Pondered In My Heart

Monarch time of year

We are having a good season with the monarch butterflies this year. The first monarchs usually start showing up here in the middle of August, and we begin finding eggs on our small stand of milkweed soon after. We do have a lot of nectar favorites in our yard such as butterfly bush and butterfly weed, zinnias and coneflowers, but it still always amazes me that they can find the little milkweed patch.

I search the milkweed daily and bring in all the eggs I can find to rear them indoors. Monarchs are in such a decline that they need all the help they can get; raising them indoors protects them from the parasitic wasps and various diseases that kill the caterpillars. The pearly oval eggs turn dark inside as they mature, and soon the tiniest little black headed caterpillar hatches out. The efficient wee creature then consumes what remains of the egg and begins its busy life of eating and growing.

They remain very efficient, consuming their own skins after each time they molt. They devour milkweed day and night; when they are still you know they are either preparing to molt or have just done so. When they get big you can actually hear their constant munching.

They get very restless and start wandering as far as they can go when they are getting ready to form their chrysalids. When they finally select an acceptable spot they secrete a web-like silken substance to attach themselves to the top of their cage, methodically weaving their heads back and forth. They they turn around and hang upside down from their back end like a J. They are very still while they hang in J form; you can tell when they are getting ready to shed by the way their tentacles get all thin and droopy looking. Their final molting reveals a pale green pupa, which then wriggles and scrunches up until it forms the familiar shape of a lovely gold speckled chrysalis. They also do a little hoola hoop dance as they writhe around until the molted skin is freed and falls off. Very strange and cool to watch.

Then they just hang there and look pretty while the magic takes place hidden away inside. We've released twenty nine monarchs so far this season and still have another dozen or so chrysalids to go, and half a dozen small caterpillars to feed.

It's important to have escape-proof cages, particularly when they are getting ready to molt. Clearly I failed in that department this year, as one of my screen cages had gotten a little bent and we had a little Hoodini who made it all the way from the kitchen to the office before we found it. Makes me think fondly of dear Oliver Melendy, but still. 

The next day I had two missing cats, though we were able to find them as well after much anxious searching and fervent prayers to St. Anthony.

Sam and Frodo, as we called them, had crawled all the way across the sun room and were under a table together! It was rather cute how they apparently stayed together on their epic jaunt. We shored up the cages after that to be sure.

I've found the best cages to be the homemade ones consisting of a screen tube fitted to a cookie tin. (Directions are here. Be sure you fold the screen 'hems' to the outside of the cage so that wandering cats can't get stuck in them.) They are easy and inexpensive to make, and you can make as many as you need. Store them in a safe place from year to year so the screen doesn't get bent and allow for escapees! I ended up using some paper toweling to fill the gaps on top.

The boughten cage on the left is good for smaller caterpillars, but not as practical for when they pupate. This cage opens by lifting half of the top up, and it can be problematic if you need to open the cage as it might disturb the chrysalids hanging from the top.

As you can see I needed to use all manner of containers that I could find to house all of the critters, including a few black swallowtails in the plastic jars. Swallowtails pupate on sticks, not from the tops of the cage, so the jars are adequate for them.

It's a good idea to keep the caterpillars separated by approximate sizes, so you don't have to disturb the pupating ones in order to keep feeding smaller ones. I also count them several times a day to make sure there are no escapees or caterpillars lost in the cage somewhere.

We do this every year and it just never gets old. We bid farewell to the monarchs as we release them and they head off on their incredible journey to Mexico. Mexico! Amazing.

You can read more about the life cycle of monarchs and how you can help them at the Monarch Watch site. More information on raising them is here. Lots of closeup pictures of monarchs emerging are in this old post here.

Oh, and the monarchs are just loving these free flowering masses of Late-Flowering Thoroughwort or Boneset this year. These huge plants just showed up in my wildflower bed and they are such a favorite with all sorts of pollinators. There are often four or six monarchs on a clump of it, along with so many bees that I can't even count how many species there are. The flowers are always teeming with busy insects, and they smell good too.

Leap Day-book

Outside my window- 

Spring is on its way; the quiet of winter is passing and the air is alive with hopeful bird sound. Black strings of Canada geese and white flashes of Tundra Swans make their way north. Song birds are getting excited and chatter noisily about. Resident Birder reports 207 gulls, 110 swan/goose species (too far away to id), 185 icterids, 1705 Canadian geese, and 143 tundra swans.

I'm hearing- Folks gathered in front of the fireplace conversing.

I'm wearing- A tweedy wool skirt and a red wool cardigan.

I'm thankful for- An excellent retreat day at our church this past weekend. It was a silent retreat for the women, while the men will have their turn next weekend.

