Life at the Bumpuses

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Lena

I’m sure you remember the fantastic movie the Christmas Story that came out a number of years ago?  The Leg Lamp?  Who could forget the leg lamp!!  And where Ralphie and his family lived next door to a family of hillbillies named the Bumpuses that had hounds that came charging into the kitchen and ate the wonderful/beautiful Christmas dinner that was prepared by Ralphie’s Mom.  So the poor family had to resort to eating at a Chinese restaurant on Christmas Day?  You do remember this movie, right?  Ralphie got the wonderful set of pink bunny pajamas with feet in them from his Great Aunt as a Christmas gift and his parents MADE him model them?  Greatest movie ever made and it has become a ritual at our house on Christmas Day.  You HAVE to watch the Christmas Story, and I think we laugh harder every year.

Well – - now I must admit – - Ole and I are living our very own Christmas Story – only I think we’re the Bumpuses – not Ralphie’s family.  Every time I drive in our driveway and look at our front yard I cringe because it’s really starting to look like the Bumpus’ front yard – we even have one hound to make things legit!!  (Only she’s really a German Shepherd, not a hound dawg!)

I expect the neighbors to start complaining any day now – oh – wait – they won’t dare to complain as they run a construction company and have all kind of heavy equipment, huge concrete pipes and other do-dads in their Back Forty.  Okay – not to worry.

Our yard (front AND back) isn’t QUITE as bad as the picture above – but it’s getting darn close.  We’re actually making progress in getting things sorted out in both the garage and Ole’s office/shop.  The biggest hinderance right now is that we desperately need another building to put things in so that we can organize the remainder of the “stuff” that will stay in the garage and Ole’s shop.  Ole’s busy getting quotes on 40×80 buildings that will be tall enough to store the motorhome in – and each time we get a quote I think we gasp and darn near choke.  But it’s got to be done – so spend those bucks and get it over with.

Let me say this and then I’ll drop this issue – it will certainly be nice to get my car back into the garage.  My poor vehicle has had to sit outside all winter and get rained on and snowed on.  I can’t remember the last time I had to leave my vehicle outside in the winter – but fortunately this winter was very mild for a Minnesota winter.  So we survived!

And then there’s the ATTACK ON THE NIGHTCRAWLERS!  Remember, I stated in a previous entry that I was going to declare war on the nightcrawlers because the lawn is so bumpy you could break your ankle trying to walk across it.  So today I spent over $100 on chemicals that are supposed to at least REDUCE the population.  I spent all afternoon spreading the “killer beads” so next time it rains we’ll see if it works or not.  If anybody out there has a sure solution to get rid of these critters I would appreciate your input.  Walking in our yard is like trying to walk on marbles – you never know which way your ankle is going to turn.  Bad.

So what are you all doing for Easter?  I’m cooking and we’re having some of our favorite people over (Lovely Daughter and her husband, Lars).  They are both working two jobs at this point, so it’s kind of nice to be able to give them a bit of relief and cook for them.

Here’s hoping you all have a wonderful Easter.  God Bless You All.

Love, Lena

 

 

Posted in Buffalo River, Buyouts, Easter, Flood, gardening, Lena, New House, Norwegian, Scandinavian, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Rooster Juice

Posted on March 21, 2012 by Lena

I am definately NOT a “druggie.”  In fact I have a hard time to take an advil or something comparable even for a headache.  The “pushers” would have  a hard time making any profits from me.  Have you ever had a pill get stuck in your throat?  I have – and it sits there and sits there and it’s a horrible feeling.  And when you end up having to go to the ER to have it dislodged, it’s even worse.  So – take my word for it, it’s something you dont’ want to have happen.

I also have a great fear  of shots.  Anytime you think you’re going to poke a needle in my arm you better have a damn good reason or I’ll come out fighting.  Got that?!?

Well, today I had my second ROOSTER JUICE shot.  It’s one of the best things that has ever happened to me – along with the doctor that gives them to me, of course.  Let me explain.

To begin with – just so you know – the needle for this shot has to be as big around as a piece of spaghettie (not small) – and the syringe must hold at least a half a gallon of liquid!  Just sayin’ is all  ! ! ! !

Way back in the dark ages (shut up Burl) when I was of the ripe old age of about 35 I went riding in a hot air balloon – on Easter Sunday.  It was one of those springs that was absolutely beautiful for Minnesota.  Warm and sunny and perfect.  Kind of like we’re having this year – which doesn’t happen but once every 20+ years.  I really didn’t want to go up for the ride, I would rather have been in the  chase car, but somewhere along the line I got talked into riding in the balloon and have regretted it ever since.

