Tuesday, June 19, 2007

BLESSED MIDSUMMER DAY

Oh, gift of God, oh, perfect day,
where I am allowed to harvest gifts for free.


Monday is hiking day. On our way we found big bushes of bog myrtle.

Serina searching in our old American recipe box.


The smell of bog myrtles make insects disappear.
Leaves are antibacterial, helps both animals and humans



Gunnar drove me to our special place to gather Black Elderberry flowers.
I spent the rest of the evening making juice for the winter.

2 litres of water boiled
1 kilo brown sugar
3 lemons
25 grams citric acid
poured in a bowl with about 60 composites of Black Elderberry flowers.
Let stay cool for three days.
Strain the liquid and poor into freezer cartons.
Store them in the freezer for a rainy day.
Black Elder even fights virus, and is a real
helper to the immune system.
The vikings always had a Black Elderberry tree close to the barn. To cure sick animals, and because the goddess Freya was said to stay in those trees.
Even today one can find BC trees growing high and strong beside the barn, though only few seems to know the reason why.

New barn, old tree to the left.

28 comments:

Pilot Mom said...

Oh just look at all that open space! A beautiful pic!! Well, all the pics are! ;)

Terry said...

Dear Felisol
I love all of these pictures but my second favorite is the last picture.
It reminds me so much of my beloved Manitoba prairies.
The barn and the flat windy land!

I have been up several times to look at the pictures and read your post but I haven't really been able to type too long, so I never commented.
I am feeling better tonight, or I should say this morning as it is four AM!
So I decided to write to you and thank you for praying for me.
Now it is NOT unusal for me to be falling but this time I did a real number on my noggin!!
I had to have seven stitches and it was ouch for sure!!
I get the stitches out on Friday.
I am going to ask the doctor to check me out as to why I am falling so much.
I fell last Sunday too and kind of banged my chest and right cheek up!
The thing that bothered me about THIS fall though was that I wasn't able to visit my friends this week in Blogland!!
Plus the church had a whole week of special bible meetings and I could not go nor could I take Mom.
She went though because my sister, Grace and another friend took her and brought her home.

The juice that you make sounds like it is really delicious!
Do you make enough that it will last you all winter?

I am glad that Pilot-dad's operation turned out so well.
I was just so thankful that they didn't put the feeding tube into his nose.
That would have been so uncomfortable.

Well I better lay down for a while now.
Kind of hard to hold my head up too long.
So you take care dear friend and give my love to your Mom....Love Terry

PS Of course you guessed what my favorite picture is, eh Felisol?
Well it is the one of your beautiful daughter, Serina!!
Does her name mean peaceful,composed, cheerful one?
How did she do with her English exam?

Anonymous said...

Dear Mrs. Ljung,
I am always learning something new here, aren't I? You have such an informative blog!
So here's what I'd like to learn next...what is Hello in Norwegian? And what is Good bye? I know very little when it comes to Scandinavian languages, whereas I have a lot of European and Middle Eastern words. Arabic has to be the most difficult to pronounce, the most rough and harsh sounding, and yet the most useful! Oh, and it must have the most variations, too, from one town to another, and one country to another. I'm learning Lebanese and Egyptian Arabic right now, and adding to my other languages, too, but I can never learn too many at one time!
How are you doing? How is your family? How is Serina doing in English? I pray she has good grades.

Well, I haven't had much time to write you until today...Have a blessed day in the Lord!

The Lil Pilgrim Pal

Felisol said...

Hello Lil Pilgrim Pal,
I like to meet people who are busy learning something. "He who isn't busy being gorn is busy dying," one of my alltime favourites, Bob Dylan, said.
That's also why i, old lady write in English. My husband is an English teacher, my daughter has English as her most liked subject,(she had an "iron curtain", on her oral exam and only got B+, but the standard are high in Norway, only three students on her school got an A), my father read the English Bible twice, once in St. James edition. I would not let my old "wisdom" decay,especially since we live only 2 hours flight from London, so I decided to write my blog in English. It has also being extraordinary interesting to learn to know more about American everyday thinking and Christian culture. I highly value the people I've met on the internet.
Otherwise American soaps and President Bush are what we hear m most on Norwegian telli. A bit boring, I like Operah though.

Hello is hallo, pronounced with a as in "a" dog.
Goodbye is adjoe, from French adieu ( means "to God").
Well there you have two for your "new" language. Arabic must be incredible differcult to learn I would never even try. But as you say, it comes useful. It to bad with a whole lot of immigrants, not to say a cery strange culture, and we cannot even comminucate.
In Norway we have immigrant from various muslim nations. Gouvernment now demand them to learn Norwegian to be allowed to become citizenship. (Edudation being free, of course.)
I learned German and Frensh in high school,and some Spanish as an adult. Ulike Terry, who took on Spanish just to help an isolated elderly lady in her church, (you can imagine Terry doing jusut that, she's unique), I found Spanish differcult. The irregulare verbs simply would not stick to my memory. It's best to learn new things while you're young and both memory and mind are more open.I now and fear when I hear myself speaking. How rigid and conservative I have become.