From the kitchen-

This Tea Brack from King Arthur (aka Irish Freckle Bread) is becoming a favorite this Lent. Moist, dense and nutritious, it's made with lots of dried fruits which give it a pleasant sweetness. Mary Rose makes these, pretty much following the recipe. She makes two at a time, and the rounds keep nicely in cookie tins. Lacking currants she used a combination of raisins, dates, prunes and apricots for the fruits, and about 3/4 cup of honey instead of sugar for a double recipe. Very good with tea, add a bite of cheese and an orange and you have a little lunch.

Tomorrow we shall have Welsh Cakes for St. David's Day (but no leeks in our hats).

In the learning house -

On Washington's Birthday we had Washington pie for tea...(Tasha Tudor's A Time to Keep)

We reckoned that 'Washington pie' consisted of any good thing with cherries thus we enjoyed these almond scented cherry topped squares. I read aloud the Address of the Catholics of the United States to George Washington by the first American Bishop, John Carroll, along with Washington's reply in which he thanks the Catholics for their service (you can read both at that link, the address to Washington is at the bottom). More about Washington's relations with Catholics here and Bishop Carroll's eloquent eulogy for Washington here.

We remain on a bit of a George Washington trail, with all the old familiar picture books out in circulation: D'Aulaire's George Washington, George Washington A Picture Book Biography, When Washington Crossed the Delaware, A Birthday for General Washington, George Washington - A Discovery Book, Buttons for General Washington, The Story of Mount Vernon,  Silver for General Washington, and the new old favorite, Meet George Washington.



Best of all, I am reading aloud The Life of George Washington for Children by E. Cecil from 1859. We have a very old and delicate copy that we acquired from my mother-in-law's collection. "This little book has been written with the hope of giving American children some knowledge of Washington's character. Great pains have been taken to make it accurate, and to avoid the use of long words; but it is not possible to render all the complications and responsibilities of Washington's public career perfectly plain to children. Enough, however, is accomplished if they can enter into the spirit of his life, and gain something of that loyalty to his memory which every American should feel."

It is very interesting, with lots of quotes and excerpts from letters and such making it seem authentic in its accuracy, and despite its claim to 'avoid long words' it is naturally written with far richer language than the sort of things produced for children nowadays. We are enjoying it greatly.

Living the Liturgical Year - We're almost halfway through Lent! Laetare Sunday is just around the corner, with Passiontide to follow.

We are Creating -

Lydia is making springtime and saintly goods for the shop,

while Josiah has starting turning dip pens.

I am planning -

Our seeds have arrived from St. Clare Heirloom Seeds which specializes in open pollinated seeds. Their seeds are always of excellent quality and of course we are happy to support a Catholic family business. My little garden helper is very excited to get started with the indoor sowing while we plot and make plans for what we'll do outdoors when the weather warms up. (more on my seed starting methods here)

I use clementine boxes to keep my seeds organized, one for flowers and one for vegetables. I glued in little pieces of slats to make sections to keep things neat and tidy; here in the veggie box I have seeds to start indoors, seeds to direct sow, and herbs.

A picture thought-

We ladies came home from the retreat on Saturday to a living room that looked like this-

and it was very, very quiet, with the little girls and their Pa hanging out in the biggest, coolest blanket fort ever.

A good time was had by all.

Hope your week is off to a good start! We survived February, whoo hoo! Happy Leap Day!

PS You can read about the Bissextile Day, a sort of 'liturgical leap day', here.

Celebrating Veterans Day (and coloring pages for you)

Russell Bomgardner, US Navy

Mr. Stauffer US Army 82nd Airborne and 28th Division (Korean War)

Matthias Gutman US Navy

Harold Billow US Army, Malmedy Massacre survivor

Richard Boyd, Royal Air Force, and his wife Rita

Nathan Kline US Army Air Corps

Happy Veterans Day!

As my readers well know, we are very fond of our veterans and so appreciate all of their sacrifices made for love of country and the preservation of freedom. Veterans Day is a public holiday in the United States honoring all military veterans who have served in our Armed Forces. November 11th is also Armistice Day, marking the end of World War I, and Canada today celebrates Remembrance Day in memory of all their fallen. If you haven't had the chance to attend community events such as parades and military services you can still take celebrate at home and take this opportunity to teach your children about the sacrifices made by all of our veterans, past and present.

We had the pleasure of hearing the United States Army Band 'Pershing's Own' the other night. It was a wonderful concert of patriotic tunes with the theme of honoring our United States veterans in all the branches of service. You can watch and listen to some of their excellent music at their video channel.

