Munch Museum, Moose and Murphy's Law

Michelle and Vera had to fly back to the U.S. on Tuesday morning, but we realized that since they didn't have to be at the airport until 11:30 and the Munch Museum opened at 10, we had enough time to squeeze one more museum in! I really enjoyed the artwork--Edvard Munch created a lot of supernatural, dark paintings, such as The Vampiress, which I found very interesting. It was the highest security museum I have ever been to, though--we had to go through a metal detector and send our coats and the contents of our pockets through an X-ray machine like they use in airport security. I guess after the theft of "The Scream" no one wants to take any chances!

We had such a great time with our guests, and it was so sad to see them go. When we are caught up in our daily routines, we sometimes forget to take the opportunity to explore and appreciate everything Norway has to offer. We got the chance to be tourists again, and wow, did we ever see a lot! The one thing that we couldn't show Michelle and Vera was a moose. Vera especially wanted to see one, but even though we spent a lot of time out on mountain roads, not a single moose crossed our path. I'm a big believer in Murphy's Law, so I joked to Kevin on the way back from the airport that a moose was probably hanging out in our yard right now...wouldn't you know, there wasn't just one moose, there were three! I think they were the same three females who visited us (and chased the dogs) in February. We felt sick that our friends hadn't gotten the chance to see the beasts. Oh well, I guess since they didn't get to see everything they hoped to see, they have a reason to come back to Norway!

Our Tour of Norway, Part 3

On Sunday, we tried to fit just about every museum in Oslo into our schedule--of course we failed miserably! We did manage to visit Nasjonalgalleriet (Norway's national art museum), Akershus Fortress, the World War II Resistance Museum and the Vigeland Sculpture Garden. Nasjonalgalleriet was great--the museum is in a beautiful old building, and there are pieces by so many famous artists there. (I was not an art major, but even I can recognize names like Picasso, Rodin, Monet, Manet, Renoir and Van Gogh!) It was also interesting to familiarize myself with the works of some celebrated Norwegian artists.

After all that art, it was time for lunch. We went to Akker Brygge, a popular shopping and dining area near the harbor. Even though it was quite chilly out, the sun was shining brightly, and Norwegians were sitting outside at all the cafes. We opted for a cozy table by a fireplace inside--I don't think it matters how long I live here, I'll always be a wimp about the cold! After lunch, we walked over to Akershus Fortress. (The top photo is the view of the harbor and Akker Brygge from the top of Akershus.) The WWII Resistance Museum is in the fortress--I probably snoozed through a lot of my history class in high school, but I'm pretty sure that we didn't learn anything about Norway's role in the war. The museum definitely opened my eyes...I learned so much, but it was very sad.

Next, we hit the Vigeland Sculpture Garden inside Frogner Park. (Luckily, there was a waffle stand outside, so Vera and Michelle could experience some hot, fresh, waffley goodness for themselves.) The sculpture park is a beautifully landscaped oasis filled with 212 life sized sculptures by Gustav Vigeland. The second photo is looking towards the Monolith, a 52 foot high statue of 121 different people, carved from one massive piece of granite. The third picture is of Michelle and Vera up close and personal with one of the sculptures! If we had more time, it would have been nice to take our guests to the Vikinskipmuseet, the folk museum, seafaring museum...the list goes on and on.

But there are only so many hours in a day, so we headed back to Gjovik to prepare for a day of skiing in Lillehammer on Monday. Kevin and I have been to Hafjell before and thought it was a really nice place to ski. Unfortunately, temperatures have been high lately, so snow conditions are rapidly deteriorating in the mountains. We decided to try Kvitfjell this time, as it is further north and on the shady side of the mountain--we hoped that we would find better snow there. Thus began our day of folly...

When we reached the parking lot at the bottom of Kvitfjell, we noticed that we were at the bottom of a triple black diamond slope. (For those of you not in the know, that is insanely steep, like dropping off a sheer cliff steep!) The chair lift operator assured us that, while we could drive further up the mountain and park at the main skiing area, if we wanted to start skiing sooner, we could just take the lift up over the insane mountain trail. As long as we returned to the lift by 4:45, we could ride back down the chair lift to the parking lot. We were eager to start skiing, so we climbed aboard. The conditions were pretty icy, but we did manage to find a great slope on the west side of the mountain that was perfect. We skied for several hours, and then at 4:00, we dutifully headed down to the ski lift for our ride down the crazy, ice covered cliff of death.

