Eurotrip for Blondie!

Mia and Jenny take off for Europe on Tuesday. I am so happy and excited for her. They are going to Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and France. Mia and Jenny have been friends since kindergarten. Jenny organized this trip from start to finish and invited Mia to join her. They will cover more territory than I did on my teenage "roots" trip to Scandinavia, and certainly more territory than my Swedish Opa, Knut Alexanderson saw in his lifetime. Once he got to Brooklyn, New York, he loved it so much he never left. Opa would never speak Swedish where we could hear him, it was only whispered in the kitchen. They were so proud to be Americans - and since they were lucky enough to be in this land of opportunity and leave the poverty of the farm behind - they would only speak English. The city was just peachy for them. Jenny will stay in Paris to study French and Mia will come home to start her new job at Morristown Memorial Hospital in the stroke unit. This is great, with my mother's family history I think I am stroke-bait. Lately I feel I am more stroke-bait than usual. Have to get my sheep and goats shorn, get the angora off my rabbits, get somebody to cut and bale my fields for me, get out of the trailer, figure out how to make soap again (last two batches didn't go so well) figure out why my brother won't return my emails about my mother's house, figure out how to make more money over the summer - it goes on and on. Life goes on no matter what I do, and I have to turn stress into positive action. All seven baby chicks are fine, and adapting to life in the chicken room. Omigosh, they are so cute. I have to stop and watch them go about their business, with mom teaching them how to scratch for grains and sip water - it reminds me to stop and savor the simple and amazing life rhythms of the farm.