Random Bits

O my goodness, I can’t believe how many comments about the sweater I got.  I’m a bit overwhelmed.  Thank you all.

I’ve tried calling my mom twice this week.  We live a few thousand miles apart, but we are lucky enough to talk a few times a week.  I was thinking how strange it was she has not called me back and hasn’t left a single comment on the blog when I finally hit my forehead  remembering that she and my step-dad (aka Papa) are on their anniversary cruise this week.  Like Knut and I, they’ve never cruised before.  Happy 20 years, you guys.  I’m so glad they chose a location that means her phone and internet are shut off.  She desperately needs that especially at work.  However, as silly as it sounds, I’m missing our talks.  I can be a big girl, though. 

Yesterday the whole family was playing outside before bed.  It was so lovely outside.  Knut pitched ball to Elias, and I pitched to David, and Silje pulled Solveig around in the little red wagon.  David learned I’m not very athletic and I can’t pitch.  He was very gracious about it.  Knut spent a lot of time trying to show Silje how to properly throw.  It was really funny because she’s inherited my lack of athletic ability.  He may as well be trying to teach me to pitch which he knows very well is a hopeless case.  O, I need to write about Silje learning to ride a bike, sort of.  I’ll have to go over my pictures of that later.

Silje and I walked down to the garden to see if the asparagus was starting to peek up with all the heat we’ve been getting.  The tulips are up, and I’ve learned that the asparagus in our garden is not too far behind the tulips.  There was not asparagus, but weeds have already shown themselves.  That’s not very nice of them.  Our strawberry plants are already peeking up, though!  I can’t remember a time when they’ve come up so early.

This year I need to replant them in rows, but I’m not going to remove the bedding on top of them yet until I’m sure this warm weather will stay, and I’m not at all sure of that.  I’d hate to transplant them and leave them exposed to frost.  I really need to gear up to garden this year.  I’m honestly just not mentally prepared for the work of it yet this year.  Winter just wasn’t a long enough break for me.

The chickens have taken a liking to laying in the dog house outside.  Lena has never shown an interest in that doghouse, but it’s sort of a permanent structure.  We’ve been watching the hens take their turns going in there throughout the day.  We can view it plainly from the kitchen. 

I’ve decided that if they’re determined to lay outside, it might as well be there.  Yesterday the kids found 5 eggs in there, and the day before they found 3.  We’re still finding more eggs in the nesting boxes in the coop.  The only bad part about the doghouse location, is Lena feels as though she has dibs on those eggs.

It’s so funny, because it reminds me so much of the black dog in Along Came a Dog where she gently picks up a an egg in her mouth, and brings it out of the doghouse.  She’s eaten 2 or so, but if one of us is out there, we’ve have twice told her “no!” and she will gently lay it at our feet unscratched.  I think she understands now.  Eggs are off limits no matter where they are found.

Like the dog in that book, Lena has also figured out that broken eggs are not off limits.  If one of the kids accidentally drops an egg on the driveway, she’s encouraged to come lap it up.  It’s a great situation.  Now when she finds in tact eggs in the doghouse she brings it to us and lays it gently on the ground before us.  When one drops, she looks up at us with tail wagging to get the go ahead.  She’s a smart one, she is.