When we got there, the lift was closed and no one was around. We went into the ski shop and asked, and were told that the ski lifts stop running at 3:45. What?!?!?! We very politely explained that an employee at the bottom of the mountain had told us 4:45, but we were met with indifferent shrugs. I understand that it's easy to mix up numbers when you're speaking a different language--I do it with fire (4) and fem (5) all the time. I'm sure the guy at the bottom of the slope isn't a homicidal maniac hell bent on forcing stupid tourists to tumble head over heels off the mountain, really, I'm sure it was an honest mistake. BUT, it was a mistake made by an employee of Kvitfjell, and I really think that another employee of Kvitfjell should have tried to rectify it. They did nothing. They refused to turn the lift back on and they refused to give one of us a ride down to the lower parking area in one of their many vehicles. Instead, they suggested we walk down the ice covered triple black diamond slope in our heavy ski boots lugging our heavy skis and poles. I think that the U.S. is far too lawsuit-happy, but I also think that maybe Norway needs a little bit more litigation to encourage its citizens to be a bit more hesitant to blithely send tourists into incredibly dangerous situations! This would NEVER have happened in the U.S.! Unfortunately, there was nothing else to do but attempt to walk. Kevin decided he would make the trek while the rest of us waited by the lodge with the skis. We waited for almost 2 hours and were getting very worried about his safety. I don't think I have ever been so happy to see our little Toyota Avensis zip around the corner!

Kevin said that at first, he tried walking on the ski trail, but as it was covered in ice and almost vertical, he had to wander into the woods instead. At one point he was wading through waist deep snow, in his ski boots. For a while, he slid on his back, until he realized he was going really fast and crashing into a tree and losing all his teeth was becoming a very real possibility. Finally, he came out of the forest onto the winding road that would eventually lead to the lower parking lot. His fury with the management of Kvitfjell was only fueled when he spotted several employees speeding past him in their cars as he trudged along. After several kilometers, and a lot of sweat, he finally reached the car.

Oh well, everything turned out okay, no one was injured, and some day we will probably laugh about this incident. We will definitely never give any business to Kvitfjell again, nor, I'm sure, will any of the readers of this blog (all 5 of them!) We ended the day in Lillehammer at Nikkers, a really nice pub with a big stone fireplace and lots of lovely beer and Akavit. It's funny how a little food and drink can make all the tensions and frustrations of the day just melt away!

Our Tour of Norway, Part 2

Since I began keeping this online journal of our experiences in Norway, I have met a few other Americans living in Norway through the internet. Keera is from L.A. but has been living in Bergen for the past 25 years or so. (Here is her blog: http://home.online.no/~kafox/blogfiles/ ) She graciously offered to give us a guided tour of Bergen--we only had 4 hours on Saturday morning to spend in the city, so it was wonderful to be able to see so much in such a short amount of time with no fear of getting lost! Keera was able to tell us about the city's history--lots of fires, the plague and a munitions boat explosion, oh my! The top picture is of Bryggen, the old Hanseatic wharf in Bergen. The next photo is of the churchyard at St. Mary's--I loved that crazy, gnarled old tree! The buildings in Bergen are really beautiful and colorful and I loved walking up and down the streets and alleys. We took a ride up the incredibly steep Funicular to the top of one of the seven mountains surrounding the city. It was gorgeous up there, wow, what a view! We also got a chance to stop by the famous fish market and sample some different caviars and smoked salmons.

We planned to take the 2:50 Flamsbana train ride, so we had to hurry back to the car for the next leg of the journey. Unfortunately, there was some confusion as to where to catch the Flamsbana--we thought we were supposed to go to Voss, a 2 hour drive from Bergen. We left Bergen by 12:20, so we should have been fine...BUT, the Flamsbana does not leave from Voss, it leaves from Flam, which is about 2 1/2 hours from Bergen. We have a TomTom, and when we programmed Flam into it, we could see that it was very unlikely that we would make it to the train on time. Kevin does enjoy a challenge, though, so off we sped! We could tell on the TomTom that we were making good time, and our projected ETA was getting earlier and earlier, and for a few moments, we really believed we would make it. We emerged from a tunnel to see the town of Flam below us in the valley, with 2 minutes left. We could see the train station and the train--it hadn't departed yet! Kevin drove like a maniac, over a one way bridge going the wrong way, and Michelle and I leapt out of the still moving car and ran to the conductor to purchase last minute tickets....as the train pulled away. Sigh. We had 3 hours to kill before the next train, but sadly, there is not much going on in Flam in March. During peak tourist season, I'm sure it is a great place to be, but in March, not so much. There was one cafeteria open, so we ate sandwiches and groused about how close we had come to making the first train.

