Thursday, December 31, 2009

B Sporting Safety Gear.


I bet you worried if B was safe while out there playing today, no?

No need to worry, we got it all covered over here:




Yup, we now have one of those extend-able leashes that old ladies have (my own stereotype - busted!! unless you think of 32 year old me as old...). It works great when I want to let Beefy roam but not quite enough to get away with loosing another booty.



While I think it looks kinda cute I still hope for changing snow conditions... until then, we play wildly inside with remnants of the "ird".


Is it just me or does he look like he has a hangover?
~ And it's not even midnight yet (4 hours 59 to go).

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Best wishes to all for 2010 from Paradise...

from

Buford and Marlies


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Wednesday, December 30, 2009

An Ice Wonder, and B, and... Ird.

I filmed B and I's trip over the Braviken Sea yesterday.





Love the sounds of the ice pieces klink-ing on one another (which you may or may not hear over the ferry motor...). The weather continues to be wonderful. One can only hope that it stays that way for New Years. Has everyone heard about the Blue Moon that we get to experience? B and I will celebrate New Years by ourselves, so we are stoked that we'll get the company of Blue Moon in Paradise :).

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I gave B a bird for X-mas. By now, the bird has turned into Ird... See for yourself:







Also: We need a couple paws and fingers crossed... B's paw pads are not fairing so well with the icy snow around here. He's got tiny cracks in his pads that we (actually, he doesn't care - yet!) try to keep from busting... Yesterday we lost two Ruffwear booties to the ice :( --- today's hike happened with vet-wrapped feet for one of us. We're still in the green zone but I wonder how long we can keep the paws together... last year one of his pads busted and cost me over 300 $ to fix... as well as a tough time of not moving much... plus we had to leave a great ski trip early. Gotta keep the paws together... Wish us luck!!


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Monday, December 28, 2009

HoliDAZE...

My first holidays "not working with troubled teens in the wilderness in four years" were thoroughly enjoyable. I barely missed the kiddos. And thanks to N and I's glorious idea we went into the forest where I served up some cheese fondue for everyone :)






How come I haven't done this before?? Like, as a staff meal when I worked in the woods? It only takes minutes once the fire is going and it's positively incredible. At least for a Swiss.



Check out the cheese string!!




Beefy found the secret recipe and stash ;)




Charming N.



Charming another N (and the photographer).




Swedish holiday dinner. Based on fish and meat.




Most important to me.. the evening walk around midnight.



My mom had sent me home-made Christmas cookies, chocolate, a candle, dried fruit, and a Swiss twig!



And my Oregon friends more than touched me with their Super-Care-Package for B and I...
Who wouldn't run off to Sweden when getting bliss in a box like this?


This is a photo of parts of Yxbacken. We went snowboarding there the other day. It shows maybe 1/2 of the whole "mountain". Was fun though!


B and I found more ice upon returning to Paradise...


And now, we're settling back in living on our own and eating holiday candy. He's got the biggest pile of candy ever (and so do I).

Also: I am a little bit concerned that I'll fall in a hole as I am a bit too non-busy these days. Just realized yesterday that I have barely worked in 2009. I was done with my last trek in early April and then only worked 2 months in August and September... crazy... how come I am not on and island somewhere if I am already taking such a long "break"? And, can I even work anymore? Need to find a way to keep the doubts at bay these days.

Nice to remember that I made some absolutely wonderful connections this year. Other than getting to celebrate this past week with friends and (their) family I also received notes and lil' packages from places I least expected it. The farmer gave me a big box of Merci Chocolate when I brought him a homemade card (featuring his cats and him), and I got a really exciting mixed CD and chocolate and a Oregon sticker and a note from Long Story Longer (one of my first blogging connections :)...).

So, plenty to do these days while waiting for the next step with my employment hopes (getting an invite for an interview to the refugee home place, visiting the moose guy in mid-January, and hearing what happened during the board meeting at Yxbacken after January 11th): Eating candy, listening to music, reading, walking the B, training the B, learning Swedish, writing... sounds dreamy, no? And like a good way to keeping the black cloud at bay that way...



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Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Re-Gathering.

These last few days with deadline and interviews were quite the thrill for me. Am still savoring the after-taste. Good thing I have B. He takes me on hikes and makes sure I gather myself and find balance... in the midst of it all. He's a master at that stuff:

He's fully present - be it observing...

... or running wild...

Nature knows the same secrets.



But B also believes in friends... even silly ones ;)

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So, what happened?

Well, I basically kicked a$$. For three days in a row.

I think I emphasized on here already that my application to the future refugee home was grand. I won't beat a dead horse.

