Misunderstood politics

I just had a pretty disturbing conversation with my dear neighbor. I am not much for politics and I am not especially knowledgeable or anything, but I got chills hearing her ideas! She told me she was extremely frightened before the election on Tuesday, and I immediately got a feeling where this was going...

She thinks that if Obama become president the entire country will disappear down “socialism’s hell hole”. She told me that in the 60s she heard the then president speaking. Something like "if we are not careful our children and grandchildren will rub elbows with communists on the streets".

I don’t think she realized I am actually from Sweden, a country that the US often consider being mainly a socialist country, even though it is really a capitalistic country with socialistic elements, with its progressive income taxes and public sector. (And considering Swedes are pretty materialistic it is doubtful if Sweden ever could become a fully socialistic country). I calmly tried to explain to her that socialism is not the same as communism, and that it does not have to be something negative. Socialism does have the benefit that it cares for the people as a whole. Benefits such as paid maternity leave, subsidized day care, free school lunches, great public transportation, greatly subsidized health care and free dental and health care for children, elder care and so on.

Sure, Sweden has really lost its footing in regards to these benefits, but as far as I understand, nobody has to go bankrupt to pay for a needed surgery? Perhaps you might have to wait for certain surgeries, but at least you will get it. In any way, Obama’s “socialistic tendencies” does not mean the US will become a socialistic country over night, not even if he was elected for the entire term of office of 8 years. Maybe he can do the US the favor of implementing some benefits, similar to those in Sweden, and there is no way in hell the US would suffer from that, quite the opposite. And communism would never have a chance in Sweden or the US, in regards to the fact that would mean totally abolishing capitalism!

I think all the whining I hear form Americans regarding Obama and socialism is in large part based on ignorance, nothing else. People are simply scared of the unknown...

The neighbor further told me she is not going to vote this year, since she has no confidence in McCain either, even though she is a Republican at heart. In my opinion that takes away her right to complain. The worst part was when she started talking deliriously about governor Palin, and how wonderful she is, and all the great things she has accomplished as a governor of Alaska. That was my prompt to excuse myself and go home… We better not get into a discussion about that lady and her scary values…

Happy Halloween!

Om ca 1 timme kommer möblerna, det ska bli spännande att se hur de ser ut i vårt sovrum. Lägger upp lite bilder när allt kommit på plats!

Annars så är det Halloween idag; en STOR dag för de flesta barn. Så snart det har blivit mörkt är det dags att bege sig ut. Som jag har skrivit om förut blir vårt kvarter oftast belamrat med folk som kommer från andra områden, vilket är lite tråkigt eftersom de inte direkt är vänliga och så. Men strunt i det, Sarah har haft sin kostym klar i månader, hon skulle absolut vara HAJ i år! Det tycker jag är lite kul, då försvinner hon inte så lätt i havet av alla prinsessor (den klart populäraste kostymen för småflickor).

Sarah är inte sådär jätteintresserad av prinsessgrejjer, ge henne några ormar, grodor och dinosaurier så är hon som gladast. Dockor leker hon inte speciellt mycket med alls, kanske Littlest Pet Shop, vilka är små djurfigurer, och då och då Polly Pockets, som små minibarbies ungefär. Men annars är det djur och åter djur som gäller. Gärna läskiga. Och hajar är kul. Tur att vi redan hade en hajkostym, även om den börjar bli llite kort i benen kanske. Det blev ju billigt och bra för mamma, ha ha!

Tänkvärt

Alltså, för er som bor i Sverige, hur läggs det amerikanska presidentvalet upp i svensk media? Lutar det åt något visst håll, eller rapporterar de bara rakt av från amerikansk media?

Min känsla, och min man republikanens, är att Obama kommer att vinna och det ganska rejält. Vi får väl se på tisdag, den 4 november. Ska faktiskt bli riktigt spännande!

Cold weather

I just had some leftover chicken chowder from last night, and now I am watching Swedish TV on my computer. As you can see, Bob prefers to stay close to me when it is chilly. He is not a cold weather dog... Note the plush pillow under his chin, just for him...