The owner/operator of the hot air balloon was not a nice man – at least that’s my opinion of him.  Once my friend and I were up in the air with him he decided he was going to scare us royaly, which he did to the last inth degree of possibility.  He flew it through the tree tops to the point of making my friend and me defend ourselves against the tree branches that would have poked us in the eyes had we not held them away from our faces.  He flew us toward the high voltage power lines until just before we could touch them and then shot enough hot air into the balloon to prevent us from catching them.  I could go on, but you get the idea.

Eventually when it was time to put the balloon down he decided to land in an open field, but bounced across the stubble, caught the side of a township road, bounced the basket very high at which point I was thrown into a padded propane tank hard enough that it broke my kneecap into three pieces.

I knew instantly that I was hurt.  Hubby Ole and Lovely Daughter were in the chase truck, and they tossed me into the back of the truck and took me the 15 miles into town to the ER where an orthopedic surgeon performed emergency surgery on Easter Sunday to wire me back together. Mind you, this was back in the dark ages.  I had my leg in a plaster cast from my ankle to my hip for 6 weeks.  At the end of 6 weeks the ortho doc cut the cast off and sent me home – NO physical therapy of any kind.  Needless to say, about 2 years later I started having major problems.

Through the years I have subjected myself to every physical therapy program available within the city limits to no avail.  Needless to say this has cost thousands of dollars, and all for nothing.   UNTIL about 2 years ago I discovered the most wonderful ortho doctor that pointed me in the direction of ROOSTER JUICE!!

Now, if you haven’t heard of ROOSTER JUICE, you’re really missing out on something.  It’s made from the combs of roosters and is injected as a lubricant into joints of the human body that are not behaving well.  I became aware of it about 10 years ago, but at that time decided not to go that route because it was so new.  Now I could write a bible about it.

The technical name is actually SYNVISC, and if you have a need and haven’t at least given it a shot (pun intended) you’re really missing out.  It’s made such a world of difference in my life it’s unexplanable.

I had so much pain back in November of 2010 that I could hardly walk.  After having x-rays in my knee it was discovered that it was bone on bone and the doc that examined me said he was amazed that I could even walk.  He told me that it was not a question of IF I would have a knee replacement, it was WHEN I would have one.

When he suggested it, it was just not a convenient time.  By that time I was so used to living with pain that it really didn’t matter any more.  So to bide my time until a knee replacement was convenient for my time schedule I opted for a ROOSTER JUICE shot.

The syringe was huge.  Just to look at it almost scared me to the point of not having it at all – but I did.  I made Ole go along with me for moral support.  That Ole – he’s good for all kinds of things.

So my first one was back in November of 2010.  Mind you – these shots are only supposed to be good for 6 months.  Everything went wonderfully until the time we started to move back in November of 2011.  That’s when I started carrying heavy boxes loaded with “stuff” that needed to find a new home.  And that’ when my knee started driving me crazy again.

So I toughed it out until about 2 weeks ago when I just couldn’t stand it anymore.  When I finally realized what a dumb stubborn Norwegian I was being, I called and made an appointment with the wonderful ortho doc that I have.

Today I had my second SYNVISC shot and my knee is feeling wonderful.  I realize that I’m one of the lucky ones as this doesn’t work as well for everyone.  But I thank my lucky stars that I am one of those lucky ones and appreciate every waking/walking moment without pain.

Love, Lena

 

Posted in Buffalo River, Buyouts, Farm, Flood, gardening, Lena, Lutefisk, Moving, New House, Norwegian, Scandinavian, Sex | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

You Could Grow Potatoes in your Ears!!

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Lena

I so very distinctly remember when I was little (back in the dark ages) (quiet, Burl), after taking a bath my mother would give us kids an inspection to see if we were successful in removing all the dirt.  She would check the hands, both sides, you know, fingernails, feet, the back of your neck and would work her way finally to your ears.  I can still hear her say, “Oh, my goodness, you could grow potatoes in those ears – go wash them again!”  And so we would – but do you remember how difficult it was to fit a finger wrapped in a washcloth into your ear?  It didn’t always work – and we didn’t have Q-tips back in those days – at least not at our house.

