December 2017

Work of Art

Varmt välkommen på vernissage onsdag 20 december kl 18 på Eksjö museum. En samlingsutställning med en blandning av amatörer och professionella konstnärer. Jag har lämnat in ett verk målat på Öland i somras. Museet brukar vara bra på att hänga, en konst i sig med så många uttryck och verk. Utställningen hänger till och med 11 februari 2018.

Öppet tis-fre kl 13-17, lör-sön kl 11-15. Helgdag och dag före helgdag öppet kl 11-15 om inget annat anges. Stängt: julafton och juldagen, nyårsafton och nyårsdagen.

Welcome to the opening reception December 20 at 6 pm at Eksjö Museum. Work of Art is a group show combining works from amateurs and professionals alike. I participate with one painting, created this summer on the island of Öland. The exhibition runs through February 11, 2018.

EKSJÖ MUSEUM, Österlånggatan 31, 575 80 EKSJÖ, Telefon: 0381- 361 60, e-post: museum@eksjo.se GPS-koordinater: 57°40.170’N 14°58.251’E

Change of Plans

The Swedish Pension Board served up an ice cold shower just in time for my 65th birthday. The information they had previously sent on how they calculate the Swedish pension they now claim was inaccurate. Twenty years in Sweden will get me zero in pension. My American pensions I’ve known all along to the penny how much they will be. I thought I had that sussed out with Sweden as well. Well I did, they just pretend that their earlier answer does not apply. The long and the short of it is I won’t be building a house on Öland. The builder and I plan to sell the lot and housing plans, for some other lucky person to build on a fully prepared lot. For the time being I’ll stay in Eksjö but moving back to the USA is looking more and more like an attractive alternative. Being totally dependent on the exchange rate is iffy at best, and with no pension from here (that was restricted to payment within the EU) I’m free to pursue new paths.

The opportunities available as an artist and author would be more attractive as well. I’ve become quite fond of small town living, where nature is just around the corner. Gardening and hiking are some of my favorite pastimes. A good bookstore and library are a must and access to a swimming pool would be nice. I thought I really wanted to be near a beach, love beach walking, but water will do, as long as fresh air and nature abound. After all these years in Sweden I come equipped for every season, I’ve never before owned so many clothes and shoes for every occasion. With the reduced income I’ll be looking for more reasonably priced housing. Life is an adventure, just hang on as the tide shifts…

Ändrade planer

Ja det blev en riktig kalldusch från Pensionsmyndigheten lagom till 65-årsdagen. Tvärtom vad de tidigare gett besked om, så kommer jag inte få något för mina tjugo år i Sverige. Så det blir inget Öland. Säljaren på Anebyhus hjälper mig att sälja tomten med kompletta husplaner och bygglov på gång.