***Vill bara tillägga att Bob fiser jäkligt fult just nu!***

Kallfront

Igår och idag fick vi känna på kalla vindar. En kallfront norrifrån dippade ner i Florida, och det tillsammans med blåst gjorde att vi frös rejält. Inatt var det ner till 6 grader, mycket kallt för oss! Jag tror till och med att de hade frostvarning norr om Tampa. Imorse satte jag på värmen för första gången, det var ca 20 grader inne, vilket inte låter speciellt kallt i enlighet med svenska mått, men här känns det av.

Som tur är återgår vi till varmare väder imorgon, då det ska bli uppemot 25 grader varmt. Till helgen ska det visst kunna gå uppemot 30 grader. Fast det är skönt att "hösten" är här. Mindre luftfuktighet och svala nätter med behagliga dagar. Det är nu som Florida verkligen är som bäst, underbart!

Idag ska jag pyssla lite i sovrummet och göra allt redo för de nya möblerna, som kan komma så tidigt som imorgon förmiddag. Ska sätta tillbaka en byrå som vi lånat från Sarahs rum med. Fast det är så kallt så det känns inte som om jag kan få mina förfrysta leder att lyda.

Nu när vi får nya möbler kommer det inte att finnas plats för någon madrass på golvet för Sarah att sova på. Vi pratade om det, och hon tog det väldigt bra. Den nya regeln är att hon ska gå och lägg sig i sin egen säng i sitt rum, med nattlampa. Om hon skulle vakna under natten får hon gärna komma in till oss MEN hon får inte ropa efter mig som hon brukade göra, utan hon måste komma in på eget bevåg. Hon säger att det är OK, men vi får väl se i natt då det nya sovarrangemanget testas för första gången... Det finns små nattlampor i både vardagsrummet och vårt sovrum, så hon bör ju inte ha några problem med att hitat vägen mitt i natten...

A new way to solve political differences?

Well, this might be a less boring way to decide who is the top dog rather than those boring debates...

Done deal!

Ja, vi köpte möblerna! Oerhört fina. Leverans sker mot slutet av veckan, ska bli jättekul...

Håller tummarna

Maken ringde för 10 minuter sedan och sa att hans kundmöte hade gått extra fort, så han tar paus någon timme så att vi kan åka och titta på möblerna... Håll tummarna för att det blir affär!

Urka

Igår åkte vi en hel timme in till Clearwater för att köpa möbler. Vi hade kommit överrens med en dam att hon skulle ringa oss om hon inte fick sina sovrumsmöbler sålda, så skulle vi ta dem till halva priset hon ville ha. Hon hade nämligen ett förvaingsutrymme som hyrestiden gick ut på igår, så hon var tvungen att göra sig av med möblemanget. Fina grejjer med.

Så hon ringde oss och sa att ingen annan hade hört av sig, så vi for upp. När vi anländer informerar hon oss om att en annan tjej hade kommit förbi, och att hon var villig att ge lite mer. Hon bedyrade att hon hade ringt mig. Ja det var ju inget fel på min mobil, så det där tror jag inte på...

Man blir ju minst sagt sur när man har kört en hel timme, och sedan får köra hem tomhänt en timme till...

Men, jag hittade ett annat sovrumsmöblemang. Kanonkvalitet, helt nytt från en liten möbelaffär här i stan. De har köpt upp konkursbo från ett annat företag, och dessa grejjer är tillverkade av jättefint trä i enlighet med ITTO, en internationell organisation som ser till att tropiskt timmer används miljövänligt. Företaget som har tillverkat mölerna är väldigt miljömedvetna i helhet, och möblerna har många fina detaljer.

Men såklart så har Ken kundbesök idag och kan inte komma med och titta under de få timmar som de har söndasgöppet. Och det är helt kanon pris! Pris på Internet för hela setet är över $4,000, och vi kan få det för $1,500... Så nu måste jag kanske sitta tills nästa helg och vänta, och hoppas att ingen annan köper det. Inte kul...