This brings me to the fact that I have been ill – yes, sick.  I’ve got a very bad case of spring fever.  Which would explain why I was stupid enough to go outside and work in the hurricane force winds that we’ve had here for the last two days.  Our temperatures have been in the 70s, which is unheard of in Minnesota in March.  That explains the spring fever, right?

Yesterday I decided that I was going to clean up all the dog logs that have been deposited in our front yard over the winter.  So Ole gassed up the trusty green machine (that’s John Deere for you non-farming folks).  I carefully placed the bags in their proper places, hopped on, lowered the blades, engaged the mower and immediately proceeded to get a face full of dust and grass clippings.  There were a few leaks in the system that would have been fine if we hadn’t had 90 mph breezes blowing about.  Well, back to Ole I went with my complaints and he immediately fixed the problem with – you guessed it – duct tape – the wonder tool of the 21st century.

Well, that worked for awhile until I got into a really bumpy section of lawn.  I started hitting all these little mounds, kind of like trying to ride the lawnmower on a washboard.  That’s when I discovered that I have an extremely large infestation of (playing the theme song from Jaws here)  NIGHTCRAWLERS!  All the bumps caused the chute that goes from the mower deck to the bags to come undone and this time I got a full load of dust and grass clippings in my face.  Off the mower, reassemble the chute, back on the mower, make a round or two, hit more bumps and another face full of dust and grass clippings.

Now any normal person would quit – but I’m stubborn enough (or stupid enough) to continue on until the job was done.  Three hours of dirt and grass clippings blowing about was quite a challenge.  I finished up about 5 o’clock, drove over to park the mower and who should come walking by but Ole of course.  He took one look at me and burst out laughing.  My face was covered with gray dust, my “beautiful platinum (gray) hair” was even grayer and I was having difficulty hearing because of all the dirt in my ears.  A shower soon fixed that situation and I was done for the night. Even after a shower my eyes were still so full of dust I felt like I had a gravel pit in each of them.  I woke up several times during the night and used eye drops to help clean them out, but still had big goobers in the corners when I woke up this morning.

Now you would think I would have learned my lesson, wouldn’t you.  But no – not me.  Because of all the nighcrawlers (don’t forget to hum the Jaws theme here) I decided I was going to use the dethatcher attachment and see if that would knock down some of the lumps and bumps at least temporarily.  It seemed to help, but then I had to pick up all the thatch that I had managed to loosen.  So once again – every time I would go “with” the wind I would get a face full of clippings and dust.  But today I was smarter – I got a pair of goggles from Ole that would help to keep my eyes a bit more dust free.  To heck with the ears, I may not be able to hear you, but at least I would be able to see where I was driving.

Now these goggles must have been around for a few years.  They were encased in a thick layer of their own dust from laying for a lengthy time out in Ole’s shop.  So I took them in the house, washed them tenderly with soap and water and then dried them with a towel.  Ta-Dah – I could actually see through them.  Now someone with a very fat head must have been wearing these poor goggles as the elastic was so stretched out that it would have taken TWO of my heads to hold them in place.  Now – what to do.  I just couldn’t go through having granular eyes again.  So I cut the elastic and thought I would tie it in a bow behind my head.  Now trying to tie elastic at the back of your head has a tendency to get tangled with hair that will also end up in the bow.  You men wouldn’t know about that because most of you wear your hair short enough that there isn’t anything to get tangled.  The tying wasn’t so bad, but it was the UNtying that really hurt.  I think I have several chunks of platinum (gray) hair that are still attached to the elastic.

Anyway – I got over my case of spring feverl.  It took two days to do it, but I’m all better now, thank you.

Love, Lena

Posted in Buffalo River, Buyouts, Farm, Flood, gardening, Lena, Lutefisk, Moving, New House, Norwegian, Scandinavian | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Red and Green?? and it’s not even Christmas???

Posted on March 10, 2012 by Lena

 

The whorehouse red wall is GONE!  Actually it disappeared a couple of weeks ago, but I just haven’t had time to talk about it.  Imagine that – me not having time to talk.  Ole would sure have a comment or two on that (snicker).

What’s with the Christmas colors you may say, as you wrinkle your nose.  Weeelllll – take a look at the carpet – - -

I love it – it’s so victorian looking.  And only one wall is green – the others are painted the taupe to match the darker leaves that surround the cabbage roses.

Enough of this decorating stuff – just thought I should tell you that my bedroom no longer looks like a brothel.  It’s a bit on the tamer side these days (snicker).

