Norwegian Jewelry

Today, I discovered it was Gro's birthday, and as she was showing me the nice things that she received from her husband, Bjorn, and various colleagues, it occurred to me that for Norwegians, good warm clothing is almost as valuable, or even more so, as jewelry. One of her colleagues gives her a homemade, hand-knit pair of socks every year. The overflowing drawer of socks speaks volumes of their durable friendship, and she parted with this pair that had been crafted by someone else, someone who had long departed from the planet. I felt like I was being invited into the inner circle, "The Sisterhood of the Ja-Ja Socks"...or some such thing....

For a country whose climate is basically considered a living, breathing being, to be spoken about as though it had a mind and body (which, yes, it does!), it is not surprising that so much time and effort is expended engineering the finest clothing enabling one to spend all that quality time communing with it. Sport shops are abuzz with the latest, greatest, warmest jackets, and different styles abound. Riding the bus has afforded so many wonderful opportunities to feast my eyes on the gamut of how to stay warm and dry AND look glamorous at the same time. I immediately feel frumpy, dull, and let's face it, American. Norwegian women sport their scarves like diamond rings, and their functional, yet VERY stylish boots like Cinderella's slippers. If only the discounts were deeper!

After being downtown for a meeting, I returned home to have some coffee and relax and take in this sun that I know is fleeting. My habit, having lived in the desert for 20 years, is to just ignore the sun, like a bartender ignores the alcohol surrounding him and the screaming people calling for their drinks. But, I stop and realize what a precious commodity the sun really is here. These people are the partiers, begging for more sun because it makes them feel so GOOOOOD....can't they just have another moment of it? I take my coffee OUTside this afternoon and turn my face to the golden orb, and look upon it anew, not with the previous disdain of the daily monotony of it all.....really? AnOTHER day of sun? Now, I am thinking the sky is screaming, "Last Call!!!!"....and I hurry up to the bar for another drink of its warmth and joy....

Tonight's hike was wonderful. Crisp, cold, clear, and steep. The dogs were again insane and it is simply mind-boggling how they do not impale themselves on hidden or buried branches, or fall off the steep cliffs, or fall into the creeks, or get lost! I am convinced they have radar, and watching them run, and play, and fly renews my spirit and encourages me to climb up and onward....At some point, I have become so warm, I can even hike without gloves, although indeed it is still cold as my frozen nostril hairs tell me. I haven't felt this since Colorado!!!! And this makes me think of one other thing. That perhaps the reason Norwegians have such a high percentage of good athletes is that....the only way to stay warm outside is to keep moving...up.....steep.....hills......