GLTS B ? I'll tell you what to do....

       Okay so I may not know all of the letters and what they stand for, but people, come on. Gay, Straight, Lesbian Transgendered, bi-sexual all sound to me in a same way Black people were identifying their race.  Remember the slogan, Id' rather fight than switch, good, good for everyone, but who cares except the person who is what they are, who they are, and their family and friends. Why do people feel they have to identify the gender, sexual orientation. You are a person who counts. That's what matters.
     Now what really matters is that you, me, us, them, all live in an AMERICA by a President who only focuses his attention on persons of a racial divide and people who have a sexual orientation and have fought for rights. WHY? Because he is not a President for the human race, for people, hurting people everywhere, every faith, every and any gender, any disability. He is a president for the vote. Sounds Like Hillary Clinton and her cronies. It isn't that we need a woman president but a PRESIDENT who loves this country, doesn't side with the enemy, cares about individuals and their needs, communities and education and our armed forces.
    If you think you have problems now because of race and all the other stuff listed, wait until ISIS. and all of the terrorists take over and look at how China is buying up American Properties, businesses, too much overseas.
     Now Gay, Lesbian, Transgendered, etc etc etc, Black Communities, Hispanics Communities and Chinese communities-listen up, I don't give a freak what you are, who you are, only that you are good American citizens. If you want to do something progressive, something to make people stand up and pay attention, start SAVING AMERICA !
      We have so many populations of nationalities and people who want to do their own thing, get their own degrees and live In a me, me , me society. All that's good to a point. The point is when does that greedy mind set stop? I'll tell you when. When you start thinking more of your country. YOU have enough of, for example, Starting with me...Norwegian people. Norwegians are known to knit and have cultural foods, restaurants, family stores. But of course not all Norwegians.
     So you think you don't have any money or credit to start an AMERICAN business, but I bet a group can. Get together with six to ten good friends, start a business, making clothes, baby food, natural foods, Information help centers, Car services , cleaning services and imagine this. Lets say you have a group of ten who all have different attributes/talents, Pair up with ten more with the same talents. Now you have twenty. Two plumbers, two cooks, two for car service, Two animal care-takers, two Cleaners...get my drift?
    NOW get AMERICAN. Lets take it back instead of fighting one another, fight to keep the USA a country with the people and for the people. Have an AMERICAN day ! Excuse my lousy typing, chubby fingers...hey there's another idea, a chubby chaser and I don't mean one fat person looking for another. I mean a trainer chasing a chub to do what's needed. :)

One Generation in Your Name?

       Names are so confusing in these times. Many years ago we identified with a name and able to tell a heritage. Now people of so many races have a same last name as well as cultures. My last name is important to me only because of my children. In that I am thinking of adding a name so I have both last names of my kids, all grown up as they are and probably wouldn't care. But I also identify strongly with my mothers last name as it's so cultural. It's Norwegian. My male parent as you can tell I hesitate to mention parent was Scottish and English. I minimally identify with that side, and mainly I am known to myself as a Viking !

     Here is why I write about this. A sad time ago, and not long ago a family member mentioned to my child that she's still a------- and always will be weather she likes it or not. I said nothing but it burned in me. This was at a funeral of a child, not the place nor time to get into crap, and I will never as I know if my child feels it necessary to correct anyone about her name, she will indeed. Both of my children are very strong about their side of history, family, lands and belonging, as am I.
    When you have name and you want your kids to be part of that name it should be a name you feel proud of. My childhood last name isn't something I would ever be proud of. Maybe I take it too serious and maybe it isn't the name, but a person or persons and those horrible growing up years.
    I'm sure many reading this understand that. Some things no matter how you change, no matter how you grow in spite of that family, just don't wash away.

    On another note. What about kids who are adopted ? Don't they have a right to have inserted somewhere in their name a family member they can trace. Aren't they owed some choice ? I know there are sucky parents who lose their kids and many kids don't want to find them but many do. In some sad situations it's a matter of mental health, yet I know people who over time change and receive the proper help, so why shouldn't a kid get a chance to know that parent. Then there are people so mentally unstable, they have a lot of kids who also carry the gene, become mentally unstable yet with today's Mental Health help, they have a better chance at MH improvement. So do they have a right o know who their parents are? Whew and I do take a deep breath as I write this-I don't know. It's all individual.
      Time to almost say good-night, sleep well, and make your name who you want to be. :)

Bargain Time at ARTFIRE.com=Doozybags

       Getting ready for some practical shopping? Go Here: Artfire.com and see what Doozybags, shop name, has to offer. You can either buy direct from artfire or email me at Norwegianplaid@aol.com and get 25% off any item. I have paypal.
   Doozybags will be making more bags for practical uses over the next few weeks and will post on artfire as well as Norwegianplaid. Thank you so much for your business. S&H is  a minimum.

Two Boys and a Junk Store

       A little old man sat in the doorway as we walked in. He wasn't the owner. I knew we should have gone to church, but just haven't felt like it lately, so we went exploring instead. I told the visiting boys, lets get in my church car and see where it goes. Well it, Little Nick as I call it decided not to go too far, just to a small town square where a man owns what appears to be an antique store.
      
