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Crime in suburbia

From The Landmark (subscription required):

Holden

Monday, June 29

1:21 a.m. 911 Suspicious pickup truck in driveway on South Rd.
2:04 a.m. Suspicious motor vehicle in light department parking lot
8:45 a.m. 911 Uncontrollable teen on Wachusett St.
9:59 a.m. Loud explosion heard on Duxbury Dr., then on Quinapoxet/Windy Ridge. Light Dept. aware
11:06 a.m. Assessors will be going around town this week
12:05 p.m. Suspicious people selling magazines or books on Avery Heights Dr.
1:10 p.m. Injured hawk on Reservoir St.
2:28 p.m. Two boys reported selling books/ magazines on Courtney Dr.
3:54 p.m. Complaint of suspicion of person siphoning gas
4:10 p.m. Bullet found in father's old belongings

10:32 p.m. Music too loud on Dorothy Ave.

Tuesday, June 30

1:17 p.m. Caller concerned about check written to kids collecting donations and selling magazines
12:21 p.m. 911 Skateboarders refuse to leave Mountview School
12:59 p.m. 911 hang-up from Main St.; trying to reach bank
5:31 p.m. Multiple calls of tree down on Putnam Rd.
7:02 p.m. 911 Suspicious motorcycle and truck at end of Mason Rd.
11:06 p.m. Fox seen on Putnam Rd.

Wednesday, July 1

10:22 a.m. Disabled tractor trailer in front of library
11:35 a.m. 911 Two-car motor vehicle accident on Main St.
1:48 p.m. Two car motor vehicle accident on Main St.
3:44 p.m. 911 Two-car motor vehicle accident on Main St.
5:59 p.m. Question about military/medical leave from individual being reported AWOL by his employer
7:15 p.m. Turtle crossing road in front of Police Department

Thursday, July 2

1:16 a.m. Report of several teens running through yard on Pinecroft Ave.
1:20 a.m. 911 Report of lawn chair set up in the middle of Salisbury St.
5:48 a.m. Inquiry about noise ordinance; someone emptying a dumpster at 5:30 a.m. every Thursday
7:24 a.m. Dog barking all night, Woodland Rd.
9:20 a.m. Camelot Circle resident reports fox problem
9:43 a.m. Tree crew blocking lane of Main St.; told to move off road
10:12 a.m. Youths moving cones and barrels at town pool on Salisbury St.; items placed in road during overnight shift
10:12 a.m. Complaint regarding dumpster on Fairview Ave. being emptied at 5:30 a.m.
11:35 a.m. Timber Lane resident concerned about foxes
11:51 a.m. Missing cat reported
1:00 p.m. Large dog on sidewalk near Mountview; belongs in neighborhood
1:38 p.m. Fox reported walking around on Driftwood Dr.
4:00 p.m. Report of individual lighting off fireworks
6:37 p.m. Suspicious person asking employees strange questions in Friendly's parking lot
9:50 p.m. 911 Someone moved traffic barrel into roadway to disrupt traffic on Salisbury St.
10:45 p.m. Loud offensive music reported from Mayflower Circle

Friday, July 3

2:17 a.m. Loud music and fireworks reported on Mayflower Circle
3:35 p.m. Caller asking what time parade starts; told no parade in Holden
7:36 p.m. Loose dog reported at Jefferson School
8:30 p.m. Youths skateboarding at Senior Center
11:25 p.m. Suspicious motor vehicle coming from Paxton toward Holden

Saturday, July 4

1:26 a.m. Fireworks reported near cemetery on Main St.
4:38 a.m. 911 Report of neighbor lighting off fireworks on Paugus Rd.
9:00 a.m. 911 Report of black bear on Slipper Hill Lane
9:38 a.m. Large limb on tree near Bailey Rd.
12:34 p.m. Walk-in reports seeing black bear on Main St. two hours ago
8:30 p.m. Traffic light-crosswalk being triggered when no one's around at Subway on Main St.
9:19 p.m. Fireworks going off on Fox Hill Rd.
10:02 p.m. Family of foxes reported in yard
10:08 p.m. Fireworks reported on High St.

