So last night was Walpurgis Night,, or Valborg, as we say in Swedish, and that was the reason for our burning the old organ (for that’s what it was in yesterday’s picture). Of course, it wasn’t the organ that was the thing, but the burning in general. The air was positively thick with woodsmoke yesterday, as people all over the land built bonfires for the dual purpose of marking the old pagan holiday and clearing out piles of scrap collected and saved since last burning.

There were also hot dogs and hamburgers to be grilled, and, in true American fashion, a big bag of marshmallows. The pack of kids we came home with last night were dirty-faced, sticky-fingered, totally exhausted, and altogether satisfied.