Classic Swedish Stories

 A Book for Christmas

by Selma Lagerlöf (translated by Sarah Death, Peter Graves, and Linda Schenk)

Published by Penguin Press UK – Allen Lane, Particular, Pelican, Penguin Classics | Penguin Classics

ISBN 9780241715062

This is a collection of stories, originally published between 1904 and 1933, written by a well-known Swedish author. It's the first time these stories have been translated into English. Having grown up in the US, I was familiar with certain kinds of Christmas stories. As I got older, I became interested in the seasonal stories of other cultures, but hadn't read any from Sweden, so I didn't hesitate when I saw this book. It did not disappoint! I particularly enjoyed the first story, which was based on a memory from when the author was 10. Her excitement about the fact that on Christmas Eve she would be able to burn the candle and read as long as she wanted was so charming and relatable. I think this story explains the book title. Not all of the stories are set at Christmastime, but it does say a book FOR Christmas, not a book of Christmas. I admit that I started the book expecting it to be full of Swedish Christmas stories, but after reading the first story, I interpreted the title differently so my expectations changed. In spite of the fact that not all the stories involved Christmas, I quite enjoyed this book. I liked reading about what Christmas was like in Sweden over a century ago. The folktale style stories were interesting, if sometimes somewhat disturbing, as folktales often are. In short, the book gave me a window into a time and place I had no knowledge of before and I really like that. I'm very glad I had an opportunity to read this book.

I thank NetGalley and the publisher for a digital review copy of this book.

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A New Chapter...

 begins soon.

On a purely objective level, it's fascinating to watch the self-destruction of a democratic superpower. On the other hand, my heart breaks for the suffering that is already the result. For many, the unavoidable knowledge that, in spite of the regular exhortations to the contrary, this is who 'we' are, is painful. Just a smidge over half of the voting public looked at a fascist, incoherent, mentally ill, cognitively declining, cruel, vindictive, easily manipulated, ignorant, damaged useful idiot/toddler and said, 'Yup, that's my guy.' Then they chose some more MAGA fascists for Congress to round things off. Once the new Senate is sworn in, I'm sure there will be no time wasted in completing the transformation of the federal judiciary into another MAGA-fascist-christian nationalist branch of the government. And just like that, the idea of separation of powers is gone. The people appointed will be young. This damage will last for decades. I will not be around to see the end of it. It's interesting to me to consider that my father was born to Nazi parents during the Nazi regime in Germany. I will die a citizen of a country with a fascist government--the country he arrived in as a teenager after the Nazis were defeated. The sad circle will be complete.

For those of you who did not choose this path, I know your pain is real, it is justified, it is terrifying, and it is so, so hard. Anger, fear, grief, and sadness are appropriate emotions. It's important to care for yourself and your loved ones. For anyone who wants to learn more about what's coming, I can highly recommend Ruth Ben Ghiat's book, Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present, as well as her Substack, Lucid. Of course, the authoritarian regime that's coming in the US will look different than those in places like Italy, Germany, Russia--these things always have to be culturally appropriate or they won't work--but Ben-Ghiat does an excellent job of explaining what's happening and putting things in context. For myself, being informed about what is going on and why helps me navigate.

For some of the people who voted for MAGA fascism, the resulting pain and suffering is exactly what they wanted because the cruelty always was, and will remain, the point. This isn't the majority of them, though. For the rest, the pain will come--and probably fairly soon. To those people, remember, you chose this.

You've been promised--clearly and unambiguously--by the MAGA fascist party themselves, that things will be nasty and economic hardship is to be expected. When that hardship arrives and you don't like it, remember, you chose this.

When prices go up due to tariffs and other bad economic policies and you don't like it, remember, you chose this.

When you watch a woman or girl you love suffer and die, remember, you chose this.

When your health care options are few and your insurance is more inadequate than it is now, remember, you chose this.

When workers businesses rely on to do the work no one else would do, some of whom may be your friends, are rounded up and taken away, remember, you chose this.

When civil and human rights, including yours, are removed one by one, remember, you chose this.

When health care policy is dictated by a lunatic conspiracy theorist with a worm-eaten brain and public and individual health suffers as a result, remember, you chose this.

When vaccines are no longer available and disease spreads, remember, you chose this.

When the air you breath and the water you drink becomes more toxic as corporations are invited to destroy the natural environment in your neighborhood and beyond, remember, you chose this.

When you're forced to live under laws dictated by the religious beliefs of a small minority of extreme christian nationalists, and you don't like them, remember, you chose this.

When you want to read a book but you can't because it has been banned, remember, you chose this.

When everyone in the US is less safe because the sane people from other governments don't dare to share intelligence information with the administration of an unstable, incoherent puppet in DC, remember, you chose this.

When the failing, cognitively impaired POTUS is completely incapacitated, which by the looks of things won't be long now, and you're stuck with the VP-elect, remember, you chose this.

When the constitution is a hollow shell that no longer has any real meaning, remember, you chose this.

