RUBY CELEBRATION SYTTENDE MAI

May 17th or syttende mai is the reddest day in Norway. Our flags of red, white and blue are seen in every corner of the town..
This year we went home to my birth town to celebrate the day with my mother. There are at least three parades in every little town, often four. The one you won't miss is the school parade. Even the King and Queen of Norway are saluting the children from the balcony on the Royal Castle in Oslo.No military power, not a single gun is displayed, just happy singing children, some teachers and lots of brass bands.
Most of the women and some men are dressed in bunads. Handmade in every little detail and equipped with pure silver jewelry.My mother has personally made her, mine and two of Serina's bunads.(One for children, another for her confirmation.)
Our National anthem, our King Song and our four National hymns all celebrate God as our creator.
It has always been a tradition to go to church after the school parade. Just this year a minority group had forced through a confession neutral celebration. I so missed the children in church.
The American Miss Apron is resting in my lap.
Happy Ruby Tuesday and a heartfelt celebration of spring to all of you.

Originated by MaryT, check hers for today

CATS CELEBRATING SPRING

No time for blogging, or paying my friends a visit nowadays. I'm fully occupied being the hostess of Miss Apron.
It's May and cat mating time in Norway. In nights the cats are holding a fireball of a party.
Mons, the winning male spends the day, protecting and admiring the Feline relaxing on the lamp post.

UNEVEN RUBY COMPETITION

My porcelain flower is 30 years old.I got it from a friend of my mother and have moved it with me around the town.Now it's covering a great widow facing east, and every time I remember to water it,I'm rewarded with bunches of pea sized blossoms, smelling like the costliest perfume.
Just now they are competing with the spring outside.
P.S.
I am afraid I still have major problems in explaining myself in readable English.
The porcelain flowers come from a living plant.
The plant is 30 years old. The flowers are fresh and photographed in macro. They have the size of a flat pea, and in the evenings they send out tiny scenting drops.

Emily Dickinson

A little madness in the Spring Is wholesome even for the King, But God be with the Clown — Who ponders this tremendous scene — This whole Experiment of Green — As if it were his own!

Originated by MaryT, check hers for today

GARDEN WEDDING

The birch outside our kitchen window is shining like a bride of spring in green, laced, veil.
Our lilacs are still hiding their true colors, like young, modest brides maids.
The daffodils are shining like yellow mother suns all over the garden, and to day the red cardinal, the rhododendron has unfolded his robe.
Blackbirds and red robins have already tuned into the prelude.
We are waiting for the groom, the somewhat reluctant huge cherry tree, to arrive, and we are the guests of honor!

RUBY MAY FIRST

In Norway May 1st is celebrated as Freedom Day of the Laborer.It's a bank holiday with parades and speeches, flags, banners and festivity.
The majority chooses, however,to use the day for various activities, embracing the spring.

We went to a flea market outside the town. A mission summer school is gathering "fleas" all year and have a sale once a year. I bought some books, a small embroidered table cloths and a framed, elderly picture. This book, written by Billy Graham, "The Angels, God's secret agents", was very interesting. I find we talk to little about angels, even though they are described more than 300 places in the Bible. I sure can do with some help from God's agents.
To many the most beautiful fairytale of spring, is the day their beloved MC is let out from winter hibernation.
Here the MC Seniors are gathered for the first great meeting in 2010.Wrooom.
The leader of the clan riding a most prestigious and well groomed machine.
Short before sunset we drove south to visit the grave of aunt Lilly. Outside the graveyard sheep and new born lambs are grassing. Eight greater ships are laid up in the bay. A sign of the depression on the world market.
Under "Mary's sewing needle"a pre Christian menhir. The saga goes, when it touches the church wall, Domesday will come. The rusty drain pipe answers for the red in the picture.
Crisscrossing the island on our way home as the sun went down about 9.30, we found this cow stop sign. Be prepared for cows crossing the road on their way home from green pastures.
The sun is now up 15 hours a day, and life is phenomenal.

Originated by MaryT, check hers for today

MY MOTHER'S GARDEN

This smiling lad is lying at the end of my mother's garden. To make a lawn on their half acre of land, my parents shoveled each foot by hand. The stones were driven to the boarders of the lawn to make a fence or a "yard" my mother would say.
One summer the two of us built a fireplace of stones. My dad did not trust our constructing skills. This fireplace will be down within next spring, he claimed. Well, my stubborn mother has smuggled some concrete in between the stones these 45 years. Each summer we make at least one pot of coffee and some hot dogs there.
(Wo)man's victory against nature.

