A Roll in the Universe

Ferry to Stord I never tire of taking ferries. A break in the driving, and a chance to get some fresh sea air. West coast landscape somewhere along the bus ride to southern Norway Lindesnes lighthouse is at Norway's southernmost point, all of 2518 km from Norway's northermost point, Nordkapp. Our first destination: Lindesnes The landscape is so beautiful here at the southernmost point of Norway Lindesnes lighthouse is Norway's oldest lighthouse, dating back to 1656 In the year of light 2015 (according to the UN), there is an awesome exhibit in the dark at Lindesnes A little farther west along the coast brings us to Lista and the coast off Lista Lighthouse  Next stop: Flekkefjord, one of Norway's cute all-white southern towns. Flekkefjord has no tides. We were just inches above the water. Another view of Flekkefjord We stayed at Utsikten Hotell in Kvinesdal. Somewhere in the distance is the North Sea.   Everywh...

Prologue: On the way home from a midnight birdwatching session, I saw two tawny owls. First one by the side of road, and another atop a lamp post. Beautiful birds, calmly staring back at me. The myth is that old dogs can't learn new tricks. The truth is, we can, but we might need a bit more coaxing. And coffee. Last year, I was forced to switch jobs and with that, learn a whole new set of skills. I was wondering how my then 53-year-old brain would handle it. Turns out, it handled it just like a 23-year-old brain would: With patience, notes, and lots of coffee and candy. Because heavy-duty learning is exhausting ! I hadn't realized that. I just thought you're tired in college because of not enough sleep or something. Turns out you're tired because learning several new things every single day is like running a marathon every single day—but brains need more energy and more recovery time than bodies do. The brain marathon hasn't ended. There's always somet...

Birch flowers I can see a change in the silhouette of the birch tree in front of my building. The naked branches have filled in with small, oblong flowers that look nothing like a blossom but that herald the renewal of life—and allergies for those so stricken. Winter has surrendered to Spring, Nature's New Year. I wanted to say something smart and deep and wonderful at the start of the year on this new blog location. The closest I came was a line from a John Lennon song, sung by a co-worker at Christmas: "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" . I heard the line "without any fear", and that pretty much summed up 2014 for me. I had spent last year trying to get rid of fear. The fear in my thinking, in my heart, in my knee-jerk reactions. I have used ho'oponopono mostly, and some ideas from "A Course in Miracles" (ACIM). More and more I follow the advice from ACIM and ask the Holy Spirit for guidance. And when I do, I have the loveliest day. I still do ...

Moonrise from my kitchen window (Trying to automate posting this photo led me into the land of IFTTT . I still don't have automation, but I've acquired a new password to herd.)

OK, so I didn't write anything for a while here because, well, I didn't like the other layout (this being a new setup and home for my blog). Wordpress updated with a new one I felt like fiddling with, so here I am. I'm in consolidation mode. I probably should be shopping for Christmas presents, but instead, I'm writing a blog post (this one you're reading right here) and trying to understand budgeting (again) using YNAB . You're not supposed to use it as a way of tracking your bank accounts, so I'm going to try doing spending without involving bank account movements. I'm one of those people who spends what she has because it's there. For 2015, I'm going to spend because it's in the budget. We'll see if my checking account survives this shocking change.  Life in Norway currently includes cold, wet weather with lots of thunderstorms ('tis the season) and stores open from 2-7 pm on Sundays for Christmas shopping. It also includes hunti...

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday