Papa's TORsdag: A very special gift from a very special person

A package was posted in St Paul, Minnesota on February 11, 2009.
Destination Oslo, Norway.
From a Female to a Male and Female. The receivers Names: Very strange. And the Adress: Unspeakable. In American. Because of the missing "O-Slash" and "A-ring" capabilities on the English Keyboards.
Package:
Wrapped up in a "Heart Rate Monitor" box.
Very suspicious.
Full Alarm - in the US Authorities.

Was the package opened and inspected? Was something stolen?
Did they read the message inside? Did they test the content?

Here is what did pass the Quarantine. The best of Minnesota Wild Rice.
I ponder how many people were involved in the brave effort to protect Homeland and International Security? And how many chemical tests were done? If any?
Why do I ponder? It was posted Feb 11 - 2009, and received on March 5 - 2009.
PS. Enlarge and you'll have a recipe for free.

Any messages? Yes. Here you see the adress on the envelope that was inside the package.
This is so beautiful and created from Heart.

And here, a Norwegian Proverb. From my very dear Suzann in St. Paul, Minnesota. I love this design. And the Proverb.
If you'll find a path without Grass between St Paul in Minnesota (USA) and Oslo (Norway), you know who has walked on that Path.

What was personally written on the other side, will remain between Suzann, Anna and me.
Don't even speculate.

This is, my dear blogger friends, yet another brilliant example how bloggers across miles, nations and oceans enlarge the value of life.

PS. If you have not yet visited Suzann's blog, it's about time you do. She is one of a kind.
Tell me frankly, when you comment on this post. OK?

TorsDay 13

It's here

TT13 - TORsday - recipes from the Norwegian Kitchen - #3

A typical Fall/Autumn dinner in Norway

When we realize a short Summer is over here at 60 degrees North in Norway and the evenings became chilly and the nights once again are longer than the Days, then it’s about time to think about traditional season-food.

1

Pick up a large kettle

2

Pour in some water and make a thickening (flour and butter)

3

chop potatoes, if you do not have small organics in your Garden

4

chop carrots, if you do not have small organics in your Garden

5

Add some chopped green beans – from your Garden?

6

Add some chopped Leak – from your Garden?

7

Add some chopped pimentos or red/green pepper (Paprika) – from your Garden?

8

Add black pepper (at your own preference)

9

Add chopped parsley (you allways have those around)

10

Some chopped slices of Zuccinis/Squash – from your Garden?

11

Add some Lamb Meat (with bones – the type used to make Stew)

12

Add a good cook/chef (who have the knowledge of the different ingredients and patience enough to prepare and wait for the result)

13

Pay your Energy Bill and turn on the Heat at medium – let it cook slowly for a while when you relaxe with friends and/or familiy. Sniffing the heavenly smell before attacking the dish

Serve hot in Soup Plates. Water, white beer or neutral white wine can be served as beverages.

Vel bekomme – Bon Apetit – Welcome to the Norwegian Dinner Table;))

More to come on TORsday's "everybody can cook Norwegian series"

TT 13 March 6 - 2008

Did you know #2
1. In 1894, the president of the Royal Society, Lord Kelvin, predicted that radio had no future. The first radio factory was opened five years later. He also predicted that heavier-than-air flying machines were impossible. Today, there are more than one billion radio sets in the world, tuned to more than 33 000 radio stations around the world. The Wright Brother's first flight covered a distance equal to only half the length of the wingspan of a Boeing 747.
2. Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing.
3. The word posh, which denotes luxurious rooms or accomodations, originated when ticket agents in England marked the tickets of travelers going by ship to the Orient. Since there was no air conditioning in those days, it was always better to have a cabin on the shady side of the ship as it passed through the Mediterranean and Suez area. Since the sun is in the south, those with money paid extra to get cabin's on the left, or port, traveling to the Asia, and on the right, or starboard, when returning to Europe. Hence their tickets were marked with the initials for Port Outbound Starboard Homebound, or POSH.
4. At latitude 60 degrees south you can sail all the way around the world.
5. You can cut a pie into 8 slices with only 3 movements