I also did a mini-report on my Stockholm lunch (sushi, yay!) with the moose guy. That option could become everything I dream of. Why am I not up there yet? Maybe it's the nay-sayer within me... the part of me that has been hurt when I came here to find that I couldn't work with the people I had moved here for. Maybe it's fear of starting fresh and once more moving away from what has - in the meanwhile - become comfortable and treasured. It's also a little bit of hesitance about maybe ending up being professionally "attached" to one person. The moose guy has lots of connections. I wonder what would happen if "we" didn't work out and I was up there... in the pampa with some moose. And wolves. And bear. And mountains. And opportunities. OK, there came my dreams into the monologue again. I guess the best thing I can do right now is wait, and see if he follows through. And then head up there in January to check it out and feel the place out.

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Another thing is... I'm kinda in love with the process of exploring opportunities. It's a thrill for me to write incredible applications or suggested outlines to develop organizations, and I kinda wanna do that for a while. Silly...?
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And then, yesterday happened. I wrote on here that the ski guys had sent me an email to dampen my hopes (basically saying "yes, you can slave for us, but unfortunately there won't be money in return"). I also wrote that I would use the meeting to work on my skills of selling my skills. And, I gotta say: I impressed both them and myself. After a delicious lunch meeting at a noble restaurant (with me sitting there in my winter boots and my laid back clothing style and my disheveled hair... and my motivation brimming out of my eyes) the ski people are now infected with my dream of shaping their old school ski club hill into an alive and exciting environment for people to meet, learn new skills, and play. The environment is perfect: Of course there's the ski hill at the heart of the vision... and then there is a beautiful lake nearby and tons of forest (= undisturbed, unused open space). It's an ideal environment to teach people how to survive in the woods in the winter, avalanche awareness (even though rather unnecessary locally), wilderness first aid, etc. Due to it's location near a city it would be a perfect place to hold corporate events (team building stuff, snowshoeing tours with Gluehwein and Bonfire, etc., etc.). There is basically no limit. So, the ski guys listened to me and their eyes started to sparkle... Obviously they kept talking about the whole "we're a non-profit and can't pay anyone money"... but they realized that I may be their key to making their hill more sustainable which essentially is in the very core interest of their club. We finished the meeting with all of us glowing and my promising them I would send them an email to list what I could offer to them. They, in turn, were gonna share the goodness with the board. We'll see what happens. But for now, it feels very cool that I am capable to create job hope in places were there weren't even jobs before I moved into the picture. Feels really entrepreneur-y and cool.

After the meeting I visited two outdoor gear stores in town that just opened (they're the first ones of their kind - yay, progression in Southern Sweden!). I told the owners about my potential future work with Yxbacken and asked if they would be interested and willing to advertise for us. Both of them were eager and one of them immediately asked: "Can I come?" --- Call that what you want, but I call that success.

And, Yxbacken opens this Sunday. Guess who's going?

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All this being said: I really think Sweden will be my home for a while.

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Monday, December 21, 2009

Dead Tired.

Met the moose guy today.

As a result I have a trip up north planned January 15-20.

B's invited, too.

Will meet the three moose (Isa, Inez and Ivan) at that point [little inside scoop: Isa and Inez are going to have calves in Spring]. Am also going to be "forced" to ride a snowmobile... and allowed to bring my telemark skis for some fun of my own kind (there are some major ski hills in the area). And be given a little cabin to stay in for the time.

He's interested in hiring me and setting up a partnership of sorts to start a program of creating half-way homes for adults struggling with addiction and ideally later for youth.

It sounds great.

The energy was good. We talked for about three hours.

I'll have to sleep over it.

PS: My application to the community that wants to hire a person to create and run a home for teenage refugees was turned in yesterday at 6:54pm and kicked absolute ass.

PS PS: Tomorrow is the Yxbacken day. Got an email that was a bit backpedal-y today... they said they don't have funds... I'll try and get them convinced that if they hire me for money their income will increase... hence I'll be self-supporting. Kinda nice that this job is not massively important to me - more like a pastime project that I can learn from - so I may as well give it my all and see what happens.

Sleep. NOW...! Well, OK, after Buford has had another stroll in winter wonderland.

3rd PS: Is it normal that living like I do sometimes totally zaps my energy? Please say yes or nod or do something like that. Tack!

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And yes, I think if I ended up choosing the "moose guy option" my blogging would be rather entertaining....

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Snow for the Soul.

My feelings are bubbling... my heart jumping... happiness is flooding through my body.

Sweden has become winter wonderland. Here a few impressions of Beefy and I in the midst of it during a snowshoe trip with N & N yesterday. (All photos either by N... or N).

Getting ready to get the goods out :)
Soup, coffee, home-made bread, cheese, and hard candy.

