Yrsa Sigurðardóttir --Icelandic Mystery Writer

The murder rate in Iceland is 20 times lower than the world average, which works out to be .3 murders per 100,000 people.  To put it another way, there were 25 murders in Iceland between 2000 and 2012. 

This has not stopped Iceland from producing some excellent mystery writers.  Recently, I read two books by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir.  Someone to Watch Over Me and Day is Dark  feature her leading character Thora Gudmundsdottir, a lawyer.    Her books feature suspense, twisty plots, interesting characters, sly humor, and a touch of the supernatural, as one would expect in the land of trolls and ice.

The reader also gains insight into daily Icelandic life such as the devastation of personal finances caused by the failure of Icelandic banks resulting in Thora's parents having to move in with her, her children, and boyfriend Matthew from Germany. The constant fight to maintain dry, warm feet when dealing with the winter snows.  Or Iceland's unique cuisine as indicated by this passage:

"Mathew had managed to adapt to many aspects of Icelandic society, but taking cod liver oil was the exception.  Thora allowed him to skip it--he had enough to put with from her friends, who had all come up with the same idea when Matthey and Thora were invited to dinner or a party: to ply him with cured shark and brennivin."

My view of Iceland is so influenced by owning an Icelandic horse.  I assumed all Icelanders were avid riders and most owned horses.  I have read two books by Sigurðardóttir and no horses have turned up--cats, dogs, but no horses.

"Jack Spriggins, Villain" published in Bewildering Stories

In addition to blogging about my Icelandic horse Blessi, I write fiction and non-fiction articles for various publications.  E-magazine Bewildering Stories just published my fractured fairy tale "Jack Spriggins, Villain."  This exposé documents what really happened to the Geants of Cornwall and the impact of Brexit on this minority group. 

http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue798/jack_spriggins.html 

You can check my other blog Pamela Nolf--Writing to A Muse for additional links to my work. 
https://pamelanolfwriting.blogspot.com/

Joy of Play among Icelandics...and a Draft?

Here's a wonderful little video of young Icelandic colts and a Draft youngster playing.  Mass chaos ensues.

Free on-line books from Metropolitan Museum of Art

If dismal hibernal weather is causing you to be housebound, you can check out the Metropolitan Museum of Art Web site for more than on-line shopping. The Met has made hundreds of their out-of-print books available on-line for both reading and downloading. Besides books on ceramics, armor, paintings, costume, and sculpture, you can check out such titles as:

- Ancient Egyptian Representations of Turtles

- Cochinreal Red: The Art History of a Color

- Andean Four Cornered Hats

- Li Kiung-lino Classics of Filial Piety

Some of the books feature horses. One of my favorites is "Man and the Horse: An Illustrated History of Equestrian Apparel. " It includes interesting information about ambling horses, and how to interpret what it means when the artist chose to depict a rider on a trotting horse versus an ambling horse.

Here is a link:

https://books.google.com/books?id=9nXWVLsdNp4C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

Let It Snow Star Trek Style

This is laugh out loud if you are a Star Trek fan.

Soapstone as Viking Cookware

Norse used pots carved from soapstone or steatite, which is mostly made of the mineral talc.  The stone is very soft and easily carved.  Many cultures used this stone for carving and cookware.   "In the Viking Age, however, the use of soapstone for pots and vessels virtually exploded and almost completely expelled the former pottery tradition [from Norway] to Denmark/Germany and possibly Iceland."

I have always wanted a soapstone cookpot because of its lovely look and cooking advantages such as heat retention.  It is delicate if exposed to sudden changes in temperature.  When I found a soapstone pot at a thrift store, I purchased it immediately.  Iron skillets are "seasoned"  but soapstone pots are "cured."  Uncured soapstone is a nondescript grey.  There are many ways to cure the pot.  I used the method of applying cooking oil (olive oil is what I selected) and placing the pot in a heated oven for gradually increasing amounts of time.  As you can see above, the stone turned a beautiful shades of dark gray with shiny flecks and streaks.  I can't wait till my next Society for Creative Anachronism encampment to show off my historically accurate pot.