As the 'experiment' in US democracy comes to an end, remember, you chose this.

In the words of Charles Dickens in A Christmas Carol, 'May you be happy in the life you have chosen.'

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Good Day for a Warm Loaf

 I made some wholemeal jalapeno cheese bread this afternoon. It's been a while, but it was nice to get my hands into some dough and to smell the aroma of baking bread. I had some whey from a recent batch of ricotta I made, so I used that, heated until warm, as the liquid--it works really well for bread. I dumped everything into my food processor with the dough blade, whizzed it up until it was nicely mixed, turned the dough out onto a floured surface, and kneaded for a few minutes.

Then into the slow cooker, which had a piece of parchment paper in it, large enough to use to lift out the bread when it was time to turn the loaf. After a little more than 2 hours on high, I turned it over and let it bake for another hour or so, still on high. Then out it came and the impatient wait for it to cool down enough to slice began. I love the end piece, still hot from the slow cooker, with some butter.

I still have more whey left, so will make another loaf of bread soon. Not sure what kind. Chocolate mocha? Lemon poppy seed? Rye? I guess I'll see what I'm in the mood for at the time. For now, we'll  enjoy this one. 😋😀

I'd never thought about using my slow cooker to bake bread until my bread machine conked out. I'd gotten it 4 or 5 years previously for €5 at a charity shop, so I definitely got my money's worth from it. I didn't really want to get a new one and as it was during the pandemic, we weren't going to any charity shops. The ovens I've had in this country are all crap and other than muffins or flatbreads, I wouldn't try to bake bread in one, because I know the loaves would be burnt on the outside and uncooked on the inside. Besides, they are very energy inefficient. So I was looking for an alternative to bread makers and my oven. The slow cooker works perfectly and I am no longer looking for a bread machine. Even if I saw another one for €5 in a charity shop, I wouldn't buy it. When Bill got me my food processor, the whole process was made even easier and the combination of both appliances works better and is easier than using a bread machine, so in the end, I'm not sorry mine conked out. 

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I Gotta Be Me

 I've been reminded lately about how some things about our personalities and ways of being in the world are evident from a very young age. On this Halloween, I remembered a Halloween experience from many decades ago. I don't remember exactly how old I was, but I wouldn't have been beyond 5th grade, because I was walking home from elementary school (the school went up to 6th grade, but because I skipped 6th grade, my last year there was 5th grade). I was almost home and looking forward to trick-or-treating, when I was approached by some teenagers or possibly very young adults, who stopped me to ask, 'If you died tonight, are you sure you would go to heaven?' As far as I can recall, this was the first time I'd ever encountered people who adhered to that sort of Christian faith, but I was polite and answered them. I still laugh at my answer, which was, 'Well, no, I can't really be sure about that. How can anyone be sure that--or if--they will go anywhere after they die or know what will happen to them?' I was prepared to have a real conversation with these people, so the expression on their faces puzzled me and their answer seemed to consist of nothing much. They quickly realized that I was a waste of their time, I guess, because I was not delayed for very long and soon arrived home. 

Fast forward a couple decades--still a time when we had landlines and when paid TV was called 'cable.' Since we haven't had paid TV since 1995 and no TV at all for over 15 years, I have no idea what it's called now or how it works. But at that time, the cable company offered a new music streaming service that allowed us to choose different music stations based on genre and scrolled the song and artist on the remote. We had this for a while, but eventually decided not to keep it. A month or two after we ended our subscription, I got a call from someone doing a survey about our experience with the service. I'm afraid that once again, I answered honestly and not within the acceptable script. After we'd been muddling through the guy's questions for a while, I could sense his growing agitation. My answer to the next question did the poor guy in. He asked me how much we'd be willing to pay for the service, which under the circumstances was a stupid question. However, I was polite when I answered, 'Obviously nothing, because we cancelled it.' I could hear his gritted teeth when he replied, 'Please just pick a number, ma'am.' I did and he very quickly thanked me (against his will, I'm sure) and ended the conversation. 

I have never been good at superficial conversation, small talk, or choosing answers from a predetermined list. I mean, I politely do the first two, even if I find it tiring and I always have a running analysis going on in my head at the same time. As for the last one, sometimes, like when taking a test, if I know what the instructor wants the answer to be, I can just check off the right box. Even then, there's a part of my brain going through all the ways in which the answer is not really adequate. I'm not really good at fluff. I tend to get really interested in things and go way deeper than most people are interested in going. As I learn more about whatever the topic is, I find related issues to dive into and on it goes. I've been in conversations where people ask me something and I launch into a detailed answer that they were never interested in hearing. I'm not saying that having a superficial interest in some things is bad, just that I'm not built that way. I'm either very interested or hardly interested at all. I'm also not saying that polite small talk is bad--it's an important aspect of social interaction and I understand the useful purpose it serves. It's simply not my favorite thing. Once we moved here, it didn't take me long to come up with automatic answers to the ubiquitous weather commentary that cannot be avoided, although once in a great while I hear a new description besides, 'Not a bad day, is it?' or 'It's not raining, that's the important thing.' A few weeks ago we were on the bus home after being out in the wind and mizzle when someone got on and commented to another person, 'Tis a perishin' day out there.' He agreed that it was. It made a nice change from the ordinary. 