I think spring just may finally be on its way in the hinterlands of Da’ Far North.  Granted we had a beautiful winter – no sub zero temps like we normally expect, not even one blizzard – we really didn’t have any snow on the ground to speak of until the end of February.  Then Mother Nature, that sneaky old broad, dropped a heavy layer on us along with some sub zero temps – just when I’m paging through all those seed catalogs that have arrived.  But today I see signs of the gravel on our driveway showing through and it’s a beautiful sunny day.  That’s one thing I love about this house – it’s so open and there’s lots of windows to the south and to the west.  The animals love it too, and find the warmest, sunniest spots to take their naps.

This is Lucy basking in the sun.  Unfortunately you can’t see her pretty little face due to the way the sun was shining.

And here’s Daisy, who really relishes the heated floor along with the sunshine.  I’m sure it feels good on her old bones.

Ole was also sawing logs on the davenport, softly snoring, raising the roof up and down as he breathed in and out.  I didn’t take a picture to post – I didn’t want to embarrass him (chuckle).

Speaking of houses (we were, weren’t we?).  We drove out to our old house the beginning of the week.  IT’S GONE!  The guy that bought it sure didn’t mess around.  He definitely meant business about getting it moved and set up before it was time to go in the field and plant seeds (he’s a farmer).  All there is left is an empty concrete hole.  And no – that didn’t bother me because I knew it was going to happen and was happy that someone bought it and it didn’t have to be pushed into the basement and burned.  That’s what’s happening to the flood buyout houses that don’t sell.  Sad, isn’t it.

What shocked me and bothered me was all the trees that had to be taken down in order to get the house moved.  Now common sense told me that would happen – but the reality check was when you actually saw it.  The 5 acres we lived on was a plowed field when we bought it.  Every tree there was planted, watered and cared for to grow tall and strong during the 40 years we lived there.  What really broke my heart was the tallest spruce tree on the property had to be cut down.  There were three very large evergreens planted at one corner of our house right outside our bedroom windows.  The tallest one must have been 60 feet tall and it was gone – chopped into pieces and tossed in the backyard down on the river bank.  Every spring there was a pair of mourning doves that built their nest in the shelter of the branches of that tree and raised their babies.  Every morning when I had my windows open I could hear the cooing of the doves and I knew that all was right with the world.  I wonder where they’ll build their nest thing spring :-(   . . . .

Love Lena

 

 

 

Posted in Buffalo River, Buyouts, Flood, Lena, Moving, New House, Scandinavian | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The Unveiling

Posted on February 23, 2012 by Lena

 

Okay.  Here’s what I’ve been promising for a long, long time, and it’s now time to deliver.  I finally got my house to a point where I am willing to take pictures and expose myself to my readers.  (In a very quiet voice) That didn’t sound good, did it (snicker).   You can thank the YaYas for keeping me on my toes and getting the work done.  I had them over last Monday.  I really didn’t want to have a bunch of boxes sitting around, have them get lost in a maze and not be able to find their way out.  Unfortunately, the weather was not very nice and only two of the brave, hearty souls showed up.

Okay – let’s take a tour:

First shot of the family/TV room, where we seem to spend most of our time.  See that corner over there?  That’s all my computer stuff – - – the bookcase on the right side of the picture will eventually disappear when Ole gets all the cabinets built on the east wall.

The area between the two windows is where the gas fireplace is going to go.  We were allowed to take that and all the knotty pine cabinets out of our basement.

The wall to the left will be knotty pine cabinets all the way across.  Should be a lot of storage space to empty a ton of boxes into that are now on shelves in the basement.

Looking through the French doors from the TV room into the formal living room.  There are heated floors throughout this level and those green tiles really feel good on your feet.  Daisy and the kitties love to stretch out on this floor.

Looking from the entryway back into the TV room.  See the perfect place to hang my quilt?  That’s the stairwell going to the basement.  Boy, was that a bugger to paint as it’s 3 stories high!  Ole hung on the ladder like a monkey in order to get it done.

From the front door area looking into the dining room.  There are three steps going up to the dining room.  Off to the right is the family room.  Behind the door is my pantry closet.  The former owner used to keep his dog in there!!  Kind of strange, don’t you think?  Needless to say I had a lot of cleaning to do before converting it to a pantry closet.

A shot of the kitchen taken from the dining room.  Off to the right is the hallway to the master bedroom – -

- – and the whorehouse red wall that I’ve mentioned more than once.  Just haven’t had time to cover that baby up yet, but hopefully this weekend it will be “going green” – yes literally green – green paint – not all this “tree hugger green” stuff.

