Traditions

The Norwegian side of my heritage comes out strong at Christmastime.  The family is gathering here on the 23rd and preparations are in high gear.  Today I made lefsa.  It's kind of a Norwegian "tortilla" only rolled extremely thin then baked on a griddle until crisp.  To eat it you run it under water and lay it between towels to become soft again.  Traditionally it's eaten as a sweet, spread with butter and sugar before rolling up or used as a carrier for boiled cod and potatoes.  I've never developed the Norwegian passion for boiled cod so we eat it sweet.  I felt the spirits of my grandparents and Mom hovering near as I used Grandma's old crockery bowl, her wood rolling board and special grooved lefsa rolling pin, and my mom's old cookie cutter to cut the rounds for rolling.  I well remember rolling lefsa in the kitchen of this house back in 1976 before we got married.  Then we baked it on their old cookstove.  It was a rite of passage for me.  I had to roll them out under Gramp's eagle eye.  He commented only that it was probably because I had long arms that I could roll them out so well.  High praise from him.

Here are my grandparents on their 65th wedding anniversary in 1974.  They lived here on this farm from 1916 until 1977.  No wonder I sense their spirits here!

Here's a photo of Gramps at their old cookstove which they used as long as they lived here.  When I see this picture I can still smell the fragrance of the corn cobs burning in the stove.  It was an efficient and cheap fuel, a waste product from right here on the farm.  Getting the temperature right on the top of the stove or in the oven was no small trick!  

I'm so thankful for the heritage I have from them and the legacy they left us in this family.