Day 341: I Love This Kitty So Much

When we brought our kitty home a little less than a year ago, we hoped she would develop some personality from the quiet, somewhat reserved, but very sweet kitty we picked out. But, of course, we had no guarantees that she would. She was and still is a very curious kitty and right from the beginning she tried to test our boundaries. Any time we reprimanded her for jumping onto the kitchen counter or drinking out of our water glasses she would creep underneath the red metal cabinet in our living room to lie down and pout. She would stay under there sometimes until we went to bed, which made me a bit sad. I would lie on the floor, with my head under the cabinet, trying to coax her out but unless I literally dragged her, she stayed put. I guess she was also establishing some rules of her own.

If you compared that shifty little kitty that came home with us to the one living with us today you'd see a very different gal. Nowadays she hops up into a vacant dining chair without hesitation to "visit" while we have dinner (or breakfast, or lunch or any food for that matter). She follows us from room to room playing with whatever she can get her paws or teeth into and she has a particular affinity for tissue paper and plastic bags. In those first months she would actually come sleep in the bedroom with us, but not on the bed. Now she sleeps with us, cozied up against our legs or in between us, and sometimes she even likes to cuddle up under the covers. This morning she was long kitty under the covers, stretched out from the foot of the bed all the way up to our waists.

In general, I guess you could say that she has developed quite the personality. We named her after a famous dance choreographer and she is certainly living up to her name, Pina. I love this kitty so much. She does such cute things. We try to capture them with photos but because she is so shiny and black it is difficult to really show her the way we see her. In the photo below, she had become intrigued with a piece of foil flapping inside the warm air oven as dinner was baking. She was merely trying to get a better look. Look at her holding on to the cabinet handle with her paws curled over it. Sometimes she is so cute it hurts.

A few days ago we decided to introduce her to the snow so we opened the balcony door to see what she would do. She crept up to the doorway and sniffed around but mostly hesitated, so we assumed she was uninterested. However, when I opened the door the next day she practically ran out. The photo at the bottom is of her sweet little paw prints out on the balcony shortly after my husband shoveled a couple of feet of snow off of it. Pretty darn cute, eh? She didn't even seem to mind the cold, with the exception of an occasional shake of the back feet as she slowly strolled around, sniffing everything as she went. Aw kitty, you are so sweet.

I... can... almost... reach....

It's a bear! It's a bobcat! No... it's just Pina.

Day 340: It's Snow Dreamy in Stockholm

"The snow began, 

falling and falling

drifting carelessly

floating 'round.

The snow swelled,

blowing and blowing

horizontal gusts  

blanketing sound." 

- Anonymous

What is snow if not shimmering elusive flakes that rise up in a flurry, then come to rest, softly blanketing sound? I love the snow. It is soft and pillowy (really cold too), yet strong and demanding. It commands our respect, like the rain. A rain shower can be so pleasant and refreshing, while a hurricane can come through like the devil, wreaking havoc on man and nature. I am not a spring chicken anymore but I am definitely young enough to get around easily and stomp and traipse through deep mounds of snow as the wind attempts to blow me over. When I stepped out at lunch time today I had to wonder how older folks fare with this weather. 

Once I carefully made it down the mördarbacke I headed straight for the subway station. Lucky for me I can walk through the station underground four city blocks away and avoid the nasty sideways blowing snow. My first stop was to mail an Emergency Happy Kit to last weekend's winner. While standing in line I noticed an older woman and an older man in a wheelchair next to her. He was wearing a reflective vest. I couldn't imagine why they would have come out in this weather, but there they were with everyone else, running their errands and ignoring the class two snow storm taking place outdoors. 

After the mail counter transaction was complete I headed back through the subway tunnel in a different direction to one of my favorite restaurants nearby, a Harikrishna vegetarian Indian restaurant called Govindas Vegetariska Restaurang. The food was especially exceptional today, which made me happy that I had ventured out into the storm. I debated walking the three blocks back to the office outdoors but in the end decided I could face that fate later today when there are no subway tunnels handy. 

When I emerged from the subway station back near my office, the snow had started to slow a bit. It wasn't quite as windy so I risked a moment to peek up out of my hood and look around. It was absolutely magical. Marshmellowy mounds of soft snow everywhere and a peaceful quietness permeating the air. It's snow dreamy in Stockholm today for sure. I trudged slowly back up the mördarbacke toward my office. On the way up I snapped the last photo below. The photo above it was created and taken on my way to work this morning adjacent to where I took this photo. I made a heart with my boots, marching around in the snow like a kid. And by the way, my snow heart was long buried under at least a foot and a half of snow when I passed by on my way to lunch. 

 Snow Heart.

Snow Dreamy Stockholm. 

Day 330: Tacos and Reminiscing

What stops us from going out on our bikes in the drizzly weather to eat tacos at the pink taco truck? Absolutely nothing. We just grab our rain jackets and head out anyway. Luckily there were only few minutes when I actually needed my rain jacket but it was still good to have with me. It's amazing that the weather has been so warm this time of year. It isn't swimming weather by any means but it is definitely nice enough out that we can be outside without feeling like we need to find the nearest cafe for a hot beverage and cozy chair to sit in while we warm our bones.

Homemade with love! 

Deliciousness. 

Shoveling the final bites in... Notice no hat or gloves... ah!!!!

I remember how cold the first winter was when we moved to Sweden. We arrived at the beginning of December and shortly afterward it began to snow and it did not stop the entire winter. We had a white Christmas, a white January, a white February and a white March. It was a bit of a shock to my Texas core and I can remember planning out my strategies for getting to and from our apartment in the freezing cold. I am pretty sure that my commuting strategy, i.e. stepping into a store every few blocks, to warm up is how I came to be so acquainted with many of what I consider my favorite stores now. Many of them just happened to be along my route so if I found that my hands were starting to get numb or that I could no longer tolerate the tiny ice pellets beating again my face, into one of the toasty boutiques I would saunter and browse until I felt I could bear the outside again.

So having weather in late November in which we can ride our bikes without having to dress in tons of extra layers feels especially indulgent. Add to that, getting to stand outdoors while eating our refried bean tacos, topped with pico de gallo and avocado cream, and you have a truly special treat. Even with this warmer trend in temperatures, I am still looking forward to snow. Because believe it or not, having really cold temperatures and pretty white snow is much nicer than it just being cold and rainy. The snow brightens things up with the long dark days and makes it feel like we live in a winter wonderland. I'll take the warmth for now but if it starts snowing sometime soon I would be completely cool with it. No pun intended.

This photo was taking the evening we trudged out in the snow to get a Christmas tree for our temporary apartment. It was really the last day that made any sense for getting a tree since we would not be in town for Christmas. Unfortunately the Christmas tree lot was closed. Fortunately I found this stray branch hanging around. It became our "tree." Those white spots are snow reflecting the light of the flash, in case you didn't know. :-)

Below is a little synopsis of the winter months...

Warming up in December with a little glögg (spiced wine) at the Julmarknad (Christmas market).

January trip to IKEA in a snow storm... It was colder than it looks! 

February visit to Millesgården... the sculpture garden was inaccessible due to the snow level.

Walking on the frozen Baltic sea in March. Just a month later and I would not be standing but swimming in ice cold water.

 One final snow in April... providing snow that was damp enough to mold into snowmen.

Finally snow free in May!

It may or may not be a long wait until days like this in 2013 but I am ready for it, whether it is snow filled months until April or May or warmer days with little to no snow. Bring it on Mr. Frost!