Most from fear, I think. It isn't always easy when "The times they are a'changin'" with such speed.
Then I have to reconsider my values and "hold on to the good ones" as St.Paul says.

Ehm.. Guess I lost the thread long time ago.

Keep up the good work, Lil Pilgrim, you're a rare pearl.
You're on my prayer list and there you'll stay.

Terry said...

Dear Felisol
How nice it was to hear your beautiful voice over at Arlene's!
When you said that you were all the way from Norway, it suddenly dawned on me that with your time over there and our time over here that God will be hearing prayers going up for dear Arlene and Barry twenty four hours a day!!
How good is THAT?

Boy! Your daughter got a B+!!
In my school days that would be a really high mark for me!
Betty used to get all the high marks!

You better be careful teaching that Hebrews 11:1 too much Norwegian Felisol or you two will be writing that instead of English and we will have no idea of what you are saying!!
Maybe that lil pilgrim pal will be trying to teach the Pilgrim pals Norwegian, eh?

Take care!
Always nice to read your comments to all of our dear blogging friends!!...Love Terry

PS...You are NOT rigid or conservative Felisol.
You are a gentle, caring and sweet soul!!

Sue Seibert said...

Sounds like a wonderful day. Love the photos. Sometime soon Raf and I are going to take a photo of an oil well for you!

Sue Seibert said...

Dear Felisol, I just heard from Terry that Serina is in the hospital. You and she are in my prayers. God bless you all and bring Serina home safely and well. Please keep me posted about Serina when you can. Love to you!

Amrita said...

hi Felisol, found your blog thru Arlene.Very interesting, I will visit.

Anonymous said...

Dear Mrs. Ljung,
I haven't got much time (especially after reading your kind long letter to me), but Mrs.S. sent me over. I'm so sorry to hear about Serina...I really don't know what to say. I am praying for her and for you. Please keep us all up to date.

Adjoe!

The lil Pilgrim Pal

p.s. I should write Mrs. S. in spanish sometime...that's one of my most fluent languages. Wouldn't she love that?!

Terry said...

Dear Felisol, Gunnar and sweet Serina...You are loved!!..Love Terry

Pilot Mom said...

Felisol, When I checked my email this morning before leaving for church I found I had an email from Terry. She shared of your daughter's illness etc and I began praying immediately. She has been on my heart and mind all day, as have you and your husband. We, as parents, would much rather the difficulties of life happen to us rather than our children.

Now, if you don't mind, I need to borrow your 'space' to say something to Terry... :)

Terry, I just knew, KNEW something wasn't right with you since you had not been making the rounds nor changing your post. I'm so sorry to hear about your falls. When you have something like that happen...PLEASE...email me so I can begin praying SOONER!!! I admit, I should have emailed YOU to find out what the problem was. I had wondered if you were just extremely busy.

Falling a lot is something that has to be checked out! That is so dangerous. In fact, I fell the other night. My old heavy chair and I had a 'go round' which I thought the chair was going to win. ;) PTL though I only came out with a huge, HUGE bruise on my inner thigh.

I am praying for you to get better quickly so you are able to resume all your activities.

And Felisol, I will continue to pray diligently for your precious daughter. Email me if you desire... devore24@aol.com

(((Felisol))) and (((Terry)))

Curious Servant said...

I heard your daughter is ill.

I dropped by to let you know I 've been praying for you.

Unknown said...

Elise,

Terry just told me about Serina. I have prayed for her and will continue to do so. For you all.
Love,
Justin

Mrs. Mac said...

Miss Terry has a way of making everyone in her little blogsphere informed about much needed prayer ... therefore, your daughter, Serina, I will include in my prayers.

Anonymous said...

How's Serina doing? I have been fasting and praying for her today...will have Stekt Marinert akrell tonight to break it...I looked thru the cookbook for a Norwegian recipe.

God bless you,
Rose

Felisol said...

Dear Rose,
I thank you for using your rare gifts to help my girl on the other side of the world. It does not feel far at all these days. When we have been in our deepest need friends from near and far have formed this very special ring of prayer and Serina came out miraculously alive and happy. She might still be suffering harm from the rheumatic fever, all of her jouints are still aching, but the fever is gone and she moves better hour by hour. i don't think she'll need a wheelchair anymore. At least I hope not. You were right, there was another cause of illness as you said. She had had a streptococcus infection in her throat for two month. She will be under meedical treament for a month, and the rheumathlogist will also follow her directly up, if needed.
I certainly hope the Lord rewards you for your efforts, because I can only thank you.
I'm also praying for all yours and youself, that things will work out well with health, promise of a safe and bright future.
We are blessed sparrows indeed, aren't we??
Love from Elise

Curious Servant said...

I've said several prayers for Serina. I hope she is doing better.

--Will

Anonymous said...