Well, I hope you enjoyed it.  We’ve got lots of work that we want to do yet, but at least the pressure is off now.

Our old house has been sold – we were so happy.  The county auction took place last Thursday and a young farmer from Lidgerwood, ND bought it.  He has two little children, one three and the other just a baby, so the house will be put to good use and loved once again.  We stopped out there last weekend, and this guy is really meaning business as the three season porch was already ripped off and turned into a pile of rubbish in the backyard.  The basement had been stripped down to bare concrete and the stairway removed.  So I don’t think it will be long and our old house will be making a journey some 80+ miles down the road.  May it go in peace and live in times where it won’t have to worry about getting its feet wet ever again.  Amen.

Love, Lena

Posted in Buffalo River, Buyouts, Flood, Lena, Moving, New House, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Blow It Up Your You-Know-Where!!

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Lena

“You are in contemp of the United States Trademark laws.  I am the ONLY person who has a current trademark on the words WINE LADY.  Nobody and no one is legally allowed to use those words as a website, in a website, in a business, etc.  I dare you to check the US Trademark section to confirm my claim!

You are hereby notified, this 4th day of February 2012, to cease and desist from using the term WINE LADY or any format of that name whatsoever.  Failure to do so will prompt an immediate lawsuit against you and your company.”

SO SUE ME!!

I received this comment regarding an entry I made previously in reference to a friend who had helped Ole make wine and pack up all his wine for moving.  Some folks just don’t have enough to do.  After doing a bit of research I found out that this woman’s name is Kathleen Adams and she’s from Oregon.  My suspicion is that she has trademarked a number of phrases and spends her time searching the internet for situations where the trademarked term is used and then threatens lawsuits.  Whether she follows through on them or not I don’t know.  But I guess this would be one way to make a few bucks.  Then again, maybe she gets her chuckles from intimidating innocent people.

I did check the trademark website, and she indeed has trademarked the term “wine lady.”  But after reading further into the rules and regs, I was in no way trying to promote or sell a product using this term – it was simply a reference to a friend and her assistance.  And Number Two – The Adventures of Ole and Lena is most definitely NOT a company in any way, shape or form.  God watch over the world if it was (chuckle).

Either I seem to have a knack for getting myself in trouble for what I write, or there are getting to be a lot of kooks out there that are looking for trouble.  If you remember a previous entry I wrote referencing “gypsies,” I was called on the carpet by some young college student who was backed up by her professor that I was being racist or some such dumb thing.  The comments on that entry got quite interesting and heated.  http://oleandlena.areavoices.com/2011/03/29/life-as-a-gypsy-part-2/

But like a true Norwegian, I refused to change my mind and most certainly didn’t change my blog.  And I don’t intend to this time either.

A couple of days ago I posted a picture on Facebook of a young man from what I assume was a Muslim country wearing a shirt that depicted the Twin Towers being hit and falling down.  Of course he was smiling and obviously someone had gone to a lot of trouble to produce this shirt, probably in large quantities, and sell it.

I made some remarks about “not forgetting” and being skeptical and untrusting of that particular religion because of their belief that the entire Christian community worldwide should be wiped out.  Instantly I was reprimanded by a very liberal ex-friend about what an uncompassionate person I am and that I really need to take the “hate” out of my life.  I could go on about that, but it’s just not worth it.

So now I’ve had my say, for whatever it’s worth, probably not much.  I’m tired of all the kooks and nut jobs in the world that are coming out of the woodwork, making all kinds of noise and influencing this country in the negative direction it’s going.  It’s time for the conscientious, intelligent thinkers to rise up and do something.  Unfortunately, I’m about ready to “hermitize” myself, move out to the far Back Woods and be one of those folks who meets you at the door with a shotgun when you drive up on my property.  If we hadn’t just bought a new house and I’m so busy “Lena-izing” it, I would just do that.

Love, Lena

Posted in Buyouts, Gypsies, Lena, Life as a Gypsy, New House, Norwegian, Scandinavian, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Ole’s Disasters (plus some very good stuff)

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Lena

IT’S FINISHED, DONE, KAPUTT - that’s the good stuff.  That glimmer at the end of the tunnel that I spoke of in my last entry has turned to a full-blown explosion of relief.  We completed the final cleanup of the old property yesterday and have turned the keys over to the County, so we’re no longer responsible.  Do you know how hard that is for a ScandiHOOvian to say – “we’re not responsible?”  I think that’s a gene we’re born with – that responsibility gene – it’s a hard one to overcome.

