Det snør det snør (It snows, it snows, tiddely boom)

Winnie the Pooh (Ole Brum in Norway) sings about snow on his toes and how cold it is. I really liked this song when we learned it in Norwegian class. It's snowing here, as anyone who is reading about Christmas air travel woes in Europe knows. It's so beautiful, though!

2 o'clock and the sun has sunk behind the mountains on winter solstice

Western Norwegian Christmas food! Ed took a big plunge this year, and cooked pinnekjøtt, literally "stick meat". It is dried mutton ribs, and you buy the whole side of mutton. Get the individual ribs sliced apart. He soaked them all day, even changed the water out once, to soften them up and remove the salt. Next come the "sticks" criss-crossed in the bottom of the pot, covered in water. Now place the ribs above the water, cover, and steam for 3 to 5 hours. Simple! But details are fiercely debated among western Norwegians. Should the ribs be smoked or not? Should you end with a brief stint in the oven to crisp them, or are they better juicier from the steambath? Leon, our company and guinea pig, agrees with us - smoked and only steamed. Meanwhile, I got to prepare the side dish, kålerabbistappe (mashed kohlrabi, also known as rutabaga). Made like mashed potatoes, with butter and cream, it is delish! The details to debate are whether or not to add a carrot for color, add a potato to smooth out the sharpness, or season with nutmeg. We went with "yes, no, no" and really liked the result.

Leon, from Pierce College, is spending a week with us, and Ed and he are having the time of their lives!

Bryggen, Ed and Leon from our roof

Ed has various side effects to deal with. His back gives him trouble, and discomfort even wraps around to the front sometimes. He's doing a balancing act between the steroid that keeps the swelling down and the pain killers that attack the symptom of the swelling. Each of those have their own set of side effects. We now have an appointment for his follow-up scans to see how well the radiation and chemo worked. It's Jan 7, and the doctor visit with results is Jan 14. Fingers crossed!

It snowed when we should have been watching the lunar eclipse. But 24 hours later, Ed took this picture of moon-rise over Floyen with a cloud floating above. Fabulous!