Here is a link to an article on the Norse use of soapstone for cooking utensils. 
https://perstoremyr.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/2002_storemyr_heldal_soapstonehistorynorway.pdf

Europa Regina and Iceland as Old Maps

Old maps can be such fascinating views not only into geographic features but as to how cultures view their world. The first map is Europa Regina first envisioned in the 1500s that shows Europe in the shape of a queen. This individual map circa 1530 AD was made for Holy Roman Emperor Charles V showing his claim to rule Europe with Iberia as the crown of his kingdom and Bohemia as its heart. Per Wikipedia, "The most obvious connections to the Holy Roman Emperor are the Carolingian crown and the imperial insignia - sceptre and orb. Another connection to Charles V is the gown, which resembles the contemporary dress code at the Habsburg court, and the face of the queen, which some say resembles Charles V's wife Isabella. As in contemporary portraits of couples, Europa regina has her head turned to her right and also holds the orb with her right hand, which has been interpreted as facing and offering power to her imaginary husband, the emperor."

The second map shows the 16th century view of of Iceland, surrounded by monsters of the deep.

Blessi as Laurel and Hardy Ladder Scene

Once upon a beautiful, sunny day in the Pacific Northwest. I spent most of the afternoon with Blessi. The pastures are very muddy so, being a smart horse, he doesn't run much on the slick surface. I took Blessi to the arena and let him run. As I was talking to a fellow boarder, I noticed that he seemed to be fixed on something near the viewing platform. I didn't think anything about it until I noticed that he had been doing something in that area for five minutes. Hum, maybe I should check this out..perhaps he has found a cup to play with and with his habit of flinging things I don't want to pay to replace any more drinking cups.

So I walked over and it was worse. The speakers to a stereo system had been mounted at just his height. He was running his nose over the surfaces looking for buttons to flip or pull. (Luckily speakers don't have knobs.) Blessi once removed all the magnets and markers off a stable bulletin board so he will "investigate" new items for amusement potential.

I diverted him and started to pull the trot poles out of the corner. I almost had to tie him to a post since he was so insistent that he was going to help. First, I put a pole down on the ground and he would nudge it with his nose to move it about. Then he started walking with me to retrieve the poles. I had to divert him again since the poles are heavy and awkward and he was trying to grab them. I just envisioned the two of us in a Laurel and Hardy ladder scene. The poles were stacked against the wall as shown in this scene.

Boots for Fuller Calves

For those of us with short, thick Icelandic horse style legs, here is a boot that I found that fits well and
still looks stylish. This Ariat Heritage has the same riding sole/heel as their paddock boots but it is much easier to get on than the tall English riding boots.

The boot decoration is a left over piece of a belt that I originally disassembled to make a period bridle for Blessi. Blingy jewelry that is perhaps too tacky to wear as personal jewelry makes great boot enhancements.

Notice the nice soft shine on the boot. While learning to make period bridles, I picked up the tip of using wax to buff a shine onto a boot. I used a cheap, white wax candle to rub a thick coat on the boot. I then took a soft rag to rub off the excess wax. This methods adds shine and a bit of waterproofing.

Female Elk Learn to Avoid Hunters

I am always fascinated by articles on how animals learn. Researchers have found that female elk develop more successful hunter avoidance strategies as they age. After age 10, the females are almost invulnerable. Bulls rarely make it past 5, whereas cows can live up to age 20.

"A team of scientists wanted to know: What makes senior cows so survival-savvy? Is it because these elk are more cautious by nature, which made them better at evading hunters all along? Or is it nurture, and cows can learn to dodge hunters over their lifetime, even if they start out more daring? It seems both factors are at play,..."

One observed strategy is that they will take to rough terrain when pursued by bow hunters. One researcher suspects that male elk could learn also but the males tend to be more heavily targeted by hunters both for trophy reasons and hunting regulations.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/15/science/female-elk-hunters.html?module=WatchingPortal&region=c-column-middle-span-region&pgType=Homepage&action=click&mediaId=thumb_square&state=standard&contentPlacement=5&version=internal&contentCollection=www.nytimes.com&contentId=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2017%2F06%2F15%2Fscience%2Ffemale-elk-hunters.html&eventName=Watching-article-click&_r=0

Blessing of the Icelandic Horses in Slovenia

Here's some riders in Slovenia riding their Icelandic horses to church for the annual blessing of the horses.

Icelandic Horses in Times Square

Icelandic horses help promote the Born to Explore Iceland episode at ABC in Times Square. 

Riding Icelandic Horses at the Turn of the Millenium

At the turn of the millennium, here are families in Iceland taking a ride to celebrate the event. This does speak to the hardiness and willingness of the Icelandic horse.