Forest

I have something very special to tell you. The past few weeks have been very special, exciting and needed quite a lot of my attention and time. Finally it is official. Me and Him have bought forest. (And no, we are not divorced. We just never wear our wedding rings in daily free time life, because we do so many things with our hands that it is just on its way. 💞)

I am Sámi. I learnt so many things about the forest from my Sámi grandpa. One thing I learnt was that despite you actually and truly can never own the land, in this modern society you must own it legally and literally on the papers in the official way so that you can call it yours, even it would have been your family's eternal place of living and carry out your Sámi culture with ancient rules and manners of your people. 

To me, despite I officially own the forest now, I don't consider it in that way. To me, as a Forest Sámi it is more like a relationship, like I have with Him, I have one now with The Forest. It is a relationship, a partnership, in which we both take good care of each others. 

It is a very special place. It is 50 hectares of nature reserve area. The last trees that were cut there was over 50 years ago. And only a few for a roof of a house. There has never been done forest work by a tractor or any bigger machine. Only by horses. It has old forest but also rocky places and swamps that are mostly hiding under the snow at this time of the year.

I love this picture. I fell down for about millions of times until I got up to this small uphill. The earth is so variable and snow soft, and I had problems with my grandpa's old ski bindings (they had finally got too loose). In this picture you can see you can never, at the end, to control or rule the wild nature. I had no other option than just try on again and again, rest and keep on trying. Because I simply could not stay because there was just me, the frost and the forest. It is a piece of a wild arctic nature in a special place. It doesn't include hiking trails or trekking routes. Not even small paths made by or for humans to wander around. 

In the future you will hear more about The Forest!

OctoberWeekend

This October weekend I have been quite busy. I have been doing traditional Sámi craft which results you will see later. This is a fur of a wild mink my father-in-law caught and made ready for the use.

I've also designed a new tablet weave band and made the warp for it already. It is going to be something special for my father-in-law. Don't tell him! It's a gift.

It has been dry an beautiful so we went to the sea shore to collect some sea grass. The autumn has been warm and we have not got the 1st snow yet despite it already is October. 

He needs sea grass to refill His decoys. He hunts black grouses by decoys. What is that? We'll, in decoy hunting you set up stuffed fake black grouses on the top of the trees. The real ones think "oh, there's a great place to eat" so they come to land on those trees. And that's how you get them caught for the food. But He needs to fix the black grouse decoys a bit because last season He faced a demolish. A white-tailed eagle also thought they were real and attacked at the decoys. The white-tailed eagle was quite confused and did everything it could to get the decoys but at the end it needed to give up and fly to find real food.

We are drying the sea grass on our bathroom floor by the stove. It works well. Soon He can finish fixing the decoys.

From this you can be sure the climate change is here and true. This sun flower blooms with few fellows in my arctic garden. The remarkable thing is that it is spontaneous and not planted. It is nearby our bird feeding place where we feed birds over the winter season. But it is a shadowy place and we have been feeding birds there for ages! Never before we have got any "wild" sun flower as a result even tough I know it can happen.

Despite I saw today almost full white hare (yes, they change the color of the fur coat for the winter to be safe from the predators) the frost has not arrived. We have protected our apple trees by the nets to keep hares and Roe Deer away. This may seem funny to you, but this really is necessary. Just image 1 meter high snow cover. Our apple trees don't grow much higher than a man. When there's deep snow cover on the ground the trees are partly buried in. If you protect only the stem, someone will eat the rest.

He has set my new old wooden rowing boat ready for the winter. He bought it for me from our neighbor who doesn't need it anymore. It is designed for the rivers, not the seas. I need to think where I will take it to inland because we live by the sea shore. You can notice there is a construction going in the garden which we were not able to keep on this summer because of Poor Pii. About the construction project you will hear next summer because we really can't start it now when the winter is arriving to cover the earth by the snow.

