Sepi-Serin-Dipity

For a Daughter who leaves
A woman weaves
her daughter's wedding
slippers that will carry
her steps into a new life.
The mother weeps alone
into her jeweled sewing box
slips red thread
around its spool,
the same she used to stitch
her daughter's first silk jacket
embroidered with turtles
that would bring luck, long life.
She remembers all the steps
taken by her daughter's
unbound quick feet:
dancing on the stones
of the yard among yellow
butterflies and white breasted sparrows.
And she grew, legs strong
body long, mind
independent.
Now she captures all eyes
with her hair combed smooth
and her hips gently
swaying like bamboo.
The woman
spins her thread
from the spool of her heart,
knotted to her daughter's
departing
wedding slippers

Janice Mirikitani

AMIDALA, THE QUEEN OF CATS

Our Queen Amidala isn't happy at all. She has given birth to five beautiful kittens this spring. After 8 weeks of struggling to become a good mother, her kittens were given to three good homes.
As a "reward", Amidala was castrated, and totally confused when the tomcats began pieing and mewing again. She fought them all back from her territory with great skill and courage.
She and Serina bonded easily when the latter came home for a short vacation . Then it was crying time again, Serina packed all night while the rain was pouring down.
At 6 in the morning we were exhausted and decided to get some sleep, while Amidala went out to do whatever cats do at that time of day. It was still damp and wet all over the terrace and garden. Can't you hear her complaining ; "I am not amused."

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COMBAT & PEACE

Exodus 14:14 The LORD will fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
(Hebrew Bible in English.)

It takes great self-control to unwillingly be in a "combat zone", have the most evil and poison weapons at hand, and still be told to hold my peace.
Serina uses to say, "It's a good thing Norway has such a strict fire arm control, mamma. If you had a gun, you would have used it."

Oh, how she has revealed my weaknesses over and over again.
The Almighty knows me even better, and in some funny, unreasonable way He loves me after all. He has created me, He knows I am dust, and He still cares, even to counting every hair on my head.

Now He has told me, He'll do the fighting and I shall hold my peace.
I clearly can see, there's a lot of praying ahead.
Peace be with us all.

Isaiah 48: 18 Oh that thou wouldest hearken to My commandments! then would thy peace be as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea;

High Summer

Somehow the lavender has had a good summer. Maybe because it's a late bloomer?

The chives are still alive and kicking, even after the hardest snail attack.
My rhubarb has not been harvested. I need something rich to look at.
The thyme is barely alive after king winter's gruesome garden slaugther in March.
Black frost is lethal this far north. The red currants are about to ripen.

Today's the third sunny day in a row. Record. A bit cold though, I've got to wear my garden gnom jacket about 8 p.m. The black currants are also looking promising.

The table is made by Gunnar and has endured 18 Nordic outdoor winters.
Now it's serving wine and roses.

ALL PHOTOS BY GUNNAR.

She's standing by the rhododendrons
Where the roses are in bloom
Looking out at the Atlantic ocean
And in her head she hums this tune

Thank God the dark nights are drawing in again
cos high summer has got me down
Can we wait till the end of august
And get off this merry-go-round

I don't agree with Van Morrison, but I kind of like his words & music.

SUMMER RAIN

This June we had 200 % more rain than the average Junes.
July doesn't seem to become better.
These pictures were taken on our terrace at 06 a.m. Sunday morning.
I rest my case.



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This is Norway

Till recently Norway had but one TV Channel, the NRK.
Anybody owning a TV set in Norway still has to pay tax to the National broadcasting.

This summer they made a unique "show", following the famous Hurtigruten from Bergen to Hammerfest for 5 1/2 day. No news break, no commercials, no entertainment on board; just the boat sailing zig zaging along the laced coastline of Norway.
I've chosen this out-take from Tromso to honour my friend Sonja. It's the home-town of her mother.

Need I say that the show was a mega hit among Norwegians, with reruns ever after it was first broadcasted this early June.
Yes, we may be weird, but we love each mountain peak and fjord arm of this country.

I SEE

I read a post by Steve E "Alone and Loneley".
I think many of us can relate to that feeling; being alone midst in a crowd.
One of my favorite poems, as a very young teenager,was about this topic, written by the poet, Sigbjorn Obstfelder. (Wikipedia link here).
I searched the Internet for a possible English translation and found it on YouTube.

