It Seemed Like Such a Good Idea at the Time...

For dairy farmers, bull calves are sometimes a liability.  Because of this, many dispose of the bull calves shortly after birth.  But we, like some of our friends, choose instead to give them as much of a life as possible.  That translates into a span of about 8-9 months, from birth in the early Spring until slaughter time in the late Fall.

 We provide the warm sunny days, shelter, love, organic barley, and beautiful grazing. We love to know the calves have had the joy of life, frisking around in the fields, being fed on grass and natural grains.

Because of this, another farmer, Mårten Dahlberg, contacted us and asked if we would like to take some of his overflow bull calves.

During calving, you never know what you are getting as far as bulls or heifers are concerned until they actually arrive so its not unusual to end up with a surplus quite early in the game.

We waited for a day when Gustav was out of school and he and I arranged to go and pick them up.

With gas prices what they are (approx. $8.00 per gallon), we wanted to multi-task if possible, so Gustav loaded up some things that had been left at our farm by the interning family - a baby bed, etc. -

 

then he hooked up the horse trailer and we were on our way.

I am 'geographically challenged'.

That is the kind way the children have of saying that I have absolutely no sense of direction.  When I come out of the ICA in the tiny village of Junsele where I have lived for over three years,  I still have to look for landmarks to know which way to turn to get home to the farm.  So when Manny was longing to take a trip to the south of Sweden a little before his mission, and his money was in short supply, he offered to sell me his Route 66 GPS, programmed for Europe.

He even included a short tutorial on how to use it in the deal.

Sounds like I should be OK, right?

  

 After gassing up we headed out, confident that we would be able to make it smoothly to the village of Marieberg 138, about two hours away,  where the Dahlberg farm  was located.  We had called ahead and they were expecting us.

On our way, we stopped in Sollefteå, dropped off the baby bed, and took a quick run through the new Lidl store that had opened just a few weeks before.

Despite the icy roads and cold day, we were feeling pretty good so far.

The village of Marieberg was supposedly in the vicinity of Kramfors - see it there toward the bottom of the map?  We made it that far with the help of the GPS and also a fold out map we had just for a little extra security.  From then on,

it was a nightmare.

 

Look on the map:

We found Bollstabruk, NOPE - we found this wood house in Nyland, NOPE - we drove up hill and down, through multitudinous villages that all looked like each other, on icy, snow-packed country roads only to end up trying over and over again to turn around a 1977 Volvo sedan with a horse trailer on the back in an area about 3 meters square.

We kept passing this church, passing this church, passing this church....

Oh, wait a minute...is that the SAME church?

After a while we couldn't even tell!

And through it all, the designated British Female Voice on the GPS just kept saying, "Turn around as soon as possible.  Turn around as soon as possible."

It was so frustrating...I began to feel a stress level of Warp Factor 8.

Just then Gustav looked over at me - it seemed it had suddenly dawned on him, in his sixteen year old mind, that there was a problem.

Being the perceptive young man that he is, he said evenly, 

"Nainy.  You need to calm down.  We are two intelligent people, we have a GPS, we have a mobile phone that has money on it, and...see those farms up there on those hills?  They are full of people who are willing to help us if we need it."

The voice of reason. Of course he was right.

I thought to myself,  "This child is correct. I need to just calm down and relax here and think this through.  Anyway, we are probably much closer than we think we are."

 I felt better.

And just then, in his "reading the road sign" voice, I heard Gustav say,

   

"Cape of Good Hope....2 kilometers".

Even now, nearly a month later, I still laugh out loud thinking about it.

It was so incredibly funny, and his timing was perfect.

We did find Marieberg 138.

We did find the Dahlberg Farm.

And we did get the calves loaded up safely.

 

 The one at the beginning of the post, this black and white one on the left, the brown on the right,

  

 and finally, the winner of the 101 Dalmatians look-alike contest!

We did it!

The roads were so icy and the grade so steep that Mårten went ahead of us in his tractor to make sure we got up to the main road OK.  If you look closely in the picture above you can see the side of the infamous Route 66 GPS suction-cupped to the windshield.  Since that excursion, we have improved in our ability to program and use it.

There was nowhere to go but UP. 

We made it home safely.

 One of the little calves went into a calf box to learn to drink from a bottle.  It was only two days old and had only been with it's mother. 

The other three who were over five days old went in with our own calves  into "Play Group" as we call it. 

They are thriving and well and have adjusted beautifully. 

Soon they will be out in the lush green pasture, biting up the tender grasses and lying in the sun. 

Maybe it WAS a good idea after all.  