Happily, the wait was worth it--the views from the train were spectacular! We bounced around from the left side to the right side, soaking up all the amazing views. The Flambana zig zags from the valley to the top of a mountain, and it is incredible! The train stopped at Kjossfossen so Kevin and I took the opportunity for a photo together--I'm not sure why he's making a Donald Trump face in the picture, though! The next photo is of Kevin, Michelle and Vera, very happy to have an entire train car all to themselves! There are definitely perks to visiting all the tourist traps during the off season! The train stops at Myrdal, a remote mountain station which can't be reached by road, and then goes back to Flam. The whole ride took about an hour and forty minutes, and I can't wait to do it again the next time we have more visitors from the U.S.!

The drive home to Gjovik was really long, but we were lucky enough to come upon this gorgous mountain lake at dusk and take a picture. The rest of the ride was dark and we had to cross yet another treacherous, snowy mountain before we finally could crawl in to bed...knowing that the next day, we would rise bright and early again to drive to Oslo and see some museums!

Our Tour of Norway, Part 1

Last Thursday, our friends Michelle and Vera visited from the U.S. and we began an insanely fast paced, jam packed tour of Norway. (Michelle went to college with Kevin at SUNY Potsdam, and Vera is Michelle's mom.) As soon as they deplaned, we began feeding them smoked salmon, hot black current sirop, brown cheese and Norwegian chocolate. We then took them on a walking tour of Gjovik, through the Olympic Fjellhall and to the Gjovik chocolate factory, of course! Their first evening in Norway ended at Spiseri, a very traditional Norwegian restaurant, where Michelle was able to try some reindeer.

On Friday, we woke up bright and early to begin the long trek to Sognefjord. It was a gorgeous drive (although incredibly long and twisty--I have never been so relieved to buy Dramamine!) Norway is full of incredibly old, beautiful churches, and we stopped by several to take pictures. At this point, my brain is so fried that I have no idea where the first two churches were located along the way, but the third photo is of the Hopperstad stave church in Vik. It was built some time around 1130 and has amazing dragon carvings on the top. There is a graveyard by the church and I really wish I knew more Norwegian so that I could have understood more of the inscriptions. One that I did understand was "Takk for alt", or "Thanks for everything", which made me laugh!

We zig zagged back and forth across Sognefjord a couple of times by ferry. (That's Michelle enjoying our final ferry ride of the day.) Our drive from Gjovik to Sognefjord and then to Bergen took us through a wide variety of terrain--from gentle, rolling hills, where the snow had melted and flowers were beginning to bloom, to the dramatic beauty of the fjords, to crazy, snow and ice covered mountain passes. The last photo is of a tunnel through one such snow covered mountain. The Norwegians love to tunnel--once we got past the treacherous, snaking snowy mountain road, the highway to Bergen was full of tunnels. Not very scenic, but much faster and easier driving!

We reached Bergen by 7:30 and walked around the wharf area (Bryggen). We had a nice seafood dinner at the Unicorn where we tried the famous Bergen fiskesuppe. It was really good, but really different than the fiskesuppe in the eastern part of the country where we live. I was so exhausted by the time dessert arrived that I could barely keep my eyes open. We stumbled back to the hotel (the Clarion Admiral) and into the most comfortable beds ever. It was like sleeping in a cloud, and the next morning over a great breakfast, we all raved about the fabulous beds!

Once I get my Bergen photos sorted, I'll post about our fantastic tour of the city and our adventure on the Flam railroad...more later!

