redundant words!); comfortable. The highways are fenced against älgar/moose, which are smaller than US moose, but just as lethal when run into by a car--or vice versa. Many people walk and bike, as we are being encouraged to do in Seattle, but the walking/biking trails are separated from car traffic, much like the Burke Gilman Trail, but were not a former train track.
This trip is almost 3 hours, a nice transition time. I sign off for now to enjoy the scenery.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
My next leg in my Swedish Camino; off-line until at least July 28th
Barnvakt ikväll med Lina--två sött barn. Mycket roligt.
Babysitting tonight with Lina--two sweet children. Lots of fun.
FULL moon tonight--you too! So beautiful. It rained this evening; by the time we were on our way to Lina's, the rain had stopped. The clouds scuttled across the full moon, so it peeked in and out as we wound our way around roundly-rounds, across bridges, and, finally, to the last house on a road--freshly painted and tucked in for the night.
My last night in Göteborg. Tomorrow I will take a bus to Ämäl and Tösse and Tössebäcken to visit more family members. For the first serval days, I will stay with Monica, Göran, Gunilla, and Jan in a small cabin without electricity or plumbing. I will, therefore, be off-line until July 28th at the earliest. I will continue to write, so you will be inundated in later July. Be well, be happy, be YOU. Much love to all.
Fulfilling Day, July 23, 2013
Tuesday, July 23, 2013, another fulfilling and interactive day. Eva, a visiting friend, and I walked to Eva's pea patch, a fantastic oasis of calmness and fecundity. Too much waking, really, but worth it. Ice and Aleve, a good combination.
Klara, another of Karin and Peter's grown children, arranged for us to meet for dinner and conversation in the neighborhood--a perfect cafe with fresh salads (too big to allow space for the scrumptious desserts). I could understand most of the menu items and descriptions--so gratifying. Klara and I easily and deeply conversed. She accurately has confidence in her flowing, large-vocabularied English.
We had run into Eva and her friend on the way to dinner, and during the conversation, I invited myself to watch a new episode of Mid-Summer Mystery--but an Italian mystery program was on instead. I stayed, and occasionally drifted into a nap, to hear Italian, watch Swedish subtitles, and be almost as mystified at the end as I had been at the beginning. Some blueberry cobbler, ice cream, and easy conversation all around.
Klara, another of Karin and Peter's grown children, arranged for us to meet for dinner and conversation in the neighborhood--a perfect cafe with fresh salads (too big to allow space for the scrumptious desserts). I could understand most of the menu items and descriptions--so gratifying. Klara and I easily and deeply conversed. She accurately has confidence in her flowing, large-vocabularied English.
We had run into Eva and her friend on the way to dinner, and during the conversation, I invited myself to watch a new episode of Mid-Summer Mystery--but an Italian mystery program was on instead. I stayed, and occasionally drifted into a nap, to hear Italian, watch Swedish subtitles, and be almost as mystified at the end as I had been at the beginning. Some blueberry cobbler, ice cream, and easy conversation all around.
FOOT-FEEDING FISH
Another Sweden-only experience,
Or, probably, a not-in-America experience.
Eva and her friend and I went to Haga
This morning to have Turkish
Smile Fish (without teeth) nibble at
Our toes, feet, and ankles.
Smile Fish nibble at dead skin, giving a
Tickling and stimulating sensation,
Very pleasant, really, once the original
Creepiness is accommodated for.
The fish, only an inch long, immediately
Begin their job, swarming and sucking.
My right foot and ankle, as deeply as I
Could submerge, are smooth as a baby.
Because my left foot remains taped
'Til tomorrow, the fish concentrated
On the other foot, resulting in ever-increasing
Differences between my two extremities.
I made certain to ask whether the fish are
Given other food, in case nobody desires
Toe nibbling. "Yes," I was assured, "the fish
Are well fed." I can hardly wait to get
Untaped, and, therefore accessible for
Nibbling--perhaps while in Stockholm.
Karin currently experiences some blisters.
We talked about her being able to access
This unusual therapy upon completing
Her long and foot-intensive pilgrimage
Journey on the El Camino de Santiago.
Karin, you have a treat awaiting your return!
Ann Beth Blake
(c) July 24, 2013
THINKIN' 'BOUT HOME
When traveling, we need to
Concentrate on our belongings,
Because the usual placements
Are temporarily gone.
I spend time looking for things
I think I have certainly lost,
But then show up again
In unusual locations.
Our possessions become
Invisible among our
host's/hostesses' things.
Ours just disappear.
Although suitcases steal
Clothing and toiletries,
Backpacks are even worse:
The crannies are endless.
"I just had it, now where
Did it go?" "This time,
it must be really lost!"
Mostly, "it" reappears.
Not that I don't lose
Things at home, I do.
I have a Trickster
Who plays with me,
As well as a helper who
Moves my hand toward
Lost objects when I
Relax enough to allow.
In late-age paranoia,
Mom thought Bob was
Hiding her things, and
maybe she was right.
She was controlling;
He was passive and,
Maybe, passive aggressive.
They communicated poorly.
But I assured her that I
Frequently misplace
Things in my solo life.
No one to blame but me.
Because I tend to misplace,
I have some automatics:
Keys ALWAYS on the
Right side of my body.
On vacation, when searching
AGAIN for a mundane
Article, I naively yearn
For my organized home.
Our things are just
External accoutrement.
Our Self and all the inner
Trimmings are the essence.
Although we attach to people
As well as places, home,
Of course, is where our heart is.
I can, thus, always find home.
Ann Beth Blake
(c) July 24, 2013
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
EVA'S ODLINGSLOTT
Evas Odlingslott
Eva's Pea Patch
In the city of Göteborg,
In a westerly neighborhood,
Eva farms a Pea Patch with
Like-minded folks who value
Land and home-grown produce.
Eva experiments with herbs,
Vegetables, and flowers,
Employed as ingredients
In her lotions and potions,
Generously shared with all.
A productive Shakespearean
Cauldron stirrer, Eva concocts
Creams, remedies, teas, soaps.
Opened refrigerator and cupboards
Reveal oil essences and dried plants.
Eva's worldview is affirmative,
Optimistic, and enthusiastic.
Within her crisp wit and quick
Intellect, she offers compassion and
High standards for respectful action.
Integrating the relationships between land
And people is integral to her nature.
The odlingslott embodies her being,
Her philosophy, and her meaning.
Cultivating plants offers passion and focus.
Eva is a daughter, a sister, a mother,
An aunt, a grandmother, a cousin,
A friend, a seeker, a sharer,
A multi-faceted health practitioner.
Eva is the earth.
Ann Beth Blake
(c) July 22, 2013
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)