      The building was more of an antique than anything else. Wooden furniture sits outside in all kinds of weather, covered by a roof, but with windswept rains I wouldn't buy anything from there made of wood, although I did buy one thing about two months ago. I can't mention it now as it' or part of it will be a gift for my daughter. She reads this so...
       Well we get inside and this well dressed man, golden wedding ring stands out on his finger, white hair, wearing a fedora and back turned away from us as we enter. Yet he knows a woman has walked in as he greets me, hello Mrs....Wow I haven't heard that term that way in years. Since I don't like Mrs. I just said a quite hello and we walked down through the, body style selfish isles which mattered not to the boys. I squeezed, stood sideways, stretched taller, curved where I could in an effort not to knock anything over, after all I am a Viking! Boxes and boxes, glass counters stood piled high with things collected from anywhere and everywhere. Dust covered things, but most things were cleaned simply from handling. If we only had a ladder!
       AHA! A treasure was found. I heard one brother say to the other do you have any money? Noo, I spent it all, remember? Me too said the older brother. Coming closer to me he says, look, look what I found! It was a comic, an old one but in nice condition. I told him to ask the man behind the counter how much it was. He came back too fast. It's only fifty cents he said. Good I told him and walked away. I was smiling to myself as he followed and asked can I get this instead of ice cream? Yes he was thinking. Sure, and he bought his comic as his little brother looked on. His little brother, with big brown eyes said I want ice cream in a sad and small voice. I knew he also wanted a treasure, and it wasn't long before he found it, a book. He said he never read that book before. Both boys read a lot of books. We made two trips  to the library, taking out eight books for each child and they read them.
         As we were leaving the older man with the white hair and fedora asked the boys if they had fun. They gave me a lot of that feel good stuff, when almost at the same time said we always have fun with her, but what they didn't know is, I had the most fun. So we left, got in the car and I told them, let's go to Rutters, an area convenience store. The younger boy asked if we were getting ice cream. Noooo remember, you spent your money and also bought a treasure. He said but, but, but I said I wanted ice cream...and you didn't answer me. I inside smiled, quietly said lets go. In the car they hopped, happy with a treasure, sad without ice cream.
         I bought The New York Sunday News as they stood side by side, looking down into the ice cream case, lowered bottom lips. The woman behind the counter asked, Can I help you boys? I wish you could have seen their faces. You know what they said? Can she help us, looking pleadingly at me.
I smiled, said yeah, she can help you. She can even help me too. Grabbing our ice cream bars from the counter we jumped in the car, talking and planning the rest of the afternoon. They wanted to go back to the Antique/junk/treasure store.
                                                           Now that's a Viking day!

How Do Vikings Communicate ?

       By Norse code.  So what is Norse code? By the way that little dittie came about from hanging out with a couple of little guys until yesterday when they had to go home from respite. Once they saw my Norwegian plaid blog, they wanted to know, what's a Norwegian? So I explained and then we talked about Vikings and the younger one who was here before asked about my viking hat. I wish it was real, but no, just plastic, yet I have a lot of fun with it especially when serious meaning people come here. I open the door with my viking hat on and smile, say come in with a Norwegian accent, and yes an imitated one, but one I've heard over the years growing up.
       Then we talk about the colors. Just like the Irish love green I loved Red, White and Blue and we all know that covers both sides. The older boy looked through my books of which I have many, and found my viking book, asked if he could look at it and saw a big, big Viking dressed in all his Viking wear. He asked me if I dress like that too-funny little kid. He saw those Viking commercials and said to me well, ladies like to dress that way, and so next time he visits, I will have found some kind of Viking dress, a spear, breastplate, a long braided wig
and I'll grow a beard.
       It's a nice night for ship carving so off to my Viking basement.

May 17 and Brooklyn Norwegians

       It isn't the same, not anymore. Okay most things aren't the way they were, but why, why does it have to change so drastically and not for the better. This is a Norwegian day, for squareheads, our nickname. The last time I went to a parade in Brooklyn for May 17, it looked more like the United Nations,  but so does Brooklyn. It felt sad. Yet inspite of it all, I was still happy to be part of it, if only an observer.
       The best part was my daughter Jenny and I, with her friend all went to a local bar filled with Norwegians. I felt right at home. No, not because I was in a bar, although...but because I was surrounded by squareheads in those wonderful sweaters, the Norwegian dress, flags and even accents. I will make sure to continue this blog, and not stay away again for such a long time, after all, I am a Norwegian.

Norwegian's Where are you? NY Cops

http://Maggieshelpcenter.com

I wondered the last time I was in Brooklyn, what happened to all the Norwegians. It was May 17, 2008. Maybe I went back once after that because I used to think it's been a year, but getting serious with looking back it's been two years and oh how I miss it.
The parade on Fifth avenue was still great. Watching the ladies and men in their Norwegian costumes just makes a person feel good, remembering all the years past. It used to be held on Eighth avenue, every year and so many more people. I know you know if you know about this, one of the other things we all love is seeing the cops on mounted horses riding through with such control and class. I have pictures and once again will try to upload, but who knows. Maybe tomorrow if not so tired, I'll do better. Oh, how about those guys in Kilts?Talk about Norwegian plaid !