Today is Winter Solstice 2023. Molly offers some seasonal poems at the end of this post. All best wishes for all that is good at this season, and in these times. A North Dakota retired farmer sent his Christmas letter recently, including this photo: “Sunflowers…in 1980s” The photo brought memories for me. The farmland pictured […]
Previous posts this month: 1st, 5th and 7th. I have been thinking of how I can most constructively approach this distinctly unpeaceful season of peace. What follows is a small attempt. Sunday we were at a magnificent Christmas program at a large suburban church, St. Andrews Lutheran in Mahtomedi: “How Great Our Joy!” There had […]
Those who follow this blog know that I have often remembered Uncle Frank Bernard who perished on the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. Search his name (the magnifying glass at upper right corner) and you will find many references. Most recent was Dec. 7, 2022. My main engagement re Uncle Frank this […]
Liz Cheney’s book, “Oath and Honor“, is out today, and my wife wanted a copy so it’s in the house. We watched the interview with Rachel Maddow last night. Liz self-identifies as a “conservative”, Rachel as a “liberal”, both on the left and right flanks of the population, but neither at the ideological extremes. Rather […]
Please see postnote at the end of this post. It has been another event-filled time in my life. I was again orphaned on the internet, this time from Nov 22 – Nov. 28. probably thanks to some denizen of the dark web, the real reason or identity or location of the perpetrator never to be […]
A month ago, this tree in our yard reminded us of the coming season. One month at this time of year makes a difference here in Minnesota. No leaves on the tree, now, but no lasting snow on the ground either. Thanksgiving day will be chilly, but nice otherwise. As we all know, the seasons […]
Today came an on-line column from an historian I really respect concerning a topic we are all forced to confront. You can read it here. I hope you take the time to not only read but think and act about it. Read it before or after you read what follows, but I hope you read […]
Every family has a history. I think I can justly claim to have been more involved than most in preserving family heritage memories of both my mother and dad’s families in rural North Dakota. One of the particularly evocative photos I have is below, taken in early August, 1972, after the funeral of my grandmother, […]
The Sunday Nov. 12, 2023 Minneapolis Star Tribune carried a story about the upcoming Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora ND. You can read the article here: Theodore Roosevelt ND Star Tribune Nov 12 2023. The Library is scheduled to open in 2026. No, this isn’t a joke. I’ve known about its planning for some […]
POSTNOTE Nov. 12: Yesterday, after the bell-ringing at the Victory Memorial, came some personal reflections on War, generally (see “Later” section). The most recent, overnight, is an essay from Heather Cox Richardson, on the end of WWI and the almost immediate transition to WWII. Her note is powerful and you can read it here. On […]