Now making a move like we’ve made doesn’t come without some issues.  Fortunately we haven’t had very many.  But Poor Ole has had a couple of tragedies.  Ole had a lot of big heavy equipment for working on cars and building things in his shop at the old property.  Farmer Neighbor Dave loaned him the use of a Skid Steer to load all this heavy equipment onto the flatbed trailer.  Percy was helping Ole load all this stuff one day, but due to other commitments had to leave at 5 o’clock.  He explicitly told Ole to let the rest of the equipment be and he would be back the next morning to help him finish.  Did Ole listen?  Not THAT stubborn Finlander.  There was one more piece to load and Ole was going to get it on the trailer all by himself come “h-e-double toothpicks” or high water (no pun intended there, snicker).  I guess he thought he needed that piece of equipment that very night for some project he was in the middle of (chuckle).  Well, as he lifted it up with the forks it proceeded to slip to the side and come crashing to the ground – 3 DIFFERENT  TIMES!!  Now all he has are a bunch of gears and levers and chunks of metal that once weighed in at a few tons, give or take.

Then there’s the fact that Ole just doesn’t fit – into the new digs.  As he says, he’s “tried to put 10 gallons of doo-doo into a 5 gallon bucket and it just ain’t workin’ very well.”  Part of the contents of his pole barn is sitting outside, some under cover, some not.  The remainder of his pole barn, his shop and the shop he had in the basement have been force fed into the shop and the garage and they’re choking.  Anyone for the Heimlich Maneuver?  Here’s a couple of photos for your “enjoyment.”  Those of you who know Ole will get a big chuckle out of these:

He keeps saying there isn’t room to “pass gas.”  Only Ole uses a different term!

Here’s the garage ~

There’s actually three cars, a boat and a lot of boxes behind all this.  Obviously no room for our everyday vehicles.

I still have my work cut out for me – at this point I’m storing all the unopened boxes in the hot tub room so I don’t have to look at them every day!

On that note I must leave and go unpack some more boxes.  Tomorrow I’m going to tell you about how I’m going to be sued.  I seem to have a knack for getting in trouble because of what I write.  Last time it was for the use of the word “gypsies.”  This time it’s because I used the term “wine lady.”  Her name is Kathleen Adams and she’s from Oregon.  Ho-hum.  Bring it on Wine Lady.

Love, Lena

 

 

 

Posted in Buffalo River, Buyouts, Flood, Lena, Moving, Scandinavian | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Percy, the Wine Lady, the Box Man, and Mrs. Computer Lady

Posted on January 28, 2012 by Lena

I’m happy to inform you that there is a GLIMMER of hope, a very small light at the end of the tunnel.  Someone at the end of what has been a very long tunnel lit a match yesterday, and Ole and I both snapped to attention to look at it.  Thank heavens, because the other day when I got in my SUV and looked at all the boxes that were piled high in the back so that I couldn’t see out my rearview mirror, and all the “treasurers” that were piled into the passenger seat alongside me so that I couldn’t see out that side mirror – I just about broke down in tears.  It seems like we’ve been doing this forever and don’t have a life anymore other than packing, loading, unloading and unpacking.

Now, mind you, this has most definitely NOT been a normal move.  Not the type of move that a person moving from one house to another would have.  Yeah, I know, there are lots of folks out there that have lived in their homes as long or even longer than we have.  But most of them aren’t dismantling parts and pieces and moving those parts and pieces along with them.  The contract with the county stated that we could take all the shelves and cabinets out of the basement, along with the gas fireplace.  We could remove everything from the basement with the exception of the furnace, hot water heater and water softner.  So – of course – we did.