While I was looking after Poor Pii He fixed His boat but also built our new wood shed for our fire wood. Believe or not but He carried each timber over His shoulder from the street to the end of the garden (25 m) because we didn't want to damage our plants and tress because of the project. That's why He also dig the soil by tiny gardening shovel at some point because we didn't want to damage the roots of the huge old spruce that grows behind the new wood shed. The shed is built in the terms of the garden. That's why He also lift the timbers by his own hands one by one over each other all the way to the top. To avoid the damages to the trees we could not use any machinery/vehicle for the project. We are happy with the result, despite the shed looks like a brand new it also looks it has been there for the ages like the nature had already grown around it. But we just built it into the nature.  This season we don't have the time to built the stairs for the shed so this temporary solution will do just fine over the coming winter.

This weekend I have also been at the friend's farm to help with the wool and sheep. We have been sorting out the wool and kept on learning shearing the sheep. Also, meeting other old friends and making new friends. It really was empowering occasion.

Actually, my friend Elina has started a small business to run a farm holidays. You can take a look and book yourself in if interested at Farm of Old Leinonen. I've been there before and showed you around. And for sure I'll be back to gather with friends at Elina's sheep farm.

AutmnColors

Earlier this month I dyed by Natural Indigo these 700g of our own snag grey AAW yarn (50% our own ethic produced arctic angora wool, 40% ethic produced FinnSheep wool, 10% nylon)  (100g = 238m). Today I brought them to my mother-in-law. She wants to knit me a long wool dress. I can't wait it to be ready!

Today we took Nuka...

...and Pii for a break out walk from hunting.

We went for a walk around the bay.

It is very beautiful out there!

This week I also received a souvenir from the woods. He brought me an abandoned wasp nest which He had noticed while hunting for the food for us.

GreySeals

Last week we had some special moments spotting Grey Seals just 1 km far away from home. Usually they don't come this close. Now we had south winds before the river floods broke the ice and pushed the ice floats away. That's why the south winds were able to push the remaining ice floats to the Gulf of Bothnia's north shores where the ice had already started to melt.

(C) Esa Sillanpää

We admired the seal pups which are surprisingly fast on the ice at this time of the year. Notice, the dogs must be in leash in Finland! No exceptions allowed on spring time! Not even for well behaving Go. In practical, many wild animals have their price. It you dear dog happens to kill one, you pay. For example a sparrow costs you 30€. And it is "just a small bird". These laws & rules are made to protect the nature. 

(C) Esa Sillanpää

The seals were just 500 meters far away from us. We used binoculars to see them. Even we had been able to walk closer we didn't. It is not ok. You should not disturb the nature life. That's why you can't see better pics of the seals in my blog. My father-in-law provided these pics to be published for you. His camera has better photographic objectives than mine. 

(C) Esa Sillanpää

We spotted 44-46 grey seals on different days. My father-in-law has always lived in this village. He was born 1950 and says the seals has never been this close to the shore. I guess it is because of the the impacts of the climate change and the poor ice situations during the last winter. 

(C) Esa Sillanpää

Neither have the commercial ice breaker tours stopped this close to our shore. Last winter they did. My father-in-law- spotted them when going by on his kick sled.

(C) Esa Sillanpää

Ice breaker tours are not very environmental friendly. The ships pollute quite a lot and this is just for the fun. You do can experience the ice in many other ways too and most of them pollute the fragile arctic nature so much less than these ice breaker tours. The ships also disturb the grey seals even they would not go close. The ship movement moves the water and ice quite far from the ship -not only close to it- , that makes the ice to be unstable and break even it is not the time yet, it shakes the ice and makes the seals feel unsecured so they need to escape.

DearDeer

Today is a very special day, but sad. It is a day we need to give up something very special and important to us. It is something we have had in joy and sorrow, success and fail, health and sickness, life and death... It is something that has walked with us and supported us, been there for us and doing everything for us. Today is the day we need to say thank you and good bye with a great gratitude. From now on the things will never be the same in this community of little villages.

This place where I live is a community of few small villages leaning to each others side. We have seen bakeries, banks, bars, bike shop, catering, church, community college, clothes shop, dentist, fabric shop, fast food, gas station, groceries, hard ware shop, kiosks, paper factory and restaurant closing their doors. 