6 Leonardo Da Vinci invented the scissors.
7 Both humans and Cats have identical regions in the brain responsible for emotion
8 QANTAS, the name of the Australian national airline, is a (former) acronym, for Queensland And Northern Territories Air Service.
9 Almonds are members of the peach family.
10 Yucatan, as in the peninsula, is from Maya "u" + "u" + "uthaan," meaning "listen to how they speak," what the Maya said when they first heard the Spaniards.
11 Utigardfossen, the highest free-fall waterfall in Norway, drops 850 meter, 2788.7 feet - and is also the third highest in the world
12 Norway has hundreds of fjords, the largest is Sognefjorden , which is 204 Km long (nearly 126 miles)
13 In September 1752 the Julian calendar was replaced with the Gregorian calendar in Great Britain and its American colonies. The Julian calendar was 11 days behind the Gregorian calendar, so 14 September got to follow 2 September on the day of the change. The result was that between 3 and 13 September, absolutely nothing happened!.

Thats enough facts for this week. See other 13 on Thursday here

TORs - August 30 - My last post

Dear readers,

the headline is correct.

This is my last post.

Sorry. I'm fond of you all.

It's been a blast.

But time changes.

I have been a blogger for one year Friday August 31.

Everything has an end.

I'm not able to change that.

My last story is from our Canoe tour last Saturday.

In the Wilderness and the sound of Nature and the paddles.

1) Friday, August 24 - 2007 - Norway, South East:

Radio/TV/Internet: Weatherforcast for Saturday, August 25: Variable - may be showers, may be Sunny, may be windy, may be chilly, maybe maybe maybe...

2) Still Friday early evening:

To cold to sit out at the Platform.

We lit up the fireplace - old newspapers and wood. Cold and humid. At least we tried to have a pleasant time in front of our tiny fireplace. But fire? No, only smoke. You know, not up into the chimney - but directly down and into our small "livingroom". Smokealarm - piiiiiip .

At least the 3 of them worked according to product descriptions. Not bad. But it's a hell for your ears to stop that noise ----

3) August 25 - Saturday:

4) 6 am: Sunny - 14 C

5) 7 am: Sunny - 15 C - some wind

6) 8 am: Sunny - 15 C - still windy

7) 9 am: Sunny - temp? We slept again

---

8) b11 am: Sunny - 20 C - hmm - what to do?

9) 12 am: Sunny - 20 C - Brunch

10) 12:30 am: Sunny: 20C - Canoe on top of the Car

11) 1:30 pm: 20 C - changing wind directions - Started canoeing in the wilderness - on the Lakes

Then: 4 hours completly incorporated with the nature. Only the sounds of birds, some amphiums - queck-queck, insects, jumping fishes - splash, a moose, flowers, waterfalls, wild blueberies, partridgeberries, cloudberries, crowberies, windsounds from the leafes of the different trees.....

12) and a beach for our own - skinny dipping - *giggles*

13) 6 pm: Shopping - the tiny grocery store did not have our cats fav's

13.5) 6:30 pm: 17 C - Time for Cat feeding and some moister lotion

That was the end of my year as a blogger.

Please enjoy our tour into to unknown:

Here you can see Anna's Croc - to the left. But where is Anna?

In the Lake of course. To cold for me to swim. Besides, if we both were in the water at the same time; who could take this photo?

Anna, prepared for the return to "civilisation":

Returning over the lower lake. Can you feel the silence and the sound of nature?


Well, this was my last post in my first year as a blogger. Goodbye.

PS. See you in my second year as a blogger, I hope. Starting August 31-2007

TORsdag - 13

Dutch friends in Oslo area

My regular readers may remember we went from our meeting with Mrs and Mr Lifecruiser to see our Dutch friends in Oslo last Thursday. To present only 13 photos from the 4 days we were together was a hard job. Nearly impossible.

FYI: Anna and I met Wim and Marjolein at Lake Tahoe, CA, in the beginning og August 2006. And had a jolly good time together for about 36 hours. This year, they went to Norway, to visit some Dutch friends, now working at Lillehammer (Winter Olympics 1994). And without doubts - to share some days (4) with us as well. It was another blast this Summer of Family and Friends - we almost forgot the lack of Summer Weather - this year.