Someone is ready for treats. And hey - no smack-talking about that jacket. That's how we roll in winter. What other dog has taken 21-day wilderness expeditions in all seasons?


It's good to be puffed up :)



This photo was taken when Beefy and I sang Christmas carols. He's bass and I am soprano (or something like that).

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Other than goofing around and enjoying the winter wonderland I am also breaking some ground with my Sweden future. A couple of days ago I spent around 5 hours (!!) re-working my resume. It's taken me a while to get into the zone but I was finally able to really get into it... and enjoy that process and celebrate my skills and experiences on a "piece of paper". Now I am translating it from English to German while N translates it into Swedish. He's helped me to create the most amazing Swedish letter for the refugee job that I have to apply for today via email. Deadline is midnight... If I don't get an interview with those guys I don't understand the world... The letter and resume are f-cking incredible!! I am PROUD.

I also courageously called the moose guy today as I started to feel a bit antsy and even a little pissed about what I perceived to be him morphing into a typical Swede (meaning that they talk a lot of nice things but don't friggin follow through with anything - cause he had yet to let me know when and where we were going to meet tomorrow). And, hello! things moved around very positively once again: Our interaction turned out to be very pleasant (I had prepared a rather tough rant ensuring that he gets that I am not here to waste my time or to be given pity-services). So, now I am very excited to meet him in Stockholm tomorrow where I'll hopefully also take some sweet shots of the snowy Christmas scene in our capital. He actually got active right after we talked and called up one of his friends to net-work for me... we ended up chatting quite a bit during Beefy and I's walk today. Nice. I liked the positive energy and am definitively connecting with yet another yay-sayer! :)

Before I forget: N and N and B and I also visited Yxbacken yesterday. I wanted to ensure that I had been to my potential winter job location prior to my interview on Tuesday (which, BTW: could I please get a place and time for that one, Swedes?!). The place actually surprised me with its steepness and the seriousness of its 3 slopes (counting the bunny hill slope). I kinda like the idea of working there and creating a family feel snow community on the outskirts of a city. While it won't be "wild" and "pristine" in the usual sense I believe that we could reach many by making active winter wonderland enjoyable for all. Better harass the people in charge with a phone call as well to ensure that I'll have lunch with them on Tuesday!

Aie, aie, aie.... Marlies, the harasser! ----------- I kinda like it. :) Seems to work.

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Friday, December 18, 2009

Oh happy day... oh happy da-ayyy!

As I promised myself (and you) yesterday, I went telemark skiing today. And, believe it or not - the weather was with me. Bluebird for "opening day"... anyone who knows about the bliss of having sticks on ones feet knows that that's the dream, right there.

Yes, I did feel a teeny bit silly as I fastened my skis amongst the neighbors getting their mail or walking their dogs or whatever else they did. I decided to just call out "hej" and smile. It worked. (As in, nobody stopped me from skiing). And B, B was jumping around me like he had been stung by a bee... in excitement that is. He knows that as soon as I tie those sticks to my feet, I become fast. And fast me, he likes. Little did he know about me skiing on mostly flat land... but hey, he lives truly in the moment and the excitement at the time was worth it.

I, for my part, was also very excited when I took the following self-portrait:


Can you smell my hunger for making it a long loop? The desire to chase Beefy on sticks through the sticks and tackle everything that will come my way (like, for example, the rocks that are barely covered, the tight corners in thorny brush, the crossing of fences - and frozen (?) water ways). Yup, I had fun - even when the going became tough. But my feet hurt. Forgot about that minor detail. Hope I get used to the boots once again quickly.



My already slow speed was slowed down even more by some really sweet photo ops. I cannot help it, the sun is at a low angle and just gets the best out of B and the lovely landscape. He endured the stops (mostly) with grace. And otherwise with a couple of heart-shaped treats...



OK, OK, there were a few spots where I actually got to go up... and down :) --- that stuff is the greatest. Kinda makes me wanna go somewhere where there are mountains. Not that this is the first time that thought crossed my mind. Get this... I started skiing when I was 3... barely. And yes, it was more so: I was started skiing when I was 3... barely. I now am 32 years old - meaning I will be a snow _______ (insert funny term) for 30 (!!!!) years by the time this winter is over. Holy cow! Never thought of it that way. Good thing there is blogging. My point was, though, that this may become my 2nd winter ever (!) without a season pass. Think that one through for a minute if you may...


