Meanwhile, back on Earth: Spring is coming to Riverview, but slowly.  This picture was also taken on May 1. As you can see, the trees are in no hurry to put on their green dress, but at least the grass has begun to grow a little.

There is no deeper meaning to this, except perhaps “believe in the coming Age of the Sun.” That is probably no great encouragement to those who live in the south and are already running their air condition.  But for us up here, it is a time of great beauty and hope. Although Norway is mostly a post-Christian country now, one of our national hymns is still popular in May. It  says, quickly translated: “These are beautiful times, when spring comes here in the North, and once again, like a miracle, new life grows from death.” Even though most Norwegians may intellectually reject the tale of the Resurrection, emotionally it still makes deep sense, especially to us who live in the countryside. For each spring is, if not a resurrection, then certainly a rebirth of the land’s life. And it strikes a deep chord in our hearts.