I sometimes used to wish that I was better able to skim the surface of some things. Eventually I accepted that I'm not like that and I'm not going to change at this late date, barring some sort of brain injury. So now I embrace this part of myself. I gotta be me, although I still know how to put on my polite smile and play the game when that is required.

Happy Halloween, if you celebrate!

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Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife: The Extraordinary Lives of Medieval Women by Hetta Howes

 Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife: The Extraordinary Lives of Medieval Women

by Hetta Howes

Published by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

ISBN 9781399408738

This book is an exploration of the lives of medieval women, organized (albeit sometimes very loosely) around the lives of four women: Marie de France, Julian of Norwich, Christine de Pizan, and Margery Kempe. These were 'four different women who defied the expectations of their time and wrote back against the misogyny they experienced.' The author uses their own writing as well as other sources to describe what life was like for women, moving from childbirth to death, including marriage, adultery, travel, making a living, and influence in between. She states that all four of these women were 'trying to craft a legacy that would endure.' This book and others are witness to the fact that they succeeded, even if their work was unknown for a time.

This is a very enjoyable and informative book. It provides a fascinating glimpse into another time as well as showing us how some things continue hundreds of years later. It's a very readable book--lots of information but written in a very accessible style. If women's history in particular or medieval history in general interests you, then this is a great book to pick up.

I thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for a digital review copy.

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A Winter Wonderland of Words

 A Winter Dictionary: A Collection of Words for the Festive Season

by Paul Anthony Jones

ISBN 9781783968237

Published by: Elliot and Thompson

This is a fun collection of words related to all things winter, starting with the end of autumn transition to early winter and ending with the late winter transition into spring. In between there are chapters devoted to various aspects of winter, such as the weather as experienced both outside and from the inside, festive holiday rituals and activities, landscape, and more. It's a delightful assemblage of words, some relatively new, some old, and some archaic. Each entry includes the word, its part of speech, its earliest known use, a definition, and often amusing examples. There's a word list in the back. As someone who loves winter and finds that it always goes by too fast, I loved diving into this winter wonderland of words and could see myself going back to the book again and again at all times of the year. Whether you're a lover of winter, a lover of words, or both, this is a book to appreciate.

A few of my favorites include:

meldrop: a single drop from a melting icicle or the tip of a person's nose

chimonophile: a lover of wintry weather

cryophile: something or someone who thrives in wintry conditions

antifogmatic: a drink taken to combat the effects of cold or damp weather.

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Time to Flee!

 One week ago, the horrible Harvest Fair began with live 'music' at local bars. For the loud bar near us, this meant a start time of 10:45 pm and an end time of 2:30 am. The following day was fair day itself. Main Street was closed to traffic and vendors set up stalls. We were looking forward to this a couple years ago when we first got to town, thinking we'd see lots of art and craft. No. It was stall after stall of plastic junk. It was difficult to get through the crowd of people. I found it quite unpleasant. We haven't done that again. As usual, there was music playing in the street during this event. Then the bar started blasting the same old loop of recorded music we've heard so often, so the noise polluters were competing with each other. I occupied myself by getting ready to flee the next day.

We knew the weekend would be the worst of the event, so we booked a room in another town to get away from the noise pollution weekend. On Friday, Saturday, Sunday, in addition to the live 'music' at the bar, much activity was planned for Main Street--different musical performers, a parade, a jiving competition, and just general drunken revelry until late. Because horrible harvest fair is a special event, the noise is permitted to extend later into the night. The worst of the schedule was Sunday, when the planned events would go on for 9 or 10 hours. Instead, on Sunday I was sitting outside on a rocking garden bench, listening to the birds singing, feeling the slightly chilly breeze, and looking at flowers whilst drinking tea and reading a book. I'm so grateful I got to experience a weekend of peace and quiet instead of agitation and annoyance. 

As a bonus, we got to spend some time with Sue, who is 16.5 years old--and what a bundle of energy! The way she wags her tail made me laugh every time. 

It was a lovely quiet weekend. We're so glad we avoided the worst of the fair. The noise issue was a lot better this summer. It hasn't been as loud and it hasn't gone on so late--the bar seems to be careful about stopping when legally required to do so. They've also enclosed much of the back area where the noise occurs, so people do seem to stay past closing time, and they may have music playing, but it's barely audible and then only in the kitchen. I can't hear it in the bedroom, so I don't care what they do. Listening to the noise last Wednesday, I was struck by how we used to deal with nights like that all the time last year and how stressful it was. The fact that we're not dealing with that kind of thing on a regular basis is another reason to be thankful. The Harvest Fair is the biggest community event of the year, though, so that's never going to be any better. What's the saying? If you can't beat 'em, join 'em? No thanks. I'll just leave instead.

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