An American's Reflections
Ahhh, Bergen area. Just when I think I can’t handle another blah and dreary day, you gift us with glorious moments like these: Warm, muted, or brilliant sunshine; contrasting and textured clouds; a subtle rainbow; glimpses of blue sky; a sparkling dusting of snow; glistening tree bark; dancing snow flakes gently falling.
Thank you.
Hello, blogging friends! It’s been seven weeks since I was an active part of the blogosphere, and I’ve missed you all.
But I haven’t been bored! I’ve savored time with my family in the US …
Thanksgiving with family is one of my favorite times of year!
… and, since getting home, I’ve also enjoyed time with my family in Norway with visits to and from Sandviken and Osterøy.
I got back to Norway just before Christmas. There was a lot of quick prep for the season mixed into the jet lag, including bringing in 2013’s live Christmas tree that we never got planted in 2014 …
Christmas with family is also one of my favorite times of year!
Our tree has shed its heavy ornaments and is back outside again. We’ll see if it survives to be planted in 2015!
With the snow …
December 28, 2014
… that then switched to rain that we’ve had these past few weeks, I enjoyed the muted painted colors of the rarely seen sun setting over the North/Norwegian Sea about an hour after that cloud-shrouded snow landscape photo was taken …
December 28, 2014
… as well as that sun peeking through the rain clouds at 2:46 pm on December 31st as it sank towards the sea. It seemed to be saying goodbye to 2014 one last time …
December 31, 2014
Although not nearly as vivid as last year’s display, the foggy/rainy New Year’s Eve fireworks at midnight from all the communities here in Lysekloster were exciting, especially the colorful bursts from two of my neighbors down the mountain …
And, add to all that family and joy and beauty and celebrating, work and building a new website were a big part of the mix. It’s been a busy, wonderful, and rewarding time of life!
Godt Nyttår! Happy New Year! My wish is that 2015 is one of health and happiness for each of you. Virtual hugs from Norway — and I’ll “see” you soon on your corner of the Internet!
The winter weather last week in the southern states of the U.S. got me thinking about my years of living there.
Born in Michigan and raised in Illinois, when my family moved to Pensacola in 1973 it was a shock to my winter-loving-personality to have warmer weather in the winter. Four years of high school in Florida (Pensacola), four years of college in Mississippi (Hattiesburg), and three years of Army-wife-life in Georgia (just south of Atlanta) didn’t ever “cure” me of my love of cold, and when the temps would dip lower than usual during the winter I was always happy.
I was digging through my photos and found these two contrasting shots of our little backyard in Rex, Georgia. The first one is 11:00 pm on January 18, 1992 – the next morning there were eight inches of the white stuff on the ground. It probably melted quickly, but was a lot of fun for a few hours! The second one was taken a couple months later.
(Here is where this part of the world is located on the map.)
As you’ve probably read in the news, the South comes to a standstill with winter weather, and last week was even worse than usual. It’s understandable, as there isn’t a need to keep a lot of snow- and ice- removal equipment on hand, but it’s dangerous when events such as last week happen. There is no way that they can handle the snow as quickly as areas in the northern climates can – and if ice is part of the pattern, it’s really treacherous.
The weather last week was worse than anything I ever experienced when I lived in the South. I had a “comments conversation” about it with a blogging friend who lives in Birmingham, Alabama. Another expat blogger I follow (Rachel, a Brit married to her German and living just outside of Atlanta) wrote about her experience trying to get home from Midtown Atlanta – if you want a real “insider’s view” of the experience in words and photos, visit her thoughts here.
With the dreary, dark, and mostly dry weather the Bergen area has had so far this winter, it’s amazing what a few snowflakes can do to one’s mood.
It’s not much at all (and doesn’t photograph well), but the little flashes of white are uplifting to my eyes. And it is so quiet out back when I took these photos, I could almost hear those snowflakes gently settling on the gravel, rocks, and tree branches.
Especially after the emotions of my recent post, these little snowflakes are a gift today.
The west coast of Norway is used to winds, rain, snow, and all combinations of bad weather, and everyday life has to continue – but it’s really been slammed lately!
During my short walk yesterday, the wind was blowing so hard that I had trouble walking – my crutch actually “wiggled” in the wind – I turned around, and even my labrador was happy to head back home.
Parts of Bergen were flooded yesterday; watching the news and seeing areas that I’ve walked through covered with white caps and angry waves was disconcerting! This is the Bergens Tidende’s coverage of the rescue of a woman trapped in the kitchen of the hall where she was preparing for a party. Unbelievable!
(I have a friend who lives on a boat here in Bergen – I think it’s probably been an exciting time?!)
We lost power last night for six hours. I’ve been in Norway for almost seven years, and only experienced that once before – when we lived in a fairly remote area.
As I’m typing this, there are reports of buses being blown off the narrow roads, including the local school bus. This is just down the street from us.
As daylight tried to fight its way through the clouds, we noticed our bird friends pecking hopefully around the bird feeder. So my husband gallantly put on his shoes, coat, and hat, and headed out the sliding front doors into the brunt of the wind to help them with their expected bird seeds. MacKenzie joined him eagerly – but then disappeared from the camera’s view. She’d run around to the back door, somewhat out of the wind’s fury, to try and come back in! Smart dog.
If I make it out for a walk, I’ll have to see how the construction workers are doing!
Here in this part of Norway we don’t have total darkness during the winter. Today, for example, the sun rose at 9:04 am and set at 3:47 pm, and as it wasn’t too cloudy we had a fairly bright day during the six hours and forty-three minutes of official daylight. According to this website, December 21st, the shortest day, will be 5 hours, 44 minutes, and 39 seconds of daylight, with December 22nd giving us a whooping 3 seconds more!
I’ve blogged about the emotions of this before from the other side of winter, and my expat blogging friend Allison recently wrote about her reaction to Denmark’s shorter days during this, her first fall/winter season in Scandinavia. The long, dark nights and short days do take getting used to – even for me, who prefers cold and darkness! – but I’ve found a few things that really help …
– Appreciating the sun lighting up the clouds over the islands and Norwegian Sea as it rises over the mountain behind me:
– Laughing at evidence my husband was making a snowball:
November 24, 2013 12:00 pm
– Stopping work during the day to see how the setting sun makes the rocks, trees, and dying weeds and grasses behind our house glow:
– Candles warm up everything:
– Wine helps too:
– But candles AND wine are best together!
Snow arrived today down at our elevation.
MacKenzie was happy. I didn’t have my camera with me when she was out playing, and so didn’t get a pic of her tossing her tennis ball in the air, diving into the snow to roll around on it, and then bringing it to me to throw for her; I was too busy enjoying her antics!
I’m sure there will be a “next time”!
