EYE SPY GHOSTS

Minnies Ghost is returning after a long holiday

Hope everyone had a relaxing Memorial Day Week-end. Here is your little story from Norway that I should have posted for you on Monday, but was too tired. Norwegians celebrated the week-end a bit different. Most of them just got off the party bus yesterday because holidays usually last two days.  Pentecost commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Twelve apostles and other followers of Jesus as described in the Acts of the Apostles 2:1–31.[2] For this reason, Pentecost is sometimes described as the "Birthday of the Church."  I had to look this up because I only know the holiday referred to by its Norwegian name, which is Pinse. There are many holidays in Norway during the month of May and to honest with you, I have a hard time keeping up with them.  Labor Day, Constitution Day, Liberation Day, Women’s Day, Ascension Day, Pentecost, and White Monday are all holidays celebrated this month. Although many of these days are religiously connected to Easter, most Norwegians do not celebrate time in church. There is a lot of talk these days about the church and state being separated from each other. Since I am not very religious or political, I have no outspoken views to come with regarding that matter. I am just tired of all these holidays, not to mention the birthdays that happen this month as well! You have probably figured out by now that May is a crazy month for me. You can read about some of that HERE on My Gutsy Story. If you want to vote for "My" Gutsy Story, voting starts May 31st.

My spying skills are also a bit off because someone hid my pink panther suit. Don’t worry, I found it and after a few repairs and a good wash it is perfectly wearable. You should all be aware that my Eye Spy posts might change during the day...depending on what I find and when I find it. Here is what I found first, Knights of MicroFiction is back.  On the 15th of every month you can take up your writing sword and become a knight with Kathy Mckendry and Jess. Something definitely worth checking out and you can read about it at Imagine Today. I also spy Minnie who is aching for some gibberish fun, and that game starts on Friday. I have no idea what my little band of "Patriots of Standard Word Abuse" will come up once Minne gets them started! Fun, guaranteed!

You can look HERE for past games.

Minnies Fan Club-Frida, Einar and Bert

Let me know if there are places you want the Pink Panther to visit. Any news you want to share? Will you be another Knight of Microfiction, or how about playing with Minnies crazy gang? 

Here is something more for you to check out! CHRISTI GODDARD Has just released her book Four in the morning. This one looks like a great read!

http://www.christigoddard.com/2012/05/bit-of-news.html

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0084P70J2

Leaving you with some love for the day...

What's for dinner? Heaven in a bowl.

What do you want for dinner? When I ask that question, do you think I really get an answer? Something good is always on the menu. What? Is that the standard answer? I am still waiting for, "Let's take Mom out for dinner!"

Yeah that is a lot of soup, enough to feed an army.

So judging by Wednesdays post, you guys want a recipe for my (hmm) potato soup. Here you go, in my not so recipe mind...Cook up a bunch of chopped potatoes. How many? I don't know, depends on how much soup you are making. If you like celery, chop that up too and cook with potatoes, about 1/4 to the amount of potatoes.  Fry up some bacon and onions, yes you have to chop it up! If you are a vegetarian skip the bacon part. I think I added garlic too. How much? that depends on you. OK, Bacon is fried with onion, etc. NOT TO FRIED! You want it translucent. Now you want to add some flour to all that yummy fat. OK...Vegetarians, don't be offended! Do your thing here with mushrooms and butter that is yummy too. Potatoes are just about finished, yippee!You need that water to add to the thick flour paste you made. Did I mention that? Gradually add some of that water, OK you need some milk too and cream if you have it, until you get the right consistency. You do know that cream and butter makes everything so much better. (Yeah, yeah, yeah) Chop up some broccoli, throw that in. Salt...I love pepper...simmer, simmer... You got the idea? Yeah, cheese as a garnish on top is good!  BTW: This is my sons Potato soup recipe. I think I got it right, he will let us know if I didn't. On second thought, blogger is not his hangout place so I can do what I want with his soup recipe and he will never know. I love soup, do you? What is your favorite kind?

There is a holiday soon, right? Soup works.  Minnie, next week in case you are wondering.

