I snapped a shot of the new bike rack (attached) in the better light after lunch today. After a quick chat with Dad about that we geared up to go riding. There's a bike path that goes for quite a few miles around the bay, all the way down/over to Charlevoix and all the way the other direction up/around to Harbor Springs. Wee lass rode with training wheels and did very well, and her brother did equally well without training wheels. He has learned to start without help, so his training is essentially complete. Their enthusiasm got the best of us and before we knew it we were over a mile out... and somehow they made it back.

After that, since the sun had come out we put up the swing, it hangs between two trees. And then Dick decided to get his massive eagle kite aloft, since the breeze was vigorous (movie attached). So we hopped the rock wall and hung out for nearly an hour on the beach. I found a petoskey stone, which are these neat little stones that look neat when wet and almost boring when dry (pics attached). Grace built a sand castle (pic attached), Bill and Nana joined us eventually and the kids and I went wading. The water is brisk this time of year but it was nice, it brings back good memories from South Haven when I was growing up.

The video is some odd phone movie format. I'll try to convert it to something more convenient later.

I have recently discovered that our local Whole Foods (at least the one at Gateway near the Arboretum) carries Siggi's Skyr, which is an Icelandic-style fresh cheese resembling some kinds of yogurt. Skyr is a staple in Iceland today, having been brought from Scandinavia during the migrations. Several sources allege that Skyr-making was subsequently "lost" to the mainland, making this Icelandic dish a unique culinary link to an older time.

Siggi's a little pricey ($2.50 for 6 oz., compared with $0.50 for yogurt), but if you like such things it is worth experiencing. However, you should probably know a few things about it before you rush right out and buy some.First, Siggi's differs from authentic skyr in ways that my friends (who have tried the real thing) insist are "subtle and not important." Siggi's is not made with the same bacteria culture, and is made with ingredients, such as agave nectar, which have not been available in Iceland until recent times.

Second, Skyr is a fresh cheese, and is substantially thicker than yogurt, but can nonetheless be mixed in most of the same ways to give body or smooth texture to a dish. It is frequently used in Iceland with and without sweeteners as a topping on pastries or in cereal dishes, or mixed with fresh fruit as a treat.

Thirdly, the sugar content of Siggi's Skyr is much lower than blended yogurt. In my opinion the plain variety, having less than 1/6 the sugar of blended yogurt, must be mixed or sweetened to taste---it is otherwise too tart. In contrast, I find the fruit-flavored varieties are enjoyable right out of the cup, and have as much as 1/3 the sugar compared to blended yogurt.

Fourth and finally, my own extremely limited experience is that the closer the date on the cup, the more sour the skyr will become, but this can be overcome with a half-packet of sugar or sufficiently sweet additional fruit. There are also a number of ways to cure "sour" Skyr, but most of them involve taking the sour Skyr as a starter to make more Skyr, a process which requires Rennet and unpastuerized or slow-pasteurized milk. If you have the means and the drive, you can search the tubes for "Thettir" and "Skyr" and find recipes to make your own.

Today's selection is a particularly lovely performance by Garmarna at 1997's Melodifestivalen.  This piece is a particularly exquisite example of the complexity of which this band is capable.  l eventually set about figuring out what it means.  Any translation errors are mine.  Transcription errors may be mine, too.  My aim in the translation was to preserve the rhyme, meter and feel of the song as much as possible, which is a little different from my usual aim of demonstrating the similarities.  Original Swedish lyrics by Wester and Bäckman.

En Gång Ska Han Gråta	One Day He Shall Cry
Å! Då skar hon linnet itu Hon vill glömma! Hon vill glömma! Inte kan hon bära det nu--- Hon vill inte ha det kvar.	O! She cuts the nightgown in twain To forget him, To forget him!(**) Never can she wear it again--- She doesn't want it anymore.
Det var tänkt att visas för den Som hon lovat! Som hon lovat! Han som aldrig kommer igen--- Den hon inte vill ha kvar.	It was meant to be worn for him Who had promised! who had promised! He who cannot come back again--- She doesn't want him anymore.
Hon tar vad han har givit, Går ut i skymningen, Det ska ned i svarta jorden Och hon ser mot himmelen!	She takes what he had given, Goes out in twilight's hour, To bury it in the black earth And looks up to the heavens!
En gång ska han gråta Fast ingen orkar förlåta! Vad var dom värda hans dyra ord Dom fick dö i den svarta jord?	One day he shall cry Nigh none can forgive such a lie! His dearest word, what was it worth That finds death here in the black earth?
En gång ska han fatta, Hon grät men då ska hon skratta! Då ska hon dansa på lätta ben Med en annan i månens sken!	One day he shall fathom, (***) She wept but she shall laugh again! Then she shall dance away all the night(*) With another by moon's soft light!
Ingenting kan bli som förut. Hon ska glömma! Hon ska glömma! Kärleken kan också ta slut; Den kan dödas med ett svek.	Nothing can remain as before. She'll forget him, She'll forget him!(**) Love can also come to an end; It can die amidst deceit.
Å! Då skar hon linnet itu Hon vill glömma! Hon vill glömma! Inte kan hon bära det nu--- Hon vill inte ha det kvar.	O! She cuts the nightgown in twain To forget him, To forget him!(**) Never can she wear it again--- She doesn't want it around.
Och hon tar hans falska gåva, Går ut i skymmningen. Där i jorden ska den sova Och hon ser mot himmelen!	And she carries his false gift, Goes out in twilight's hour. There in the earth shall it sleep now And she looks up to the heavens!
En gång ska han gråta Fast ingen orkar förlåta! Vad var dom värda hans dyra ord Dom fick dö i den svarta jord?	One day he shall cry Nigh none can forgive such a lie! His dearest word, what was it worth That finds death here in the black earth?
En gång ska han fatta Hon grät men då ska hon skratta! Då ska hon dansa på lätta ben Med en annan i månens sken!	One day he shall fathom, She wept but she shall laugh again! Then she shall dance away all the night(*) With another by moon's soft light!
En gång ska han fatta, Hon grät men då ska hon skratta! Då ska hon dansa på lätta ben Med en annan i månens sken!	One day he shall fathom, She wept but she shall laugh again! Then she shall dance away all the night(*) With another by moon's soft light!

