Excitement and Gateway

The Texas parents are eagerly shopping for school supply mixed in with early Halloween paraphernalia. The department stores have sold out all their summer clothing and are proudly displaying winter coats made of wool and sweaters with snowflakes on the front. Outside the temperature is stuck around 100F. Welcome to the Texas way of doing things. Some think that we are backwards I think not. We are actually always looking forward with excitement and we are at the same time bracing to tackle any hardship that my be lurking in the future. We are the last true pioneers one can truly say.
My excitement this month is that I am going to North Carolina to see my grandson Lilleman. An other reason to be excited is that I have switched employment and I am now working for the Gateway Mortgage Group. Just the name Gateway is a suitable one for the month of August. Something has to change that is all there is to it. Every day I look up the temperature in Northern Sweden just to get some cooling inspiration and today it was a whopping 53F. and it is supposed to be summer there right now. I guess there are more than one reason why I live in Texas.

Home from the cool and into the sizzling heat of July

So Jerry and I made it back just in time for the celebration of 4th of July. Lilleman with parents Ty and Elizabeth brightened up our dusty and dull life on Northpointe Dr during a couple of days. Doom and gloom is preached and talked about everywhere. If it is not the gasoline prices it is the stock market. What happened to my optimistic and happy-go-lucky American friends? We live in a land of the abundance and we have the freedom of free enterprise so these trying times should really be the stick in the butt that we need to set this country straight again. When I watched the beautiful fire work from my front yard and saw how the sparkling, glittering cascades of many colors fell to the earth I was thinking what a great country I live in. Yes there are problems but they are not impossible to solve. I came to the conclusion that If I got to my office every day and do my part with a happy and positive outlook on life would be a good beginning. My figtree is covered with the most delicious figs that I can enjoy every morning with my youghurt and my garden is giving me all the comfort that one can ask for. So grab on my dear fellows and let us get going again.

Bortglomda Juni

den 10 juni 2008

Den blomstertid nu kommer......

Ljuva Juni manad som kommer med lofte om varme och frihet till allt och alla. Jag tittar noga pa hur vacret ar hemma i Granslandet och denna manad tror jag att vadergudarna har gjort ett litet misstag. Vart Texas vader har kanhanda valsignat Norrbotten med sin sol och sin varme. Om det nu ar den Globala klimat forsamringen eller vadergudarnas misstag det ma vara hant. Jag blev sa sugen pa lite myggbett, kaffetar i goda vanners lag och ej att forglomma upplevelsen av all den ljuvliga varluften som kommer nerrullande fran Langberget och sveper in mitt Gransland i en varm kappa av den harligaste varkanslan att jag bestallde biljett for att komma hem till Midsommar. Till saken hor att det kanhanda blir en av de kallaste, blotaste och blasigaste midsommar i mannaminne men vad gor det, man ar val en hardad valkyria. Har i Texas har vi haft en tidig varmebolja. 35-38 grader i drygt en vecka, uj uj vad mande nalkas innan Augusti hettan aker i nedforsbacke in i September igen och man kan lamna luftkonditioneringen och ga ut i naturen igen. Min tradgard som ger mig den allra hogsta tillfredsstallelsen har fatt ett 15 cm lager av isolerande barkbitar av cecertra, allt for att kunna behalla fukten av myllan inunder. Mitt flyg gar i morgon till Frankfurt i Tyskland och sedan blir det raka sparet upp till Lulea.

April showers brought us May Flowers this year as well...