Om det blir av så blir det sängen ovan, byrån med spegel, två sidobord plus en hög byrå med 5 lådor (inte på bild). Helt i fint trä med just den rätta capuccino-färgen som vi är ute efter. Men, under har ju skett förr, så jag håller tummarna!

Efter tips från kära moster Lotte så tittade jag nyligen på en kriminalserie inspelad på Gotland. Den handlar om polisen Maria Wern och heter Främmande Fågel, riktigt bra och spännande, och KANONKUL att se film inspelad just på Gotland!

Och jag läste just på samma mosters blogg att hon hade kollat på SOS Gute, ett reality-program om räddningstjänsten på Gotland. Så nu har jag Kanal 5 öppen och redo, och ska kolla på någr aavsnitt av den serien. Tack för tipsen!

Scaredy cat!

Last night when I was getting ready for bed I heard Stan out in the living room. So I decided to mess with him a little. I know he always comes into our bedroom when it is time for bed, and I could here exactly where he was based on his claws clicking on the stone floor. The living room and the bedroom were both pitch dark, Ken had closed the door to the bathroom, so very minimal light was coming out underneath the door from there.

I positioned myself on the inside of the bedroom door, and when Stan, the poor old and half blind dog, comes though the door I put my hand in front of his face and said boo!

He jumped backwards, but the sound he cried out was just the funniest thing! It was a primordial grunt, a true sound of fear, you could here it say "Oh damn! I-am-going-to-die-because-a-monster-is-attacking me!!!" Ken could hear it all the way in the bathroom. Evil as I am I just collapsed laughing on the bed, that was just way too funny.

The poor dog got some extra white fur strands now, but we did bed him down in between us and cuddled a little extra with him. I got him really good!

Bedtime

I have noticed that American families often let their kids stay up late. Very late! Up towards 10 PM is not unusual. When I ask why I often get the response that they just can't get them to bed early, or that they want to spend time with their kids.

My daughter always goes to bed between 7:30 PM and 8 PM, unless we have special company or something out of the ordinary is going on. She usually is asleep by 8:15 PM. This gives her 11.5 hours of sleep on average, more on the weekends. The guidelines for 3-10 year olds are 10-12 hours of sleep. That is a lot more than an adult's needed 7-9 hours. I just don't think that is possible if the kids stay up late, and then have to get up early to go to daycare/preschool/school whatever.

I also heard parents say they can't get their kids to bed early because they are so hyperactive. Well, one of the side effects of regular sleep deprivation is actually just that, hyperactivity, along with frequent irritability, emotionally overreacting, having difficulty concentrating, forgetting easily, waking often during the night.

We have always had somewhat of a routine; brush her teeth and wash up, put on pajamas, read a book. Then I turn off all the lights and we lay in the dark and talk about her day for a few minutes. Then she usually tells me she doesn't want to sleep, and I say that is fine, just rest. I usually sing a few Swedish children's songs, and then she is out.

I think a routine will work as an indicator for the kids, they know what to expect, and after a while they just start to relax throughout the different steps.

I am the kind of parent who will stay with my daughter until she is asleep, but that is because I remember when I was 4-5 and had to go to bed all by myself, and how terrified I was off the dark. I don't mind. She will soon enough grown out of that need for having me there at bedtime. I actually enjoy our time together.

What are your observations regarding the bedtime routines in the country you live in?

Furniture?

It looks like we have finally found ourselves a bedroom set. We have been looking on Craigslist.org for a while now, but we had some demands that were hard to meet. It has to be a fairly new set (so we can look it up online and compare prizes), it has to be a name brand of good quality, it has to have at a minimum a bed frame, two nightstand tables and a dresser with a mirror. This set also have an armoir. The price also have to be at least 70 % off original price. So we found a good looking set, we will go and take a look at it on Saturday afternoon.

Today I am planning on just working until it is time to pick up Sarah, not very exciting.