RUBY NORDIC SCENERY

The Nordic weather has been weird this April.
Sun,fog,rain, snow, hail and night frost have taken turn to confuse us.Worst of all this ash layer from Iceland forcing the planes to stay grounded for a week.
When I first woke up smelling smoke, I reckoned I'd been too heavy with barbecue oil the night before.
Alas, it was the real thing. The scenery was practically gray.

Watching the sun sink in the ash layer over the sea,was quite an experience.

Originated by MaryT, check hers for today

DAYS OF THUNDER AND ASHES

Hiker girls meet another male while chasing white anemones.


"All these days coming and going; little did I know, that they were life itself".

The last weeks life indeed seemed is coming too close,as if I have no comfort zone left.

Like when the headlines in the newspaper aren't abstracts, but concerning people I know.
The Muslim girl sent back to Iraq by her father.
I know her, know her hopes for a future in Norway, know that it doesn't include a forced marriage in the land her father had to flee from.
I wonder;how long will foreign people be permitted to violent Norwegian laws?
How many blind eyes can be turned to injustice committed to children?

On the other hand, the pater I worked with in my youth; brave, intelligent, outspoken with a sharp pen and a dozen bestsellers. Now falsely accused of an "attempted rape" on an adult. (To cover up the fact the catholic bishop actually has confessed pedophile aggression.)
Makes me wonder; don't these transgressors believe in judgment day at all?

Ash rain from Iceland spraying my delicate spring flowers, but creating the most wonderful sundowns..

The wild white anemones are here, the optimal spring sign to me.Liv took us on a hike to gather the first ones this year.
A time of thrilled devotion.

The Ramsons are sprouting under every bush in the garden.
We're enjoying leek for all of our dinner meals, but I serve it as a side dish, so it's optional.

One week ago I bought an indoor mini hot house for to sow the holy basil seeds Amrita sent me.
Today the tiny sprouts are 1 1/2 cm long.
Amrita and her dear Mom are guarding the seeds in the hot house.
Outdoors I have sowed Indian cress and planted begonias.

We had snow less than a week ago,but I simply couldn't wait any longer. It was to be or not to be for my future flowers.
May is just around the corner.

We had dinner on terrace, wearing either down jackets and fleece quilts.

Gunnar is also fixing the bathroom in the flat we have for hire. Intricate work, but he's very clever.

We have help to wash the floors, but the eager ladies are a bit heavy on the (soap)bottle, so I had to polish the wood floor in the living room laying on my knees.
I seized the moment and made this self portrait.
My summer wardrobe is still hidden in an old chest.Perhaps next week?
The public library arranged its annual "Day of the Book", serving coffee and waffles, a free rose and selling used books for one dollar. Seized the moment there as well.

Gunnar already has had a his summer hairdo, leaving his hairdresser triumphantly smiling with a kilo of hair on the floor.

My hands are black and swollen from digging, weeding and planting.
I simply cannot wear garden gloves, I so enjoy the touch of soil. A good thing I don't belong to the manicurist class.
The birds are mating, singing all day and night long. We are lucky to have black birds nesting here. They repay our feeding with wonderful thrills.
All the time the clock of my life is ticking,tacking, -- to fast for my taste.

RUBY GUARDIAN ANGEL

I found this simple, little verse on a Catholic prayer site.
It suits only too well for where I am just now.
A fragile child in need of an almighty God.
I also want to thank the Scarf Sisters for forming this strong ring of prayer,staying faithfully by my friends and me.The angel is hanging in our living room window.

Daily Prayer to Guardian Angel

Angle of God
My guardian dear
To whom my love
Commits me here
Ever this day
Be at my side
To light and guard
To rule and guide.
Amen

Originated by MaryT, check hers for today

LONG LIVE RUBY SPRING

Spring exploded this week at 10 Celsius degrees.
This ship wreck has almost survived being covered in snow and ice for four month on our terrace.
In our living room the exotic plants are having a feast, growing totally out of control.
The hiker girls have been out all year, come snow, come rain. Now the masculine gender also is out of winter lair hibernate.Turid made great effort stopping this dog/calf from intruding our coffee rest zone. She easily controls any male creation.
No blue tulips, but daffodils and primroses in my garden.
I admit; I have not fulfilled spring cleaning yet. The windows of the terrace doors are misty from salty winter storms and rain. Serina's terrace-refrigerator decorations, made in oil on metal 10 years ago, are still vivid in their colors.

