18 May 2024 – Ja vi elsker dette landet

Wed: early 17thMay dinner for the US-flock as they will all be busy in school and at track practice&meet on Fri. Wed night is their Sushi night, just got a shrimp platter to mark the day. Linn managed to cut some of the beautiful ClimbingDonJuan roses that she planted at the house in Clearview.

Thu: the plants have to go out on the deck, peacock or not – hope that the saying grass being greener on the other side is true and that our plants are not to his taste! Need to hang something shiny like foil or MylarBallons to hopefully keep birds&squirrels away from the potted plants on the deck –

mini Kalanchoe and mini rose
Impatiens, CallaLily and Celosia
ClematisDrRuppel and SweetMillionCherryTomato

A garden isn’t meant to be useful. It’s for joy – Rumer Godden

Decided to name this roaming peacock Aurora as he showed up around the same time with all these recent unusual aurora sightings, and these birds were supposedly a delicacy in MedievalTimes! – do wonder if they are any good? somehow, I imagine that their meat is not too tender!?

14 Brilliant Peacock Facts You Might Not Know | Animal World (animal-world.com)

Fri: gratulerer med dagen og hurra for 17mai to all celebrating&marking the day when the Norwegian Constitution was signed in Eidsvoll/Norway on 17May1814. A noteworthy aspect of the Norwegian National Day is its non-military nature – all over Norway children’s parades with an abundance of flags form the central elements of the celebration(pix from KarlJohanGt,Oslo/Norway downloaded).

Hope that #1&Jack get to experience the parades there this year. Looks like good food and nice weather for their first 17May celebration in Norway – pix credit to May. One of my favourite 17May pix is of #3 raising the flag in their Treehouse@Clearwater in 2016.

Sat: bright&early to wait for Linn to do her morning run while I can have a cuppa@DunkinDounuts. Then straight on to #4State meet where she will be taking part for the 4x100mRelay team. To be edited w pix.

14 May 2024 – Unusual Aurora Borealis Sightings

Sat: TrackMeet@RidgeViewHigh for State qualifier. #4 overtook 4 others at her last lap for her individual 800m, exciting to cheer her on this beautiful blue-sky day where she was pleased with her times 2.33 despite not qualifying for State but will head with her 4x100mRelay team for State next weekend.

Talked with one of the many security officers to learn that he has 32rounds of bullets if he had to use his gun – quite intimidating to see him so fully armed including handcuffs, etc. Hopefully ppl like him can stop anyone trying to cause any trouble.

AuroraBorealis lights around the world tonight – pix credits to Jane/Tasmania,Australia.

https://ow.ly/HTIZ50RB95r

Meteorologist JoelBarnes@WBBJ7,Jackson,TN and pix credits to SC Cheng/WA,USA.

Nemo of Switzerland with their song TheCode won the EurovisionSongContest2024 – not my taste of music but did enjoy watching it during student days in the 1960s-70s when the ears were more tuned to the era of Abbas&Beatles

Eurovision Winners (eurovisionworld.com)

Sun: unexpected lively Mother’s Day morning cuppa with only not the birds&trees, but also in the company of a peacock! Was warned about the peacock but did not think that it will appear on the neighbour’s roof to keep me company today – what a dramatic morning despite his not puffing the tail feathers.

More excitement from the other side of the condo with 3RedCardinals flying to the trees as I opened the front door. Stood quietly and saw them flying back to the bush by the garbage-bin – tried to tiptoe for a closer look but they all ended flying back to the trees, will not disturb them in case they have a nest in the bush. What a glorious way to start Mother’s Day.

10yrs ago that we gathered with my whole full flock – do wonder when we can do that again? Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers(and to my 3grand daughters who may be mothers someday!) with loving memory of my own mother TSENG MayLan(1911-1965). Appreciation with gratefulness to 2daughters Linn(1974)&May/(1978) for making me the mother I am today and to 6grandchildren for giving hope to looking forward ahead with the feeling of living a full life, enjoying&savouring all the milestones&moments there are.

A Mother is the only person who carries you 9 months in her belly, 3 years in her arms and forever in her heart 

Dinner@Publico where I am able to get the flock posed in their chronological age order.

