Jane & Gail Watt
Norrbyggeby PL 1429
SE-762 96 Rånäs, Sweden
Tel: +46 175 65 155
Fax: +46 175 65 150
E-mail: gail.watt@swipnet.se or
jane.watt@swipnet.se
www.kista.com/gail/personal/

December 1999

Happy Holidays to all "here & there" from "Wattsbo" in Norrbyggeby via Delaware!

We will spend our Christmas holidays and the exciting millenium change in Delaware with Kajsa & Rich. Last Christmas was our first in the new country home.

We had lots of visitors during the year to "Wattsbo". Many friends, relatives, and colleagues here in the Stockholm area, of course, curious about our "place in the country". We invited in all the neighbors in our village – about 35 people – for our Swedish tradition at the end of April – Valborg – when we burn all the garden clean-up from the winter, sing special songs etc. Kajsa was over for a surprise visit in May , Mike & Monica with their ‘little prince’ from Georgia, and Edwina Anderson-Moldover, a life-long very good Warren friend of ours. Mormor Karin – now 90 years young - was here for a Swedish mid-summer celebration along with her youngest sister, Iris. The highlight was the summer visit of Gail’s mother Cora – for her 85th birthday -- and his brother Tom and sister-in-law Mary Lou. Was really great to have them here for about 3 weeks so we could do together lots of "touristy" and not so "touristy" things. Got Tom to do a lot of wood chopping, fixing fly-traps, and helping Jane with her tomato plants. Tom was, of course, filled with stories about his green house. So right after they left, Gail went out a "got a deal" on a 150 sq ft green house for Jane. That’s right, the green house is Jane’s. Gail just builds - and eats the harvest, he hopes!

We finished Kajsa and Rich’s cottage renovation with a new electrical system, wallpaper etc in time for Tom and Mary Lou to be the first guests. In addition, we got a lot of tree trimming and thinning done, the turkey house renovated as well as lot of other tasks done here and there around Wattsbo.

Our Kajsa # 2 from Minnesota almost made it for a visit from her studies in Spain, but the airlines just wouldn’t cooperate. We really are awaiting her parents, Gay & Dan, to visit us soon. We had so much fun together last time they were here. Hanny and Gosse from the Netherlands almost came, but had to postpone. Perhaps this next Fall. And we’re still waiting to trade Swedish moose steak for Colorado buffalo steak and/or fresh lobster from Maine.

We were in the United Arab Emirates for two weeks in March visiting Åsa and Sten. Looks like Sten can be there for a couple more years, so there may be another visit to that very interesting country. When Åsa and Sten were home, we went to look at the farm in Östergötland they were considering buying and finally did.

This year was also our first turkey year. Bought 4 chicks (is that what baby turkeys are called?) at the end of June. They ate and ate, walked in the green grass every day, sat with Jane while she had her morning coffee on the patio, and, all in all, were so sociable. When they went into our freezer in late October, early November they weighed over 80 lbs. Needless to say they were delicious….much better than you can buy in the store. But it was a little difficult for Gail to do the thing with the axe. Anyone have a suggestion for a friendlier way to get turkeys into the freezer?

And oh yes, Jane and I even worked at regular jobs this year, Jane about 75% time with Team Andi, schooling in new personnel and being a personal assistant and Gail at the Kista Borough IT department in the City of Stockholm. But these days, as you may have gathered, it doesn’t seem to be "career" that is the most interesting for us.

We wish you all the best in the new millenium, and a Happy Holiday season.

Jane & Gail