Syttende mai

June 10, 2011 | Holidays,Iowa,Norway

I spent syttende mai in a cooking class about Norwegian cuisine. I wore my sølv.

And my red, white & blue.

Then I got to eat a fabulous dinner, thanks to Creative Kitchen Cooking School, run by Anne Bakke. She made shrimp salad with asparagus, Norwegian meatballs and whipped-cream cake with strawberries. Wonderful food, great company and, of course, Ole and Lena jokes. It was a fun way to celebrate syttende mai.

Posted by Becky @ 9:31 am | 2 Comments

I love that it’s not winter

June 5, 2011 | Iowa,Spring,Summer

Posted by Becky @ 12:02 pm | 2 Comments

Apple tree

June 3, 2011 | Iowa,Spring

Here’s the tree in full bloom just *minutes* before the wind blew them all away.

Happy spring! Looking forward to juicy apples in the fall.

Posted by Becky @ 6:00 am | Comments

Apple blossoms

May 10, 2011 | Iowa,Spring

The apple tree was in full bloom by this time last year. We’re just getting started now. But, hey. I’ll take it. Welcome, spring!

Posted by Becky @ 9:28 am | Comments

April tornadoes bring … snow?

April 19, 2011 | Iowa,Spring,Weather,Winter

I’m not sure I want to see what’s in store for us in May.

Yeah. Good thing we put up the swings.

Yay.

Posted by Becky @ 10:17 am | 4 Comments

On ice

February 21, 2011 | Iowa,Weather,Winter

Our lights flickered for several hours yesterday. Then they went out. And stayed out. We pulled out the sofa-sleeper, opened up the recliners and camped out in the living room, where the fireplace is. I read by candlelight for a while, then made sure everyone was tucked in, blew out the candles and found a spot under the covers. I’d say I slept, but that didn’t really happen. I was up again at 2 a.m., when the power came back, turning things off again. This morning, we cleared downed branches. We’d heard the trees cracking under the ice all night.

Posted by Becky @ 10:59 am | Comments

Weather: Blizzard No. 1 of 2011

January 7, 2011 | Blizzard,Family,Iowa,Weather,Winter

The first blizzard of 2011 is howling and prowling outside my home right now. My husband is on the interstate somewhere, and I’m hoping he’ll make it home tonight. How many blizzards did we have last year … 10? 12? I lost count. While I’ve driven in low-visibility conditions before, wow. I can’t say it’s ever been as bad as it was today.

This? Is the school parking lot. They started pulling schoolchildren off the school buses and kept them at school because it wasn’t safe to send the buses out … on the streets. It was bad.