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December 27, 2011

Dalahemslojd

Isn’t this the quaintest little piece of Swedish culture? My siblings and I bought it for Mom’s Christmas present at an antique mall. You can buy a new one for roughly 200 dollars—way more than what we paid for it! It is in perfectly good shape: the paint is still clear and bright, the wood smooth and unblemished (though a little dirty on top), and the sticker in Swedish confirming the value of this wonderful little “Dalahemslojd” We like to think of it as a symbol of our Swedish heritage.
The sticker says:
Akta
Dalahemslojd
tillv. Nils Olsson
Nusnas, Mora
Sweden

December 17, 2011

EGGGGGGGGSSS!!

     To my knowledge, eggs have never been so abundant in our household before.
Explanation: We are babysitting our neighbor’s chickens for a week which means we get to keep the eggs. (Not to mention our own 11 hens all of which are prolific layers.)
Yesterday, my mom and I washed all 5 dozen eggs to give them away, and yet they are still building up steadily in our refrigerator.
We are beginning to run out of imaginative ideas as to how to use up all these eggs. Any ideas?

December 12, 2011

blow, blow, thou winter wind

With the onset of winter a lot of transitions have been made in our daily routine.
Ÿ            Instead of flipping the faucet handle and using the long hose to fill the horse trough, trips with a wheelbarrow and water jugs have to be made.
Ÿ            Brand new space heaters have been procured for our cold bedrooms in the basement.   
Ÿ            A continuous distribution of hats, scarves and wet boots begins in the mud room creating an absolute mess.
Ÿ            Firewood is gathered and split for our wood-stove (while children collect the kindling).
Ÿ            And extra bedding is applied to goat houses, chicken coops, horse stalls, and my four-poster bed.
Perhaps winter is a little bit harder on us than summer, but we enjoy this season as well as any other. Here’s why:
Yes, that is our dog Ponca, and yes, she’s biting my leg. Good thing I was wearing thick overalls for protection. This winter however, we have an added nuisance to sledding. My brother’s dog Grumman (a big, muscular yellow lab) loves to chase us down the hill and steal our hats when we fall over. And the aggravating thing is that we can’t get them back!
     I love winter. There are good and bad sides to it, but on the whole the cold, exigent season is healthful for one’s mind and wellbeing.
 “If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant....” --Anne Bradstreet