Originated by MaryT, check hers for today

BLUR RUBY TUESDAY

Today is Second Easter Day in Norway,the fourth holiday since Maundy Thursday.
Serina's Easter vacation is over.Easter to us has always been visiting family and getting visits.
Playing cards, reading crime novels and eating far too many Easter eggs.
Time to tidy up decorations, take some photos and pick up the other sides of my everyday life.
The snow is finally gone, the garden, my best mean of recreation, cries out for attention.
Tomorrow hiking with the ladies.
I just love this time of the year; the naked spring.
Outside our kitchen window the lilac leaves are green, bursting buds. The sallow has had "ducklings" for quite some weeks.
Step by step We are walking hand in hand with the spring.
My "April fool" this year was deceiving my loved ones to believe blue tulips had come forward from under the snow.
Not very nice. In a month I think my tulips will be here...

Originated by MaryT, check hers for today

Psalm Poll Results

These have been taking part in the poll:
Kel, Gunnar, Serina, Amrita, Terry, Crown of Beauty, bottel, John Cowart, Pete from Chelmsford, Constance, Dad Golden, Carol Joy, Sonia, me; Felisol

Abide With Me A lot of Indian music

All heaven declares

All my Tears & Be Still My Soul by Selah

Alltid freidig når du går

Amazing grace

Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace

And Can it Be

Andreas Boccelli - The Prayer

Be Still My Soul

Be Thou My Vision

BLESSED ASSURANCE

Blessed Assurance

Blessed be your name

Bob Dylan - Every Grain of Sand.

By the Rivers of Babylon By the Sea of Crystal Saints in glory stand

Cantata and fugue in D minor J. S. Bach Chopin

Coldplay - Fix You

David's 121 st Psalm.

David's 121 st Psalm.

Deilig er jorden, Wonderful is the Earth.

Dyp av nåde - er hos deg

Dype, stille, sterke, milde

Eg veit i himmelrik ei borg

Eg veit i himmerik ei borg

En rose er utsprungen

En rose er utsprunget

Et barn er født i Betlehem

Every Grain Of Sand Bob Dylan

Fager kveldssol smiler

Fagert er landet du oss gav

Father God I wonder

First We Take Manhattan

From Heaven you came

Give me Jesus by Fernando Ortega

Gjør døren høi, gjør porten vid

Glade jul, hellige jul

Go Down Moses with Louis Armstrong

Gregorian mass song

Gud sign vår konge god

Gud signe vårt dyre fedreland

Halleluja Händel

Han er min sang og min glede

HANDEL - Hallelujah Chorus

He the pearly gate will open.Words Fredrick A. Blom

Hellig, Hellig, Hellig

Her kommer dine arme små

Herre Gud ditt dyre Navn og Ære, ("Good Lord, thy precious name and glory"

Herre Gud, ditt dyre navn og ære

Himmelske Fader, herleg utan like Hjem, hjem (Home, home) How firm a foundation ye Saints of the Lord

I den stille klare morgen

I denne søte juletid

I need Thee every Hour

Ingen er så trygg for fare

Isaiah 41:10 Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

Ja vi elsker dette landet

Jeg er så glad hver julekveld

Jeg er så glad hver julekveld Jeg er så glad hver julekveld Jeg har en venn

Jeg synger julekvad

Jesus lever, graven brast

Jesus take me as I am

Jesus, din søte forening

Kimer, I klokker

Kirken den er et gammelt hus

Kjærlighet fra Gud

Kling no, klokka

Kyrie Eleison! Gud Fader miskunne deg…

Landet där solen ej går ner

Led like a lamb

Leid, milde ljos

Leid, milde ljos (Lead, Kindly Light)

Let My People Go

Litlefuglen

Lover Herren! Han er nær

Majesty (worship his Majesty)

Matt Redman - Blessed be the Name

Med Jesus vil eg fara

Mercedes Benz My tribute

Missa Creola

Morning Has Broken

Naglet til et kors på jorden

No livnar det i lundar

Nobody Knows

Nærmere Deg, min Gud(nearer my God to thee)

O bli hos mig! Nu er det aftentid(Abide with me)

O Love That Will Not Let Me Go

Oh Happy Day - Edwin Hawkins Singers Oh holy night Oh, night devine

Old rugged cross

Old rugged cross

Old rugged cross.

