Back to Work

After a visit at the X-Ray department this morning, I went back to work. This week being mid-term holidays here, I only have to do my 20 hours in admin – but it seems I could use at least another 5 hours just to manipulate doors, ring binders and desk drawers. Man how I hate being this helpless when it comes to stupid things like that!

I take a bath, wash my hair, get dressed, take Loki for a walk and take pictures – but a ring binder almost did me in today!

Oh – the X-Rays looked good and I also got a fresh bandage. Always something!

Why is it…

…that the snow seems to take so many by total surprise every year?

These ones will probably survive the winter, but there’s an expensive mountain bike parked at a corner that will surely be demolished by the snowplow before long.

What Is It…

… that makes a picnic table look so forlorn when covered with snow?

Waxwing

Loki demanded a walk around 10 AM today and that was exactly the time a flock of waxwings were feasting on the frozen berries of mountain ash around the parking lot.

Lokis walk was cut short so I could grab the camera and get a few pictures of them. Less than 2 hours later, they were all gone.

Picture Puzzle

I’m bored stiff!

That’s why I cooked up the idea of posting a picture of a typically Swedish item for you to guess on.

These things can be seen outside most apartment blocks, although I think they are not being used as much today as what was the case maybe 20-25 years ago and even earlier. I took the picture because I liked the wave pattern in the snow – but what is it?

Use your imagination and give it a whirl – there’s a small prize in it for anyone who can guess what this contraption is used for.

Obedience Training

I have to admit something. I haven’t been very diligent in training Loki…. Reason being that he really hasn’t required all that much of it.

Being one-handed has, however, made it clear to me how important it is to have control over your dog. Today I taught him how to walk without a leash on my left-hand side and to stay and sit whenever a car was approaching from either direction. He doesn’t score 100% yet, but he sure learns fast. When we got home and he wanted to go out on the veranda, he sat down so I could put his leash on – without me telling him to do so!

Not bad, when something good comes out of a stupid accident!

The Footbridge

This bridge connects the mainland with a small island close to the marina. The island is part of a small park where the Sami organisations have erected some old buildings that are now in disrepair. Now it looks as if they (we – I’m also a member) will start renovating them in the spring, so I won’t take any pictures out there until the work has started in earnest.

Found out today that I’m good for a few hours of meetings and not much more… I’ll be staying at home the rest of this week.

Update.

I can’t decide if I like this picture. It’s exactly what came out of the camera on the setting “Snow”( can’t remember shutterspeed and all that & can’t find it right now – what with being one-handed… Yeah, I know – pity me!)

I swear I haven’t tweaked it in any way -but it gives me an unreal feeling…

Progress Report

Yesterday when the doctor laid the cast, I thought it looked sort of puny since it really is no more than a strip of Plaster of Paris held in place with elastic bandages. At 2 AM I was relieved that’s all it was, because I had to go back to the nursing station and have them loosen it as my fingers were beginning to look like little sausages.  Another piece of luck was that I managed to pry off my rings yesterday – otherwise they would have had to be cut off. That in itself would have been worse than breaking my arm, since I wear a ring made from Mammoth Ivory and my mother’s wedding band…

X-Rays this morning showed a fairly clean fracture and it seems the doctor was able to pull the bones back in place properly. I’m still waiting for a call from the Regional Hospital where an orthopaedic surgeon is going to evaluate the X-rays during the day. I hope he will come to the same conclusion as they did here… I’m hoping to go back to work in a day or two – at least to perform part of my duties. Tomorrow we’re slated to have meetings with the Comptroller for the county which should be no problem. Most office work is OK, but maybe I should stay away from the hallways for now. I do heal fast and I have a high pain threshhold, so my guess is that the first 48 hours will be the worst.

This year I went with a different kind of bird feeder – one that isn’t quite as accessible to the squirrels. This way the birds eat from the feeder and Squirrel picks up the stuff that ends up on the ground.

Laid Low and Then Some

Overnight I was struck by a bug of some kind – so in the interest of not giving whatever it was to my co-workers, I stayed at home today. In the early afternoon, Loki really needed to go for a walk and off we went.

Minutes after taking this picture, I slipped on the icy road and broke my left wrist.

A cast for four weeks will really cramp my style – but mostly I’m mad at myself because I failed to put on the proper shoes for this type of weather and road conditions.

Unexpected Shapes

After watching 60 Minutes (yes, one of the Swedish channels has the show on a couple of weeks after it has aired in the US) I went out for a long walk in a favourite area. Incredibly, but most often I’m all alone there – even that it’s only minutes from town. I often wonder where all the other dog owners in town take their dogs… Or is it that they seldom do take them out for a run?

The patterns in the ice reminds me of The Statue of Liberty – which I didn’t get to see whan I was in NYC. It was closed for maintenance and I was only there for two days.

Isn’t it amazing the patterns that will be created when water turns to ice? A solid sheet forms under certain circumstances and spikes like this when there is a very sudden drop in temperature.