Daniele Sepe - Jeg ser - I see - Vedo - ENG - ITA SUBBED

I see, I see
I'm looking at the sky
Grey clouds are covering the sun
So this is the world
Without time nor boundaries
The home of all heavenly bodies
Then I see
Houses
Bell towers
And fields in the distance
So this is the earth,
Where everything grows,
The home of mankind,
Then I see
Well dressed gentlemen.
Children riding on a carousel,
And an elegant Lady,
Further on
Someone is beginning for a stale piece of bread,
I think something doesn't work
On this planet.
I see, I see,
I must have come to the wrong globe,
Here is so weird.


Edvard Munch painted the Scream about the same time as Obstfelder wrote his poem. They were related souls.

Ruby Shipwreck

We haven't had much of a summer so far. About averagely 50 Fahrenheit degrees in June and 200 % more rain than normal. We normally have our fair share of rain anyway.
This dark red boat has stranded in an ocean of flowers blowing in the wind.
The prognosis for July hasn't improved.
The water magazines are full, so we can supply sunny, southern Europe with cheap renewable power.
Renewable being the key word.
There's more rain to come.
Happy summer to those who have one.
Also; happy 4th of July to my American friends.




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Bob Dylan in Bergen

Bob Dylan, 70, rocked 14 000 Bergeners, one sweet girl from Finland and yours truly from here to eterity.


I've never heard him better, rocking and rolling, twisting and turning the best from his 50 year long production.
He connected with the band, like they were one soul.

And he smiled, smiled all the time. He connected with the audience like I never have experienced it before.

My only problem was my old, outdated Nokia.
Photographing was prohibited, but I sweet talked one of the guard crew, saying this old cell phone is good for nothing.


So sad it turned out to be true.
Gunnar, Serina and I have attended Dylan concerts since Serina was 2 years old. We hope to continue this tradition for at least ten, if not twenty more years. wouldn't that be wonderful; Dylan 90 and us 80?

The rest was perfect in spite of 51, 8 Fahrenheit degrees and splashing rain.


Maybe the old heart got soft when he entered the stage after 2 hours (waiting & Susan Vega). anyway he opened with Rainy day Women # 12 & 35, and from there it only got better.
I, I had gold circle place, nothing but a low fence and the stage between me and the Master.



I am praying that Dylan must find his way home again.

Midsummer with Serina

This evening we went out to revisit places from Serina's childhood.
The pictures are fresh from the oven. Shot just two hours ago.


I cannot name the midsummer bouquet in English. The red one is called St. Hans flower, equinox flower, in Norwegian. There's also Valerian root, which smells so wonderfully, and is said to turn around midsummer night.


At Aksnes beach; Serina is picking sea shells where we let her meet the sea for the first time 22 years ago.

Midsummer meadow; or angel meadow, as the Swede poet Taube called it.
The time is about 23 b.m. and the sun is setting.


Lifeline by the beach.

Red clovers growing by the beach.

St. Hans flower also close to the salty waters.


Sea weed


Lobster


Dusk after sundown.


North west dusk

It's dark and just a few meters from home.
A deer calf is out seeking for water; bad, but rare shot.

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Everyday daughter

Some rare day a person does get me out of the blue, catches my feelings and gives them a name.
Like this busy home nurse I called out today to help with my mother's medication.
She was not much younger than me. She came in a hurry on a busy Sunday, (they're always half staffed on Holidays), smiling even though I had been grumpy on the phone.
She even took time to say some encouraging words after I had tried to excuse myself.
"I know how it is," she soothed," I have a mother on 87 myself. I have four sisters living out of town. When they come visiting it's coffee, flags and celebration. I am the everyday daughter. I'm always supposed to be here, and it's fine with me."
I nodded. It's fine with me too.

Feldenkrais

After having had several broken bones incidents due to my osteoporosis, amongst other two compression fractures in the spine, I felt like my body had kind of let me down, deserted me.
Pills, doctors, physiotherapists were of no help at all.
Till I met with my Feldenkrais instructor, Lolomai Selso.
Once a week we have been working for an hour, and I actually felt better from the first lesson, a year and a half ago.
Lately I have not been very nice to my back. Garden work isn't for sissies.
Now I'm on my second week of baby crawling. A cure for the back, 7x7x7.
Seven minutes, seven days a week for seven week.
Opposite to this baby, my crawling is supposed to be done slow and in a diagonal rhythm. That is Left hand and right foot moves together.
Thereby both left and right brain hemisphere are stimulated simultaneously.
It's simple, it's free and it only requires seven minutes a day.