Thank you to #2 for these beautifully presented&delicious cupcakes – fun creating a now pix reenacting from one a decade ago and #5 is certainly no longer a toddler any longer, hahaha! Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still.  Appreciations to #3 for driving me for another trip to Walmart, my way of giving them some pocket money instead of renting a car. Now whatever needed to keep me occupied for the week ahead are within the condo.

Mon&Tue: peacock has been keeping me company with its squawks the past few days. Neighbours commented that he is annoying when that squawking happens in the early hours, quite understandable – hopefully he will stay away from our unit during those precious sleep hours. Appreciations with tkx for this lovely Magnolia from a neighbour who has the tree.

Tkx to another neighbour who informed me that the peacock ate all their flowers, the whole plant+roots – bad greedy peacock! That of course got me to take the flowers indoor when not on the deck or in the living room – wonder why he does not go for the Magnolia flowers?

 A peacock has too little in its head, too much in its tail – Swedish proverb

10 May 2024 – Annual Lunch Date

Tue: annual lunch date@ChickenSaladChick/HarbisonBlvd with #1&2 for updates. Time flies with the grand generation/GenZ turning into young adults. #1 will be heading to Norway for a short holiday before her internship@UofSC and #2 will start at a medical clinic for her summer internship next week. Way to go and well done, ladies – so proud of them.

My present neck of the woods/N-LakeDr just on the main road for both Clearview&YachtCove where plant life can still bloom in peace allowing its natural habitat to flourish with cleaner air for breathing.

Fri: TGIF and the week has gone by quickly. Appreciations&thanks to #2 who drove me to&fro WalmartSupercenter/DutchForkRd for shopping&picking up plants to spruce up the deck to keep me company for the next few weeks. Prefer this Walmart to that@HarbirsonRd – this is the Walmart that used to open 24hrs and here was where I was trying out shoes all night for the 2005AT-Thru-Hike! There is a Domino’sPizza with good thin crust here – according to Iyengar, the typical Walmart today offers you 100,000 products!!

6 May 2024 – Celebrating a Milestone

Sat: started the day bright&early heading downtown to find a parking space/GreeneSt by the ColonialLifeArena. Early enough to get one in the open-air parking lot and still had time for a cuppa@TropicalSmoothisCafe/LinolnSt with Jack who we bumped into by chance when trying to look for a Bfast place.

Great to have someone like Jack who is familiar with this location to guide us to the shorter line and to find a row with 12seats for our group.

The ceremony started on time 09.30hrs with the UofSC’s entertaining&delightful BrassBand and with everything running impressively,efficiently&smoothly. Where is Waldo? Now with HighTech, it was no problem getting our graduate to turn her head to us with a wave and to see her on the extended TV monitor.

Linn&I had to leave immediately after a proud moment (alot of hardwork for 30secs–quoting Dee, hahaha) watching #1 received her BA/MagnaCumLaude  – above 2pix credits to the others who were able to document the rest of the ceremony.

Had to be here to set up for lunch and it is a nice informal location with a small private room for our group. The Peanut Man – Restaurant in Columbia, SC

Perfect lunch salads&sandwiches and a good time with speeches was had by all – nice to meet with Jack’s parents,Jason&Stephanie & sis,Skyler.

Picked up a cake&drinks@Publix and headed to Clearwater for dessert&board-games with fond memories when #1 thought I should be Yoda and made me this mask for 2011Halloween – kept that mask until it burnt down with the house in 2013, happy to find the pix in my 2011Folder – May the Force Be with Us All on this May Fourth and every day ahead.

Appreciations with thanks for an amazing day with my USflock+pets, an EnglishMastifBo&BlackLabZuno and their extended families&Jack driving from FL,GA,NC gathered here in SC to celebrate #1’s Graduation milestone at this stage and may she stay healthy&safe in her life journey ahead to enjoy the moments.

Group pix – credits to Jeff for setting it up.

Back/L-R:Jeff,Terry,Dee,John,Sophie,William,Jack
Front/L-R:Kristy,Olivia,Chris,Ellie,Katy,James,Cindy,Me,Kathleen,Linn

Sun: Happy Cinco de Mayo, good to be back where there is a wider selection of TexMex cuisine and more available. A funny greeting from 1stBorn, shared with LarryP who thought that it was from my grandchildren – a good way to remember, hahaha! Late lunch@ElPoblano/Chapin where they were setting up for a BBQ&LiveBand outside parking-lot for this evening. Had the SpecialNachoFajitas appetizer and still enough to doggie bag away for 2more meals!

