Afternoon walk

David tore a muscle in his back last Thursday while putting his socks on. Today he decided to listen to the messages his body was sending him and rest. So I went for a walk by myself today and decided to list what I saw. I saw...many different kinds of wildflowers. Perhaps one of you can tell me what the flowers that look like little yellow pompoms are. In Finland dandelions are called butter flowers. Guess it's all about point of view. The tiny purple flowers in the picture are heather growing wild. I thought that was something you would see only in Scotland. I saw...random puddles of water from today's rain, a rapidly changing sky of blues, whites, and grays with the sun still quite high in the sky at 5PM. I saw bicycles parked outside every apartment building and about 2/3 of the street and path traffic was bicycle riders: boys carrying bags back from the store, a man with his viola strapped to his back, an 80 year old woman, a man in a business suit, and a woman with hair the same color as her bright red backpack. A two-colored crow and maybe 30 sparrows lined up on the parallel bars of the rug cleaning racks. I noticed for the first time that the signs marking the cycling/walking paths show the silhouette of a father and daughter walking together-her hand in his. Lots of women and men walking babies in strollers and perambulators. Finland subsidizes families with 250 euros a month for each child. Birch leaves fluttering in the gentle breeze. All the banners around town gently unfurled. If I remember anything else I'll come back and write some more.

Flowers picked alongside the paths today 

Home teaching--Part 1

Saturday was a glorious day. The skies were magnificent. There were gentle breezes. And we went to Sister Korhonen's mokki to hometeach. (Every time I write mokki I'm really misspelling the word because the "o" should have two dots over it and I don't have a Finnish keyboard set up.) We first drove to a small summer tori at a nearby lake where people gather to buy, sell, and socialize with their summer neighbors. There were only about 10 people selling things but it's as much a gathering as a market. We got some great bread still hot from the oven. We met the branch president and his wife there so they told us where to buy the good bread and about some special juice that was for sale. David and the pres had some Finnish crepes.
The market is held only during July. Take a look at that georgous lake in the background. The rest of the pics are of Sister Korhonen's mokki. It is truly beautiful. She has a children's play mokki--and several outbuildings. In another room of an outbuilding she has created a play store for her grandchildren. The house has electricity but no running water. Notice the shoes. Virtually every finnish house has a little anteroom at the entrance where you remove your shoes. Typically, floors are wooden/birch and covered with flat mats. At her house there were boots for wet weather and snow, clogs for gardening, and wool shoes inside the door for cold floors. At the Soininen's house they had an assortment of slip ons and clogs in different sizes so you could look at the garden without having to go to the front of the house to retrieve your shoes. We are invited to a kantele concert at Sister Korhonen's house at the beginning of August. Can't wait.

Sister Korhonen's mokki 

Mokki yard 

Mokki setting 

Road to the Kesa tori on the lake 

David and Sister Korhonen 

Approach to Sister Korhonen's mokki 

Leikki mokki - playhouse 

Leikki mokki interior 

Bug screen of nylon strips 

Yard shoes 

Boots and slip ons 

Hand loomed rug. Picture does not do justice to the vibrant colors 

Sister Korhonen plays the kantele. Her father made the instrument in the back. It has one string and is played with a bow 

The kitchen stove and house furnace 

Inside the mokki. It's so perfect it reminds me of a movie setting 

These mats are handmade on looms. We bought the blue one on the end. Each one takes about 3 days to make. 

The baskets were handmade by the man standing against the car. He is blind. 

Not sure why the chickens were there. 

The market is a social event. David and our branch president are having lettuja. 

Thse people are selling home made mehu. The lady with the striped shirt is our branch president's wife and we have a teaching appointment with the lady behind her next  

Lettuja are a popular dessert and market item. They are a very large crepe typically served with vanilla sauce and berries. 

Home teaching--Part 2

We visited Sister Soininen and her husband on Thursday evening. Their back yard is a paradise. Risto works for a ski company close to their home in Kitee. Sister Soininen is a very skilled seamstress, home maker, and gardener. She gets free Marimekko ends of bolts and scraps and makes bags that would sell for 50 euros in the store. Every time we come she has made wonderful Finnish pastries. But as you can see in the pictures the garden is their pride and joy. They work together to work miracles in the during the short Finnish summer.

David and Elizabeth  

The Soininen's--Risto and Tuulikki 

Sauna and guest house