God Morgen. Feest e Daag.



I bought this mug at Epcot.

The backside of the mug taught me how to say "Good Morning" in Norwegian.


I'm half Norwegian.  My grandfather, Tom, a full-blooded Norwegian, loved his whiskey.  He'd say "Feest e daag (first one today)" as he took his first swig of the day.  That works for my first morning sip of coffee too.

So if you see me tip my coffee mug and hear me say, "God Morgen!  Feest e daag," you'll know exactly what I'm saying.

(I'm guessing at the spelling of "first one today" in Norwegian).

  

Ready or Not, February Is Here

2/1/12.  Two, one, one, two sounds like a dance step to me.  Grab your partner, round we go, doecy, doecy, doecy doe.  Roll out the barrel...we'll have a barrel of fun...

Sorry, I got off track.  I flipped the calendar page late yesterday and this is what I got.  Excuse the photo angle; shooting straight on I got a big gold blotch from the flash.  Oh, yeah, there's Valentine's Day, I can dig that!

Regarding the quote, I'm all for it except for the swim in the sea.

I shouldn't but I bet I'll wish February away, longing for March and another vacation on Siesta Key.

What's on your February calendar?

Life's Not Always A Beach!!

I'm hooked on words of wisdom.  Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.

  I encountered these two characters "standing firm" on the beach last month!!   

Ain't That The Truth

The only place you'll find success before work is in the dictionary.

I found these wise words on a calendar at the office where I work.    

The hard work necessary for success renders the prize all the more precious.  I trained hard to prepare myself for a YMCA biathlon a few years ago.  The medal was much less a reward than the satisfaction I felt when I crossed the finish line.

Would success mean anything if we didn't have to work for it?

Try, Try and Try Again

Character consists of what you do on the third and fourth tries.

I love it!  Persisting builds us from the inside out.  

Don't Wait

On New Year's Day, I opened my 2012 calendar.

As with all calendars I've ever used, when I lifted the cover, there was January.  That was fine.  I'd surely have been disappointed if one of the other twelve months had appeared first.

I hung the calendar on the wall and admired the boats in the harbor.  My eyes traveled down to the words under the scene.

I like quotes. 

This one, written by I don't know who, threatened me at first.  The challenge of the words momentarily paralyzed me.

A few seconds later, I turned and went about my day considering the quote.  My year will be what I make of it.  Waiting doesn't work; doing does. 

 

Outside My Window

He looks majestic in red, doesn't he.

I saw more than one male cardinal today.  See the second one on the lower left side?  I was relaxing with my laptop this afternoon when I was distracted by this activity outside my window. 

A female cardinal sat on a branch waiting for her turn at the feeder.  Although she's much more subdued in color, she's pretty in her own way.

This fellow is nearly invisible against the background of white snow and the shades of gray and brown of the hedge where he is perched.

Even the seeds that fall into the snow are eaten.  I like to see that.


The brilliant red cardinal is anything but invisible.  Every time it snows, I'm impressed by the contrast of the red against white.  It makes me pause and stare.

I don't like the cold temperatures of winter but I love the look of freshly fallen snow, the hush  when I step outside and the brightness of the sun when it sparkles on the endless white blanket.