Day 1. Last Day and First Day

Our Father

(Norwegian for the English term The Lord's Prayer. I prefer the Norwegian)
Mattew 6:9

Our Father which art in heaven,
(easy)
Hallowed be thy name.
(easy)
¹⁰Thy kingdom come,
(easy)
Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
(easy, the only safe and sensible way of living. though I fear I often pray my way be done.)
¹¹Give us this day our daily bread.
(easy)
¹²And forgive us our debts,
(easy)
as we forgive our debtors.
(tough, oh, so tough)
¹³And lead us not into temptation,
(easy)
but deliver us from evil:
(easy; please deliver me from being evil too)
For thine is the kingdom,
(easy and wonderful)
and the power, and the glory, for ever.
(easy and what a strength; the power and the glory)
Amen
(King James Version)

This prayer is the most challenging and liberating prayer in my life.
I admit I do struggle, but since I am addressing the Almighty, I just have to be honest, and ask for help, where I do fail.
The truth is; He helps when I think I couldn't be reached.

The sun is so important to us, living near the North Pole. My forefathers used to worship the sun, it did give life and rule the seasons.

I've chosen this picture as a parable of Our Father.
1 King 8: 27" behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Thee; how much less this house that I have builded! "
Solomon's words in The Hebrew Bible in English.

No human can describe the greatness of Our Father, nevertheless he is the shadow by my right hand.

This ends my 7 days of silent mediation, and starts the rest of my life.

2nd Day

Psalm 130:1 A Song of Ascents.
Out of the depths have I called Thee, O LORD.
2 Lord, hearken unto my voice;
let Thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.
3 If Thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?
4 For with Thee there is forgiveness, that Thou mayest be feared.
5 I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in His word do I hope.
6 My soul waiteth for the Lord, more than watchmen for the morning; yea, more than watchmen for the morning.


Brave, lonely watchman in the middle of the road in the middle of the night.

3rd Day

Psalm 32:3 When I kept silence, my bones wore away through my groaning all the day long.

Proverbs 21:23 Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.
(Hebrew Bible in English)

The psalm is about confession of sins.
The proverb is my daily trial. To think and think again before speaking.
My Dad used to say, "He who can control his tongue, is more worth than a man who conquers a whole city."
He was only too familiar with my way of "fast" talking.


My Dad watching over me after " my bones wore away"and I first broke my right arm and then my right leg due to osteoporosis . How cared for and safe he always made me feel, and how well he controlled his tongue even to the bitter end.

4th Day

Isaiah 43:1 But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and He that formed thee, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name, thou art Mine. 2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee; when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. (Hebrew Bible in English)

Thoughts:
On my journey, I shall have to pass through waters and walk through fire.
I shall, however, not be hurt, because HE who has called me by name is with me.

Picture:
I walked for two hours on the longest coherent beach in Norway. Totally absorbed by the beauty and my thoughts.
Never even noticed that Gunnar was following me with his camera on a distance.
The little black dot in middle of the picture is me.
When I sunk down, totally exhausted, Gunnar went towards me in a split second.

5th Day

Psalm 32:8 'I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go; I will give counsel, Mine eye being upon thee.' (The Hebrew Bible in English)

I am such a slow learner.
For 18 years I've had these wonderful poppies in my garden, and been thrilled when they showed up every early June.
In magazines I saw pictures of elegant poppy stalks in long, slender vases and so wanted to decorate our living room the same way.
My poppies collapsed after only a few hours indoors.
Until I this year got the idea to pick a few buds for my vases. They slowly unfolded and made our life an ornamental thrill for days.
If I only had sought instructions earlier.....

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6th Day

This is my mother's forget-me-not flowerbed.
Early in the spring she has lots bulbs there, snowdrops, crocus,
even daffodils and tulips. In between she plants the begonias to blossom in late June.
And then, then it's the time to sit still and watch the wonders of the Lord; the forget-me-not time. The seeds were spread last summer and from nowhere the bright blues explodes into a hymn to the power of the Great Gardener. Their beauty is beyond description, and when they're finished, they are so easy to remove, they have practically no root net.
Next spring we'll watch eager from the balcony; will they be here again.
They always will. They just need that little time to spread their seeds for the next season.


Psalm 37:
7 Resign thyself unto the LORD, and wait patiently for Him;

7th day

Job 35:14 Yea, when thou sayest thou canst not see Him--the cause is before Him; therefore wait thou for Him.

Dandelion

I love this poem by Inger Hagerup about dandelions.

This is how lives go
To the dandelions now as then;
They start as fire, turn into snow,
And end like old, bald men.

Translated by Felisol

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