Min April kom och forsvann och i mina dagliga sysslor med bolan och fastighetskop. Medan dropparna av nyheter fran resten av varlden likt sma kristaller glanste med olika klarhet och farg. Sissel, min syster fran ett tidigare liv (tror jag), tog sig samman och sande mig ett e-mail, den kristallen skiner bland de allra storsta och klaraste. En annan lite mera profan men inte dessto mer forunderlig var att min hemby Visttrask antligen fick sin hemsida "up and running". Dar kan jag nar hemlangtans monster griper tag i mig dyka ner i bildarkivet och riktigt frossa i alla naturens arstider som ar rikligt forevigade for kommande slakten. Nar sista April kom sa tog jag till min flaska, en Bourdeau som jag har haft liggande pa min vinhylla en lang tid. Flaskan och jag satt och mindes vara sista April festligheter i Uppsala och vemod och ensamhet fyllde snabbt upp min pool av sjalvmedomkan och jag foll i dromlos somn. Men nu sa har vi Maj manad och skurarna av mina tarar har torkats bort efter ett telefonsamtal som jag just avslutade med en av de modigaste och mest beslutsamma vanner som jag har borta i Sverige. Inga-Britt, Du ar dagens hjaltinna och till dig ger jag den allra storsta Maj-blomman som finns. Fortsatt att kampa med din vanstra sida och snart sitter vi pa Din altan igen och minns vara sista April fester fran anno dazu mal.

April. april Du dumma sill, jag kan lura Dig vart jag vill

April. april Du dumma sill, jag kan lura Dig vart jag vill Nu ar det dags igen, April med alla sina blomster och overflod av naturlig skonhet har igen fangat mig i sitt romantiska garn. Jag upplever mig sjalv som en riktigt trevlig aldre dam som gar och bar pa en stor hemlighet. Jag har blivit fodd pa nytt denna April, kanhanda pga att jag har lagt till en ny generation pa Kamilla stegen. Men det ar skont med perspektiv pa livet konstaterade jag nar jag upprepade ramsan for mig sjalv. 1;a April var den stora "luraredagen" och enligt gamal tradition sa skulle offret luras over minst en troskel. Jag minns hur arg jag blev nar min pappa lyckade med bedriften att lura mig. 1'a April ar ocksa min brors fodelsedag och darav lite extra festlig. April med rosor i Texas, tulpaner i North Carolina och borjan till snosmaltning i Granslandet ar ocksa hoppets manad. Nu planeras det for alla planteringar och diverse fron och plantor inkopes pa postorder varlden over. Nu ska det minsann bli andra bullar av, denna sommar ska inte ett enda ogras fa faste i vara rabatter och vi ser i andanom ett forskonat Eden av var tradgard. April. april Du dumma sill, jag kan lura dig vart jag vill.

It's a wonderful world.........

With this song in my heart I watched Lilleman being born. The pride of that moment has only been superceeded by the pride of the moment when his mother was born. Usually I am not short of words to describe my feelings, but in this case I have only one thing to say;
I love you with all my heart and soul. I give you my promise of always love you and I will follow you into adulthood with the same pride as I am watching you today.
You have come to a world that is suffering fram war and where dark clouds way back on the horizon is making people fear what the future will bring. Henry my grandson, we all have faith in you and your future fellow men that will put it all together again so that man doesn't have to fear the future again.
I pray that you parents will use all their imagination and trust their feelings in raising you to be and to do what you came here for.
But until then you will be my Lilleman.

Spring has sprung even in The Colony, TX

The birds and the buds has been energized by the wonderful force of nature. Again we can rejoice and feel rejuvenated from the inspiring and uplifting signs of SPRING. My old Bradford Pear tree has put on his showcase of white beautiful flowers and the small critters are already circling around them. 2 days ago we got a late visit from Grandpa' winter. Snow fell in big soft flakes until they covered all of my backyard. They say that snow is poor mans fertilizer so I guess my garden will have received the sufficient nutrient that is needed and I can just sit back and enjoy. Spring is also about waiting for something, I am waiting for the last 3 weeks of The Little One's getting-ready to be born. I find myself preparing mentally to be the Swedish grandmother that he deserves to have. His mother, Elizabeth told me today that she had done a Spring cleaning, I bet she is the only one that performs that task in her 9th month of pregnancy. The reason she said was that she wanted her home as well as everything else be prepared for him when she can bring him home. Pippi, Pierre, Pia and Pelle are also enjoying the spring, they are livelier that usual and seems to get a great pleasure of chasing the early flies that have woken up, groggy and not quite clear of what this is all about. The new beginning of life's circle can be sensed everywhere even in my flowerbeds. The small earthworms seems to be wigglier than normal and the dirt smells good to my gardening nose.