We have had many walks in the forest during lockdown. Have I really not written a new blog post since December? I had no idea it had been so long. I'm actually pretty deep into writing a book and have neglected this blog which is now weeded with spam comments. Whew! Before the lockdown began I started writing a post on Norwegian manners, which I never published because it never felt right. I want to talk about how the pandemic has effected us, but then again, talk of this has been everywhere for months and I'm tired of it. Anyways, as every human on this earth knows we're all in a ..read more

A blurry but still sweet picture of my eldest daughter dressed in her Lucia clothing some years ago.December 13th is Saint Lucia Day. It's celebrated widely in Scandinavia with children wearing long white shirts, tinsel and candles. Generally, the eldest girl in the barnehage (kindergarten) will be wearing a crown of candles. Not real candles, of course, but battery powered candles. Lussekatter, saffron buns with raisins are passed out from baskets to be eaten. Delicious lussekatter.  As history has it, Saint Lucy was a girl who was a martyr. She would bring bread to persecuted Christians in ..read more

My pitiful attempt at a cartoon depicting Americans and Norwegians (generally speaking) Oh American optimism! I love it. I miss it. Where else in the world can you experience people with wide, glaring smiles, politeness, friendliness, names describing positive attributes (Hope, Faith, Patience) and the excitement of decorating for any holiday early? USA, that's where! A vast underlining aspect that Americans don't necessarily think about, yet live their lives by, is the never ending endeavor of the puritan work ethic - the mindset carried by nearly all Americans that hard work paves the way ..read more

Becoming Norsk. 7 years ago today I left the U.S. to live out my life in Norway. I had my newlywed husband by my side, a couple of suitcases and my cat with me. I traded a life of convenience for self-sufficiency. Fast food, processed foods and restaurants for learning to cook homemade meals from scratch. My car dependency for walking much more (and sometimes walking for just the fun of it). I traded bottled water for fresh tap water. Consumerism for minimalism, and a culture of broad class divisions for flat hierarchy. Everything I had known until that point, I left and tried to figure out ..read more