Eye Spy!

 

Do not write your posts in Blogger, because if you have a stupid computer like mine you might just hit the wrong button and lose everything you wrote. Yes that just happened to me, as a writer you would know how frustrating that is! Kind of want to get off that horse, give up and crawl into a hole? 

Not so very long ago I made soup for 120 people. Potato soup, the best I have ever tasted. It was magnificent, magical, and the crown jewel to an ending of a convention that I was helping my son with. What can I say; I was eager and spoiled the whole thing by warming it up to early. Sour, it turned sour and my heart fell. I wanted to go home, to crawl in a hole and die. I didn’t, I made grilled cheese sandwiches and pizza out of leftovers instead. Doing this without a recipe is hard. There is no recipe for writing; you lose if you do not save. Sometimes getting back on that horse is not easy; the train of thought can be gone. So I get back on that horse and tell you what my Pink Panther found today. Funny actually, because “it” is a book about mind reading. Susan has written another book worth checking out, the sequel to a mind jacktrilogy. My mind is totally jacked, need I say more? At least I got back on that horse again. You can too.

Secrets

 We all have them, you know...those life changing stories. Those secrets that we don't really want to share and the secrets that we can not share. Those pests and skeletons in the closet that you or your family put there. We have no choice, they are just there. Love lost, suicide, abuse of one kind or another...ghosts that haunt. Ghosts that are just there to tell a story. Those ghosts are yours. You make them real when you tell their story. The question is, do you dare? You are a writer so of course you dare. You change the names and make fantasy out of reality. Sometimes...and sometimes you just tell the truth and let it fly for what it is. Maybe your story will inspire, touch someone, or make someone believe in the impossible. Please check out My Gutsy Story at Gutsy living. Some of you  already know this story. I have never kept it a secret to my family or friends. When a secret can be kept or shared, I chose to share this one and I am glad that I did. Do you have a secret you want to share?

Special Guest-Girl in a Red Cap

Today I have a very special guest on my blog. My daughter is taking time out from her busy student life to explain what it is like going to school in Norway and what it means to be a "Russ." 

It didn’t surprise me when my mom asked me to explain what a Russ is on her blog today. She does not get it, but I really can’t blame her because the school system in Norway is much different than in the states. I know this because my brother spent a year in a junior high school in the states a few years back. My parents sent him there to live with my aunt in Seattle for a while to “straighten him out”. I think that worked out well for everyone. He was an A student over there, but once he came home he barely passed most of his classes. My point is that you Americans have it easy at school. You get a bus to take you there, a cafeteria with hot meals, free books and a structured class room. When you graduate from high school you have one day to wear your graduation clothes, one ceremony and a party where you get lots of money. Am I right?

We walk to school, we take our lunches with us in a paper bag and until just recently, we paid for our school books after 9^th grade. When you are finished with 9^th grade you get the option to go to high school or vocation school. If you do go to high school the changes are huge! You have to know what you want to do with your life in order to pick the right classes or you are FU…..(mom edit) If you choose wrong you pretty much have to start over. That is what I had to do. I am 22 years old and just finished “High School”. We call it videregående skole, which means continued education. It took me 6 years of starting over again but I finally did it! I am starting college this August and hopefully when I am finished with that in three years,  I will be a high school history and english teacher. This year I am a Red Russ.

There are several kinds of Russ. There are black ones, blue ones and red ones each defining what you have studied. Each Russ has a different uniform that they have to wear every day in the month of May. I was thinking how to describe this and found this on Wikipedia: “The russefeiring ('russ celebration') is a traditional celebration for Norwegian high school students in their final spring semester. Students that take part in the celebrations are known as russ. The russefeiring traditionally starts on 1 May and ends on the 17th of May, the Norwegian national day. Participants wear colored overalls, drive matching cars, vans, or buses, and celebrate almost continually during this period. Promiscuous sex, drunkenness and public disturbance on a mass scale has been the most prominent impact of the celebration in recent decades.” That pretty much covers it. As you can see, even celebrating graduating high school is a lot of hard work. Here are some of the things we have to do: CLICK THIS LINK: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russefeiring#.22St.C3.A5kuka.22

Oh yeah, and then there are the exams during the whole month. Both written and oral, you never know which classes you get for your final exams until shortly before. I ended up with written Norwegian and Print/Photography. Wish me luck!