This, of course, included all the shelving and wine racks that Ole had installed in his wine room.  Now, I’ve written about Ole and all his wine making previously, along with a few other things that he does with the wine that doesn’t turn out (snicker).  A few years ago Mrs. FarmerNeighbor discovered that she had wild grapes growing down along the river on their property.  So being a “lover of wine” and wanting to learn how to make it, she called Ole and together they put together some of the best wine that Ole says he’s ever made.  So last fall Mrs. FarmerNeighbor had a bumper crop of wild grapes, and Ole’s two vines produced three 5-gallon buckets of domestic grapes.  The wine was started, and now at moving time it was time to bottle it.  So one Sunday afternoon recently, Mrs. FarmerNeighbor came over, helped Ole bottle the wine, and also helped him pack up all the wine that was sitting in the wine racks.  And, of course, with all the bottling and packing came a bit of imbibing!!  They absolutely had to sample to make sure it was safe for human consumption!!  And it was!  BTW, these wine racks are 4 feet wide and go from floor to ceiling.  I think we hauled 5 or 6 of those racks out of the basement, and they were all FULL.  So Mrs. FarmerNeighbor and I boxed up all the wine, she hauled it out to the garage, and Ole put it in the back of his pickup.  He loaded the pickup box full, 3 boxes deep and still didn’t get all the wine into the back.  Had to make a second trip to get it all.  I told them they didn’t have to make anymore wine in their entire lifetime – now they could just sit back and enjoy the “fruits of their labor.”  I was quickly informed that it’s not just the consumption, it’s the “joy” in being able to produce!!  Okay – okay – not being a lover of wine, I’ll believe them.

And then there’s Percy – short for Mr. Perserverence.  We have this friend that comes to our rescue quite regularly.  Percy is a man of great determination and in cases where HE should call on friends to do a job that takes two people, he perservers and manages to get it done on his own.  Ole has told him many times to call when he needs help, but Percy just doesn’t do that very often.  So we called on Percy the other day to assist in getting all the heavy things out of the basement – an 8 foot davenport, several dressers, bookcases, you know the drill.  Now Percy is “substantially” older than Ole (snicker – just joking Percy, just joking), but you’d never know it judging from his energy level.  He’s definitely not overweight, not quite as tall as Ole, but the man just doesn’t get tired.  He was up and down the steps carrying stuff, loading stuff, and then up and down the steps unloading and placing, etc.  Ole ran out of gas (energy) a couple of times that day and had to take a break – but not Percy.  I asked Mrs. Percy one day if he is comatose at the end of the day the way he works – but apparently not.  Thanks for all the assistance the other day, Percy.  Couldn’t have done it without your muscle power.  I’m sure we’ll be calling on you again before it’s all over.

And then there’s the backbone of the operation – The Box Man.  Without him I don’t know what we would have done.  The Box Man works in a location where he has access to all kinds of boxes when freight comes in.  Do you know how many boxes it takes to move?  Well, someone at his office has been keeping track and informed him that he has hauled home more than 300 boxes.  And that’s not counting the ones that we’ve recycled (emptied and reloaded).  He gets boxes that have handles – openings in the sides – so when you pick up the box you’ve got someplace to grab.  I have no idea where we would have gotten that many boxes if we hadn’t had The Box Man on our side.  And Mrs. Box Man – she’s been busy feeding us off and on.  She wants to make sure that we get a decent meal so we can survive.  Not only does she invite us for supper frequently, but every time we stop over she sends something home with us.  The other night she sent homemade potato soup and banana cream pie.  Had it for supper the other night – mmm, mmm, good.  So many times I’m just to tired to cook when we get home as many nights it’s going on 8 o’clock before we get home.  Who wants to cook then?

Mrs. Computer Lady works in a location where computer parts come in for assembly and they come wrapped in the most wonderful packing material.  Kind of a light foam-type stuff, some in sheets and some that look like pockets.  This was a god send when I was packing dishes and fragile things (which I still haven’t gotten all unpacked).  She would get her crew to save up all this material, stick it in a big bag and deliver it to my house.  I went through 3 huge bags of this material.  It’s so much better than wrapping with newspaper – getting your fingers and clothes all black from the ink, then smearing it all over everything you touch.  Ick.

So as I said, there’s a glimmer at the end of the tunnel today.  The upstairs in empty and clean, the basement is empty and almost completely clean and there are still a couple of things in the garage that Ole will need help in loading on the trailer.  Then I can sweep that out and call it good.

Today Ole has help lined up to move his heavy tools and equipment from his shop.  So that will take a couple of flatbed trailers I’m sure.  We can see the end.

I’m taking the day off from moving today.  I need to in order to maintain my sanity.  Unfortunately I’m attending the funeral of my friend’s husband.  She’s having what’s called a memorial gathering at the funeral home.  No church service, no service at the funeral home, just a gathering of friends.  I don’t know this for sure, but I’m suspecting that he was cremated.

