I apologize for wearing my PJs in public

So sorry.
Excuse me.

But hey, what should I apologize for?
Staying busy? Doing good things? Being creative?

But in my pyjamas?

There are days when the creative flows are like a spring flood. Like melting snow from the mountains that trickles downhill, adding more and more to it's stream, eventually turning into a billowy, raging force.

And excuse me, on these days I may forget to brush my hair and change out of my PJs.

The problem is when I forget to change my apparel before leaving the house.
One morning I drove the love of my life to the train station - in my PJs.
At the station I noticed I had a flat tire. I slowly eased the car to a nearby garage.

What to do? The garage had not opened yet. It was cold. I stood there wondering whether to walk home in my PJs or call a friend. Asking for help is not my strong suit. I do not excel at being on the receiving end.

I finally gave in and called Åse. She is wonderful and came to my rescue - with a smile.

Is there a moral to this story? Do we need one?
At least, for good advice, being an advocate for "being prepared", I would  suggest to myself to get dressed before driving off somewhere. At least, put on a coat over the PJs if it's chilly outside.

The wonderful actor, Sean Connery, once said that women who go shopping with curlers in their hair, should be arrested.
I would not go that far. He might think the same of me, had he seen me out and about in my pyjamas and unruly hair.

One of my favorite Shakespeare quotes is this.
"Being prepared for everything, is everything."
I like that, but still strive to get better at it.

Today's water color is "Before I go to sleep" - this fairy is out flying before bedtime, in her nightgown. Could have been me!

My Husband Will Not Become A Curling Champion

Today Arnfinn announced that he will definitely not begin to play curling.
This was after we had been scrubbing the terrace for quite a long time and his arms were getting tired.

He had sprayed the cleanser on the wooden boards, let it set for 15 minutes, then vigorously scrubbed with a long-handled broom. He did a great job, used a lot of muscles and pretty much got his work-out done for the day.

I had the good part this year. I got to hose off the dirt and keep the cleanser moist on the timber decking. I usually do it all by myself and was happy to share the load.

I love his blunt statements. He says the funniest things at times just out of the blue. He twists sentences and words around and they become strange, interesting and humorous outbursts.

My contribution to funny sayings today I have borrowed from S.Johns.
"If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you."

I sold these two paintings last week. They made me happy painting them. Now I hope someone else will enjoy their funny faces.

Pay Attention to Trains

We have had some fun family trips. Venturing on a 3 1/2 week car trip through Europe with seven children in the car is no joke. Or maybe it is?
One summer we packed five children into a rental car and drove around England. We had a great vacation with some frustrating moments, but mostly amazing experiences.

On the scheduled day of our departure to fly back to the old country, we got all seven of us to Liverpool Street Station, a little scattered here and there, but mostly gathered . . .

The train heading for Stansted was in place and Arnfinn pushed me and the three youngest ones gently down the platform and told us to jump on the train and wait. The rest of the family would follow shortly.

I turned around and saw Linnea and Kajsa struggling to get their suitcases through the gate to the platform area, but obedient as I am, I got on the train with three youngest.

It did not take long before the doors closed and the train we were on left the station--not for Stansted--I still don't know where it was headed, leaving a surprised Arnfinn and two girls still at the Liverpool Street Station platform. I looked around in the carriage. No one had suitcases or baggage. They were just Londoners going home from work.

Had we chosen the wrong platform? Had the train for the airport already left? This was before I had a cell phone to rescue me out of any thinkable situation. I sat there with three children watching the city gradually turn into rural landscape and beautiful English countryside.

It took quite a while before the train stopped at a station. We got off, ran across to the opposite platform and waited for a train to take us back to Liverpool Street Station.

Miraculously, we made it back. We found the rest of the family, got on the very next train for the airport, and we made the last call for our flight back to Norway.

It turned out that a local train sat in front of the Stansted Express, ready to leave a few minutes before the longer airport carriage.

It's important to pay attention to which way we are heading in life.
Know the trains. Know where they are going and when.
We thought we chose the right way, but obviously we were not attentive enough.
With a little work and a lot of prayer, it turned out well, but we have often wondered what would have happened if I had not been there with the three children right as the train left the station.

Today it makes a funny story to tell. Hopefully, we learned something, too.

Today's water colors are of roads leading somewhere.

Wild & Crazy

What do you think about when you hear the expression "wild and crazy"?

A few weeks ago our munchkin, Scott, a handsome 3 year old who loves Cars and pirates and often has a serious, thinking expression on his face, told his mother, "I am being wild and crazy. I am not going to go to sleep." She was tucking him in, ready to kiss him goodnight, but he had other plans.

The first thing that comes to my mind when I think about this expression is a scene from the original Footloose movie. The parson's daughter, played by Lori Singer, has an urge to be wild and crazy and not slumber away in their little Midwestern town. One day she goes for a ride with friends, climbs on top of two cars--one leg on each--and stands there with her arms up in the air, while the two cars side by side race down a country road. Wild and crazy? It's insane.

