I took this picture of the park next-door last night at eleven o’clock. The light is so fantastic; now just to get some more leaves on the trees.

I got a call from Lydia’s boyfriend, David, this morning just after eight, and he reported that she was still feeling poorly and wanted me to come over, just to be there with her. Not able to refuse such a plea, I finished getting the other kids off to school and drove out to visit… Read More Still peaky

I know I kind of left you all hanging with the report of Asbjørn’s mysterious illness, and I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to get around to updating. After my last post, he continued to improve and I felt (almost) no anxiety at all about traveling to England a few days later. Olof made… Read More Good dog

Until I started living in Uppsala part-time a year-and-a-half ago, I had never lived by myself. I got married right out of high school, and when that relationship ended I first moved home to my mom’s, then I had roommates for a couple of months before moving in with my next boyfriend. By the time… Read More Coping mechanism

This was not the day I planned to have. This morning as I was walking home from dropping Yrsa off at pre-school, I thought to myself, Ah, 6½ glorious hours to get some work done. Alas, it was not to be. I should probably preface this by saying that everything is okay, but it was… Read More Long day

So I was wrong. The best part about Eurovision wasn’t in fact Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi (as wonderful as they are), it was Petra Mede and Måns Zelmerlöw. Even Buzzfeed agrees. They were pretty spectacular. Next best was that Ukraine won (with a political song!) over Russia, the favorite. The song wasn’t my favorite,… Read More More about Eurovision

Tonight is Eurovision, something the kids usually look forward to. This year was no exception, and at starting time the whole lot of us were gathered around the TV. After the snacks were eaten and the first several songs were sung, however, the kids started peeling off and now that the last act is performing,… Read More Kitsch

I haven’t updated recently about … well, about much of anything, I guess, but what’s on my mind at the moment is Asbjørn, so that’s what you’re getting. After his major health scare last New Year’s Eve, he’s made a remarkable recovery and is still going strong. His liver levels are still an issue, but… Read More State of the dog

A few months ago Petra’s hair was waist-length and it was such a hassle to keep it washed and combed that my fingers were positively itching to cut it. After some wheedling on my part, she agreed to let me cut off four or five inches, but it was still much longer than shoulder-length. The… Read More Blue note

I have spent essentially all day working on transcribing a single letter written by a noblewoman to the archbishop in Uppsala in 1685, and I’ve just now–at 4:30 in the afternoon–got it finished. One down, 379 (give or take) to go.