Sognefjord Pictures

The last few days have been a whirlwind of tourism for us! I am far too exhausted to write much, but here are a few photos from the first day of our "Explore All of Southern Norway in 3 Days" experience. The first picture is of the eastern tip of the Sognefjord in Ardalstangen--still frozen and snowy, but very beautiful. The next is me and Kevin on the ferry from Hella--note the gorgeous mountains in the background. I'm still reeling from the shock of so much beauty in this part of Norway--I have seen photos, but you really have to see the fjords for yourself to appreciate how magnificent they are. I can't wait to see them in the summer! The last photo is of a mountain road--the snow was about 15 feet tall in places! I have tons more photos and stories from our trip to Songefjord, Bergen (and our fantastic tour guide, Keera) and our ride on the Flam railroad, but my eyes just won't stay open any longer tonight.......

Travel Plans

We have visitors from the U.S. coming tomorrow!!! I'm so excited! We have all kinds of fun stuff planned. On Friday we are driving up to Songefjord and then will spend the night in Bergen. We will spend the day on Saturday exploring Bergen, and then drive home later that evening. (Unfortunately it will be about a 5 or 6 hour drive each way, but hopefully the scenery along the way will make it worth it!) On Sunday, we will take our guests to Oslo to see the art museums and the Vigeland sculpture garden, and then on Monday, we are off to Lillehammer for some skiing. Hmm....this all sounded like a really fun plan in my head, but the more I think about it, the more it sounds like some kind of torturous "How to Make Your Friends Collapse from Exhaustion in 4 Easy Steps" regimen! I wonder if I can buy Red Bull here? I think they're gonna need it!
I also spent the day on the internet yesterday, searching for cheap tickets over Paske ferie (Easter break--Norwegians get a 10 day holiday) and I managed to get us tickets to Amsterdam! Plus a 3 night stay in a 4 star hotel at a really good rate! I have been dying to see the Van Gogh museum and my favorite flowers are tulips and I think canals are beautiful, so this should be a fantastic trip! I still can't get over how cheap and easy it is to get everywhere in Europe--I never thought I would be able to go to so many wonderful places, but now the possibilities seem endless.......

Lucky Naeroset

On the way to Lillehammer on Saturday, we passed through a small village called Lucky Naeroset. Anders said we should pull over and look around, and I'm so glad we did! This town was in jeopardy when the local school was slated to close, but the townspeople brainstormed and came up with some very creative solutions, including becoming a national "state". From one of their websites, an introduction:

"Lucky Naeroset is a small but very special place in Hedmark, Norway. We only count 1170 inhabitants but we have our very own Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affaires and Minister of Finances. In fact we have declared this village to be a small "Mini-State" and we have a full goverment - not quite like other goverments, we have a few rare departments. The Department of Fantasy is one of them."

This little village is all about fantasies, as you can see by the trolls in the photos. The third picture is of the sign pointing to the "underjordisk flypass", or underground airport. In 2000, an 11 year old boy wrote that Lucky Naeroset needed an underground airport in case aliens were to visit from outerspace, so that they could have a safe place to land and not worry about being squashed by cars in the road. So the town built one in 2002! You can drink magical elixirs and bathe in a tub of money in Lucky Naeroset...read more about this special little town here:

http://www.lucky-naeroset.net/english/english.htm

A Minor Setback

I have been looking forward to attending the Birkebeinerrennet since I first found out about it a year ago. This morning, our friends Anders and Nina and Kevin and I piled into our car and set off towards the mountains north of Lillehammer. (As you can see, I was able to convince Kevin to wear his green St. Pat's wig long enough to pose for a picture with Anders!) We reached the parking lot, full of anticipation, only to be told that the Birkie was cancelled. WHAT??!!!!????!!! About 13,000 skiers were expected for this race, how could it have been cancelled? I guess the wind was too strong, especially along the mountain pass, so after the first 6 classes of skiers had already started out, they were stopped along the trail and told that the race was cancelled and to turn back. In the race's 60 year history, this is the 1st time it has ever been cancelled.