We still have few hairdressing salons and masseurs and one car repair shop. But from now on we don't have our tiny little pharmacy anymore. It has located -for decades- by the bay of Gulf of Bothnia where the cycle of the year has created a great scene on surrounding world. The snow storms, fogs, warm summer winds not to mention creepy cold winter days have not stop locals to go. No matter the weather the ladies at the pharmacy have provided the shelter against sun, wind, storms and cold or what ever it was. It has been like a light house on this arctic shore. 

Even if the authorities would some day give the permit to re-open the pharmacy, it will never be the same, because the spirit is gone forever. The reason for the closing up is actually the fact of it that today the pressure of the pharmacies to make huge profit is great and the action of running a pharmacy is strict controlled. Today we loose one more piece of special spirit of rural Finland and its communities. This happens all around Finland. Has happen slowly over the decades. The villages dye.

For these thank you cards I have used recycled deer figures from an old wall calendar, labels from a card kit and a very special wrinkled silver paper which was given to me by a very special friend from the big world. I love the silver paper behind the deer, it is like the air over the sea on a foggy day or in the snow storm. Why deer? We have deer around the village and woods. It stands for us all: the ladies and the villagers, me & Him and our children and grandchild. 

***

Thank you! Good bye! We all love you both!

Wishing you both all the best for the future!

❤❤

Heikki'sDay

Today is the 19.1. More official and connected to the cultural context it is called "heikinpäivä" or more correct "Heikki's day". That means it is the name day of every person named "Heikki" in Finland. They celebrate it a bit, at least feel joy of their names. Perhaps receiving Happy Heikki's Day wishes. Every day is someones' name day according to Finnish and several other calendars. The names vary according to the calendars. Some stay the same, some change. 

Why you see AI pictures made by Copilot in this blog post where AI has never been used before? Have I changed my mind about these things and will I include AI in this blog in the future. No, no, nonononono...

In autumn term 2024 I was in AI education for craft and art teachers. It is the topic of the day and I learnt to use it. But it is not what I am going to use. I am seriously considering and tested it when needing help to translate the craft instructions only.

But AI is here today because I wanted to show and tell you something earlier this month.

In the arctic nature many animals hibernate. The bear is one of them. The bear is also the king of the forest and one of our gods. When the bear goes to hibernate it curls up in the nest it has made to sleep on its one side over the arctic winter. During the winter female bears give birth to the cups, usually she has two cups. There, in the sleep, she breast feeds the cups who sleep with her and start to grow. 

January is the heart month of the winter. The heart locates always in the middle of everything. January locates in the middle of the winter. Something special happens on the 19th of January. It happens there where a human eye can't see it. It is hidden from us all but it happens even tough we can't see it now but will notice it later on. According to the traditional believes on the 19th of January the hibernating bear wakes just a little bit, in the middle of the sleep, only to notice it is still winter. The bear turns from one side to the other and continues the hibernation. 

Because the bear is the king and god, the movements of the body are so big and powerful, that the turn from one side to the other breaks the neck of the winter and we all have reached the actual point of the midwinter moment. From now on, because the bear has turn the side, only the rest half of the winter is left. 

I tried to ask Copilot to create a picture of this traditional saga to you but it really doesn't understand at all the cultural context and gets a bit mixed up and confused. I could play with Copilot much longer but decided not to because it is a huge waste of electricity and nature resources when you crate a picture by AI. 

Instead you learn the story here as written. 💕Which is of course more fun and follows better the traditional way of transferring the sagas from a person to another and between the generations.

It is easy to understand that this time of the year has included (and still does) important information for people living the traditional lifestyle and surviving in the arctic. At this time of the year the humans should have ate only 1/3 of their winter food storage. It means 2/3 should be left. The cattle and other domestic animals should have at least ½ left of the winter food storage. It is because there still will be many months until the domestic animals and cattle can be set free to find its own food. And it will take even longer until the humans can be able to harvest anything. Just few days ago I checked out my winter food storage and it seems to be OK.

Happy Heikki's Day!

