Truth

Thank you everyone for your comments on the last couple of pictures! We've been up by the lake this weekend and unable to read or comment but hopefully I'll be catching up tomorrow.. or.. My Am.Culture exam is on Tuesday so hopefully I'll wait until after that.. LOL!

There are some people coming here sometime in the next week to put up thermostate. Since I don't know what day they're coming and since I'll be in Trondheim from Tuesday (travelling right after my exam) to Thursday Bajas is with P.A. and Virus is still up by the lake (supervised by P.A.'s parents) until Bajas and P.A. go up there Tursday and I'll follow them sometime on Friday.

So to the truth part - I loved the silvery saturday pic - but the unimpressed impression is actually not quite representing the truth.


He was actually asleep under there - and getting rather boring so I attempted to wake him up to see if I'd get any good shots.. And I think I got a great one! ;)

Ane
AllAloneMom

AllAlone Mom

Hi guys!

This week is and has been a very busy week with back to school stuff and work so I've dropped Bajas off with a friend of ours and there's not too much fun stuff going on here. I miss him, it's so empty around here. But I'm pretty sure he's having a good time with someone with more time than me right now. Can't wait to pick him up on Sunday, and then there's just a few days until a certain little kitty arrives. So here's a few pictures I just got of him - to enjoy (or to drool over if you're a certain pack of whippies!)





I hope you all have great weekends!
Ane

The walking thing.

Ok.. There's been a lot of comments on Mom's weird walk to school so I made her tell you all a bit about why! Personally I just feel it's unfair that she do all that walking without me! *sigh*

***

I've noticed a lot of you thing I'm a bit of a weirdo taking on a 45minute walk each way to get to school... (Don't worry, you're right. I'm a weirdo! ;)) First of all.. There's no hiding the fact that I'm Norwegian after all. You're supposed to go walking, preferably for no reason at all other than to go out walking. Foreigners are usually very confused by this. Especially Sunday walks are important as some might not get to go walking too often during the week.

In Norway kids will be left alone outside a lot more than for instance in the US. It's a pretty safe country and the culture is different, too. Unless you live far from school you walk to school. Maybe the youngest might walk with their parents, or if you live by dangerous roads etcetera it might be different, but rain or shine you usually walk. I was pretty lucky and lived close to all my schools as a kid and had a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 15minute walk to school.

At age 12 we went to Québec, Canada for a while and went to school there. There we rode the school bus...

It felt pretty silly, actually, to a Norwegian.. It was no more than a 15 minute walk, but instead we spent half an hour on a bus..!? Some days I would walk, though! :)

I like to walk.. They actually compare the Norwegian walking with Eastern meditation. It gives you time to think and relax and just let your mind wander.. I like that comparison. I can assure you not all Norwegians like to walk, and that most probably would head for the subway rather than walk the 45minutes.. I think I more than anything like the idea of getting a fair amount of excersise just out of getting to school. It's sort of like taking the "get of the bus a stop or two before where you live/work" idea a bit far. Getting to the subway is about 10-15minutes on foot from my house (there is a bus, but I'd never bother with that to save 5minutes or so) plus maybe 10minutes on the subway.. So the timedifference is more like 20minutes, probably less with delays.. And with busy, crowded subway cars during rush hour.. I think I'd rather walk!

A funny walking story.. This is Anna (that's Bajas' Auntie Anna) and me in Philadelphia last spring. We mainly stayed in New York and Toronto and went to several concerts. We were also going to two concerts in Philadelphia and planned to stay there one night and then take a bus back late at night after the second concert. We arrived in Philadelphia late afternoon with a minimum of clothes... and it rained. Oh my, it RAINED! We had one pair of shoes... We were in a hurry just having time to check into the hostel and head for our concert.. So what do we do? We take of all surplus clothing, shoes included! We stuffed our backpacs and headed out into the streets of Philly, barefeet in the rain.
The security guy at the bus station looked at me wide eyed and said "Your mama would be mad, you running without your shoes on!" We had such a laugh running through the streets, jumping in the puddles. Oh yes.. We did.. The people driving by s t a r e d ! Some people in a restaurant started pointing and running to the window! Did I mention we laughed? We arrived at the hostel laughing, water dripping but shoes and clothes DRY. And then we went to see Pretty Girls Make Graves and had a blast.

