Week 29

Along with the rest of the world, we have been watching and praying for the victims of the hurricanes and earthquakes.  We remember well helping clean up after Irene in Schoharie.  Such devastation is certainly awful; however, one mother from Houston told me this week, "There is a flip side to all of this.  The community is joining hands and everyone is working together to help each other. "  That, I suppose, is the best side of human nature, and one good thing that can come from so much tragedy.

This week has been quiet and we've been able to get a lot of work done, but it makes for a boring blog!  One friend commented after last week's letter that I was being a bit repetitive.  Hmmmm.  I am sorry if I am.  Life is settling into a routine, and things just aren't as exciting as they were.

We made Hawaiian Haystacks for District Meeting on Thursday.  One young sister was so happy, because the lunch reminded her of home.  It was her mom's "go to" dinner, but mine tasted even better, she said.  I explained that was because I made it from scratch with butter, flour, chicken broth, bouillon and milk, instead of cream of chicken soup...something unavailable in Sweden.   She asked, "They have butter in Sweden?  We've only bought margarine."  YUCK!  I had to set her straight!  (The ironic thing was that her companion is a native Swede.  Isn't it funny how you don't always appreciate what you have in your own country?)

Speaking of food, when I walked into the store this week, I thought I was seeing something that grew in the Avatar movie--Romanesque broccoli!  It is beautiful, surreal, and tastes like a mild cauliflower.

Tuesday we took the Donohoos for a ride to the coast.

 In the small town of Värmdö on an island in the Sweden's archipelago, we discovered another beautiful 12th century church.  It is amazing to me how many of these churches, which were built when the Christian Era began and the Viking Era ended, still survive.  A gardener let us inside.

 These burial plots inside the church were the first I have seen in this country.

 An impressive organ is housed in the loft.

 Interesting chest with statue.  Carved wooden statues are commonly found in the churches.

 Heroic sized burial monument

 Carved wooden pulpit.  

Then we went to the Fredriksborgs Fästning, or fortress, in Värmdö.   It was built on one side of the main channel to Stockholm to protect the city.  (There is another fortress (Oscar) across the channel on the adjacent island, but we didn't go to that one.)  Originally constructed in 1719, it was four levels high and used until the mid 19th century.   Other buildings of the fortress have been converted to a restaurant and hotel.

 Today it is referred to as "the butter dish."

Three angled "loophole"--a window for firing small arms.  With triple coverage, these windows must have covered their area well!

Lastly, we went to Vaxholm, another historic fortress. 

 After a short ferry ride to the island, we toured this well-maintained fortress built in the 1500s.

The ferry is directed by a cable and uses no fossil fuels. 

 Inside the fortress, with the tower behind us.

View of the town of Vaxholm from the tower.

 This gives more of an idea of how large it is.

Outside wall of the fortress.  Autumn is coming...

Saturday we met our nephew, Ryan, at the airport.  He has a two week business trip in Sweden, working on an internal audit for the company he works for in Utah, Autoliv, which manufacturers vehicle airbags.  We grabbed hold of him for about 24 hours before he had to drive to Vårgårda for his assignment.  It is so wonderful to have company!

We took a trip to Sigtuna on our way home from the airport.  We had been here before, but not inside St. Mary's Church.

 Entry ceiling.  No one was available to ask if it was painting or fresco.

More painting.

Keeping up with our record for going to  places that have major events occurring, we scored again.  As we drove into Sigtuna to show Ryan the sites, we saw cars parked along the streets.  A sure sign of a big event.  This time it was a foot race.   We didn't learn the details, but enjoyed watching the winners of the children's heat cross the finish line.

We wrapped up the day with a Kebab adventure.  Ryan surely enjoyed it, french fires and all!

American pizza?  Really?  1. Hawaii--ham, pineapple, banana and curry  2.   Seafood--shrimp, tuna and mussels  3.  Vegetarian--mushrooms, olives, onions, taco seasoning   4.  LasVegas--salami, ham, ground meat (hmmm???) 5.  Texas--salami, mushrooms, pepperoni, onion, taco seasoning   6.  Florida--oxfile  (some sort of ox meat, I think), mushrooms, tomatoes, béarnaise sauce  7.  Chicken--chicken, pineapple, banana, curry.

Today in Relief Society, we talked about the importance of education.  We read D&C  88:76-80, which talks about the importance of teaching and learning all subjects and ends with "That ye may be prepared in all things...."  One woman from the Middle East (who has been a member for about 15 years) said, "It is so important to be educated.  When people are ignorant (uneducated) they can be easily manipulated into believing that it is necessary to do things, like go to war."  I had never thought about the role of education in the wars today. It made me think.   Of course, this is always a favorite topic for me, and one of my scriptures that involves the importance of education is D&C  130: 18 "Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection."  There is not much we can take with us from this life, so isn't it important to fill our minds with things of value?