Norwegian Stuff and More

I decided that I might fit in one more post before a new month begins. We're in the middle of a three day weekend, and I am so, so glad for another day off. For some reason stress is really taking a toll on me this year. That's just the way it goes.

I guess I should battle the stress by more stitching (which I haven't done in six weeks or more) and exercise. Does that sound like a good plan to you? I can't do anything about work stress, so I have to find ways to battle it.

I wanted to first share a photo of what we see in the backyard when we're around in the morning. It shows the prelude to the daily battle between our backyard western scrub jays and our local squirrels. I had never seen squirrels around here until lately. I do think our peanuts beckoned them here! We live in a city that has a population of about 300,400 people. I guess I didn't realize there were too many squirrels around here, too.



And one of the scrub jays:




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About a month ago we went to a Festival celebrating our Scandinavian heritage. We had an absolute blast! The food was great, the music was fun, and we even dressed in native garb and posed for pictures. No, they're not being shared here!

Over the years I've bought or received various pieces of Rosemaling. This craft comes from Norway--my late grandfather's birthplace.

Here's what I bought at the festival:





And here is the Norwegian flag flying in front of our house on one of Norway's flag days. I'm very glad to be an American, of course, but I think it's fine to acknowledge one's heritage. It's amazing to imagine my late grandfather sailing over here from Norway in 1904, at just age 16, all by himself on that ship. In steerage, of course. Someday I would love to visit his homeland. I've heard it's beautiful. My grandpa lived in Minnesota, but he also visited southern California a few times. He loved the mountains around Los Angeles, and told my mother it reminded him of Norway. Isn't it funny that no matter where we go, our heart always seems to long for home?



Thanks for stopping by today.