the modern middle ages

rowing in Lapland

When we are on our island in Lapland,  our rowboat is our means of transportation.

Finland, the land of the modern middle ages. We live in the midst of forests – surrounded by lakes – no neighbors to be seen or heard. Nor can they see or hear us. Isn’t that wonderful!

But still – yesterday we hear two muffled bangs coming from one of the old barns which are still standing, abandoned, in the surrounding woods. Today the school-taxi driver (they hear everything) told my wife, Marjo, that hunting neighbors were after a fox which had eaten their livestock (fowl actually – and to be more precise, their chickens). We did hear our Australian Cattle Dog barking; but he often barks away wild animals from “our” forest. Once he caught, or rather herded, a dear into our dog pen, which was open that day. But back to the old barn – it seems that the fox had fled into the barn. Our dog seemed to have been after it. The hunters saw that, since they were searching the fox, went into the barn where both men fired at the fox and terminated the unfortunate animal. But then – our two new kittens are a little safer again – until spring that is; then the bears will wake up.