We were so disappointed at first, but we decided that since it was such a beautiful, sunny day (albeit quite windy) we would go for a walk and find a nice place to eat our picnic lunch and drink our coffee and Bailey's. We were in good company--there were lots of spectators who had dug pits in the snow, made fires, and were enjoying eating and drinking. There were lots of people out skiing--the young, the old, families with children, even several dogs. All the spectators who were there to cheer on the racers instead cheered on all the people out for a leisurely ski. There were several large and rowdy groups who would perform a drunken wave for each skier who passed by. It was actually a really fun, cheerful atmosphere, and we happily joined in. We dug a pit under a tree, ate our sandwiches, apples and chocolate, drank our hot current saft and our coffee and Bailey's and cheered ourselves hoarse. I was reminded of all those Hawkeye football games that I meant to attend, but ended up tailgating in the parking lot the whole time--sometimes the tailgating is the best part of the sporting event, and Norwegians know how to do it in style! The day certainly didn't turn out as expected, but we had a great time anyway...and there's always next year!
Here's a link to the newspaper story about the cancellation:

http://www.aftenposten.no/english/sports/article1697476.ece

Kermit and Honey's Adoption Stories

My friend Kari in San Francisco asked in the comments section where I got Honey and Kermit. I started to write a comment back, but it was too long of a story, and since animal rescue is a subject near and dear to my heart, here is the unabridged version of the adoptions of Kermit the Dog and Honey Bunny.

First of all, while I love dogs, I was primarily a cat person--they require a lot less upkeep and attention, and when it's rainy or snowy, you don't have to take them for walks. Kevin and I always wanted to get a dog, but we figured we would wait until we lived somewhere with a fenced-in yard and a mud room. We both had collies when we were little and just loved them, so we talked about some day adopting a dog from Collie Rescue. (It's amazing how many purebred dogs are given up by their owners--there are rescues all over the U.S. for just about any breed you can think of, and 25% of shelter dogs are purebreds as well. Mutts are wonderful too, but if you have your heart set on a particular breed, purebred rescues are great resources.)

Anyway, I volunteered at an animal shelter in upstate New York for several years. I helped with adoption fairs, P.R. events, photographing the animals for the website and coordinating the pet therapy program, where our shelter animals would visit nursing homes and adult day care facilities. One day, in October 2003, dog control brought this beautiful collie in to the shelter. He was found running loose and in terrible condition. He was 15 pounds underweight and so matted that his skin was starting to tear. His teeth were hollowed out, probably because he was kept in a cage and tried to escape by biting at the bars. He was a gorgeous purebred collie, probably about 2 or 3 years old at the time--someone paid a lot for him and then couldn't be bothered to meet even his most basic needs. A couple of weeks went by and no one reclaimed him, so I started taking him to pet therapy. I was sure one of the employees or visitors at the nursing home would fall in love with him and adopt him immediately, but surprisingly, no one did. Of course, I kept falling deeper in love with him every time I took him out. I told Kevin about the dog and he said, "What are you waiting for, let's adopt him!"

Kermit is wonderful, so good with other animals, although he is very naughty about getting into the fridge (and chasing moose!) After we adopted him and realized how much he loved other dogs, we decided to adopt a second dog to keep him company. I hoped that another collie or collie mix would come in to the shelter, and I also checked Central New York Collie Rescue's website. In July of 2004, I saw Honey's photo and just fell in love with her mischievous little face. Collie Rescue takes in dogs (mostly collies, but some other dogs too) who are in high-kill shelters in the south and midwest. Honey was less than 2 hours from being gassed in Ohio when she was pulled by the wonderful people at Collie Rescue. She was about 11 months old, mostly golden retriever with a little collie and beagle mixed in. I have no idea of what her background was, or why she was brought in to the shelter. I would guess it might be due to the fact that she was extremely hyper and destructive! During her first few months with us, she chewed the woodwork in our house, electrical cords, shoes and slippers, and anything else she could clamp her jaws around. Luckily, a lot of people who owned golden retrievers or Labrador retrievers reassured me that although they are incredibly naughty for the first 3 years of life, they do calm down eventually. Now, although she still has tons of energy, Honey has become a well adjusted and generally polite member of our household!

Even though we didn't have that fenced in yard when we adopted the dogs, I'm so glad we didn't hesitate. Dogs are a huge commitment, and the first few weeks with a new pet are very stressful, but Kermit and Honey have brought so much joy and laughter into our lives as well. (And without a fence, we were forced to take them on lots of walks--they helped Kevin lose quite a bit of weight. Sadly, I made sure that every calorie I burned with them was immediately replenished with chocolate--oops!) Our cats are all rescues as well, but I'll save their stories for another time.