Wait, that was not a minute! ;)

Anyways... Beefy and I enjoyed ourselves mostly (minus my aching feet) and are eager to go again. Tomorrow we will actually tackle some snow-shoeing with friends. We are planning on visiting my potential future work place (the tiniest ski hill on the planet) - mostly so I can get a feel for the place to then really rock the interview on Tuesday... and then we're gonna play in the forest at a lake nearby. Should be fun. Plus it's gonna stay serious minus degrees here for a bit. That's how the ice grows. Which is really important for people here. But more about that whenever N has dragged me out to do some of that favorite sport of hers. It includes the danger of breaking through the ice into the lake or sea below in one's winter clothes... Ay!

Before I end my rambling I would like to let you know that I am officially NO BEGINNER at the Swedish language anymore!! How cool is that. Even though I call some of my activities Swedish learning I don't feel as if I have really done that much official Swedish studying. Anyways, I just took a test with Folksuniversitetet (where I may or may not sign up for a course at some point) and ended up in the category A2. Below me (literally speaking) are nybörjare and A1s... above me are B1s and C1s and maybe some others. Cool, isn't it?

Maybe my not so scientific learning (e.g. changing FaceBook language to svenska, watching Dagbok från en Motorcykel in Spanish with Swedish subtitles - hey, that takes some serious skill!!) is actually paying off. Well, one can always hope for the best.


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Thursday, December 17, 2009

How to... Learn Svenska in Paradise.


Yup, this post features my first video. Yay! Hope it will make it into your warm homes... It features the B, I, and a dictionary on our way to the farmer for Swedish class. Enjoy!

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After sticking his head in the snow for what seemed to be hours, Beefy brought me a mouse. It was only later that I understood the significance of his sweet gesture (I now believe he wanted to bring m-icicles to the kitties at the farmers).



Here I present to you my friend Kent. Yup, finally asked him his name :)

We agreed to have coffee more often in the future. He's a fascinating fellow who has worked as a seaman for ten years traveling all over the world. Kent views his cats as his kids (which warms my heart) and turns out to be a wonderful neighbor to have. He showed me his 16 cows later... and said I could go into the stables whenever I wanted (if I understood that correctly ;)...). When I spontaneously hugged him good bye I found out that he's a good hugger, too.
Who said all Swedes were emotional icicles? Not true.



On our way home Beef and I enjoyed some thorough winter blasts. That's when I came up with a glorious idea: Tomorrows "walk" will be the first of many on Telemark skis... until now they have been waiting patiently in my "office-n-gear-shed". I am planning to lay the tracks of a trainings loop here in paradise. Who says I cannot have fun being unemployed as long as it lasts? And who needs hills or even mountains?? (actually, I do --- don't tell the Swedes)

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Scarily, this is probably the most enthusiastic I have ever looked on a photo...

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Tuesday, December 15, 2009

On "Suddenly Having a Need for an Agenda".

B loving life during our morning explorations in the snow :)

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My journey continues to move from envisioning and dreaming to doing and going for it. Listen to my line up of important activities:

Sunday: Deadline for application (chef position) at refugee home.
Monday: Meeting of the moose guy in Stockholm for lunch.
Tuesday: Meeting the folks from Yxbacken (tiniest ski hill ever) for lunch.

Both Monday and Tuesday could lead to a sudden whirlwind to my life, meaning that there's actually a chance that I will leave either meeting and..... tada-da-daaahhhh!... have a job.

Right now I am hoping that I can either do Yxbacken in the winter followed by refugee work after that in April or May OR moving north to the moose guy and create an incredible wilderness therapy component for his existing youth home.

Wonderful and crazy that I'll get a chance to connect with such interesting projects and people.

But now, I HAVE to refocus on that best application ever...! Irresistible ideas, anyone?

Monday, December 14, 2009

Serenity.


Despite soaking in the beauty of the views I got to enjoy today - I felt frazzled, restless, and nervous. I spent much of the day improving my score at Scramble (don't get started, please!), wanting to work on my incredible job application so I can work with refugees in a few months (but not actually following through with it), walking the B and taking lots of photos, sorting through the results, and some other similar stuff. Relaxing yes, but resulting in me feeling guilty and a bit sad about not accomplishing anything.

And then, I had a couple of sweet chats on Facebook. Yup, that's an sweet "place" to find some human company.

One fear that's been hovering with me is that somehow my "lottery winning" wasn't going to come through... or be less than what I anticipated, or that things would otherwise be stressful or even disastrous.

So I caught myself frantically checking my email in order to learn some bad news I envisioned when I finally decided to just check my US bank account again. And, WTF?! There they were.... the anticipated numbers that mean security to B and I. And they had been there since Friday!! Yahoooooo!!!

So, for now B and I say thanks to the heavens,... and the snow flurries,... and the sun...

... and make sweet little plans on how to best invest these numbers that offer us freedom, good night's of sleep, and sanity.



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Ice in Paradise.

No wonder Swedes talk about light therapy around here.

It's magical...









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