Please tell Serina she must be content to take it easy, even when it seems difficult. I can tell her that from experience...I had a fever last fall taht I lost sooo much memory with because I wore myself ragged! I worked from dawn to 10:30 and was up again early until the day I couldn't get up, and then I still worked.

Love,
Rose

Terry said...

Dear Felisol...It is morning where you are and actually it is morning here too in Southern Ontario.
Yeh!! Almost two in the morning!
Tomorrow I will go and get my stitches out.
Bernie thought that you were so cute when I was kidding and you thought that he pushed me!!
Even if he wants to , you see that Mrs. Mac who wrote to you?
Well if Bernie doesn't toe the line he will be in big trouble with Mr. Mac.
Mr. Mac is a policeman!!

You don't know how happy we are about your little one.
She has been a very brave little girl and you must be so proud of her.
How old is Serina, Felisol?
She looks so young and tiny.
Has she got her appetite back yet?

Well I best be getting to bed now and I will write you tomorrow morning....God bless you and Gunnar and the little one and your mom!!..Love Terry


Hello Rose!
Did you see that Saija has a picture of you on her latest post and Pilot-mom has a picture of ME?!!

Pilgrim Pals said...

Good Morning Felisol...You are probably still sound asleep, but I just thought that I would get in here and tell you that I put that picture you wanted on the Pilgrim Pal blog!!
Love you guys!...Love Terry

Jim said...

Hi Felisol, thanks for the visit and for your prayers.
I am so thankful that Serina is recovering. She is so precious to all of you.
And I will continue to pray for Serina and for you. And to give my thanks.
..
You probably haven't been reading my blog, but I can relate to your loss of your dad. My father died this March, Mrs. Jim's mom died in January, our very good friend died in February.
God needed to reward all these faithful servants. They had practiced enough.
Rev 22:3 "No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him."
Now they are serving Him directly, in person.
..

Terry said...

Oh Felisol..I am so happy!!
I have figured out how to put you on as my favorite link!!
I have always had to rely on my friend forever, Noel Lewis but he has had so much sadness lately in his life that It is so hard for him to take the time to help me with this..
So I had to figure it out for myself.
So I worked and worked tonight and I finally got it!!...Love Terry

Ha!! Just to think that I got to your site from my OWN blog!!

Anonymous said...

WHOOPEEE! I am Sooooo happy that I can now blog-scotch over from Canadian Blogger! I didn't even notice that, having read about it here with Mrs. Shirkie's comment. I was thinking maybe I should just copy and paste the link om my MS Word doc. that I use to get to Pilgrim Pals and Pilgrim Scribblings (I blog-scotch out from there!).

I hope you are doing well, Mrs. Ljung. I think of you and yours often.

-lil pilgrim pal

Saija said...

what lovely pictures and helplful hints too!

midnight sun in your area of the world is lovely ... we experienced it once - in 1991 - in my native finland ... it was amazing to watch the sun just kiss the horizon and bounce back up again!

blessings!

Sue Seibert said...

I am so thankful to hear that Serina is better. God bless all of you.

Terry said...

Dear Felisol...You must be sound asleep because it is three PM here in Canada.
We are having a family picnic today and I am taking a breather while my scalloped potatoes are baking.

I was so sad yesterday most of the day whenever I thought of our Pilot-mom.
I have such deep respect for her because how can she be so cheerful and encouraging when she had that tragic in her life of losing her brother in such a terrible way?
My brother, David passed away about nine years ago and to this day sometimes when I get thinking of it, it makes me sad even though we know he is in heaven.
And then when I think of my sister, Gracey losing her husband over 20 years ago, every so often, I ask God Why? He was 28 years old and Gracey raised the four children.
When Eric died, the children were 11/2, 3, 5 and 7.
She raised them on her own with the Lord's help and they turned out really well.
I am 57, but I guess I have a long way to go before I stop asking God "Why?" on different things because that is just NOT right.
I respect Claire so much!

Felisol, I helped Gracey set up a blog site and it is on my favorite links under Gracey.
Can you if you have a little time go and see her sometime?
Grace goes to Dads every week just like we do..every Sunday and we are always talking about my friend in Norway.
She is really interested in Norway and she knows how I love you and Gunnar and Serina and your mom and dad!..
Well I will say so long for now.
When you get up, it will already be Sunday, so I will wish you a great one!!..Love Terry

Gracey is 48, I think.

Wasn't it so nice what your little Rose[Resting in Psalm 37] did?
She sent my dad a little letter and a Promise Bible.
I couldn' help but post them on Pilgrim Pals..

Amrita said...

Dear Felisol, Thank you for visiting my blog. pray Serina completly recovers.

norway has been a fascinating country for me. when i was small I had a book called The Snow Queen...a story set in Norway or one of the Icelandic coutries...since india is so hot I used to cool off by reading that book.
I like the currant flower sherbet. If we had those here I would have made some.I noticed you used the word veranda in your intro. we use it here too...I suspect its a British colonial word, with hindi roots.

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