My stomach has been very messed up for more than a week now. I think there is a clog somewhere, but since I know it is not possible (knock on wood) that it is scar tissue this time, I should be able to flush it out. But it is painful an dirritating to deal with. Sigh.

Oops!

Monday morning again... Got Sarah up, dressed, fed and her teeth brushed. Then I settled down with a cup of tea after they left for school. Only to have them come back in 10 minutes. Guess there is no school today... Oh well!

Fruitville Grove's Pumpkin Festival

We had a great day at the Pumpkin Festival. It was held at a local privately owned grove stand farm, not too far form where we live. The festival here has a very home spun and intimate atmosphere, not at all like the bigger festival that is also taking place in our county. I went to the other one every fall since 1996, but they have just gotten too commercial, taking the fun all out of the entire experience.

This place is a smaller farm, which basically is open all year round with a little produce stand where they also sell fruit from their own citrus groves. The vendors at this festival also tend to be more non-profit, and school classes or organizations rather than purley commercial. A nice day!

We took a hay ride though the grapefruit groves

We enjoyed some nice BBQ

They had lots of cool fall decorations

Sarah had fund on the pony ride

We also checked out an Amish horse buggy

Ken and Sarah visited the "out house" (looks a bit crowded in there!)

We picked up some fresh produce to take home




Apple cider, anyone?

We enjoyed watching all the people and smelling all the tempting smells in the air

Sarah got her face painted with a snake and a bat

We picked out some good looking pumpkins to take with us home

After we got home we decorated a little bit for Halloween outside our front door.

Dinner with friends

Yesterday we headed over to our good friends for a nice afternoon and evening with good food and lots of talking. The kids had fun playing soccer before dinner in their backyard. Too bad they are thinking about moving to California, we sure will miss them dearly. But I understand, they have most of both their families there...

Sarah and S are only a year apart, but Sarah sure is a tall one!

Ken plays soccer with Sarah and the other girls.

Lots of running around!

Signs of change?

The presidential election is coming up here SOON! I am so hoping we will see Obama in office...

It is kind of odd living with a Republican, when most of our political views differ. But on the other hand, Ken is very graceful and never difficult. He is very Democratic in thinking everyone has the right to their own beliefs. We have been following the Presidential debates, and after the last one here the other night Ken is convinced McCain is toast, and that Obama will win. And that is from a Republican!

I did get another good sign yesterday... I was walking the dogs when I walked by two of our neighbors' houses. One had an Obama sign and the other one a McCain sign on their front lawns, just a few feet from each other. I was looking at the signs when Stan the Dog briskly went up to the McCain sign and pissed on it. A sign? Lets hope so! :-)

Supergod kycklingpasta

Igår lagade jag en kycklingpasta som blev mer än godkänd. Hur enkel som helst dessutom!

Spenatkyckling

Du behöver:
1 grillad kyckling, urbenad och skuren i småbitar
ca 150 gram färsk spenat, grovhackad
Soltorkade eller marinerade tomater, enligt smak, upp till 8
2 klyftor finhackad vitlök, strimlad
3-4 dl grädde
salt och peppar
Smör att steka i

Stek upp spenaten med vitlöken och tomaterna. Salta och peppra lite. Häll på grädden och låt småputtra ca 10 minuter. Lägg i kycklingen och låt den värmas upp. Smaka av med mer salt och peppar om så behövs. Servera över pasta eller ris.

Fy vad taskig

Jag känner mig riktigt elak. Imorse skickade jag Sarah till lekis fast hon sa att hon hade huvudvärk, och hon hade lite feber, men lite Tylenol för febern och så åkte hon. Hon är inte den som klagar i vanliga fall...

Men när jag hämtade henne på lekis såg hon väldigt urlakad ut, röd i ansiktet och kändes varm. 40,5 C i feber... Stackarn! Jag har bäddat ner henne på soffan och fått i henne lite juice och febernedsättande. Själv har jag lite feber och har haft ont i huvdet. Så jag vet inte om det är en reaktion till influensa vaccinet som vi båda fick i tisdags eller bara en förkylning, men det är väl detsamma. Usch vad jag känner mig dum som skickade henne till skolan, hon skulle ha haft en dag på soffan med isglass och TV. Hon får lite extra kramar!