Sunday, July 5

1:46 a.m. Report of noisy gathering on Homestead Rd.
12:07 p.m. Citizen wondering if there's a band concert today
2:41 p.m. Small puppy missing from Malden St.
4:06 p.m. Caller asking about e-mail from IRS regarding refund; advised call IRS directly rather than sending info via e-mail
5:06 p.m. Propane tank missing from home; will contact gas company to see if they're responsible
9:04 p.m. 911 Report of kids throwing fireworks in road on Wyoming Dr.
9:56 p.m. Barking dog reported on Putnam Rd.
10:48 p.m. 911 Report of four sheep in road on Salisbury St.

Paxton

Thursday, July 2

8:16 p.m. Leicester Police advising of suspicious auto with four males wearing black gloves, Laurel St.

Saturday, July 4

12:24 p.m. Report of bull mastiff on Lawrence St.

Sunday, July 5

6:54 p.m. Suspicious pickup trucks, Pleasant St.

Princeton

Monday, June 29

4:25 p.m. Public service, Town Hall Dr.
6:20 p.m. Traffic safety hazard, Houghton Rd.

Tuesday, June 30

10:10 a.m. Traffic safety hazard, Gregory Hill Rd.
3:36 p.m. Traffic safety hazard, Rte. 140 North
6:11 p.m. Suspicious incident, Allen Hill Rd.
7:54 p.m. Suspicious person, Mountain Rd.

Wednesday, July 1

5:16 a.m. Assist other police department, Main St.

Thursday, July 2

7:07 a.m. Suspicious person, Brooks Station Rd.
10:40 a.m. Lost/missing person, Bullard Rd.
2:45 p.m. Officer investigation, Town Hall Dr.
9:19 p.m. Request for light department, Westminster Rd.

Friday, July 3

12:30 a.m. Disturbance, Ball Hill Rd.
9:28 a.m. Assist other police department, Wachusett St., Holden
12:52 p.m. Traffic safety hazard, Ridge Rd., Rutland
12:52 p.m. Assist other town department, Ridge Rd., Rutland

Saturday, July 4

2:26 p.m. Traffic safety hazard, Brooks Station Rd.
3:56 p.m. Traffic safety hazard, Mountain Rd.
4:03 p.m. Request for animal control officer, East Princeton Rd.
6:08 p.m. Traffic safety hazard, Sterling Rd.

Sunday, July 5

2:00 a.m. Assist Westminster Police Department, Wachusett Dr.
9:08 a.m. Traffic safety hazard, Hubbardston Rd.
6:25 p.m. Suspicious person, Ball Hill Rd.
9:28 p.m. Open door/window, Worcester Rd.

Rutland

Tuesday, June 30

7:49 a.m. Complaint about trucks using "Jake brake" not in a natural way, Pleasantdale Rd. and Prospect St.
2:04 p.m. Person stole wood from side of garage, Barre Paxton Rd.

Wednesday, July 1

8:05 p.m. Caller reports hitting a deer, car is damaged, Pommogussett Rd.
8:10 p.m. Caller reports family of skunks has moved into garage, Fairview Ave.

Thursday, July 2

9:53 a.m. Complaint about loose dog, constantly barking, Highland Park Rd.
1:33 p.m. Snake in basement, Vista Circle
1:55 p.m. Resident upset with the conditions at the playground, equipment is being damaged by youths, Memorial Dr.
3:03 p.m. Caller reporting that someone used his Dumpster, Central Tree Rd.
8:02 p.m. Person came to station to report cars blocking other cars behind town hall, Main St.

Friday, July 3

8:25 a.m. Person came to station to speak with officer about suspicious behavior of contractor, Main St.
10:23 a.m. Report that vehicles are driving on lawns in the area and leaving tire marks, Ten Rod Rd.

Saturday, July 4

12:05 a.m. Report that dog fled during fireworks, Sassawanna Rd.
8:42 a.m. Homeowner reports that well pump is broken due to silt from the road and water is running into yard, Sassawanna Rd.
7:46 p.m. Loose cows, Pommogussett Rd.
11:30 p.m. Caller reports hitting dog that then took off, Pommogussett Rd.

Sunday, July 5

6:54 p.m. Paxton Police reports receiving calls about three pickups playing tag on Barre Paxton Rd.

Sterling

Tuesday, June 30

10:13 a.m. Escort requested, Worcester Rd.
1:22 p.m. Report of stray dog at beach, Hall Ave.
3:24 p.m. Person came to station to pick up paperwork, Leominster Rd.

Wednesday, July 1

8:36 a.m. Man sleeping under bridge, Muddy Pond Rd.