I'm going to hop up on my soapbox for a moment. Approximately 6 million dogs and cats are euthanized in American shelters annually--there simply aren't enough homes for them all. The best long term solution is aggressive spay/neuter programs, so please support your community's efforts! And if you are considering a pet, please check out your local shelters and rescues instead of the local pet store. www.petfinder.com is a fantastic website to help you find an animal who desperately needs a home.

Okay, I'm done preaching, and I promise, more Norway stories tomorrow. We are going to the Birkebeinerrennet in the morning. We may have to ski in to the spectators' section, so we are bringing our skis and lots of coffee fortified with Bailey's Irish Cream. When I was in the U.S. I bought a green wig for Kevin to wear--he doesn't know about it yet, but hopefully he will be a good sport and celebrate St. Patrick's Day with green-haired abandon. I think as long as I keep the Bailey's flowing, there is a pretty good chance that he will!

Smarter Than Your Average Box of Rocks

Ever since we moved to Norway, I have generally felt "dumber than a box of rocks." I can't express myself eloquently in Norwegian, I mangle the pronounciation of just about every word I do manage to utter (the tj/ki sound is completely impossible for me to make), and when spoken to, I usually do a great impression of a deer caught in the headlights. I feel like I should be more fluent by now, and I wonder if all of Kevin's coworkers quietly question if he is part of some sort of "Marry-a-Moron" social experiment. But today in Norskkurs, we got the results of our tests back--I scored 137 out of a possible 139!!! I'm not a moron!!! I can spell and conjugate and string simple sentences together!!! (Sorry about all the superfluous exclamation points, but seriously, this is the first time I have felt smart since, um, August, so I will exclaim away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

The Thaw

It has been fairly mild here lately, so the snow is beginning to melt. We live right by a cross country ski trail, which has become a slushy mess. I am a little relieved that ski season is just about over, as our crazy dogs go nuts whenever they see skiers. It is difficult to dig my toes into our icy driveway and desperately hold on to their leashes so that they can't leap on top of the hapless skiers and greet them in a slobbery and highly enthusiastic way. I have become one of "those" dog owners, you know the kind, reassuring terrified strangers that, "Really, they're very friendly, they wouldn't hurt a fly!" while the dogs lunge and bark like maniacs! Sadly, even though we might not have to contend with many more skiers this winter, a new and bigger challenge presented itself today...the equestrians have started using the ski trail as a horse path. Kermit knocked me over in his great excitement, and then both dogs proceeded to drag me down the icy driveway to see the horses. I managed to (barely) regain control of them just in time, so no riders were thrown and neither of the dogs' skulls were crushed by a well placed horse hoof! Wow, we SO need to get a big, high fence! (Or maybe a couple of little doggy straight jackets!)

Sunny Days Ahead

I took these photos of the sunrise this morning at about 6:30--we have about 6 hours more daylight now than we had in December. I can't wait for my first Norwegian summer and all those long, sunny days!

Last night I went out with my friend from Norskkurs, Mariana, to a movie. ("Music and Lyrics", which was kind of cute, especially if you love '80's music!) Afterwards, we wanted to have some coffee, so we went to a local coffeehouse/bar called Chaplin's. We were shocked that a 100 NOK (almost $20) cover was being charged just to go in. I don't mind paying cover if a good band is playing, but there is no way I will pay $20 to drink a $2 cup of coffee! Surprisingly, there were several customers there, so I guess some people are not as cheap as I am!

We ended up at Rapido, a little convenience store with a small cafe. I got a cappuccino and a piece of delicious chocolate torte for 60 NOK (about $10), so a much better deal. The owner of the store is an Iranian immigrant and he was so encouraging to both of us about our Norwegian speaking skills. He speaks Norwegian beautifully, with almost no accent--I find it so hopeful to meet other immigrants who are fluent! Maybe some day I will also sound intelligent in Norwegian, or at least not like a babbling idiot with a terrible American accent!

We had our first test in Norskkurs on Friday, and I thought it was pretty easy. I think I did well, so I know that language-wise, I'm where I'm supposed to be, but I still get so frustrated with myself. There is so much I still need to learn before I'll be interesting or funny or smart in Norwegian, and I know that I have still have many months of sounding like a moron ahead of me!

