Syttende Mai: CDP Theme Day

"Velkommen" (Welcome!) is the Norwegian greeting on this nightstand sign in our guest bedroom. This was a handmade rosemaled gift from my brother and his wife many years ago to my mother, a woman of proud Norwegian heritage. The woven wool runner on the nightstand came from Norway as well, a gift from my Uncle Harley, purchased during one of his many visits to the "old country."

The 17th of May (Norwegian Constitution Day) is celebrated in Norway and in many U.S. cities with Norwegian ancestry. "Glad Syttende Mai" to all!

See more CDP mid-month theme day images here.

Really Neat Stuff

Kroner's True Value Hardware on Pearl Street is one of the few original businesses remaining in downtown La Crosse. It has that old-fashioned feel with creaking wooden floors and tall ceilings. The original tile sign above the door also has great Art Deco typography typical of the 1930s. It carries just about every type of hardware, paint, or tool you might need, along with lots of great cookware for the gourmet chef.

Since La Crosse is a cradle of Norwegian heritage, they also carry some wonderful Scandinavian cooking supplies. (See window display below.) Lefse is a very popular soft Norwegian flat bread made from potatoes -quite similar to a flour tortilla- and you must have very specific items to make it. Kroner's is the local go-to place to buy the required potato ricer, lefse iron, rolling mat, and flat "turning stick" needed to create this tasty staple found on dinner tables from Thanksgiving through Easter. We are purists and just roll it up with butter and use it in place of dinner rolls, but some people enjoy rolling it up with cinnamon-sugar for breakfast or dessert.

It's April, yet note the poor little gold Christmas ornament forgotten at the bottom of the display in this photo? (Hey! I think I actually want that stainless colander!)

A Norwegian Leprechaun?

We are visiting relatives in La Crosse this weekend and during our morning walk down by the river we wandered through the "Friendship Gardens."  With the long winter coming to an end, it's still quite stark and gray this time of year - very different from the bright flowers and blue skies of summer.  This part of Wisconsin has a prominent Scandinavian heritage, and tucked among the evergreen shrubs and bare branches are several Norwegian "trolls" guarding the grounds. It's the closest I can get to an Irish Leprechaun. Happy St. Patrick's Day!