Black is the New Black

I am sitting at the desk in the loft in the semi-darkness.  Just the lights are on downstairs, but it is enough light to type by.  I have the window ajar and occasionally the wind  rustles the blinds and moans through the trees.  The temperature is in the 40's....very nice, but the wind chill takes it down much lower. Rain is pit-a-patting on the surfaces of leaves outside.

Today was that amazing kind of day that never happens in Gilbert.  When the sun finally got up, it was very gray and overcast with a brisk wind.  By 11 a.m. it was glorious....a nearly cloudless sky and bright beautiful sunlight spilling down over everything.  By noon the skies began to darken dramatically and the sun disappeared for the rest of the day.  We left for the temple a little after one in the afternoon amidst gale-force winds (I don't know what that means, but it sounds good) and rain.  I took the Mary Poppins umbrella.

We spent the afternoon and evening serving in the temple.  It was truly lovely....a young man from Jutland was there for the first time, and his family filled the session.  His father has 6 brothers!  Everyone who was there glowed with happiness.The bus rides home took longer than usual because we had to wait nearly the maximum time for each one.  I normally don't mind that at all, but with that wind howling around everything, standing at the bus stop for any amount of time can be very cold.

I spoke more Danish tonight than I have in a long time.  It was fun and it was stressful.  I can absolutely see why Lia has always told me if I want to learn it I have to speak it.  Trying to speak and pronounce the words seems to help me get it in my head.

Here in the winter, black is the approved color.  Everyone wears variations of black on black on black.  I don't mind in the slightest, since black has always been the mainstay of my wardrobe......  however, it makes it almost humorous when you wear another color.  A young woman joined us at the center who has recently moved here for a 6 month internship in law.  She wore a bright red coat.  It was commented on....very kindly....but I could tell that the law student felt uncomfortable to be in red after that.

I wore a beautiful purple sweater to the temple today, and a good friend said something about it.  I think she liked the sweater.  I know she loved the color, but I get the idea she would never wear that color around here at this time of year./\  I wore a white, pale lime green and purple scarf with it.  I thought it was a great looking outfit. I still do....and I will probably wear it a lot in the coming months because I like it.  But I think to most Danes, any bright color is just out of the norm here during the winter months.  Another evening I wore a red jacket, and several people said, "Oooh you look bright tonight!"

It is not that color is not acceptable around here....it is very acceptable.  But during the time from November through March, people just wear black.   I am just an eccentric old American.

On the other hand.....It certainly makes deciding what to wear easy!