"Troops of the US Army 2nd Infantry Division march up the bluff at the E-1 draw in the Easy Red sector of Omaha Beach, Normandy, France on D+1, June 7, 1944. They are going past the German bunker, Widerstandsnest 65 (WN 65), that defended the route up the Ruquet Valley to Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer." US Army Signal Corps, Public domain, via… Continue reading Preserving a Piece of History
For the last two years plus, I've managed a post or guest post every week. But this week- I don't have words right now. Not many anyway, and none worth writing. My mom passed away last week. We're just home after the scramble of travel and preparations and goodbyes... ...and Friends and Readers, I can't… Continue reading Why I’m Not Here
Recent family visits didn't only give us an excuse to escape to the mountains for a bit- it also allowed me to get a peek at some family history. Part of my interest in the Second World War stemmed from knowing that my Grandpa served. Like many of his generation, he never talked about the… Continue reading A Little Family History (and the Danger of Wearing Too Many Hats)
It's amazing what strong associations music can forge in memory. "I Dream of Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair" always reminds me of my grandma. The third verse of "Away in a Manger" will always be the bed-time prayer Dad sang with me, which I now sing with my children. And the thumping, march-y beat… Continue reading Musical Interlude: “Onward Christian Soldiers”
My kitchen is starting to smell like Christmas again! The bananas sat too long, so banana bread is in the oven. The butter is softening for sugar cookie dough, since I have high hopes that we can get it rolled, cut and frosted this weekend, somewhere between church decorating, Christmas caroling and our children's special… Continue reading On Baking, Butter, and a Shameless Deception
We thought we'd lost him As I stood before the room Of shining morning faces Who didn't understand Why Teacher's went pale. Driving to the clinic I pulled over When the sobs came too hard. Dear God, please. Not this. Waiting. Barely breathing Until a flicker of light- A tiny heart's flutter- Shone… Continue reading Miracle
I remember my great-grandpa fondly, as a tough old Swede who chopped wood into his 80's, and who had a smile that beamed from ear to ear. Long before my time, he served as an Army cook in World War I, and while in France cooked for the President's daughter (or so family legend attests.)… Continue reading Behind Great-Grandpa’s Walls
Hello all! The Clare clan has returned from our visit back home to Minnesota and Wisconsin. (Even after thirteen years in the Pacific Northwest, and in spite of the Midwest's violent weather changes, blood-thirsty mosquitos, and horizons that can feel lonely in their vast emptiness, those blue skies and rolling fields still whisper "home.") Our… Continue reading Summer Travels and Midwest Curiosities
Tomorrow is Memorial Day, the day the U.S. sets aside to remember those who've given their lives in service to their country. Growing up, I spent a portion of each Memorial Day bumping slowly along winding cemetery roads. If we were visiting Minnesota's north woods, we'd also visit Great-Grandpa's graveside, tidying around his and Great-Grandma's… Continue reading Memorial Day and Adam Makos’ VOICES OF THE PACIFIC
I've accepted the fact that my home is not my own. Shining plastic eyes of a zoo's worth of stuffed animals watch as I try to cross my living room unwounded by Legos and matchbox cars. Bath toys attack from their shelf as I grab the disinfectant, and search for the source of that… Continue reading Tangible History