Mom owes me big time for doing this so I hope you enjoyed it.

Grill Master Weber-Mans Best Friend

One thing that I love about nice warm weather is that when my children ask, “What’s for dinner Mom?” I can point a finger at Dads best friend, and say that he is cooking dinner tonight.

What is it about men and grilling/barbequing? Have you ever noticed that at parties all the men gather around the grill, and the women gather around whoever is holding a baby? Most men shy away from the stove or oven, but put a grill fork in their hand, and a slab of meat on a plate, and then they are happy as can be. 

We barbeque a lot during the summer which saves me time because basically all I have to do is make a salad or two. Depending on what kind of salads you make, these can last for several days in the fridge. Because salads are cold, you don’t have to worry about the timing of your food. Just grab it out of the fridge and onto the table as soon as Mr. Grillmaster presents his work of culinary expertise. He will brag about how great it looks and you will compliment him. “Yes honey, it looks and smells fantastic, great job!” At that moment all is right with the world. Yes, this would be one secret of a good marriage. When he stands there with that smile on his face, proudly holding that plate in front of you, (even if the meat is burned) then just smile back.

As long as there is meat in the freezer and a grill outside, believe me you will not go hungry. Even a little rain will not keep a man away from his grill. Well, not in this house anyways. On the menu this week-end, come rain or shine: Pork Chops, BBQ Spareribs, Pork Tenderloin, Potato Salad, Pasta Salad, Grilled Veggies on a spit and for dessert Strawberry and Blueberry Cheesecake. I made the salads and the cake last night, so all I have to do now is stab some vegetables, sit back and read my Kindle. Want to know what I am reading?  Michael Offutts new book Slipstream and so far, I am having a hard time putting it down.

Who does the grilling in your family? What is your theory on Men and their grills? Have a great week-end everyone. Leaving you with a few pictures of my daughter during and after her big 17th of May "Russ" celebration, tired but satisfied!

With a Friend in Warpaint

"Russ" have to do crazy things, this is one of them-crawling over a bridge.

After a long night and day without sleep..not exactly sober either

Monday maybe I will tell you what it means to be a "Russ".

Norway Celebrates Independence Day

This morning I was awoken at 7 am by the sounds of a canon. It is the 17th of May, 198 years since Norway signed its constitution and declared independence from the Danes.

Each year the senior students called "Russ" have spent the night in preparation of the big day that marks their graduation from school. Most of them have partied all night in their school uniforms and the goal is to see who can stay on their feet the longest. My daughter this year is one of them.

The children dress up in their fancy clothes . If they are lucky, and many are, they dress up in their national costumes. Shoes are shined, hair slicked back, ribbons in place and most important a small Norwegian flag to carry. The marching bands have been practicing all year for this event and their shiny instruments and drums are ready to set the streets alive with music. My husband marches out front carrying the banner flag for one of them. He has retired from playing but he still like to dress up in his uniform and march along. 


Where am I in all of this? Comforting our dog who we have dosed with Valium because the sounds of a music band petrify her just as much as fireworks. I don't have to go far, several parades with bands pass right outside our window. 

All over Norway, bells chime, guns sound of several solutes and children line up behind the music to start the parade. In Oslo the Royal family stands on the terrace of the palace and greets the thousands of children that pass below them. For Norwegians there is a special meaning behind this day, one that is separate from a declaration of independence. During WW2 Norwegians were not allowed by the Germans which occupied this country to celebrate their national holiday or to honor their flag. Norwegians would have to celebrate in secret among friends and family. Today on the 17^th of May this beautiful country and its people celebrate in extra glory knowing full well what it is like not being able to do so. Today they eat a lot of ice cream because they can!

For all my Norwegian friends and family around the world, may your day be full of laughter, love and pride for who you are.