 Spring has Sprung!

You always hear that,

"Spring is a time to celebrate new life",

 and for us this year on the farm, those words were very true in many different ways.

  Manny was sent off on his mission, certainly a "new life" experience for him and for us, to be without him.  We wondered how it would be with him gone...

  The lambing and calfing began the very next day, "new life" in the animal kingdom, with the two ewes pictured above giving birth to twins and triplets respectively.

 In short order, Margo the cow surprised us by giving birth to this caramel and white heifer calf !  I didn't know such a thing could happen from a black and white father and a brownish-black mother...but it did. And the calf was strong and healthy, absolutely beautiful.

Most Importantly:

  Within a week we had the Easter season to celebrate, reminding us of the atonement of the Savior and the "new life" that event brings to each of us, making it possible for us to repent of our mistakes and move forward each day with a clean slate. 

How Wonderful! 

Every April we look forward to General Conference, from the Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Utah where we see and hear via satellite or the internet, messages of hope and instruction from our Prophet, Thomas S. Monson, and other General Authorities of the Church.

It is an opportunity to do more as an individual, or parent, or child or sibling. Hearing the addresses is a motivation to live a "new and better life".

So Inspiring.

On the visual side of nature, there is a Spring tradition in Sweden that I had never heard of or seen before coming to the farm.  Gustav went out into the forest and gathered this bunch of birch branches - lifeless from all appearances - and stacked them up by the front steps.  I brought them into the house and got busy trimming them down so that they could be put into a crock with water on a small table in the kitchen.

Of course there were plenty more than this one crock would hold, so we got out Farmor Birgitta's copper hod and polished it up until it was gleaming.

It would also be filled with the naked birch branches and some water and put into the TV room on the floor by the kakelugn (ceramic fireplace), although it would not be decorated like the one in the kitchen would be.  In the copper hod only the natural branches were displayed.

   Next we got out the box that is labeled "PÅSK DEKORATIONS", holding all the Easter ornaments for the household.   These include brightly colored feathers, small glass teardrops (some clear, some various shades of blue), white wooden birds,  ribboned papier mache easter eggs, etc.

All are attached to the bare birch branches.  The first time I saw it I wondered what in the world it could all be?  I only had to wait a little while to find out.

Traditionally done two weeks ahead of time, when the snow is thick on the ground and the wind is still howling outside,  as the days progress towards Easter Sunday, the seemingly lifeless branches begin to bud...then small flecks of green appear, and finally they leaf out completely!  It is such a glorious process, you find yourself watching it every  day for some sign of "new life" to materialize....and it does.

And this year, for the first time, we were amazed to see one of the branches in Farmor Birgitta's hod put out a small flower-like pod.  It has never happened before...it was something else that was NEW!

We were thrilled.

The Foods of the Season:

First of all comes the Semla (Semlor - plural - because you never could eat only ONE..).  A yeast bun that is plain but just a bit sweeter than usual, with the top cut off and the inside hollowed out.  Then you put almond paste down into the cavity and fill the whole thing up with very slightly sweetened whipped cream.  Replace the triangle top that you cut out for the hollowing, put the whole thing in a bowl, and pour boiling milk around it until it FLOATS!  Sprinkle with cinnamon, and as Auntie Lauralee always said, "Eat the entire thing yourself!"

It is so delicious, you would never imagine.  Somehow the milk makes it all sweeter.  It is warm and creamy and sweet, and "bun-ny" and a piece of heaven on a cold, early Spring day.  There is even a special day when you are to eat as much semlor as you can all day. 

Pretty fun.

During the actual Easter week and on Easter Sunday, most people in this area eat lamb, Jonsson's Frestelse (Johnson's Temptation), asparagus, and salmon or other kinds of fish.  That is the 'ready to go into the oven' Jonsson's on the left. Dotted with chunks of butter, it is similar to scalloped potatoes but made with straight cream (and lots of it) and is layered with anchovies - yes, it's true, but you really don't taste anchovy or fish, it just tastes kind of full-bodied.  There is a reason why it is such a popular food item in Sweden, it is a  taste treat sensation...very satisfying.  On the right, also ready for the oven, is a  filet of salmon so large we had to cut it in three pieces.  It was baked on a salt bed with minced onion, melted butter,  parsley and dill.