Webcaps

If you open a book of mushroom it always says on the front page:

1. First learn to recognize the poisonous mushrooms 
2. Eat only the mushrooms you recognize

Well, I am still on the part one so I don't eat the mushrooms I pick up. 😅 But that is why it is safe to go to pick up mushrooms with me. If I don't identify it, it might be eatable. If I do, you should not eat it in any case. 

On the pic above you can see two different mushrooms for natural dyes. On the left there are Surprise Webcaps (Cortinarius semisanguineus) and on the right Bloodred Webcaps (Cortinarius sanguineus).

Both Webcaps give red shade but Bloodred more. Bloodred Webcaps grow also in Lapland but not so rich. It is much easier to find Surprise Webcaps. This year I have a trial going on so I freeze all the Surprise Webcaps to see if it is possible to storage them in that way and still get usable colors in dyeing process. Usually the instruction is to use them immediately or dry for the further use. It is easier for me to freeze them so I try that out for Surprise Webcaps. The Bloodred Webcaps I dry. There are fewer of them so it is easier for me.

LongLand

We spent past 4 days in Turku. It is amazing how long country Finland is. We traveled from frozen sea to blooming cherry trees!

Turku was European Capital of Culture in 2011. To make something permanent they plant 222 cherry trees, different pieces so the blooming season lasts longer around the city. I have never seen so many, not to mention so big blooming cherry trees despite I know they get much bigger aboard when being older. I do have few tiny cherry trees in my garden but they are nothing compared to this. 

Today when we arrived home the sea is still frozen up here. My garden has made a great progress and it is now almost 100 % snow free zone.

Past two nights all around the world they've seen Aurora Borealis even there where they usually don't appear. I am happy so many of you -hopefully- were able to enjoy about them. Here you can read my traditional story of Aurora Borealis / Northern Lights: The Fires of Fox.

In 2023-2024 it has been unusual long snow season. It is because of the climate change. When the Gulf Stream begins to weaken it doesn't warm us so much anymore and we get colder over colder seasons and hotter over the warmer seasons. I can cope with the cold but am such a cry baby when it is warmer than +24C.

The trees never grow straight by the sea shore where it is always windy.💚

Frozen

It is 8.5.2024 and the sea Gulf of Bothnia is still frozen. Today the morning temperature is -5C. The day light time is today 18 hours and 13 minutes. The sun rises at 4:12 am and sets at 10:25pm. We are travelling to MidSummer.

The ice is getting so weak that none should go there anymore. But the ice doesn't go away yet. The world is not ready and us people need to be patient. We can't rule the nature.

Sometimes people ask me how come I can be so calm and patient when something stressful happens or nothing happens at all even it should. I always try to explain. This is the reason. When your roots -the genetic code- is buried so deep into this arctic area the ones who can't wait, be calm  and patient have died and not been able to share their genetic code forward in the path of evolution. They have made fatal mistakes or the nature has tame their character. 

At the stream side of the bay is the boat harbor. The stream is so strong that despite of long hard frost periods last winter it didn't get frozen. That's why the harbor is open already despite the sea is not. The stream runs at the back ground of the pic. It is mainly a dangerous "under surface" stream where Näkki and Iku-Turso hide. They are sprites of the waters and have taken many lives also in this stream. That's why we need to wait. No going on ice anymore otherwise they pull you through and provide eternal underwater life. Waiting is quite difficult for modern people. To learn to wait is a good practice also for your mental health. That is what the nature teaches us.

SpringTrip

Yesterday we made the first cycling adventure for this spring. We biked 24 km. The final target was this small fishing harbor nearby. Immediately when I saw it I knew I need to make a pic of it for you. It was 27.4.2024 and +3 C. My sea Gulf of Bothnia is still frozen.

I still have my old bike which is not buried in snow anymore. Also this spring he dig it up, like many springs before. Last summer I had it serviced and fixed. Its basket really grew moss and lichen when I took it to service and was a bit upset when it was return without. They had washed away the whole small ecosystem of my bike! My red bike was customized for me by a professional bike seller so it has been perfect mostly because of that. None has similar. But, it is actually 27 years old. It still works well and is perfect for me. Past few years I have been seeking a new bike for me because at the end it is 27 years old and I fear it might get broken forever some day in the future. 

