Sven Jansson

today i was thinking about my morfar...



so i wanted to write a post in memory of him...

Sven Jansson, my morfar is my mother's father - well, he passed away, but he will always be my mom's dad.

morfar = mother's father (direct translation from swedish to english)

where was i?

oh yes...

the memories i have of my morfar...

him teaching me how to drive his stick shift 1990 Volvo on a frozen Lake Siljan days after i turned 16
gardening with him; his favorite part of the garden were his potatoes
him driving me to and from Granberget daily to ski & snowboard
him driving me to the first day of school at Leksands Gymnasium because i was too nervous to take the bus
learning how to bake bread from scratch in an old-fashioned oven - my brothers and i called it pizza bread - it was only recently i learned it's called "mjukbulla" or "softbun"

learning how to bake many things delicious
building sandcastles on martha's vineyard on one of his visits to America
bodysurfing at Chapoquoit Beach, Marconi Beach and many other beaches...
always having candy in his glove compartment of his 1990 Volvo
my brother Peter stating Bompa Gigi = translation morfar candy b/c he knew morfar kept candy in the glove compartment oif his volvo
orienteering with my morfar
telling morfar about Jesus
spending as much time as possible with my mormor and morfar during summer 2007 because i had a feeling it may be his last visit to America
i was right, he passed away May 2008
morfar meeting caleb during the summer of 2007; so glad this happened
going into the woods early in the morning to pick blueberries for me and my brothers to have for breakfast in 2006 on our first morning in sweden; when he came in he said "ja, man börjar att känna man är gammal" (yes, i'm beginning to feel old)
celebrating santa lucia with morfar in 2003 with my family and friend Mary Beth because it was his birthday
him surprising me with a season pass to Granberget for my christmas present from him and mormor December 1998
him and mormor driving me to Karlstad Universitet where i spent a semester of college in Karlstad, Sweden
wishing he could have seen the picture of Caleb proposing on Granberget June 2008
wishing he could have accompanied my mormor to my wedding October 2008
knowing he would have been so happy that Caleb proposed in Sweden; that we had a candy bar at our wedding; that the wedding ceremony was so personal; he would have danced with me; and he would have laughed
wishing he would have been able to meet my kids... (no, i don't have any children yet; they're in the someday plans for now)
oh how i miss his laugh, i wish i had recorded it, he was such a wonderful person
he was kind, friendly, non-judgmental, athletic, outdoorsy, helpful, a team player, a caring father, a loving husband, a wonderful brother, an unforgettable Morfar.
morfar, you are missed.
my trip to sweden wasn't the same without you.
my previous trip to sweden for your funeral was strange.
i know you're in heaven; i look forward to seeing you when the time comes; i hope you're having fun orienteering, picking blueberries, growing potatoes, swimming and building sand castles. i'm sure you're having a grand old time. make sure you save a spot for mormor. she misses you.
don't worry though, i'm going to keep her company as often as i can.
we spent time together for my birthday this year. i'll never forget it.
you married an incredible woman.
i miss you.
i love you.
your barnbarn sara linnéa

[ps-this will be edited with pictures once i can compile a few; just wanted my thoughts to the keyboard before i forgot]

greenery

Today was the first Saturday in a few weeks I've had nothing planned and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Caleb and I woke up, had a leisurely breakfast, and read the Bible together which was cause of some great discussion.
Over the past week, I have been telling Caleb I REALLY want a herb garden in a window box that I can hang on the railing on our deck. This morning I asked, almost BEGGED, Caleb to come with me to Corliss Brothers and he agreed, I think with a smile on his face because he knew how excited I was.
As Caleb and I got ready to leave for the garden center, I told him of my "dreams" of having a garden w/herbs, vegetables, strawberries, rhubarb and more and an orchard w/apple, pear, plum and cherry trees. It all goes back to my younger years... Growing up I spent my summers in Sweden w/my mormor and morfar (grandma and grandpa). My mom would pack up us kids and fly to Sweden to spend 6 wonderful weeks w/her family in the SUMMER, my dad usually came for 2 weeks in the middle. My mormor and morfar had a fabulous garden filled w/carrots, potatoes, lettuce, dill, parsley, radishes, strawberries, rhubarb, black currant bushes, red currant bushes, gooseberry bushes, and my favorite: a HUGE row of raspberry bushes at least 40 feet long. I would wander along the bushes, picking and eating to my hearts content. They also had apple trees, pear trees, plum trees and my favorite, cherry trees. Many evenings I'd hang out by the large cherry tree and eat cherries until I was full. Often I walked around the garden and helped my mormor and morfar weed, use the compost, water and do other gardening things to help them out. Those summers I spent in Sweden have left me with wonderful memories and the desire to start my own garden. Today, I start small...
So, we headed to Corliss Brothers and it was exciting. Dads, husbands, sons & daughters were at the garden center picking up plants for mom, wife, grandma, etc. One father, son & daughter group picked up a fabulous hydrangea; the employee had wrapped it in foil and put a pretty bow on it. 'What a fabulous gift,' I thought. 'I would love a hydrangea bush... if only I had a place to plant it.' For now, I can only dream of having a yard, a garden and many bushes, plants, and trees.
Back to the garden center... Caleb and I perused the area. I enjoyed dreaming about all the different plants we would one day have, and Caleb, well I think he tagged along... We checked out the window boxes and I was pleasantly surprised. They were all made of white cedar; they had the cedar smell and yet they are fabulous for planting (according to the guy we asked). We picked out a wooden white cedar window box and a wooden white cedar box about 16"x14". Then, to the plants.
Earlier in the week I was inspired to start my garden. I started it by growing garlic; I figured it'd be an easy start. It must be pretty resilient, after all, people have bad breath long after eating garlic. Also, the garlic in my fridge was starting to sprout, so I wouldn't have to wait long to see results. At the same time as I planted the garlic, I bought a basil plant, in anticipation of my herb window box. Now we needed to pick out other plants...
We picked out rosemary and oregano; great compliments to basil. Back inside the store, we picked up a bag of soil, a packet of carrot seeds and a packet of lettuce seeds. I was so excited to go home and start our garden.
As soon as we got home, I got to work. I started by lining the wooden window box and wooden box with a black plastic trash bag and poking holes in the bottom for drainage. Then, I filled the window box with soil and planted the herbs: rosemary, oregano and basil. Next was the box. My plan was to plant lettuce and carrots... To my dismay, the directions said to plant lettuce 8" apart, that means 1 small row of lettuce and 1 small row of carrots. My final decision was to use the box for carrots only. Maybe I'll get ambitious and plant lettuce in my landlord's yard a little later, but for now my herb box and carrot box will have to do. The directions said to soak the carrot seeds for 12 hours, so now they're soaking, I'll plant them tomorrow morning. I can't wait to see how it all turns out. Overall, it's been a fun learning experience.
Caleb left shortly after coming home from the garden center; he had some work to do. When he came home, we had burgers on the grill and corn on the cob, such a summer dinner. I'm looking forward to the warmer weather, using our grill on a regular basis, having a Crane Beach sticker, spending time on Cape Cod, watching my little herb garden and carrot garden grow, and best of all, spending time w/friends and family - maybe a vacation in August!!