Det var ju pressgurka!

Igår kom svärmor, och det var ju kul. Jag hade lyckats städa och jobba hela dagen, hur det nu gick till. När hon kom vid 2-tiden tog hon Sarah till lekparken, och de var borta i nästan 3 timmar, vilket var bra så att jag kunde jobba lite mer.

När det var middagsdags slavade jag rejält för att hon skulle få en fin middag, jag gjorde wienerschnitzel, potatismos och bondsås, och till det hade vi lingonsylt och pressgurka. Pressgurka! Kan ni fatta att min mormor har smugglat en flaska Perstorps ättika ända hit till USA så jag skulle kunna göra pressgurka så som jag kommer ihåg den hemifrån!

Smakade hon? Nä! Hon åt bara en liten, liten bit kött och potatismos, inget annat. Jag fick tvinga Ken att smaka en bit, han kan ju inte säga att han inte gillar det förrens han har smakat.

Så nu sitter jag med en stor skål pressgurka. Tur att det finns leftovers till lunch av allt... JAG tycker i alla fall att pressgurka är toppen! Och lingonsylt! Min kusin riskerade hela sin packning när hon smugglade in ett helt spann av det röda guldet (ett spann gick sönder i väskan...)

Men hallon-, jordgubbs-, blåbärs- och björbärssmulpajen som jag gjorde gick ner bra, med svensk vaniljsås...

Vaknade med en redig huvudvärk i morse, känner mig febrig och inte alls på G. Det är väl för att jag har så jäkla mycket med jobb att göra just nu...

Sarah var också hängig, men med henne vet jag att hon hellre går till skolan än sitter hemma. Hon hade lite feber med, men fick febernedsättande. Kan ju vara en liten reaktion från influensavaccinationerna från i tisdags, men de säger ju att det inte ska vara möjligt. Det är väl bara en liten förkylning.

Tillbaka till jobbandet nu!

Flu shots

It is that time of year again! Last year I couldn't get a flu shot, since I was pretty weak all fall.

But I do not want to get the flu again; the last two times I had it I was so sick I ended up in the hospital. For people like me, with a compromised immune system, a flu shot is a given. But for anyone it would be a good idea, I think.

Both Sarah and I got ours yesterday. Sarah also got hepatitis A vaccine, sine we will be traveling in the Caribbean/Mexico in December, and Hep A (mostly food borne) is pretty wide spread there. (Though you here about cases here in Florida now and then too). I will get my Hep A shot hear soon too. If I got that I could end up very sick, since I have no colon and my water uptake is minimal as it is.

Ken has had a second tax deadline, the regular that everyone knows about is of course April 15 here in the US, but for people that have their tax returns on extension, October 15 is the final deadline. Of course, people have been waiting until the last minute to drop of the paper work at my husband's firm, so he has been working like a crazed man for over a month now.

Yesterday it was finally over almost, and he was home before 4 PM so he could come with us to Sarah's flu shot. She did good, no crying at all, just a bit scary with those two big needles!

I have a lot of smaller jobs to do today, and after Sarah gets out of school (early today at 1:15 PM), my mother in law will be coming over. We haven't seen her since May, so that will be great. She will be staying over night, and Sarah is very excited about that. But of course, that means I need to clean as much as I can before she gets here... And cook dinner and make a pie tonight.

Well, this weekend we are going to a dinner party at a friend's house, and we are also planning on visiting the Amish Pumpkin Festival, it was great last year! (Sarasota have Florida's only colony of Amish and Mennonites, though they are not as strict as the people you will find in Amish country up in Pennsylvania.

Have a great day!

Blödig?

Jag älskar att läsa bevis om att mänskligheten fortfarande kan vara, ja, mänsklig. Dett inlägg från Konsumbloggen i sin enkelhet fick mig faktiskt att lipa...