Thursday, July 2

9:33 a.m. Lost black and white dog, possibly sprayed by skunk, Worcester Rd.
12:05 p.m. Report of lost cat, Laurelwood Rd.

Friday, July 3

7:49 a.m. Report of baby falcon in back yard, appears to be injured, Boutelle Rd.
5:18 p.m. Missing black cat, Squareshire Rd.
8:54 p.m. Report of fireworks going off at house on Redstone Hill Rd.

Saturday, July 4

3:54 a.m. Person talking very loudly on cell phone, Charles Patten Dr.
9:38 a.m. Young hawk on the side of the road, unknown whether injured, Boutelle Rd.
9:07 p.m. Officer wanted, report of fireworks, Newell Hill Rd.
9:12 p.m. Officer requested for fireworks, Redstone Hill Rd.
9:19 p.m. Officer wanted, fireworks, Lakeshore Dr.
9:25 p.m. Request for officer regarding fireworks, Newell Hill Rd.
9:28 p.m. Request for officer, Heywood Rd.
9:28 p.m. Requesting officer assistance with fireworks, large boat loaded with fireworks ready to be lit, North Cove Rd.
9:32 p.m. Officer requested for fireworks in area of Osgood Rd.
9:43 p.m. Officer wanted, fireworks, Redstone Hill Rd.
10:36 p.m. Lancaster Police requesting assistance to Bolton fairgrounds for multiple fights in progress at rodeo, Route 117, Bolton

Sunday, July 5

7:34 a.m. Report of fireworks debris in yard, Blueberry Lane
8:07 a.m. Officer wanted, Blueberry Lane
9:24 p.m. Loose German shepherd, Worcester Rd./Boutelle Rd.
9:26 p.m. Report of people in orchard, Chamberlain Rd.

If I can't see you, you don't want to see me.

The train ride from Oulu to Jyväskälä brought us out of the thick forests and into the lakes regions. There are more than 185,000 lakes in Finland, many with cottages and saunas at the water's edge. My father's parents came from two small towns, Kivijärvi and Viitasaari, each about an hour-and-a-half drive north.

Although most of Finland is has relatively flat terrain, there are a few hills. It was easier to put tunnels through the granite hills than to lay tracks and build bridges over the lakes and wetlands. (A fact which may or may not be related - both of my grandfathers worked in granite quarries when they first settled in New England in the early 20th century.) When the train goes through a tunnel, it compresses the air which, then, seeks the easiest places for release - in your ears.
A couple of  notes about 'green Europe':

• We flew on Finnair. With my coffee, I also received a small, plastic-wrapped packet containing sugar, a plastic spoon, and (I am not making this up) a small plastic bag, labels Waste. The Waste bag was inside a small plastic bag of its own. It was a self-generating waste production and disposal system.
  
  
• The train toilets (how can I say this delicately?) empty onto the tracks. It's a bit unnerving to look down and see the tracks below. We are very grateful that buses don't have this feature.

Our travel agent had pre-arranged taxi drivers to meet us at the train station. We were embarrassed to discover that the Jyväskälä train station is right across the street from the hotel. We loaded the suitcases into the trunk of the cab. The cab driver made a U-turn. We unloaded the suitcases from the cab.
A couple of notes on taxis in Finland:

• All of the cabs were new, luxury cars such as Mercedes, BMW, Volvo, or Audi. No aging Crown Vics here. We asked one driver why the cars were so new and nice. He said that tax and safety laws made it impractical not to have newer and safer cars, which often meant sturdy sedans such as Mercedes, BMW, Volvo, or Audi.
• A few years ago, four cab drivers were murdered in Helsinki. Since then, most cabs have cameras that record the passengers. 

Jyväskälä is a college town. Even in the summer, the city is full of young and wanna-be-young people.