Finding a bike for a small adult person like me is not easy when you cycle in extreme climate and off roads. I have already been in few shops where they professionally sell bikes but now I visited Keinänen for the first time ever despite it has been there for years, since 1978. I can tell this was not the last time I was there. 

I have been looking for a new bike for few years but have not bought because I never found a good match for me. They never understood my needs until now. I was serviced by a young man. I had something in my mind and went to see if they had it because it is a very big shop in my perspective. They had the bike but when he heard my needs he said I do can buy that bike but he recommends me something else. It is more expensive but better for my needs. He told the one I was interested in is actually designed for city purposes and because of comfortable cycling I should consider a trekking bike. I claim they are too big for me but he said he has one small & low adult trekking bike in the shop. So, we took a look at it. Yep, only one, but I don't need more.

Here it is! It is Haibike Trekking 4 low & size small. It is not red (like I secretly dreamed) but it has a red lock so I see it in dark and find easily if I drop it in the woods (or snow). It is eBike and never before cycling in uphills with him (behind him and trying to catch him) has felt this easy. It is perfect size for a small adult like me despite it has 27,5" wheels. The frame itself is designed for short persons. For little people like me I recommend not to fasten anything in the frame except the lock like it is fastened for me. Otherwise and for other purposes use the back of the bike to fasten and carry things. Otherwise it makes it again more difficult to get on and off. I never dared to order a bike online because as a small person I need to test it before buying. If you are my size (159 cm) and need a bike for your adventures Haibike Trekking 4 low and size S is perfect for yours size (or anything else you find to match its measures). Yesterday I mostly used asphalt roads in +3C weather and it worked just fine. I cycled 24 km and the journey hardly impact on the battery. 

I don't get any financial (material or immaterial) benefit for advertising this (or anything else). Only the joy of sharing this with you and the ones who have similar problem than I did: hard to find a bike for a small person for challenging use. This is actually job bike so my employer charges every moth a small amount of money from my paycheck until it is paid. Before that it is a leasing bike, not actually my own. I save the taxes and interest compared to it if I had to take a loan to buy it. I recommend a job bike for everyone who has a change to grab on that benefit. Cycling is a good way to get familiar with surrounding area and nature, it is a good exercise also for overweight person or the ones with arthritis etc. Also, it makes good to your mental health. 

Remember to wear a helmet every time when cycling! 

SpringIndeed

When you look outside you see the spring. This year it is more snowy that in past years. The climate change means more rain and the rain means it falls down as snow around here.

You can see and hear the signs of the spring everywhere. We still keep our eyes on birds and feeding. There are days it is better still provide the feeding. They are already working hard in my garden but we still help them to survive over the snowy season.

Some days there is snow free areas and some days not. This path leads to our bird feeding station. For the next week they have forecast rain. This week it arrived as snow. If it arrives as water it  makes the snow melt faster.

The waters are still frozen: sea, bays, rivers, lakes... Only the stream and rapid places are open now. But it is enough for the swans, ducks and geese to eat and stay, not to fly back to south.

The quality of this zoomed smart phone pic is not so good but hope you can spot out a bit of blood and two pike heads. An otter has caught some spring time pikes for lunch.

Also, some warm shores of the bay seem to be exposed for the sun-sun-sun! Today the daylight time is 16 hours 36 minutes and keeps on increasing until MidSummer.

The spring means also school end season at work. 

It means also visits. Kirke and Kusmi have turn out such a good voyagers that even a taxi driver got worried and asked if they are still alive because they were so quiet and well behaving. Usually they travel in a bus instead of a taxi. They can use even a portable litter box so it is just fine to make a 12 hour long journey with them. 

The cats and dogs get along very well. The dogs, especially Nuka who is already 9 years, loves to watch them like a TV. There's always something going on! 😄

This spring means also a voyage for me. At work we were accepted in Erasmus+ accreditation so it has become a time to renew my ID-card. I am leaving the town... not quite yet but soon. Flights are already booked.