And these two antique canning jars, reportedly from the 1940's, were found in a small shop in the village. The man told me they had had them for years and years but no one wanted them. I did the only sensible thing and bought every one that they had - a total of eleven small and one large. They hold my first attempt at making two kinds of pickled herring or "sill" (pronounced 'seal' in Swedish),  from scratch.  Sill is a basic food item that comes in many varities and is eaten universally all over Scandinavia.  These two are Inlagtsill on the left and Löksill on the right.  Both are made with their own unique brine and must be left to stand for several days before chilling and eating.  I was wondering how they would be and Hans, the sill afficionado,  said they were delicious...

Hooray!

 Another thing that was new.

All in all it has been a wonderful Spring and Easter season here on the farm.  There have been many new things in our lives, and all feel right and good.

We love the admonition from an old hymn,

"New life impart to us this day,

And bid the Spirit live".

We hope the Spirit of Easter and the feeling of new life all around this Spring touches your hearts as it has touched ours.

Glad Påsk!

Going, Going, GONE!

Part III

 Preparing for a mission is very much a family affair. 

So while Manny was winging his way across the Atlantic on his way to the Salt Lake City airport, the family members in Utah were busy putting the finishing touches on his clothing and other needs.  They had been working on the project well ahead of time.

Uncle Bob had served with Manny on a humanitarian mission to Ghana three years ago so he was ready and willing to help in any way possible.  He volunteered to be Manny's "Brunch Buddy" in setting up a family dinner for the relatives and friends in Utah so they could spend a little time with Manny before he was to enter the Missionary Training Center in Provo.                                              

Paul, a brother in law, was holding the fort at home with the children while Kezia, his wife, was working feverishly to gather the clothing and other items Manny would need on the list sent from Church headquarters.

 Great Granny Bannatyne in Indiana was posting off beautiful hankies for the new missionary.

But hands down, without any question, the bulk of the work fell to the team of Kezia,  a sister, and Bishop Dave Andersen, a terrific family friend and the manager of the Mr. Mac store in Logan.

Between them, they were the quintessential

DYNAMIC DUO!

Hans' skills from his fashion designer days came in incredibly handy.  He measured Manny as only a qualified tailor could and fired off all the information by e-mail to Kezia.  She got together with Bishop Andersen and they started in to choose two-pant suits, long and short sleeve white shirts, ties, belts, socks, underwear, waterproof shoes that didn't look waterproof, more hankies, towels, a shaving kit, a shoeshine kit, a first aid kit, an ordinance card, a temple recommend holder, consecrated oil and a vial to hold it, and the luggage to pack everything into. 

They even got him a mission shoulder bag, invented by a returned missionary,  with a camel back bladder included for hydration on long, hot days of tracting and contacting. 

Nothing was missing!

Remember back in the "Log On!" post where it showed Manny doing all the forest work, earning money for his mission?  Those earnings, combined with what he had already saved over the years in his missionary account made it possible to outfit him beautifully.  A commendable achievement for a hard working young man.

When Manny arrived in Utah, Kezia and Uncle Bob drove down with  all his clothing and other items.  They were able to meet up with Manny just before it was time for the family dinner to start. We were holding our breath, hoping that all the clothing would feel good and look good.  This would be his wardrobe for the next two years and we wanted him to feel comfortable and confident.

Here's the first try-on...a shirt and tie...SO FAR SO GOOD....

the colors look wonderful on him, the shirt fits well, and now for...

The SUIT!

It fit him PERFECTLY!!  Even the pants broke in exactly the right place on the top of the shoe when he was walking, the color was just what he likes in a suit...it could not have been better. 

Later, Kezia told us that when she and Bishop Andersen were putting everything together up in Logan, (the pressure was on), and  they were winding it up,  going over the list to make sure they had everything... at the last minute Bishop Andersen said,

"OK.  Now it's my turn".

He went throughout the store, designed to outfit missionaries in every way, and began to pick up items here and there, one of this and one of that....things that Kezia would not have known would be of benefit out in the mission field, but that Bishop Andersen would absolutely know from all his experience.  When he had them all together, he turned and said to Kezia

(indicating the items were for Manny),

"From one Swede to another".

We were so overwhelmed at his kindness to us.  He is too modest a man to ever take any credit for himself, but we were so appreciative of his love for a young man he has never even met.  You can bet we will be redoubling our efforts on this side of the world in helping him to search out his Swedish roots.

This is how it looked driving away from the farm on the day Manny left.

He went from home, to the airport in Umeå, to the airport in  Stockholm, to the airport in Salt Lake City, to the Missionary Training Center in Provo.

And when his training is complete, this is how it will look when he arrives at the airport in Riga, Latvia where the Mission Home is for the Baltic States Mission.

Our Straight Arrow has been launched.

He's Gone.

We love you Elder Karlsson.

xoxoxoxox