Here at home today we will be listening to some of our favorite wartime and patriotic music-

The Great War: Classical and Popular Selections from the Time of World War I

Keep the Home Fires Burning

82nd Airborne Division Chorus Tribute to the Heroes of WWII

Over There! Songs from America's Wars  a wonderful and entertaining vocal recital by Jon English

These collections contain some of our favorite songs like Tramp! Tramp! Tramp!, Colonel Bogey March, Pack Up Your Troubles, It's a Long Way to Tipperary and Keep the Home Fires Burning, This is the Army Mr. Jones, Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree, The Battle Cry of Freedom, Over There, K-K-K-Katy. All the songs Eliza loves to sing!

The Spirit of Freedom  This collection by the Washington Men's Camerata is also fabulous with many beloved tunes like Chester and Eternal Father Strong to Save along with all the Armed Forces service songs.

If you don't already listen to music like this to enhance your children's love of history and patriotic spirit, today is a great day to start!

All the photos at the top of this post are from meetings of the World War II Roundtable that my family attends each month that feature veterans giving talks about their service experiences.  You can read some about our local group in this article: We're Here Because They Were There. Many communities have these meetings, and you might consider finding them and taking advantage of hearing WWII veterans telling their stories firsthand while there is still time to do so.

We are of course flying the flag today and noting the other stars and stripes raised throughout our neighborhood.

Some of the girls made some poppy prints yesterday. The poppy is used as a symbol of veterans in reference to the poem In Flanders Field, written 100 years ago during World War I.

Instructions for making the poppies are courtesy of That Artist Woman. We will be using the prints as cards along to go along with the treats we will be delivering to some local veterans we know. 

Today is the perfect day to thank some veterans for their service and let them know their sacrifices made, no matter how long ago, are so much appreciated and not forgotten. If you're not able to visit and deliver goodies you or your children can still give a phone call to family members and friends to say hello and thank you.

We are also happy to share some coloring pages that my daughters made for this day.

Anna has done an illustration of the American soldier through various eras - World War I, World War II, Korean War, Viet Nam and modern.

Lydia has pictured United States servicemen of the various Armed Forces - Army, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, Air Force.

soldiers through the years: Download Veterans' Day 2015 ARBK © ponderedinmyheart

branches of service: Download Veterans' Day 2015 LGTK © ponderedinmyheart

Happy Veterans Day and a big 'Thank you for your service!' to all of our veterans and all the families of those who serve today!

Living History: Wings of Freedom Tour

We knew they were coming. Everyone had their ears on super alert, straining to hear that thrilling sound that only the engines of WWII era aircraft can make. There were several false alarms with folks dashing out the door to check the skies, only to be disappointed. And then suddenly it was the real deal, as evidenced by the screaming and running and actual jumping up and down as the unmistakable sound came nearer and nearer.

The B-17 flew right by our house! We shrieked and waved and jumped some more as we watched it disappear out of sight on its way to the local airport.

This week we had the great pleasure to visit the airport to see the Wings of Freedom Tour, a traveling group of four restored WWII era aircraft: a B-17 Flying Fortress, a B-25 Mitchell Bomber, a B-24 Liberator, and a P-51 Mustang. While there are lots of aircraft flying at the airshow at WWII Weekend, events like this are a rare opportunity to spend time aboard and really explore the aircraft.

The B-17 Flying Fortress is a heavy bomber plane that was used during the war for strategic bombing against German industrial and military targets. It has four engines, thirteen machine guns and was manned by a crew of ten: pilot, co-pilot, bombardier, navigator, radio man, flight engineer, two waist gunners, tail gunner and ball turret gunner. It was made with the hope it could defend itself without the aid of additional fighter planes. They were used in both the European and Pacific theaters, flying in formations for daylight bombing raids. You can read more about them in the classic The Flying Fortress by Edward Jablonski.

Mary Rose climbs aboard! (she was dressed most appropriately in her vintage aircraft skirt)

B-17 cockpit

Memorial plaque.

Chin turret.

The ammo boxes had holes in them so the crew could easily see the supply level.

Mary Rose sketching inside the aircraft. She said she'd like to sit in there and write a whole novel. :)

The open catwalk connects the forward and rear sections of the aircraft through the bomb bay.

 Hanging out on the catwalk.

Exploring aboard the B-17

The nose where the bombardier sits with the Norden bombsight. Have you heard of the pickle barrel boast, claiming a bomb could be dropped into a pickle barrel from four miles up? (me neither)

 

The ball turret. (shudder)

Kateri sits at the radio man's desk. 

Josiah pops his head out of a top window.

And of course we met many veterans who came out to see these aircraft, particularly those who flew in these types of planes. Here are the girls with a B-17 pilot! Mary Rose got his autograph in her Flying Fortress book.

The B-24 Liberator is another heavy bomber with four engines and a ten man crew, however with a more modern design and a heavier bomb load than the 17. There are only two flying B-24's left, and we have now seen both of them.

We were getting all these great shots in the B-24 until a crew member noticed that they forgot to put up the 'Employees Only' barricade across the entrance to the cockpit. Oops.