En dam kommer fram till mig och frågar vad en krabba kostar. Jag upplyser henne om priset och hon berättar att med hennes pension så har hon inte råd med sådan lyx. Hon ser mycket ledsen ut över att återigen behöva avstå från något hon tycker så mycket om (jag känner verkligen medlidande för denna dam, men som lågt stående i butikshierarkin kan jag faktiskt inte göra så mycket).

Jag börjar istället att ta hand om kunden som stått bakom denna dam, en äldre herre som är stamkund. Han köper två krabbor. Medan jag delar dessa och sätter pris går han och hämtar damen som precis varit där, tar upp sin plånbok, frågar mig om priset på krabban och ger sedan damen pengar och krabba och säger:

- Denna ska du ha, och så är det med det.

Damen och jag börjar näst intill storgråta och vet inte vad vi ska säga och mannen lunkar sakta men säkert bort mot brödet.

It is too sad...

Sarah summed it up very well when we dropped Wivan and Ewa off at the airport yesterday: "IT is too sad". She was very distraught and had a hard time saying good bye. On the way home we talked about why they had to go home, and that we hopefully will go to Sweden soon and see them.

The promise of going to see the new Disney movie, "Beverly Hill's Chihuaua" perked her up a bit.

But the house is oddly empty now, that is for sure. Thanks for the visit, we had a great 3 weeks with you guys here!

After getting home from the movies I decided to try and fix my car. For the past week the stereo, clock and electrical outlet has been out. I was fairly sure it was a blown fuse. My husband is of no use fixing this, he is too busy working. It is always a hassle to leave your car at the mechanic's, so I was determined to fix it myself. Changing a fuse is does not affect the waranty, so if that was the case, I would fix it.

I studied the owner's manual and located which fuse it was, then got a new fuse with the correcte amperage (the main fuse box under the hood has spares).

I had a picture of a good fuse and a blown fuse, so I knew what to look for.

Good fuse

Bad fuse (blown)

But figuring out how to get to the blown fuse, that was a bit harder. It required some real gymnastic moves, since that fuse box was located under and behind the steering wheel! I had to lay on my back with my head on the pedals, and with the help of a flash light and a special tool, I managed to pull out the correct fuse, check it and determine it sure was blown. I quickly replaced it with a new fuse, and now everything works great!

It sure made me feel awesome, being able to fix that all by myself...

Today laundry is the activity, but Sarah and I might head over to the mall for some shopping a bit later. Ken is working from home today, which is nice.

Hope you are having a great weekend!

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens

Yesterday we headed to Florida's best known botanical gardens - also one of the top ten in the entire US - The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.

They are particularly known for their over 6,000 rare and awesome orchids. We enjoyed walking around the gardens marveling at nature's awesome displays.

Can you see Ewa amidst the jungle?

Check out my new knockers (way more environmentally friendly than silicone!)

Canopy of banyan trees

Waxplant, or Hoya. (Porslinsblomma in Swedish)

Banyan roots

Ewa and Wivan in the tropics house, surrounded by orchids

Orchid

Walk among the lush trees

The gardens are surrounded by Sarasota Bay, and at low tide the Egrets enjoy looking for food

Wivan enjoys the view over Sarasota Bay

Hey, maybe these Spanish moss hair extensions will go with my my new coconut boobs?

The sky looks endless over the Bay just after a rainfall

One of the many odd looking orchids we saw

Or what says about this one?

Spa visit

Today we didn't have much to do, so I took the ladies to a local spa just around the corner from where we live. There they received a refreshing Spa Pedicure.

It tickles!!!

After the pedicure itself they got their legs massaged and wrapped their feet in hot towels.

Wivan having her tootsies painted...

Closer look...

Ewa gets wrapped up too...

Happy with the result!

Today we didn't have much to do, so I took the ladies to a local spa just around the corner from where we live. There they received a refreshing Spa Pedicure.