Here we go:

1) They arrived with a Swedish boat from Denmark to Oslo. A rainy afternoon.

2) Here we are in our Winterhome. Skol!

3) At the table

4) Coffee outside the Viking Ship Museum - we were inside as well

5) Dutch Vikings meeting Brown Bear - at the Ski Museum - Holmenkollen - Oslo

6) A wet day in the Vigeland Sculpture Park, Oslo

7) Filtvedt Lighthouse - Wim and Marjolein - Oslofiord

8) Can't go to Norway without been into the Sea - Drammensfiord.

9) Holmsbu - a wet day

10) What a view - Wim looking out on the fjord

11) Wim leaving the Summer house

12) Breakfast at the Summerhouse

13) They left in a French Car with Dutch plates

TORsdag - July 5 - 2007

A very busy week - since last TORsdag -TT's

Summer gathering at work - me at Sea - My childhood friend's celebration - lots of presents- My son, his woman and my grandson (Watching a movie) at the summerhouse

and all the matters to be put in place before Summer Vacation. Which this year will be in Sweden and Norway.
Meeting some -keep your mind open - blogfriends.

Can you believe it - I'm planning in detail everything for a Customer Trip from Norway to Southern France - and at that time I'm on my way to Buenos Aires with Anna. In fact - it's the first time in 14 years I shall not host this group. I'm gonna miss them all - customer delegates and spouses.
This early evening I went the short o,9 miles to my childhood friend - heavy rain showers - which we have been used to the latest weeks. He got his DVD with all the photos I captured during his celebration (we stayed awake talking until 8 am;)) ) - we tested my wireless modem-solution from his summerhouse (It worked in fact perfect from there) - I picked up my photo memory cards, which I forgot last Sunday). And there were hugs and the best for the Summer Vacations. And suddenly - Sun - and Roses.

What's up? For this weeks TT?

1) Last official day a work before summer vacation on Friday
2) Pick up post at our winter home
3) Water the "Paprika" or Pepper fruits - still in the winterhome
4) Pick up Stompa
5) Pick up Solvi
6) Drive from Oslo to summerhouse on the bussiest Weekend in the year
7) Shop what's not shopped of needed goods
8) Bring up the goods incl Stompa in front of his food bowl
9) Start the washing machine (what we need for vacation)
10) Serve some wine for the ladies
11) Serve Pollock for the Cats
12) Have dinner
13) Quizz - 40 general and 10 easy

More TT entries - go there and be known;)

TORsdag 13 – June 21-2007

This time I got a TT for free. It just happened, what have not happened for many years here at the Summer House: Power Outlet.

At least the Pollock for Rosa and Felicia was well prepared before it happend.
Rosa was very angry at her father – Peter Fur. She screamed him away. What a noise. Like she told her father to at last be adult and fix his own life instead of stealing food from his own daughter.
I was down in the garden, when returning – Radio dead – no lights. Hmmm. I called my power supplyer. Power Outlet. Maintenance engineers searching for the cause.

Here it is – the TT when Power Outlet:

1) No modem for Internet (Roaar – grrrrr)
2) No Cellphone charger (battery will still last until Saturday)
3) No Lights or Heating (don’t think needed at the moment)
4) No Washing Machine (grrr)
5) No TV (hehehe)
6) No standard Music Player (well, have music on my PC)
7) No standard Radio ( no batteries)
8) No electric garden equipment (we have only a wood saw)
9) Yes, my Cellphone still works (hehehe – se 2)
10) Yes, we have hot water (gas)
11) Yes, to water the garden (which is really needed) and get rid of goatweed (5 feet high)
12) Yes, to talk with the cats
13) Yes, I can write this post with my ThinkPad

Hope to make dinner, without barbecue. Result: Picture to the right.
As you may have understood (sure you have) this is written Wednesday afternoon. No chance to comment on WW- entries then.
Anna was occupied with the “End of the School Year Party” – grade 5-7 – performing for parents. She stayed in our Winter Home last night. I had to feed the Cats. In the Summer Houses. I put on my noiseguard with build in radio.


This is written outdoor.
Marvellous feeling. Happy TT.