Doggy in the Window

Who do those demonic, glowing eyes belong to? Honey Bunny, of course! She has figured out that if she jumps on top of the kitchen counter, the view outside is lovely. I am always struggling with keeping the cats off of the counter, but I never thought I would have to contend with pawprints from the tufted toes of a golden retriever!

Oh well, I really need to go study for my big Norwegian test tomorrow. I have procrastinated enough--I went out for dinner with a friend and chatted for far too long, vacuumed the whole house, and now I am wasting time on the computer. I did study a little last night...my notes really cracked me up. There is one student in the class who is obsessed with politics and history, so among all my Norwegian translations of innocuous phrases like, "Are you married?", "How old are your children?", "Do you like to play football?" and "What did you eat for breakfast?" there are occasional sentences like, "Many women were slaughtered in the war", and "Child warriors are the most vicious of them all, for they know not what they do." I have a feeling we won't be tested on those particular sentiments tomorrow...

Finally, happy "Kvinnedag" to all you ladies out there! In Norway, one way "Women's Day" is celebrated is by men preparing their wives a nice dinner. I guess since Kevin is half way around the world right now, I'll let it slide this year. Next year, I'm hoping for candlelight, flowers and all the chocolate I can eat!

An Interesting New Recipe

Today in Norwegian class, the other woman from Iowa and I had a little chat about moose. Her husband is a hunter, so the other night she cooked up some of the moose meat he had stored in the freezer. She didn't prepare it in a traditional Scandinavian manner, though...she cooked up some chicken fried moose with a side of corn on the cob! I laughed so hard--you can take the girl out of Iowa, but I guess you just can't take Iowa out of the girl! (I can't laugh too much, I am currently drinking out of my "Iowa Corn Song" glass!)

On a completely unrelated note, Kevin arrived safely in Shanghai this morning. He has already been to the cheap DVD store where he bought me my favorite movie, "The Princess Bride"! Yay, I can't wait to watch it again! He returns a week from Friday after spending time in Wuxi and then in Singapore.

More Moose Madness

I got back from my week long trip to New York yesterday--it was nice to see everyone and do lots of cheap shopping, but it is good to be back home again too. My trip was very relaxing and I really enjoyed spending time with friends, eating way too much and being able to drive 65 m.p.h. (Seriously, what is up with the crazy low speed limits everywhere in Norway?!?!)
My trip wasn't as action-packed as Kevin's week at home was, though.
He had seen the moose hanging around our house for the past several days. At first, he was really excited about it, and enjoyed hanging out on our patio watching them nibble on the trees in the yard. And then Saturday happened....
We have two dogs: Kermit is a collie and Honey is a golden retriever/ collie/beagle mix. Honey is very naughty and cannot be trusted off-leash, but Kermit is generally well behaved and heels nicely without a leash. Kevin took the dogs for a little walk on Saturday afternoon. They were just heading down the driveway when Kermit took off. Kevin and Honey raced after him, and as they came around the corner of a tall hedge, were shocked to see Kermit trying to herd a moose. Kermit weighs about 80 pounds, but Kevin said he looked so tiny, barking at the heels of the huge moose. The moose quickly tired of the crazy collie snapping at her hooves so she tried to kick him. Luckily, stupid as he is, he did have the sense to jump out of the way. Kermit must have decided that the moose was out of his league, so he started to back up, but by that point, the moose had decided to chase him. Kevin, Honey and Kermit all took off running back up the driveway with the moose trotting after them. The garage door was open, and since Kevin was scared they wouldn't make it to the house in time, he dragged the dogs into the garage and slammed the door shut. He said he could hear the moose snuffling around the door, so he climbed up on a ladder to peek out the garage window. The moose hung around for a good 10 minutes, but she finally gave up on the idea of teaching Kermit a lesson and ambled away.
We have jokingly dubbed Kermit "Moose Killah", because even though he was almost kicked into oblivion, he still frantically looks for his moose every time we go outside. (Needless to say, his walking off-leash privileges have been revoked!) This is a dog who is terrified of kittens (to the point of burying his head in the sofa cushions to avoid looking at one of the little fluffy guys), but apparently he is ready for a rematch with the moose. Oh well, in a few weeks the snow will melt, and hopefully the moose will recede back into the forest and I won't have to worry about my dogs getting trampled until next winter!