(*) I took a number of liberties with re-ordering the halves of lines or inserting syllables in the translation, however in this line the translation is "Then shall she dance on light legs." or perhaps even "Then shall she dance on happy/unburdened legs."  The implication is that obviously she will get over him and will happily dance again under the moonlight with some better guy.
(**) Hon vill glömma - She wants to forget.  Hon ska glömma - She shall forget.
(***) "Fathom" is probably not cognate for Swedish "fattar" - to understand or grasp.

There once was a manga girl,
Who leeks did rapidly twirl ,
She spun all day,
To Finnish lay,
And mesmerized the whole world.

Gjallarhorn recorded this folk song and psalm, in a sort of folk form reminiscent of both Chant and Stav.  Their treatment reminds us that our world view and faith, as children of Europe, has not changed as much under the surface as some of our neighbors in this country would have us think.

"Kom Helge Ande" also happens to be included in quite a few editions of the Svenska Psalmboken.  The earliest I have found is the 1695 edition, but the earliest full version of the Psalm that seems to be viewable online is from 1819.

Gjallarhorn	Psalmboken (1819)	Translation (Mine)
Kom Helge Ande till mej in Upplys min själ Uppfyll mitt sinn	Kom, Helge Ande, till mig in, Upplys min själ, upptänd mitt sinn,	Come, Holy Spirit, (in) to me! Light up my soul! Fill up my senses!(*)
Att jag i dej må bliva Låt lysa livets ljus på mej Och led mej på den rätta väg Dej vill jag mig helt giva	Att jag i dig må bliva, Låt lysa livets ljus för mig Och led mig på den rätta stig: Dig vill jag helt mig giva.	So I in thee may be Let light(**) life's light fore me Eke(***) lead me upon the right way (to) Thee will I myself wholly give.

(*) The 1819 Psalmboken says "upptänd," meaning light up or ignite, from the same Germanic root as modern english "tinder."  Other versions, including Gjallarhorn's, says "fill up."  The verb "Upplys" in the previous line means to illuminate.

(**) Let shine life's light before me.  Literally, Let light(v.) life's light (n.) before me, but modern English lacks unambiguous spellings of the verb and noun form.  In modern Swedish, both forms survive:  Lysar på - to shine before, and Ljus  (a light).

(***) ME, "also," compare with Chaucer:  "Ond Zephirus eek, with his sweete Breath" (sic.)

The word "Ande," literally "spirit," survives along with the concept "Helga Ande," or "holy spirit," from the tribal days of the North.  Although the word seems to have fallen out of use in German, the word "Andacht," which has curiously religious connotations and a completely unrelated etymology ("dacht" - "thought", "andacht" - "belief"), survives.

Moreover, the formula of this Psalm is actually quite common in Christian prayers in the west.  At its core is the ancient tradition of asking for a sign, of offering something (in this case oneself) in exchange for guidance or revelation.  It's a very tribal sort of contract between the invoker and the Spirit.  "Do this, and I shall..."

"Come, reveal, take and I shall give myself to you"

One can find the same sort of invocation, reaching out, asking for guidance, for a sign, in the hymns of the Rig Veda, and many other holy texts from around the world.

So... I recently re-discovered Scandinavian Folk music and found that it reminds me a lot of quite a few different styles, but mostly it tends to remind me of Celtic or even Hindu works.  In addition to finding a Scandinavian Essentials Collection on iTunes...  I have also found a streaming radio station in Norway (look for Alltid Folkemusikk and choose your stream) and a distributor here in the states.

So...  I have just become aware of a food product called Skyr.  Apparently some of the Whole Foods markets in the northeast have it.  Ours do not, and they didn't seem particularly interested in procuring it (but that may be because our phone connection was bad.)  Central Market, however, wanted details, which my source happened to have provided.  Specifically, they wanted to know if the product was known to be available in the Northeast and the brand names.  So, perhaps they will start carrying it.   The Whole Foods people did recommend trying a couple of specialty food shops in town and World Market, perhaps I will phone some of them in a bit. 

Apparently Skyr is an Icelandic food similar to Yogurt, but it's not made the same way and has a slightly different consistency and inherent flavor.  Traditionally it is not flavored but might be mixed with various blended drinks (i.e. smoothies) and has recently become available in "flavors" similar to yogurt. 

Yum :)

Yesterday I bought some pumpkin bread, and this morning at breakfast I offered some to the kids.  The young master used to like it but lately is assessing things by some criteria other than "i used to like this," so he politely refused.  The wee lass, on the other hand, was determined to try the "pumpkin patch bread," as she calls it. :) She seemed to like it, and ate the whole first piece and half of a second.

I myself have had, I think, three pieces so far.  Bad me. :)

Off to finish this table for the living room...

i am so totally signing a petition to ban this.  

two cleanups on my property in two years.  totally done with it.  up the irons!

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