The sidewalks in Jyväskälä (and in Oulu and Helsinki) designated lanes for bicycles and pedestrians.
When I first saw the sign, I said, "This lane for pedophiles."
The downtown streets are broad and many are for pedestrians and bicycles only. The middle of one street had 100 or more bicycles in and around sets of bike racks; few, if any, of the bicycles were locked.
In our whole time in Finland, we saw just a few police cars and no police officers patrolling the streets. We'd seen news reports about Romanian pickpockets, but never did we feel unsafe.
On our first afternoon, we walked through the city center and up a hill, the Harju ridge, to the University's sports stadium. The paths up the hill were steep in places, winding through old growth pines. From the top, we had a good view of the University and of the nearby business and industrial parks. That afternoon was also our warmest, with temperatures near 25C.
Back in our room, we discovered that we didn't have an English-language news channel. Other hotels had either CNN or BBC. There were channels in English (detective shows and other dramas from the UK and Oprah, Conan O'Brien, Friends, and The Simpsons) with Finnish subtitles. In addition, they had French, German, and Russian channels.
The newspapers carried a few familiar comics.

 

I'll leave the translation as an exercise for the reader.

On Tuesday, we walked to Alvar Aalto Museum, where we saw samples of his furniture, watched a short film (in English) about his life and work, had our coffee break, and bought some nice things in the museum shop.
Afterward, we continued our walk, this time along the short of Lake Jyväsjärvi. We were scheduled to take a cruise on the lake, but opted out because a) even though the sky was clear, the wind had picked up so the waters were choppy and b) I'm a bit superstitious about anything billed as "a three-hour tour."
We wandered the city for the rest of the day and had an early supper at an outdoor restaurant, giving the meal time to settle before we had sauna.
We decided that we'd go without bathing suits this time. Again, there were separate facilities for men and women. Sort of. There were separate changing, shower, and sauna rooms, but, in the back, there was a lounge with hot tubs, comfy chairs, and a TV. Without my glasses, I went through what I expected to be the sauna door. Fortunately for others more than me, no one was in the lounge area. On the way back to my proper place, I noticed that there was a basketful of bathing suits that one could wear to this semi-public place.
The sauna itself was ok. They had music, some kind of French Europop drek that had no business being in this sacred space.
The next morning, the cab driver met us at the hotel, made another U-turn, and delivered us to the train station for our return to Helsinki.

Why the American economy is walking in circles

You have to give the folks at Proctor and Gamble some credit for recognizing that we need simple solutions. They've come out with a no-frills laundry detergent called Tide Basic - "Big Value. Basic Clean." The Consumer Reports blog has a report on the new product, although they've not yet tested it.
In the meantime, however, ask yourself, "What is one of the cleanest places in your house?" If asked, I would respond, "Inside the washing machine, you silly duck."

So why, then, is Proctor and Gamble spending product development, manufacturing, and marketing money to bring out a product that, and I want to be perfectly clear about this, cleans the inside of a washing machine.
Next, they'll be telling us that we need to wash the inside of our dishwashers.

Oh, snap.

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Update 8-July-2009:
Apparently, walking in circles isn't just an American economic trait. The British will now sell you pre-boiled hard-boiled eggs.
Too thick to boil an egg? Buy 'em preboiled

Midsummer weekend in Oulu

We left a quiet Rovaniemi on Saturday and took a short  train ride to an equally quiet Oulu. A city of 137,000, Oulu is a port city in the northwest. Although we could see cargo ships, cranes, and other signs of a working port, the waterfront area near our hotel was a broad expanse of restaurants, shops, and apartments with a large marketplace in the center.

The marketplace is guarded by Toripolliisi, a statue of a policeman.
Did I mention that this was Midsummer? Owners of the shops and restaurants had printed suljettu juhannuksena (closed for Midsummer) on white pieces of paper and placed those signs on the doors. We got very good at spotting the white sheets of paper, sometimes from a half-block away.

With more places closed, we got to walk a lot and see a very nice city. We visited Oulu's oldest church and received an informative tour from a young woman whose English was tinged, for no known reason, with an Australian accent. The church is also an access point for the city-wide wireless network.

