Spring has Sprung -- well sometimes

Spring is in the air and when the sun shines, we all shine brightly.  Spring fashion is on the move -- checkout Melita and Anastasia on the runway at school for Art Week.

The birds are migrating and twitter loudly. Our neighborhood beaver has come out of hibernation to find some tasty wood treats.  Check out her symmetrical handywork -- looks yummy


On our last hike, we had some real Sound of Music moments as we followed some moose tracks through the woods.   Although we encountered knee-high snow drifts, we were able to navigate down a small melting stream to civilation and lived to tell another tale.

Life is good.  Even as I huddled outside under an umbrella in the snow earlier this week with some friends having a post-pub moment.   We decided "a fag in the snow is worth two in the sun." 

It is also the season of  "Russ"  (pronounced Roosh).  For those unfamiliar, "Russ" is a 3-week coming of age, drunken fest for high school graduates in Norway.  According to tradition, they wear overalls colored to match their future course of study:  Red for those headed towards grad school, blue for courses in Business, and black for  technical pursuits such as mechanics or electricians. Downtown is filled with these clowns wandering about in packs half-sober.
 
Russ cards (russekort) are mock business cards with humorous slogans and pictures that young kids swarm the graduate to collect. The girls were a little shy, but two nice young gentlement Olav and Simen shared their cards with us today.  Simen's card was the Norwegian equivalent of a Monopoly "Get out of Jail Free Card."   Olav's card had a trucker style naked girl on it said "kvinner er frigjort, men trenger likevell en støtte opp gjennon livet."   Translated "Women are liberated, but require a support system through life."  Right on brother, or not??  What kind of "support" are we talking?  I think I missed something in translation :)

Apparently, the last day of Russ will be 17 May national day parade and according to my friend Linda, you want your daughter to marry the kind of Russ that is able to get up from his stupor and march in the celebration at the crack of dawn.  I'm betting Olav won't make it..