Uncle Henry was one of my father’s brothers. Although he helped the family move to Saskatchewan, he returned to Minnesota and helped set up the Veterans of Foreign Wars association there, which began to ensure rights for veterans and their families.
My daughter Lisa sent my daughter Colleen a link asking for stories of Canadian immigrants. Lisa suggested we tell the story of Anna Stone and, though I’ve told bits of it before, here’s the submission we’re sending to Miriam Matejova for her upcoming book.
My father often retold the story about the snus box. When your twin two-year-old boys have the deck of a cargo ship headed for North America as their playground, you need to keep an eye on them – and the important stuff (or should I say “snus”)!
Anna Sten, my paternal grandmother, had a life filled with tragedy — and discrimination — but there was no reason why she was as mean as what she was to my Mamma.
Christmastime and lefse will always go hand in hand when I remember my mother’s kitchen at home. What lefse is, my mom’s lefse recipe – as well as others from the region in Saskatchewan where I grew up.