From hate to love (sort of)

It is no secret that I used to hate geese. I once lived close to a big green area in the outskirts of Copenhagen and every morning I had to pass by massive flocks of super aggressive Canadian geese. It got to the point that when I pushed the kids around in their pram I would intentionally pretend to run them over, just to see them waddle-escape while hissing. Not to mention how much fun it is to step in a goosepoop as they usually look like something coming out of a doberman and not a bird!

And then we moved to Michigan..........

Where they winters are long, and grey, and cold - much longer, and grey'er and colder than we have ever tried before. And in February when you have given up every hope that spring will ever happen and that you are destined to live in a Narnia world with eternal winter....... then the sky fills with honks. They come in large noisy flocks and the battle for nesting places begin. There is a pair by the school bus that just loves to walk out on the road an honk at the cars. Others sit on the rooftops and honk their hearts out - especially if they have not found a mate. And the battle begins at work, where we have a courtyard that is to geese what downtown Detroit is to hipsters! They all want in - and they are ready to fight for it.

Geese are still not exactly my favorite animal, but now they represent to me that spring is near. Hail Geese!

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A spring tradition

It is absolutely no secret that winter is not my favorite time of year. And by the time we reach the end of February I am close to desperate for sunshine and greens and chirping birds and iced coffees. The farmers almanac predicted frigid cold and it's usually right about 85% of the time. But this year we are having the 15% weather with a very mild February so far culminating with sunshine and 16C today. Nice!

Anyways, to wait for spring a little bit more patiently I usually go out and cut down some trees - well not the whole tree, but just those parts that fit in a vase. Today Luca went with me. But not until he after he made crepes! Luca in the kitchen all by himself for the first time ever. The kitchen is still standing and the crepes were really good

Then we went outside armed with sturdy scissors:

And played with the hopefully very last snow this winter - albeit I doubt it knowing how crazy the weather usually behaves:

And here are our 15 different kinds of cut-offs. It's always a pleasure to see them start blooming in all different kinds of colours and flowers. Let the wait begin

Mile after mile after mile after mile after.......... and February life

When you move from a small country like Denmark to a big country like the US, there is just a LOT more time spent in the car. And yesterday was absolutely crazy for Kristian. He ended up driving a total of 160 miles (about 250km) just to get to work, drop Luca off at an overnight birthday, and pick up Teresa from a party. No wonder he is constantly fantasizing about getting a replacement for our noisy dinosaur of a minivan. Here it is by the way (or at least the side of it, with an excited dog waiting to board):

It is one of our goals this year to get a second, newer, smaller, and less gasoline gulping car that would allow for a little bit more flexibility overall.

Otherwise there has been a magical shift from leaving January and entering February. When we woke up February 1'st after a month of endless clouds and grayness the sun was shining from a bright blue sky. It is colder though, but somehow life is just easier to handle in general, when there is a bit of sunshine involved. Here's a sunrise on my way to work, that proofs that there is actually sky behind the clouds:

I have been running some studies this week that has required me to stay at work late and go down to the animal housing several times during the evening (mice eat at night red.). Those hallways in the basement (dungeons) of the university seems endless. I did a timelapse video of them at about 9PM, when I was incredibly bored and tired. Enjoy here. I partly did this video as a service to myself should I ever start missing these hallways (as if.......!)

Sadly enough I have also reached the point in my development as a neuroscientist, that I begin to see rodent brain slices everywhere. Check out the similarity between Luca's breakfast and a mouse hindbrain. Kind of eerie right?

Well, Mount Doom of laundry is calling for me. Over and out for this time. Have a wonderful weekend out there