In the small park near our hotel, we had ice cream cones. (Licorice ice cream is better than it sounds, but not a lot better.) Black-faced seagulls fussed loudly over the cone scraps that we tossed on the ground.
With most restaurants closed, we opted for the Mexican restaurant in our hotel. Hint: if you want good Mexican or southwest American food, Oulu is probably not your best choice.
On Sunday morning, we took a walk through the city's parks brings us along canals to the waterfront. The observatory at the Oulu Castle provides a wonderful view of the city and harbor.
There was a bit of activity in the marketplace. A four-piece band (trumpet, trombone, bass, guitar) played bluesy swing tunes. We tossed a few spare things into the hat when it came by. Sandra bartered for three small hand-painted plates.
The desk clerk at the hotel had recommended a restaurant on Pikisaari Island, about 1km away across a bridge over a harbor inlet. "It might not be open," she cautioned. Her hunch was correct. Nevertheless, after a bit more rambling, we found a place that was open. As with most restaurants, they had outdoor seating. We had a very good salmon dinner.
Sauna. There are, by most estimates, around two million saunas in a country of five million. Each hotel has saunas, separate facilities for men and women. (We could have rented a private sauna room in the Hotel Santa Claus for 150 things.)
Our Oulu hotel had an electric sauna and showers for washing. We wore bathing suits but weren't surprised when others did not. The heat was good, 80-85C, and dry. After sauna, we were clean, relaxed, and refreshed.
We had good blackout curtains again in our room and so there was enough darkness to sleep well. By Monday morning, the city was coming alive. The city buses, cleverly called Citybussi, made their way through narrow and often cobblestoned streets.
By mid-morning, we were on our train to Jyväskälä. We'd started to accumulate some gifts and other memorabilia, so our suitcases were become heavier. It was becoming a bit of exercise to drag our possessions to and through the train and then lift them up to the racks over the seats. We'd deliberately packed our suitcase half-full at the start of our trip, knowing that we'd fill them before the trip was over. Allowing for space is one thing; handling the extra weight is another.
We passed through Muhos, the town were my mother's family came from.

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Editor's note: the Finnish alphabet has a couple of characters that don't appear on U.S. English computer keyboards - ä and ö, as well as å, which is a carryover from Swedish. So, typing names such as Jyväskälä on a U.S. keyboard is challenging. We regularly checked email at the hotel business centers and discovered that the layout of Finnish keyboards was vexing for a while.

Chesterfield 4th of July

We spent the 4th of July with Adam, Jennie, Lily, and extend family in Chesterfield. The hilltowns gather together for a big parade, chicken barbecue, music, and other patriotic classics.

This link brings you to the a slideshow from the festivities.

Grocery shopping made easy

For a while now, Stop and Shop has offered hand-held gadgets that customers can use to scan items while shopping.

The idea is two-fold: 1) by scanning as you shop, you can check out quickly and 2.) as you wander aimlessly around the store because you forgot where they keep the graola bars,  this gadget will make a noise and remind you of an item that's on sale in this aisle.
So, you've got this thing that sometimes makes a sound like a cash register and sometimes like a bell and it's supposed to make the shopping experience better, faster, and fun.
And, of course, I use it every time I go shopping. I doubt that it saves time or money, but it's a gadget. I do my shopping, put my stuff in the shopping bags, and show up at the self-service register, ready to pay my money.
There's long-standing tradition in the computer industry that, if a product doesn't work well, then we fix it documentation, giving users extra instructions that let them do something that should have been easy.
When you use the touch screen at the self-service register, it ask if you want to pay with credit card, debit card, cash, goat pelts, or some other option. Given that you just made your selection on one screen, you might think that these interconnected computer systems might be able to remember your choice. Nah. The card scanner asks you again whether you're paying with credit card or debit card.
Rather than fixing the system, it's a lot easier to put up hand-written instructions:

After that, in case you don't know that you need to use the electronic pen to sign your credit card transaction, another sign helps you.

 

North to where the darkness stops

On Thursday, 18 June, we arrived at the Helsinki train station with plenty of time to worry about which train to catch. We were scheduled to take the 19:25 (7:25PM in 'merkin time) overnight train to Rovaniemi, some 700 km to the north.
The electronic display showed trains to Rovaniemi scheduled for an hour earlier and an hour later. With that wonderful concoction of panic and confusion that courses through the veins of most travelers, I inquired at the information desk and learned that the 19:25 train, "The Santa Claus Express," bound for Kemijärvi, would indeed stop in Rovaniemi.
While I was collecting this bit of reassurance, Sandra had been talking with a man and woman who were also taking the same train. The man had been, among other things, a tour guide for travel writers and spoke English well and often. His wife was quieter and also less confident of her command of our language. We sat with them in the dining car. They were a bit surprised that I ordered something so ordinary, lihapullat ja perunasose (meatballs with mashed potatoes), but this was comfort food from way back.
After dinner, we went back to our rooms and settled in for a long and pretty much sleepless night through the non-darkness.

