Autumn in July

We have had little rain and record heat this summer. As a result, the birch trees are shedding their leaves. They were yellow for a short time and are now brown. There are several fires in the Dalarna County area and little fire fighting equipment. Neighboring countries are sending in their planes and helicopters, but it is not enough. Sweden normally has wet summers, so they are ill prepared for a fire season like this one.

Trees sending their strength to the roots
by sacrificing their leaves

Typical scene along the
roads as we travel. All
the deciduous trees are
browning.

All over the Stockholm area there are
these community gardens. We have never
stopped to look at one, but this is near our
apartment, so Olivia wanted to take a look.

Due to the heat and lack of rain, some have
let their gardens go, so there are bare spots and
weeds. Many are using the water hoses to keep
their plots alive, however.

 

Out our back door onto the
deck. We got a good rain on
Saturday, so everything was
wet and smelled clean.

Much of the week was spent in preparing the apartment where our replacements will be living. We moved in some furniture and did a little repair work, though not much was needed. I have to admit, we moved a little slowly because the heat and humidity suck the energy from us. They will have a nice apartment to live in when they arrive, I think. One problem is that there is not a fan to be purchased in the entire country. Due to the unprecedented heat the stores and their warehouses are sold out. Hopefully, we will find something in the next few days.

Replacing the water
deflector at the bottom
of the shower.

Building a shelf unit for
the bathroom area

Pretty modern kitchen

The amazing Ford van with a desk, a return, a recliner and an
office chair, along with bags and boxes filled with items to take
to the new apartment

We took pictures of what
the landlord left, for future
reference, when the apartment
has to be returned.

We ate our lunch on their patio, just to test
their patio furniture :) 

We got the good news that the Clouses, who will take over our assignments, and the Baileys, who will replace the Hales in the office, have both received their visas, so we won't have to train via Skype or with pages of notes. It was a great relief because the visas for the young missionaries and for the Records Preservation couple are about 8 weeks behind, so far, and still no visas.

We were invited to share dinner with the Jonas and Anne-Lise Sjögren family. Jonas is our Elders' Quorum President and Anne-Lise is a counselor in the Relief Society. We had not met their children, so we were happy to meet Rebekka and Alexander, who are still at home. Their other four children are grown and out of the house. We had heard of Smörgåstårta, but had never had the opportunity to try it. Literally translated, it is sandwich cake. It is a savory cake with layers of bread, mayonnaise, and various kinds of fillings such as liverwurst, shrimp, salmon, or chicken. It it decoratively topped with the kinds of food that sets the theme. They had made two massive smörgåstårtor. One was chicken and turkey, the other was seafood and fish. They were delicious both to look at and to taste.

Anne-Lise, Jonas and Rebekka. The smörgåstårta on the left was Rebekka's creation. It is decorated with strips of smoked
salmon, caviar, garnish and sliced tomatoes topped with slices of boiled egg. Anne-Lise's creation is decorated with turkey
slices, tomatoes, and mandarin oranges, sprinkled with garnish. It was almost a shame to cut into them.

Since we would be traveling to Uppsala anyway, we decided to make a day of it and catch up on some of the apartment inspections. We started in Borlänge which is in Dalarna County and close to the fires. Then went back to Uppsala to see the missionaries whom we see every Sunday, but rarely see their apartments.

The fires were close to Borlänge, and we could see smoke coming from the forests in the distance. The sky was hazy from the smoke, much like Nevada during the fire seasons. The missionaries were happy and working hard. They had several investigators and are popular in the neighborhood,especially with the children, it seems. Elder Peterson, who helped us move into the new apartment in Jakobsberg some months ago is there with a relatively new companion, Elder Whitaker.

After inspecting the
apartment and bikes
outside the apartment.
Elders Whitaker and
Peterson.

The Dalahäst is the symbol of this part of
Sweden

Dalarna still has beautiful skies and scenery.
This is on the other side, away from the smoky
haze.

The sisters in Uppsala seemed a little lethargic, so Olivia asked them if they were sleeping well. They have a fan, but hadn't opened a window because they are on the first floor and it didn't seem safe. Thus, they were not sleeping well, or often at all. She showed them that their windows opened two different ways, one of which would allow an air flow without sacrificing safety. They looked much more rested on Sunday. Despite their weariness, they still had a very clean apartment and gave us cookies. They are a group of faithful, thoughtful missionaries.

Sisters Chapdelaine, Jones and Bingham

The elders didn't want to open their windows, either, thinking that the air was cooler inside than outside, which is often true, but when there is shade, or the sun is not shining directly onto a surface such as a wall, the air is actually cool. Their apartment was cleaner than we have ever seen that apartment. It was obvious that they wanted it clean and that they keep it clean.

Elders Dawson and Jordan

We now give the bikes a thorough
inspection and oil the chains.

Driving home we found ourselves on a road that we seldom travel. The sight of the Dom Kyrka gave us a pang of homesickness at the thought of leaving this place. It is the symbol of Uppsala and is visible from all around the area.

The towering Dom Kyrka and the
sign at the border of the city at 9:00
PM. The pastels in the sky denote
a sunset that was to the right of
this picture.

These mile markers are found from time
to time along the road. This one has the
symbol of King Gustav II Adolf, but may
be from a later time. It says Uppsala
Stad Gränd (Uppsala City boundary)

Sunday we said goodbye to some of the Uppsala Ward members who will not be here for the next two Sundays. The Burmans invited us to dinner, but Olivia convinced them to come to our apartment, instead. Because of the rain on the previous day, the air was cool and not too windy, so we were able to eat out on the covered part of the deck. They have been such good friends to us. Sol-Brit has especially been a good friend to Olivia. They share handicraft items and recipes, stories and just a lot of friend talk. Tore is good to the bone. He is a retired dentist who is deeply committed to the principles of the Book of Mormon and the temple. He often leads the singing and has a voice that carries into the halls. We love them both very much.

Torsten Hernon wanted a picture with us.

Jonas was the only
member of his family
at church Sunday. They
will be traveling to
Norway, so this was the
last time we will see him.

Tore and Sol-Brit Burman with us on the deck for dinner.

We have a full week ahead and look forward to it. Olivia's sister Jennifer and her daughter, Jessica will join us today until Thursday. On Saturday we welcome the Clouses to Sweden. We are excited and busy.