Here we are at the concert! The guy in the background on the left make this picture priceless.

By the way... One of the reasons I choose a pug as my first dog was that they don't need too much excercise. Not that I don't like walking.. But sometimes it just it is a bit hot.. or wet.. or cold.. Plus (mainly) I really find it important to choose a breed of dog that you can give MORE than the minumum, rather than the oposite.

So if it's really cold or rainy I have the choice of snuggling up with the pug an extra 20 minutes and take the subway instead. That's really good to know, but I hope I'll keep to the walking as much as possible! (With an hour walk with Bajas and walking at work I really think I'll be moving enough.)

Ane

Special designed sofa

I have a black leather sofa. It's one of a kind. The dogs have fixed it for me and it's super special. It's got a hole in the middle cushion because Nimbus is unable to get under the blanket himself and he dug a hole when I was asleep one night trying to make the blanket cover him. *sigh*

It's got other "special features" too - one of the back cushions is thicker and "shorter" (uh.. how do you explain that in a good way) - and this is why;

It's Bajas' favourite spot... He uses it only if I sit next to him and he can be close while I read or watch tv. He's so cute I just can't deny him this...
It's not a very recent habit - he's been doing it since he was a teeny weeny poopie!
Uh... Mommy? Why did you leave me up here all alone?
And why are you flashy-thinging me?
I'm getting lonely... I'm going doooooown!

My trip (the other version)

Friday afternoon after work I hopped on the train to Trondheim. It's about a 7hour trip so I had plenty of time to read and listen to my music and relax (sleep actually). I also got to enjoy a lot of pretty scenery - I've taken a few pictures so you get the idea. But taking pictures from a moving train have some disadvantages so it's rather blurry..
Arriving at Lene's place Morris thoroughly checked my bag. He actually loved the smell of that thing (possibly because the pugs always use to sleep on it whenever it's on the floor?) and kept going back to it all weekend.
Aunties boy Fenris got plenty of attention and cuddles, of course. The "human puppy" sure had grown and it was nice chatting with her and her mom of course.
Then back across the mountains again and home to pick up all the doggies. I have pictures of Nimbus' weekend spent with Auntie and Herbert the cat. Will let him post them later!

Ane/the WriggleButtMom

Feeling better

(Fanta on the mean stairs)

Hi guys!
Just wanted to say thanks for all your comments - I'm feeling a whole lot better today. My three nurses kept me company on the couch all last night and today I'm able to fully extend my elbow again 'cause the swelling has come down (most of it, anyways). I'm a bit blue here and there but I'm heading off for work soon and I don't think that will be a problem. I sure hope not!

It's the third time I fall down these stairs (first time; dislocated shoulder, second time; overexctended ankle) *sigh* I've got to learn how to be even more careful (they're really slippery)... I'm wife beater material - with my statistics everybody would believe "she fell down the stairs" ROFL...

Ane aka The WriggleButtMom

PS: Just want to comment on something. These stairs are a work in progress and sort of difficult to go down (now - they've changed since the picture was taken) and have just recently been painted and no "anti slip" stuff can be added until after the second coat of paint. The first coat was added when we went away for New Years and the next one can't be added until we go away again, since the dogs are unlikely to keep from going out until the paint is dry... ;) I'm just going to have to keep working on my climbing skills.. ROFL..

Coco the Birthday Girl!

Happy NINTH birthday, Coco!

Sweet cuddlebug
Here at age 5
Tongue extraordinaire!
Shaking her heart tag last summer.
Just looking plain cute!

I can't believe you've already been here with me and your son for over 4 years! Time flies by and you don't look any older - or act any older at all.
I promise to get you something special for later, sweetie!

Hugs, Mom!