We'd heard so much about trains in Europe, mostly good stuff. My father, who'd hopped onto freight trains and rode inside and on top of box cars across the U.S. during the Depression, would have thought our travel was regal. Our cabin had two bunks, a Buck-Rogers, Transformer-type bathroom that converted, with a gentle tug of the wall, into a shower stall, and even straps for skis. The Finns idea of an express train is that you only stop every 30 minutes. Oh, and the other part of the regal travel were the royal drunkards in the corridor and the cabins nearby.
We arrived in Rovaniemi only slightly more rested than we'd been on the flight from across the pond. A nice taxi driver brought us the short distance to our hotel, the Santa Claus Hotel.
If you really want to disappoint a child, bring them to the Santa Claus Hotel. Aside from the name and the proximity to the Arctic Circl, there's absolutely nothing in the hotel about Santa Claus - not a picture or a figurine or even a hat. They have a fine restaurant that serves a great breakfast buffet and plays American jazz standards, but no Santa.
After a bit of breakfast and a brief nap, it was time for our safari. Remember that safari is a Swahili word for journey and doesn't require jungles, tigers, or pith helmets. Instead, we boarded a long, open boat and headed up river for adventure.
There were a 11 of us in the boat - A husband and wife from Brazil, a husband and wife from Dehli, India, a 30-something daughter and her mother from New Delhi, a newlywed (we think) couple from New Zealand, Sandra and me, and the taciturn Finnish driver.

Our safari took us to a craft shop where a Lapp artist and her husband created delightfully designed items from wood, leather, and reindeer antlers. What was even more remarkable is that she didn't try to sell us anything. Several people likely would have bought several pieces, but she was too enthusiastic in her talk about her work that we didn't have time for shopping.
Another boat ride took us further up river where a Lapp gnome in a four-cornered hat talked excitedly about life in the north, reindeer, and lots more. We dined on what our friendly gnome told us was the neighbor's reindeer.
Back into the boat, back to town, onto a bus, and to Santa's office. Again, this is probably not a good place to take a kid whom you like. It's strange and has a lot of over-the-top drek in the gift shop. (Motto: if you can't find it here, you probably have good taste.")
On the bus, we received certificates that proved that we'd crossed the Arctic Circle. We arrived back in Rovaniemi at 5:30.
We'd been told that, in celebration of Midsummer, people would be lighting bonfires at 6PM. Across the river, a crowd gathered near a small community center.  At the river's edge, people had built a tall (4m) cone-shaped pyre. The scene felt like an Arctic Burning Man Festival.We could hear speeches and accordion music, leading up to the raising of the Finnish flag. Everyone cheered. Then, everyone left.
We stood on our side of the river for 20 minutes or so, but they were really gone. (We later learned that the fires wouldn't be lit until midnight.)
The travel brochures will tell you that Juhannus, St. John's Day, is a major holiday for Finland. They don't tell you, or if they do, you don't believe them, how much the country shuts down. Only one restaurant out of five was open. All shops in town were closed as they had been since Friday afternoon; many would stay shut until Tuesday.
(Not only does the country shut down for Midsummer holiday, the major newspaper in the country, Hesinkin Sanomat, decides that July is such a slow news time that it stops publishing its international edition for the month.)
After a good bit of wandering, we did find a nice place for supper and then a walk back to the hotel.
There were low clouds the whole time, so we didn't see the midnight sun. We also didn't see it because we couldn't stay up that late. We fell asleep at 11PM, got up the next morning, had breakfast, packed, and made our way to the train station for our trip south to Oulu.
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Editor's note: Finns, at least the ones who raised me, are generally not happy unless they're complaining. As with the language and other characteristics of the Finland, it's difficult for me not to lapse back into that grumbling pattern.
We had a wonderful time. The people were warm, eager to share their country and customs with us, eager to learn about us, our lives and our travels. Our hotel accommodations were comfortable and pleasing.
It was also important for us to have some enforced quiet time to think about the many blessings and several challenges that we have at home. We enjoyed that quiet. We enjoyed walking a lot, seeing different things, learning about history that is still vivid to so many. The German army burned all but five houses in Rovaniemi during the war. We saw those old houses, but didn't understand, until we heard the history, how precious they were.
Precious, too, are the traditions of Midsummer and sauna and sisu and their strange, strange language. It was wonderful to among a people who cared about life and about history.

But when Santa Claus looks like this, you have to yourself, "Mitkä olivat ne ajattelua?"