On Christ the Solid Rock I stand, All other ground is sinking sand.Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise

Once To Every Man And Nation

One Day at a Time, Sweet Jesus

Only A Sinner Saved By Grace

Ovan där/ Bye and Bye

Overmåde fullt av nåde Pie Jesu

Psalm 121

Psalm 16

Psalm 18

Psalm 91

Psalms:

Påskemorgen slukker sorgen Revelation Song

Shine Jesus, Shine

Silent Night

Slavekoret Nabucco

Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For. U2

Swing Low Sweet Chariot

Så ta da mine hender

The Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves from Nabucco

The Hallelujah Choir by G.F. Handel

The Love of God

The Old Rugged Cross

The Passion" - Adrian Snell (the whole album)

There is a fountain filled with blood Throught it all

Tryggare kan ingen vara

Turn! Turn! Turn! The Byrds

Ungdommens frelser

Velt alle dine veie

Vår Gud han er så fast en borg

When I survey

Å hur saligt å få vandra

Å leva, det er å elska

Å salige stund uten like

One hymn got 4 votes;
Old rugged cross.

Three for;
Abide with me,
Amazing grace,
Davids psalm 121,
Handel, Hallelujah Chorus.
Psalm 137 (choir of the Hebrew slaves/By the rivers of Babylon)
Jeg er så glad hver julekveld.

I've chosen psalm 121 to represent the ones with three votes.
It's such a special psalm in our family.
My Dad loved it, and of course knew it by heart.
When Serina was 4 years, she suddenly asked out of the blue at bed time;
"Mother how far away is God?"
For a moment I was bewildered; then a sentence from Psalm 121 came to help. "5 The LORD is thy keeper; the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand."
The smile upon my girl's face as she let her right hand making shades upon the wall. "Is it true? Is he really here?" I found my old Bible and read the hole psalm for her, to confirm what I just had told her. And I know He was there then and he is here now. AMEN

I humbly thank all the participants, and if I have counted wrong, please let me know.

THE PSALMS, HYMNS AND SONG POLL 3

The psalm and hymns poll is still going on.
Terry sent a vote from her Dad Golden.
He's partly mine as well; my prayer child.
His song is also one of mine, The Old Rugged Cross.

THE PSALMS, HYMNS AND SONG POLL 2

John Cowart says: For a real toe-tapper, I don't think you can beat "Once To Every Man And Nation".
Other than that, they're all just songs.
Since he was the first to answer the call, I thought we might listen to him.

THE PSALMS, HYMNS AND SONG POLL

In our family we like polls. My brother and I have spent hour and days, trying to decide which are the hundred best pop melodies. When Gunnar first created our home site, we interviewed family members to find the best books, songs e.t.c.
http://home.online.no/~jackobse/elise/alltime/retrodem.htm
The other night, as we spoke on the phone, my brother challenged me to invite my blog readers, family blog readers included, to decide which are the psalms, hymns or spiritual songs, meaning the most to you.
We'll come back with a top 20 list before Easter.
If you don't have a blog account, you can post under anonymous and sign the name in the post.
I do hope you answer the call.
Songs and music play such a great role in all aspects of our lives. Wouldn't it be a nice thing to share?

RUBY EASTER YARD

Our kitchen table is laid for Easter.
Serina will be home early next week, and I like to keep the house ready for homecoming queen.
I have gathered hens, cocks and chickens for decades. Many are antique, other are home made.
Darling daughter has carved out the tiny wood cock, and signed her name on its tale.
There are different explanations as to why poultry seems to have such great influence in Scandinavian Easter celebration. Again the link between spring and new life. The hen and the eggs are ancient fertility symbols. Where as the rooster points at Peter's fall in Gethsemane. Mathew 26: " ³⁴Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice."

Once more pagan and Christian culture live side by side. Yet we celebrate Easter or paske as we say, at the same time of the year when the Jews are celebrating their Pésach.
First Sunday after first full moon after the veronal equinox. And we like to eat our Easter lamb.

Originated by MaryT, check hers for today