All for now

Love, Lena

 

Posted in Buyouts, Death, Lena, Moving, New House, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

It Is With Great Sorrow – - -

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Lena

I had planned a much jollier post tonight – one that talked about the “glimmer” of light at the end of the tunnel.   One that talked about the fact that we would soon not have to watch the boxes having sex anymore and multiplying like rabbits.  One that talked about the fact that we could soon get on with our lives and not be running back and forth every day between the old house and the new house.

But there are more important things to write about tonight.  The fact that one of my very good, long-time friends from all the way back to first grade has become a widow tonight.

I’ve written about the YaYa’s previously – we are five women that all started first grade together back in the dark ages, went through grade school together, survived junior and senior high school together and pretty much remained in the area all of our lives.  Following graduation we all married and were busy raising families and getting on with our lives.  Then as the years went by we decided it was pretty important to maintain that bond that we had developed through all those years.  We started getting together about once a month to relive old times and to have “old-time friend” therapy.

Our families are all grown now, and we’ve reached a time in our lives when we should be enjoying what the fruits of our labors have given us.  But one never knows what the next day will bring.  Tonight one of the YaYa’s became a widow.

On the 4th of January her husband slipped and fell, hitting his head in the temple area causing a concussion and rupturing two veins which caused bleeding in his brain.  I won’t go into all the details, but it’s been a long road for her and her three daughters over the last three weeks.  There have been ups and downs, but mostly downs.  To make a long story short, some of the life supporting devices were removed about 24 hours ago to see if he would come out of his coma.   Because he had previously made it very clear to his family that he didn’t want to live as a vegetable, they then had to make the decision as to whether the remainder of life support would be removed following negative results from an EEG and CT scan.  What a terrible decision to have to make.

I am so sad for her and her three daughters.  What an empty feeling to lose one’s husband and father.  To know that he’s no longer going to be there whenever you need him for whatever reason.  But mostly I think it scares me because it could be me.

Love one another, and tell each other often,

Lena

Posted in Death, Lena, Moving, New House, Scandinavian, Sex, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Another Day Another Box

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Lena

Yah, Yah, Yah, I know I’ve been slacking on the job here.  But you know, when an old Norwegian gets tired, certain responsibilities have to go by the way side.  So – 50 lashes with a piece of lutefisk, (but take the bones out first, please).

I said to Ole the other day, as he came in to take his afternoon nap, “I think this moving stuff is made for a lot younger folks than us.  I’m pooped out.”  It used to be that Ole and I would get started doing “stuff” right away in the morning and go until late evening when it was time to go to bed.  And that bedtime was then at least midnight if not later.  Now Ole sits around until about 10 o’clock in the morning drinking coffee and reading the paper before he gets going.  And when supper is over and the kitchen cleaned up, I quit for the day.  No more of this late-thirty stuff for me.  So as a result this moving 40 years worth of life is taking a bit of time.

My friend “Skip” (from Iceland days) wrote in his Christmas card that he and his wife have invented a new game.  Here’s how you play:  You both sit down in your recliner after supper and see which one of you can stay awake the longest.  When I read that I told Ole that we were playing Skip’s game every night and didn’t even know it was a competition!!  Usually Ole loses – he’s “sawing logs” by the time I get the kitchen cleaned up.  Then he wakes up and it’s my turn (chuckle).  But I always wake up just in time to go to bed.

Anyway, my boxes don’t seem to be having quite as much sex over the last week.  At least they aren’t multiplying like rabbits anymore.  So I guess that’s progress.

Friend Kathy and Lovely Daughter have been helping me with all the painting.  Next on the list is the master bedroom (possibly this weekend.)  That’s when the whorehouse red wall is going to GO!  Ole says I should leave it because it “sets the mood.”  Yah, it makes me want to throw up vomit.  I don’t think that’s the mood he’s looking for!! Sorry Folks.

I hope all you Folks had a great Christmas and New Years.  Ours was quiet, but after all the other excitement, that’s just the way we wanted it.  Santa brought me a set of Natuzzi leather furniture for the TV room and a new flat screen TV to watch when I’m sitting on the leather furniture.  I thought that was pretty thoughtful of him.  I must have either been really good or he really liked the rosettes and krumkaka that I left him.  This year we even had a chimney for him to slide down – so he didn’t have to break in and risk Daisy biting him or anything.

I have to quit now and go unpack some more boxes.  Love you all,

Lena

PS:  Pictures are still forthcoming.

Posted in Buyouts, Finland, Flood, Lena, Lutefisk, Moving, New House, Norwegian, Scandinavian, Sex | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment