Interest in My Scandinavian Kin

 

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Before moving to Sanpete County, my mother informed me that I had ancestors from Denmark on my father's side. 

I did not investigate this at all until I moved to a city that is nicknamed "Little Denmark."  There is a relatively new housing development in northeast Ephraim called Danish Fields. 

I belong to a heritage organization called Daughters of the Utah Pioneers.  During one meeting, the speaker asked all those who had Danish ancestry to raise their hands. 

Denmark is one of the three countries that constitutes Scandinavia along with Norway and Sweden.  Every May, Ephraim hosts the Scandinavian Festival, which is coming on the Friday and Saturday before Memorial Day--as always.  

I confess that in the weeks leading to Scandinavian Days this spring I have been reading voraciously about Vikings even though I have no idea if I have Viking blood. I work part time at the public library, and I am getting ready to help patrons learn more about these infamous Nordic people. 

Our Family Dog Crossed the Rainbow Bridge This Spring

 

My favorite photo of Bolt, taken April 2020
b. June 2008 - d. April 2025

Trigger warning. Description of a dog slipping into frailty and then going to the vet for one last trip. Not too physically graphic, but descriptions of the dog mom's sorrow. 

Everything that is living is aging.  Our beloved dog, Bolt, has been slowing down over the last couple of years.  He is a rescue dog, so we were not certain of his age when we adopted him at the end of October 2009, but the vet guessed that he was about 15 months old. In June of 2024, he turned 16, which was remarkable given that his probably breed (Indian Spitz) lives for an average of 12 years. 

We adopted him in Kansas when our children were about 11 and 8 years old. 

Kids with Bolt in Kansas, Fall 2009

More Community Building

 

Photo by Wren aka KDA

My WOTY (word of the year) for 2024 was "Community." However, I am still very focused on connecting with people in my new county.  In fact, I am obsessed with building bonds with a number of institutions and a number of people. 

It is challenging to move in your 60s. It's even more challenging to move to a rural area where many people my age are not open to forming new connections. Many women my age here already have their daughters, their daughters in law, and their best friends from elementary school. They do not have any time (nor the inclination) to connect with new people. I would probably be the same way if I had deep roots in my town. 

Nevertheless, I am spending a lot of time working to connect with people formally and informally. 

Dementia: Personal Experience

 

Image by Abhijit Bhaduri
via Creative Commons 

When I was pursuing my master's program in gerontology between 2010 and 2013, I decided to focus on issue of cognition and aging. My understanding of age-related causes of aging was very academic. Yes, I did volunteer at a multi-level care center for five years, but that pales in comparison with having a relative living with significant cognitive challenges.