Any person can be wild and crazy in their own right. Wearing pink on a Wednesday when you usually always wear dark colors. Eating a banana split when you're on a diet. Giving away your last two dollars with no plans for the next day. Going on vacation to a foreign country with a small back pack and no hotel reservations or plans. Going grocery shopping wearing a bumble bee costume.

I have done several of the above--and survived. Life should be fun and a little wild and crazy from time to time. Or most of the time. It does not have to mean doing anything wrong. It can be something that makes you smile and think, "Hey, life is good."

Today's photo: Hypnotizing our bird. Looks like he's just wondering what on earth I'm up to.

Circles and Dust Bunnies

When my children were little I felt like we ran around the house in circles all day long. They threw things around, I picked them up. They threw more things, I picked up . . .

Obviously, life goes around in circles.
So it is with cleaning the house. Take the dishes for instance. How long after you do the dishes does someone pile more dirty dishes in the sink?
Which brings me to dust bunnies. Are they considered pets? If you see one, do you let it go? Does it softly glide across the floor, gathering volume like a snowball rolling down the hill? Or are you really strict, ordering it out of you life and home forever?
If you find one under the couch, behind a book, to the right of a pencil chewed up by the dog, then by all means don't feed it. Bunnies multiply rapidly. You don't want them taking over your house.

Hector, the Wheaten Terrier, has communicated with me for almost three years now. I feed him. He has grown a lot. I let him run around the house unlike the dust bunnies that I gather up and let outside.
In many instances I can tell what he says. Like this morning, when he howled to let me know he would like another doggie treat.

Hector, "howling sound"
Me, "I hear you. We can have one more treat each. That's all. You get a doggie biscuit, I get  piece of dark chocolate."

He was very satisfied with that decision and has now put his head down behind my chair for a morning nap. And I thought I was clever keeping my chocolate away from my writing space so that I have to walk a little ways to fetch each piece, until someone told me, "You ought to put your chocolate upstairs, so that you have exercise up and down the stairs every time you want a piece.

I'll have to think about that one.

Today's water color are two children's pictures.

The Hotel "Looby" and Other Funny Places

Arnfinn and I will forever call a hotel lobby "the LOOBY" after seeing it spelled this way on a sign at a beautiful hotel in Israel. Signs in different countries are often funny and enlightening if you take the time to look at them. I admire people for learning different languages, but sometimes I wonder if they consult a second reader and spell-checker before they have a sign made at a print shop.

I always look for interesting signs posted here and there. At our recent visit to Amish areas in the USA I found many hand written signs. I like their down to earth informative and amusing way of writing things.

Same with a cult restaurant in Oklahoma called Meers. We went to this hole-in-the-wall hamburger place in the boonies. Cats were everywhere outside, the floors were crooked and lemonade was served in canning jars. But the hamburgers - wow, great tasting meat and a fun atmosphere. 

Their signs were funny. Like always I got my camera out and took photos of the signs. Oh, well, we all have strange things we like to do on vacation.

Below is a list found online, proof that I am not the only one who notices funny sounding sentences posted around the world.

Enjoy!

At a Budapest zoo:
PLEASE DO NOT FEED THE ANIMALS. IF YOU HAVE ANY SUITABLE FOOD, GIVE IT TO THE GUARD ON DUTY.

Cocktail lounge, Norway:
LADIES ARE REQUESTED NOT TO HAVE CHILDREN IN THE BAR.

Doctor's office, Rome:
SPECIALIST IN WOMEN AND OTHER DISEASES.

Hotel, Acapulco:
THE MANAGER HAS PERSONALLY PASSED ALL THE WATER SERVED HERE.

Car rental brochure, Tokyo:
WHEN PASSENGER OF FOOT HEAVE IN SIGHT, TOOTLE THE HORN. TRUMPET HIM MELODIOUSLY AT FIRST, BUT IF HE STILL OBSTACLES YOUR PASSAGE THEN TOOTLE HIM WITH VIGOUR.

In a Nairobi restaurant:
CUSTOMERS WHO FIND OUR WAITRESSES RUDE OUGHT TO SEE THE MANAGER.

On the grounds of a private school:
NO TRESPASSING WITHOUT PERMISSION.

On a poster in New York:
ARE YOU AN ADULT THAT CANNOT READ? IF SO, WE CAN HELP.

In a City restaurant:
OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, AND WEEKENDS TOO.

A sign seen on an automatic restroom hand dryer:
DO NOT ACTIVATE WITH WET HANDS.

In a Indian maternity ward:
NO CHILDREN ALLOWED.

In a cemetery:
PERSONS ARE PROHIBITED FROM PICKING FLOWERS FROM ANY BUT THEIR OWN GRAVES.

Tokyo hotel's rules and regulations:
GUESTS ARE REQUESTED NOT TO SMOKE OR DO OTHER DISGUSTING BEHAVIOURS IN BED.

On the menu of a Swiss restaurant:
OUR WINES LEAVE YOU NOTHING TO HOPE FOR.

In a Bangkok temple:
IT IS FORBIDDEN TO ENTER A WOMAN EVEN A FOREIGNER IF DRESSED AS A MAN.

Hotel room notice, Thailand:
PLEASE DO NOT BRING SOLICITORS INTO YOUR ROOM.

