Sunday Scribblings: Smorgasbord

We were in Germany. There were no troubles on the horizon. I was working on my English degree and my husband was working for a military contractor. I wanted to see more of Europe.

My girlfriend, Patricia, had suggested going on one of those daytrips that the USO offered the military. After looking around for a good trip, I decided to take my tour with the travel agency on Ramstein Air Force Base. It was inexpensive and they promised a tour of all the great sites in Denmark. My girlfriend backed out when I told her the cost of the trip. My husband had to work. So I went on this full week alone.

So why did I want to go to Denmark? First, I didn't have the time to take three weeks to travel Norway. The Larson side of my family, my mother's side, were from Norway. I would have loved to see the fjords, the fishermen, and the scenic route along the coastline. I would have loved to see the towns that my great-great grandfather had walked. He came to America as a young boy.

Second, I did have family from Denmark. My great-great , however greats, grandmother came from Denmark. There was a story that when the King of Denmark came to the throne he was very ill. He had girl-children and of course in the 1800's the kingdom was entailed. Entailed is a legal term that meant the kingdom could only go to a son.

For the kingdom, he had sexual relationship with the housekeeper who was from a minor noble house. She became pregnant and was then married to a member of the household. If the child was a boy, he had to be legitimate to become king. Well, that child was a girl. She was cared for as any member of the household. She was the youngest child so she had a lot of access to her father. When she was sixteen, she was married to a landed nobleman. Eventually, they moved to the Americas after the death of her father.

So knowing this family tale, I wanted to see Denmark. I kissed my husband goodby then climbed into the bus going to my fairy tale land. There is not much more I can tell you. My treatment for Wegener's has broken many connections in my mind. If I think really hard, I remember the statues, the cobblestones, the boats, and the castles.

One bright memory was sitting in a booth in a famous smorgasbord in Coopenhagen. As I stood in front of a small table, I could see fish of every kind spread out before me. My companions had taken a few bites, but were not impressed. They joked about how many pounds they had lost because they could barely eat the food. Our travel guide pointed out some of the best fish. I can't remember what she called it. But, as I put the fish in my mouth, it was ambrosia. My viking was showing.

Since I have been away from Europe for five or more years, I still crave the fish. Sometimes I buy a can of oysters or sardines. Sometimes I eat a bite of fish and then a bite of green olives. I roll that tart taste in my mouth. But since then, I have not found that fish that I loved so much. She told me when she pointed out that fish from the smorgasbord table that in the olden days, it was only eaten by the king and his family.

How to get promoted in the Navy

When you plan your military career, especially in the Navy, you need to discuss and research Navy promotions before you join. While you are talking to your recruiter, ask about the Navy rates. Find out which rates have the best opportunities for promotion. A good clue to a promotable rate is enlistment bonuses. Some enlistment bonuses are only for the first enlistment. Other rates have enlistment bonuses for two or even three enlistments. The time you spend in researching this topic will be worth it.

I joined the Navy in 1988. Because of my ASVAB scores, I was given the opportunity to excel in the electronics field. In two years, I was wearing the rank of E-5. How did I get promoted so quickly?

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Sunday Scribblings: Time Machine

Two smells take me back to the 1960s: cinnamon and chocolate. My mother loved both of these smells. Her grandmother used to make a type of cinnamon candy that she could taste and smell at Christmas time.

So during Christmas our house would fill with these smells. I would sneak a bit from the candy bowl. A few years ago, when I graduated from college as a non-traditional student, my mother sent that bowl to me. In some ways, we have a connection. Both of us knew her grandfather.

Mother described him as a dour man, who worked hard in the fields. Even as a girl, when she moved back to his home after her mother's divorce, he would till the fields with two horses and a plow. Mother had made a mistake once of putting the wrong harness to the wrong horse. Each horse was used to the harness that had been fitted to them.

When mother got on up on the wagon and slapped the reins, they ran out of control. Grandfather ran after them and stopped the wagon with a whistle. He saved the horses. If they had run into a fence or even into a pole, it would have been the end of the horses and mother.

Once she was off the wagon, grandfather took a stick and gave her a whipping. If you are old enough to harness the horses, he told her. You are old enough to do it right.

He was a water-witch. Folks from miles around would come to him before they dug their wells. He would take a Y stick, hold it lightly in his hands, and it would dip where the water was the near the surface. When folks used him, they didn't have to dig as far to find fresh water.

I remember hearing the story and trying to practice with the stick. No, I was never good at it.

When I was born, he would sparkle when he held me. By the time I was born, he had several grandchildren, but for some reason he had a connection to me. When my parents left Idaho, he was devastated.

The last time I saw him, I was five years old. He was old and frail in a large bed. I heard my mother's uncles tell her that he was dying. I didn't know. I didn't understand. I sat on his bed and sang. He hugged me. When I left the room, I could hear my mother and my great-grandfather talk. It was over.

So yes, cinnamon reminds me of Christmas-- And my great-grandfather.