Several years ago, I blogged about my explorations in genealogy (see haugenhistory.blogspot.com). Then life got hectic, my mother passed, and I went back to graduate school. Long-story-short, I am ready to dive into my research again and blog about it.

When I started blogging in 2009, I called my site Of Trolls and Lemons. Scandinavian Trolls are mythological, magical creatures that live in the mountains, woods, or caves. They are mostly up to no good and like to cause trouble for humans. There are numerous folkloric tales and legends about trolls and places throughout Norway named for them. For example, there is the famous Trollstigen (Troll’s Ladder) mountain pass or the Trolltunga (Troll’s Tongue) rock formation–also one of the most popular hikes in Norway. The lemons, on the other hand, are representative of my Sicilian roots where orchards of citrus spread like carpets over the foothills of Mount Etna and throughout the island. Sicilian oranges and lemons are flavor-bombs cultivated by Mediterranean sunshine and fertile volcanic soil–simply the best.

Please join me as I once again share my exploits into the world of genealogy with a focus on Norway, Sweden, and Italy.