Yesterday, I was re-introduced to three of my core beliefs -
1)  The ONLY things I have any control over in life are my actions and my behavior.
2)  Change is the only constant.
3)  Men plan, God laughs.
I can't wait to see what lessons are in store for me today!

As I try to describe the view from my window, words fail me. My photo, however, says it all - forrested mountains, the sea and the sky (which can be any of the 64 colors in a box of crayolas). Instead of  visiting a zoo, seals, porpoises, eagles and sea otters (just to name a few) visit me on a daily basis. Living above the arctic circle isn't for everyone, but with 24 hours of sunlight in the summer to breathe in the beauty and commune with nature, it suits this grateful gal just fine! The only challenge is tearing myself away from the view to get anything done... 

I am grateful to say it is the environment I am surrounded by where I now live. Blessed to be raised in a forrested suburb in the rolling hills of Kentucky, then to experience 10 years in a small oasis town on the coast of Florida, I find I have the best of all worlds right where I am - 12 minutes outside of the 5th largest city in Norway.  I have forrested mountains all around me, a path down to the beach where I can watch seals, otters and porpoises play, a stream running down to the fjord where foxes, birds and bunnies congregate and a view from my window that makes it impossible to get any housework done! The photo you see (which is not enhanced in any way) was taken from my dining room window - how fortunate am I? Being above the arctic circle, I also have the opportunity to experience the midnight sun in summer (sunglasses required long after midnight!) and the ethereal northern lights and worlds best stargazing in the winter.

What this says about me, I suppose, is that I had a dream to live in a National Geographic video. Gratefully, this dream has come true!
Namaste,
Bev

Norway is getting even greener, something that I am happily involved in.  We now have a color coded trash system here, with the different colored bags provided free by the government  - a yellow bag for newspapers, sales flyers, typing paper and magazines, red for milk and juice cartons and all other cardboard or pressed paper boxes, blue for all plastic items and green for all food waste (since there are very few garbage disposals in Norway).  That leaves a very small percentage of other miscellaneous waste being thrown away.  In addition, there are special dumpsters located all over town where we take all of our glass and metal waste and there are even special containers set up outside many malls and businesses for people to bring their special waste - old mobile phones, pcs and other electrical or dangerous waste products.
 
There is also a large deposit (from 25 to 50 cents) charged on all beverage containers  - cans, plastic and glass botles, and a automat in every grocery store where these can be returned for money back, something the majority of norwegians take advantage of.  While it takes longer and requires more space to keep everything sorted (and I never had to wash ALL my garbage before tossing it in the US), it is a small inconvenience for so great a reward!

Lastly, my car has been parked in the garage for so long that, when I finally decided to use it instead of the bus for a large stock-up on groceries, the battery was dead.  And you know what? Even though it was a bit challenging, I managed the bus ride and 1km walk home from the bus stop just fine (and I got a great upper body work out in the process)!  I'm actually considering selling my car now... 

GREEN IS GREAT, and every effort made is a step in the right direction!