Toothache, Storm, Rain and Snow…

Is Time in a rush, or is it me getting slower and slower? – I think I’ll pass on trying to sort out the answer to that right now, or I’ll never catch up…

It did not help that on Wednesday evening I broke a tooth, which meant that on Thursday afternoon I had to go out in a rainstorm and spend the afternoon at the dentist’s. I’m very thankful that they managed to fit me in, though!

Actually, even the horrible weather sort of worked to my favour – as I had to take the bus; and not wanting to risk being late, I was early. (I had brought my Kindle – well wrapped in an extra plastic bag inside my other bag! – prepared to spend at least half an hour reading in the waiting room…) But as it turned out, when the nurse saw me, she called me in almost directly, as they had just had another cancellation.

As suspected, the extra time came in handy, since fixing my tooth turned out to be a Big Job. (The tooth in question already had a root filling, but to make a long story short I’m getting a new and better kind of cap fitted on it now. He did all the preparations and put in a temporary one yesterday; and I’ll get the proper one the week before Christmas.)

To the left: a reflex tag hanging on my backpack.
To the right: the same picture turned upside down…
(Put together as a collage in Picasa.)

Awful as the rainstorm yesterday afternoon was, at that point of day it was still ‘just’ rain (and wind) here – it had not yet turned to snow. I had on double layers of rainwear, though, and after the dental treatment, I sat down in the waiting room again… not leaving until I needed to in order to be sure to catch my bus…

Still, when I got home, it was off with all the cold wet clothes and into a hot shower! …

Before I went to bed at night, it had started snowing:

 

… and this morning I woke up to a frozen white world (which has not thawed during the day).

I’ve had no compelling reason to go out today though – so I’ve been perfectly  warm and snug inside.

However, from radio and TV news I learn that there have been major traffic problems in all of south Sweden ; hurricane winds along the coast, the Öresund bridge to Denmark closed, trains standing still again, roads blocked, trucks and buses and cars caught for hours on snowy roads (also near my town)… Worse this time than in the last storm earlier in the autumn, as it’s colder now.

Book Review: The First Phone Call from Heaven

The First Phone Call from Heaven
by Mitch Albom (Nov 12, 2013) ****

In this new novel by Mitch Albom, something very curious is happening in the small (fictional) town of Coldwater,  a few miles from Lake Michigan.

This is how the book starts:

On the day the world received its first phone call from heaven, Tess Rafferty was unwrapping a box of tea bags.
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She heard the machine click on her kitchen counter as it played her outgoing message. “Hi, it’s Tess. Leave your name and number. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can, thanks.”   A small beep sounded. Tess heard static. And then. “It’s Mom… I need to tell you something.”   Tess stopped breathing. The receiver fell from her fingers. Her mother died four years ago.

It soon turns out that Tess is not the only one in town receiving phone calls from Heaven. A few other “chosen” people are having the same experience; and all clearly recognize the voice of someone they knew very well (but whom they know for sure to be dead). And the thing is - they are not just getting messages, but are able to speak to them, ask questions and receive answers. Not just once, but several times. The information given is always encouraging; but also vague, and the calls are kept short.

The phenomenon is mysterious enough to draw media attention – and cause debate. The town of Coldwater soon becomes the focus of the media nationwide, and even worldwide. Soon there are pilgrims gathering to pray for miracles; but also protesters, claiming it all to be a hoax.

Sully Harding, a single father who lost his wife in a tragic accident, and whose young son now seems to be clinging to the hope of one day getting a call from his mum, is determined to get to the bottom of it all…

Interwoven with the main story are little snippets of the history of the invention of the telephone, and the life of Alexander Graham Bell. For example:

Two years before he invented the telephone, Alexander Bell yelled into a dead man’s ear.

Also interwoven in the flow of the story are quote-worthy statements of spiritual nature, like:

Miracles happen quietly every day – in an operating room, on a stormy sea, in the sudden appearance of a roadside stranger. They are rarely tallied. No one keeps score. But now and then, a miracle is declared to the world. And when that happens, things change.

This three-fold plait of storytelling serves (I think) rather effectively to keep the reader in suspense. All the way, I found my brain (rather futilely) still trying out genre labels: Classic Christianity, spiritualism, psychology, history, technology, science fiction, social satire, puzzle mystery…?

I’m not going to reveal how the whole thing develops. If you find your curiosity tickled, you’ll have to read and find out for yourself… I’ll just say that personally, I found it an enjoyable reading experience. (My spontaneous rating at the end of my Kindle book was to give it four stars.)

Other books by Mitch Albom:

The Time Keeper (2012) (Read my review)
The Five People You Meet in Heaven (2003)
Tuesdays with Morrie (1997)

1st Advent Sunday

I spent quite a bit of time in the kitchen this weekend.
With varied results:

 

I put this collapsed cake on my Facebook status yesterday – wondering at the same time (in my head): why does one? However, one friend commented that it cheered her up to see it, as it made her feel less alone… So who am I to deny the rest of the world the same comfort?! ;)

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal:
it is the courage to continue that counts.”
~Winston Churchill~

My second Christmas card came from England, too – as did the first one. The funny thing is that this Christmas Tree Fairy looks just like the one in that other card (where a fairy is the top decoration on a Christmas tree).

In Sweden I don’t think I’ve ever heard of Christmas fairies. Angels are quite common as decorations, but not fairies. (Not that I’m all that sure that I can tell the difference. But I think our angels usually wear long garments… No bare legs in this climate!) However, I think a star is the most common decoration to have at the top of the Christmas tree here.

Now I’m curious… What is (or will be, or used to be) on the top of your tree?

Weekend Reflections: Dark and Light

For Weekend Reflections

Getting Ready

The Town is getting ready for the 1st Advent weekend. In the fountain in the square, the water has been replaced with a winter decoration with a cascade of lights. Red wooden stalls are being put up for the Christmas market. And some of the trees in the Park are glowing in the dark as well:

I got my own electric candlesticks up from the storage room in the basement today… I’ll be putting them up (in my windows) tomorrow afternoon or on Friday.