To the Scandinavians in Minot, North Dakota

A good portion of the people in Minot, North Dakota come from Scandinavia. Now it may have slipped your mind what countries make up Scandinavia...

The five countries that make up Scandinavia are: Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland.

Here in Minot they have the Scandinavian Heritage Park, we visited there last fall. They have a ginormous Dala horse there and other really cool things.

The Dala horse is a Swedish toy for children.

The name comes from its home province, Dalarna, in central Sweden. In central Sweden, wood scraps from the local furniture-making trade, paint-pigment from nearby copper mines, and long winter evenings bred the development of the Dala Horse. (Ya, ya, I copied this last statement and am not going to site my source kids...whatever).

So in honor of the people in Minot, who came from Scandinavia, I have put together a little something...

Tea for one.

My little Swedish Tablecloth, my little Dala horse, and my blue Delft.

Okay, okay, now for those of you who know their Delft, you are going to know that Delft pottery is named after the city Delft which in all actuality is in....Holland, which is a bit further south and a bit further west but hey these pieces just look so very cute on the little table.

Now Delft is also fun in that a piece may have a crown and may very well say Delft Blue, handpainted, but that does not necessarily mean that it is from Holland or really anywhere close.

"This is because the Netherlands doesn't have strict laws about "Country of Origin" labeling as we do here in the States. We are used to seeing products marked "Made In China", and we accept it for the low prices they bring, but in Holland, the stuff made in China is often sitting on the shelf right next to the pieces that are the true blue delftware, with no distinction whatsoever." (Yet another copied un-sited statement, HA!)

So, here's to the transplanted people of Scandinavia now living in Minot, North Dakota, to their love of beauty, to their love of nature, to their strength and stamina to endure bitterly cold, seemingly endless winters.

I raise my cup of tea!

(Pitter patter, pitter patter. That's me off to get the tea, cinnamon breadsticks, and oops, some silverware. Didn't want the tea to get cold while I finished this up!)