Ole goes to the doctor...

Lena had been pestering Ole to go to the doctor and get a check up for a long time, and finally when Ole was feeling "not so good" he went in to find out what was wrong. It didn't take the doctor long to find that Ole was full of cancer and had no more than a couple of weeks to live. Well, the diagnosis made Ole feel even worse, and he went home to spend his last days. He was in the upstairs bedroom on his deathbed a week later, and feeling worse than ever, when he noticed the most wonderful smell wafting up the stairs. Lena was making lefse down in the kitchen! It smelled so good to Ole that he dragged himself out of bed, down the stairs, and across the kitchen. He was reaching up for a piece of lefse when Lena rapped him on the knuckles and scolded, "That's not for you Ole! It's for the funeral!"

(This joke submission from Keith Anderson. Thanks!)

Ole and Lena stranded on an uninhabited island...

Ole and Lena were the only survivors from a steamboat sinking in the South Seas. They separately made their way to un uninhabited island. Ole was pretty shy, so he didn't talk much with Lena. But one day, after a few months, Lena could stand the loneliness not longer. She cornered Ole and said, suggestively, "Ole, you got what I want, and I got what you want." Ole thought for a moment and his face suddenly brightened. "Lena, you got snoose!!!????"

(Thanks to Don McManman for the joke submission!)

Spring

After one of the most rainy experiences of my life (Fall and Winter in Bergen), it has been like a persistent dream in April and May with several week long stretches of sunshine and temperatures up in the mid teens! I don’t know if this craze has hit in the U.S., but here the one-time-use grill is a popular item, and when the sun came people and one-time-use grills began to fill every possible inch of green space in Bergen overnight. The first few days they were piled high next to the garbage cans, but then the city got wise and set out one-time-use grill receptacles in strategic locations.

I am aware that my time here is growing short. And even though I’m nearing deadlines with work, I appreciate being here every day. As I bike home out the peninsula I take in the 360 views – Bryggen, Rosencrantz Fortress to the east, the Hurtigruten, sailboats, Verftet to the west. Water and mountains in all directions. Colorful houses woven along cobblestone streets and steeply up the hillsides amidst new-leafed trees. This is a gorgeous city, worthy of the devotion of its locals despite the rainy times (which are of course also beautiful).

I’ve been lucky to able to share this place with several friends from home in recent weeks! Claire Eager came in late April and we had a great time, especially on our weekend trip to one of my field work sites. We were able to stay in an extra house owned by Ingebrigt, whose father recently moved to a retirement home down the hill. Ingebrigt is one of the crew from Stamnes who used to fish for salmon before the collapse of the Vosso stock. Now he has a real job in a nearby town, and he also keeps some animals. We visited right in the middle of lambing, and Claire and I watched 3 little lambs come into the world.

Last week Eliza Hudson was here! I had been saving the hike from Fløien to Ulriken to do while she was here, and we were lucky to have a beautiful sunny day. Sasha and Alexandra were with us too – Sasha and I took the opportunity to dunk in a partially ice-covered pond along the way to welcome spring. Life has gotten quite busy lately, but Eliza was a great guest and just came along for the ride – and a beautiful ride it was, including a lunch invitation to a farm perched on the steep fjordside. The farm is not connected to any road system, and it is amazing to think of all the work that Helge and Kjersti have done over the years, ferrying goods across the fjord on a suspended trolley. It was a taste of the older, pre-oil Norway – people of the generation that doesn’t speak English, rømmegrøt made from fresh cowsmilk, little lambs frolicking… again sunshine and perfect reflections on the fjord.

It’s hard to believe that I will be moving out of my lovely apartment in a few weeks and moving on to other adventures. But this spring in Bergen has been one to remember.

Happy 17. Mai!!