Beginning of fall

Week 36: Monday morning I had my appointment with the doctor.  It was very short – about 30 minutes.  He asked some questions, took my blood pressure and authorized a few blood tests.  It’s not the complete physical you would get in the U.S.  The point of this was to get into the system.  Now that I’m registered it should be fairly easy to get medical help should I need it.

On Friday I flew to Oslo for the weekend.  I saw my friend Harry on Friday evening and Saturday and Marilyn on Sunday.  Then I took the train a short distance north to stay with my relatives Turid and Gunnar for the evening.  I even helped mow their lawn on Monday.  (I also got a couple inquiries from others to help them mow their lawns!)  Late Monday afternoon/evening I flew back to Sandnessjøen.

Week 37: The big news this week is the plane accident at the airport.  Early Wednesday morning (6 am) a commercial propeller plane was landing when a sudden wind gust blew down just as the plane was landing, causing the right-side landing gear to collapse.   The weather was clear but windy.  Fortunately there were no injuries among the 3 passengers and 4 crew members.  The airport was closed all day on Wednesday.  It was very strange to drive by and see the plane in the middle of the runway, tipped on its side with one wing touching the ground.  By Thursday morning it had been moved and normal departure/arrival operations resumed.  (If you want to see a picture of it go to my Facebook page and click on “Links”, then click on the picture.  The text is in Norwegian, from the local newspaper.)

Wednesday evening I saw a theatrical production of “On Overgrown Paths”, Humsun’s explanation/apologia of his pro-Nazi activities during WWII.  I was good theatre, especially with a small orchestra playing modern music, but it is difficult to make a successful production from a documentary.

It’s hard to believe that the weather has been so good for the past few weeks.  Rain in predicted for Sunday.  So far no frost.

Saturday I took the bus to Mosjøen to see “Little Shop of Horrors”.  Many new friends in Sandnessjøen were playing in the orchestra, and singing in the chorus.  It was performed last weekend in Sandnessjøen but I was in Oslo then.  The performance was first-rate.   The bus ride was relaxing and beautiful.  It really is beginning to look like fall.

For the first time my church choir sang for the 11 am service in Sandnessjøen.  Everything went well.  The anthem was “Sammen for Guds ansikt” – Gathered in God’s presence by Egil Hovland.  According to those in the congregation they understood everything.  In Norway dialects are encouraged, resulting in a great variation of vowel pronunciation.  (Something I call vowel trouble).  In a chorus everyone must have the same pronunciation.  Anyway, there were no complaints.

Sunrise today (19 Sept) is at 6:40 am, sunset at 7:24 pm.  The autumnal equinox is on Wednesday.  Being this far north the actual equinox is on Saturday, the 25^th.

Semesterstart

Week 34: The weather is still great – sunny, not particularly warm, but not cold either.  Although one morning I could have used a pair of light gloves. 

Monday I went to the health center to make an appointment to see a doctor for an annual physical.  There’s nothing wrong, I just thought it would take a couple of months to set up an appointment.  The receptionist said, you will have to wait a little while, but we can make an appointment in 2 weeks.  That myth about waiting forever has vanished.   I’ll report about the doctor appointment later.

Confirmation classes began this week.  As one of the exercises the kids play a type of blindman’s bluff.  A blindfolded student is led around the church by another student who can see.  They explore all over the church, including the organ gallery, pulpit, and altar.  I think the purpose is to make the kids familiar with the church, so it isn’t thought of as an unfriendly, foreign place.

A type of county fair is here for the weekend.  It’s called “Horva Festival”.  There are horse shows, cattle shows, machinery on display, stands selling food, stands for advertisement (camping, hunting, sports).  The emphasis is on the environment, ecology and organic products.  On Saturday the Helgeland Chamber Choir sang a 45-minute concert in the Viking Longhouse.  The acoustics were surprisingly good.  Saturday afternoon I went to a theater production of “Growth of the Soil” by Knut Hamsun.  Hamsun won the Nobel prize in literature for this book in 1920.  Unfortunately his reputation is permanently stained because of his pro-Nazi activities during World War II.  The production was wonderful with just two actors.  The venue was in a hayloft, about 2 miles from town.  On Sunday they crowned Miss Northern Norway, and she is a cow.  Her name is Beata.  She made it on national TV.

Sunrise on August 29 is at 5:33 am, sunset at 8:45 pm.

Tuesday’s weather reminded me of the tropics: not that it was warm, but it poured rain for 15 minutes, then the sun came out.  It alternated rain and sun all day.  As the week progressed it got sunnier.

Tuesday evening I had my first choir rehearsal.  There were 8 who came.  The choir has a different function than church choirs in the U.S.  Mostly they lead in the singing of hymns and liturgical songs.  The volunteer choirs here don’t sing every Sunday, usually every 3^rd Sunday and on high holidays (Christmas and Easter).  So we’ll see how the fall progresses.  One faux pas: I didn’t know I was supposed to make coffee for the break.  I’ll have a pot brewing next week.

No funerals this week.  Rigmor is the name of the lady who runs the local mortuary.  I hadn’t heard that name before, but it’s a name that’s been around for a few centuries.  I thought it very funny that the mortician’s name is so close to rigor mortis.  Rigmor is the only one in Sandnessjøen who owns a Hummer, so a little ridicule is not inappropriate.  She must be charging too much for funerals if she can afford a Hummer, to say nothing about buying gasoline for it.   Gas is about $7.50/gallon.

Sunday I had two services: one at 11:15 on the island of Mindland, near Tjøtta, and an evening service in Sandnessjøen.  Mindland doesn’t have a piano or organ so I have to haul the electric piano to Tjøtta, get on the ferry, then drive the 5 km to the meeting house.  At least I have no time constraints, except for catching the ferries.

During the drive to Tjøtta I saw some leaves beginning to change color.  Fall really has begun.

Sunrise for 5 September is 6 am.  Sunset is at 8:15 pm.  We are nearing the equinox.