Hotel brochure, Italy:
THIS HOTEL IS RENOWNED FOR ITS PEACE AND SOLITUDE. IN FACT, CROWDS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD FLOCK HERE TO ENJOY ITS SOLITUDE.

Hotel lobby, Romania:
THE LIFT IS BEING FIXED FOR THE NEXT DAY. DURING THAT TIME WE REGRET THAT YOU WILL BE UNBEARABLE.

Hotel, Yugoslavia:
THE FLATTENING OF UNDERWEAR WITH PLEASURE IS THE JOB OF THE CHAMBERMAID.

Hotel, Japan:
YOU ARE INVITED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CHAMBERMAID.

In the lobby of a Moscow hotel across from a Russian Orthodox monastery:
YOU ARE WELCOME TO VISIT THE CEMETERY WHERE FAMOUS RUSSIAN AND SOVIET COMPOSERS, ARTISTS, AND WRITERS ARE BURIED DAILY EXCEPT THURSDAY.

Taken from a menu, Poland:
SALAD A FIRM'S OWN MAKE; LIMPID RED BEET SOUP WITH CHEESY DUMPLINGS IN THE FORM OF A FINGER; ROASTED DUCK LET LOOSE; BEEF RASHERS BEATEN IN THE COUNTRY PEOPLE'S FASHION.

Supermarket, Hong Kong:
FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE, WE RECOMMEND COURTEOUS, EFFICIENT SELF-SERVICE.

In an East African newspaper:
A NEW SWIMMING POOL IS RAPIDLY TAKING SHAPE SINCE THE CONTRACTORS HAVE THROWN IN THE BULK OF THEIR WORKERS.

Hotel, Vienna:
IN CASE OF FIRE, DO YOUR UTMOST TO ALARM THE HOTEL PORTER.

A sign posted in Germany's Black Forest:
IT IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN ON OUR BLACK FOREST CAMPING SITE THAT PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT SEX, FOR INSTANCE, MEN AND WOMEN, LIVE TOGETHER IN ONE TENT UNLESS THEY ARE MARRIED WITH EACH OTHER FOR THIS PURPOSE.

Hotel, Zurich:
BECAUSE OF THE IMPROPRIETY OF ENTERTAINING GUESTS OF THE OPPOSITE SEX IN THE BEDROOM, IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THE LOBBY BE USED FOR THIS PURPOSE.

An advertisement by a Hong Kong dentist:
TEETH EXTRACTED BY THE LATEST METHODISTS.

A laundry in Rome:
LADIES, LEAVE YOUR CLOTHES HERE AND SPEND THE AFTERNOON HAVING A GOOD TIME.

Tourist agency, former Czechoslovakia:
TAKE ONE OF OUR HORSE-DRIVEN CITY TOURS. WE GUARANTEE NO MISCARRIAGES.

The box of a clockwork toy made in Hong Kong:
GUARANTEED TO WORK THROUGHOUT ITS USEFUL LIFE.

In a Swiss mountain inn:
SPECIAL TODAY - NO ICE-CREAM.

Airline ticket office, Copenhagen:
WE TAKE YOUR BAGS AND SEND THEM IN ALL DIRECTIONS.

Mice in the Walls?

It's night time. Probably winter, as it is still dark outside and the birds are quiet. I wake up from a vivid dream and know that I have to write my thoughts down. If I wait until morning breaks my memory has slipped and I don't remember the clever details from a dream which has a great story line or an idea or two for my writing.

So I fumble in the dark to find the paper and pen always ready on the night stand. Quietly, I don't want to wake up Arnfinn. He sleeps poorly and needs whatever sleep he can get. I don't want to disturb his much needed rest.

I write in the dark. Scribble funny letters on a paper I cannot see. My memory is still cooperating and the dream is preserved--though poorly written--on a piece of paper on the sheet under my duvet cover.

Then Arnfinn moves. Ah, he speaks. Did I wake him up?
"What is that?" he says. "What is that scratching sound? Do we have mice in the walls?"

There you have it. A man who is very happy that there were no mice, but instead a wife, even stranger than before, one who writes in bed in the dark.

Today's water color is of Lindesnes Lighthouse in southern Norway.

Valentines and Humor

Humor is a life-saver and help in a home.
I have found it's so much easier to get past sour moments and misunderstanding by injecting a little fun into the situation and not take myself so seriously.
Is it easy? No, not always.
Is it a worthwhile to try? Definitely.
It can absolutely help dry tears and allow good feelings to flow back into the relationship.

A friend of mine bought 50 pairs of socks for her husband. Well, he wanted more socks, preferably the same color, so that it would be easier to match them.
She hung 50 small packages in a tree and on Christmas he had to wade through the snow and climb the tree to pick the parcels off the branches.
He did not think it was funny at the time. But we as bystanders found it hilarious.

So often a ridiculous situation turns into a good story later--one that we can tell in good company and laugh about.

Today on FB, a Finnish friend wrote, "I dig friends."
A few minutes later her husband replied, "Just need to remember where they are buried."

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone.
Today's water color means a lot to me. It is a reminder of the days my husband courted me.