Cinco de Mayo=fifth of May is celebrated in the USA and primarily limited to the state of PueblaMexico. It commemorates the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over French forces at the 1862Battle of Puebla – not an obligatory federal holiday in Mexico, but rather a holiday that can be observed voluntarily. It is not Mexico’s Independence Day which actually is 16Sep, the most important national patriotic holiday in Mexico. While Cinco de Mayo is limited significance nationwide in Mexico, the date is observed voluntarily in the USA&other locations around the world as a celebration of Mexican heritage&pride. Happy Cinco de Mayo to all celebrating&marking today, especially to the Korkowski family!

Mon: lovely cool wet Mon to chill and for getting laundry,etc done. A week has gone by quickly, now more or less in sync with the time-zone here.

3 May 2024 – A Zombie With A Headache – Hahaha

Tue30Apr: arr 0700hrs@IAD and the best time to stretch my legs with hardly any one in my way – walked from C-gates to take the train to A-gates.

Such a contrast@A&B-gates, bright&clean with hard-floors(all public buildings should have hard-floors for hygienic reasons) and flags of the world&US-states – morning walk up&down here a couple of times, still not too many ppl yet.

Took refuge here for some quite moment as more ppl turned up after 1000hrs – thoughts of the 2004 movie The Terminal with Tom Hanks after roaming around ~5hrs@IAD.

~2hrs flight to CAE departed on time taking off by all these private jets (probably the only time to see so many private jets!) to an airport that is impossible to get lost in unless you are not sober-hahaha! Tkx to 1stBorn for meeting&picking me, always appreciative when she is able to take time off her major hectic schedules – single mom full time teaching,coaching,etc, and now with gradaution on top  o preparations ahead.

Jetlagged@the year ending IrmoMIddle&HighSchool concert where both paternal&maternal grandmothers are beaming with joy&pride(also proud that I managed to keep my eyes opened) for their grandchildren(#3,4&5 for me) in the orchestra – first of the many events for this trip.

There are grandmothers out there who would move heaven and earth for their grandchildren – JE-Howard

Wed: what a special moment it is to be able to lunch@OliveGarden  with #1grandchild, just the 2 of us catching up and running errands for the early afternoon. Blessed with her for wanting to spent time with me&for being my driver, especially all the way to #4RegionalTrackMeet@RichlandNorthEastHighSchool. Hot late afternoon with the scorching sun, not the best time to be under and despite of a splitting headache managed to watch her run 3events with her last one just in time for the beautiful colours of sunset. Appreciations&tkx to Jeff for driving me back to YachtCove.

Limitless undying love which shines around me like a million suns it calls me on and on across the universe ― John Lennon

Thu: what a start of a glorious day to catch up with 2Born on the phone. Thought that I will get away from the MarineTerraceMRTstation construction in SIN but looks like construction follows me here but thankfully not so dusty&noisy with digging up a lawn as to digging into hard concrete asphalt – woodpecker is still here to accompany me for my morning cuppa on the deck. Enjoying the grocery shopping with all the selections&space@Publix/MurrayLanding.

Fri: lovely peaceful morning walk with the surroundings and its natural habitat despite for getting up ~0100hrs this early morning and unable to fall back to sleep until ~0300hrs! Hope to stay awake to go suitcase shopping later with 1stBorn&#1.

What we call economic growth is in fact a growth in waste and a decline in the health of natural habitat – Satish Kumar

1 May – Happy May Day/Labour Day
5 May – Happy Cinco De Mayo
6 May – Happy Bdays WONG WaiKit & Jan SOSA
10 May – Happy Bday Andrew LAM
12 May – Happy Mother’s Day
13 May – Happy Bday Susannah LAM
16 May – Happy Bday LAM JiaWen
17 May – Hurra for 17mai
18 May – Happy Bday Helen VICKERY-YEO
19 May – Happy Bday Paul KRAUSE
23 May – Happy Bday Yasmine AMEEN
27 May – Happy Bdays LAM SuiChang & Karen LIM
28 May – Happy Bday Vanessa LAM
30 May– Happy Bday Hans Kristian HUSTAD