Josiah checks out the waist guns.

Eliza says ka-pow.

(we didn't)

Josiah and the Norden.

This veteran walked up to the aircraft to point out his name printed on the side.

He served as a tail gunner on four (!) B-24s and told us some of his experiences, including getting shot down twice and ending up as a POW. You can read his story here and here.  Another article about him here tells how he went back to Hungary where he was shot down and actually met people who were children during the war and saw his plane go down. Amazing.

He told us how when they asked if they'd get any training on how to use a parachute they were told 'there's no use practicing what you have to do perfectly the first time.'

It's always such an incredible honor to meet these men and thank them for their service.

This 93 year old gentleman was a B-24 flight engineer.

And another B-24 crew member.

The girls had a little silly fun too. They brought along a picture of a very famous B-24 pilot, so they could take a picture of his picture in a B-24. As they heard another B-24 veteran say, "You'd never know he was a movie actor. He was all man." (I believe him.)

The B25 Mitchell Bomber was made famous by the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo. We couldn't climb aboard this aircraft but just poke our heads up inside, and we did get to see it take off for several flights.

The P-51 Mustang is a favorite small single seat fighter plane used as escort for the heavy bombers. We got to watch 'Betty Jane' take off and land for several flights as well.

The girls took some time to do some artwork of the aircraft. Mary Rose brought her painting of the Liberator back the next day and got two veteran B-24 crew members to sign it for her- a tail gunner and a bombardier. Very cool!

And then at last it was time for the planes to fly away and move on to their next stop. The propellers are arduously spun, smoke flies and the engines roar to life as they prepare for take off (one even shot out a dandy little fire ball). Off they flew into the wild blue yonder, but you can check the tour schedule to see if they are coming to an airport near you. And wherever they land, the veterans and their amazing stories are sure to follow.

Do you know what day it is?

71st Anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising, guest post by Mary Rose

On August 1, 1944 at about 5:00 PM, I heard machine guns and grenades exploding. From my balcony at 28 Kopernika Street, I saw the attack on the University. The boys positioned themselves along the street; the girls were delivering weapons and ammunition...That first night, full of uncertainty, the insurgents felt that all of Warsaw was behind them, supporting them...The first shots freed the city from the nightmare of the Gestapo. An uplifting mood reigned in the streets...We are free! We will defend freedom to the end!..."

young Polish soldier

At 1700 hrs. on August 1st, 19444, in Warsaw, Poland, the Polish Home Army rose up against the occupying German garrison in an attempt to win back their city after five years of oppression. Moments after the first shots were fired the Poles exuberantly radioed to London "We are fighting!" By nightfall the Polish soldiers had captured a German arsenal, the main Post Office, a barracks, the power station, the tallest building in Warsaw, and other buildings. During the night barricades were thrown up all over the city by the Polish people, cutting off the city streets as a hindrance to the Germans' tanks, etc. For the first time in over four years, the Polish flag was flying over Warsaw.

Polska Walczaca, meaning Fighting Poland or Poland in arms: A group of Polish Home Army insurgents

On September 1st, 1939, Poland had been invaded from the west by Germany; sixteen days later, Russia invaded from the east, in accordance with a secret pact made earlier. They divided Poland between themselves, Germany occupying the western half, and Russia the eastern half. For five years the Nazis occupied Warsaw, rounding up Jews, massacring civilians, mistreating the populace in typical Nazi style. The Polish Government had fled to London. The Polish Underground State, an administrative, political, and military formation directing and engaging in resistance to the Nazis, was set up and the Home Army (Armia Krajowa, AK) gradually evolved as the military wing of that structure.

To arms in the ranks of the A.K.!

Plans for a national uprising had been in the works since the Nazi invasion. There were several reasons as to why August 1944 had to be the start of the rising. First, the Russian army was approaching Warsaw. The Nazis, being Nazis, had broken their non-aggression pact with the Soviets and invaded Russia in 1942, kicking the Russians out of Poland in the process. Now, in 1944, the Russians were pushing the Germans out of Russian territory and towards Germany. Warsaw was directly in the way.

The Poles and the Russians were not on very friendly terms, and in fact diplomatic relations had been broken off in 1943 after the Russians had massacred about 22,000 Polish prisoners, most of them Polish officers or soldiers, at the Katyn Forest. Stalin was planning on setting up a pro-communist system in post-war Poland, whereas the Poles wanted to re-establish their own pro-western  democratic-capitalist government. If the Russian Army 'liberated' Warsaw, the capitol of Poland, the true Polish Government-in-exile would most likely be forgotten by the Allies, a communist government set up and the Home Army branded by Soviet propagandists as Nazi collaborators. Therefore, the Home Army's plan was to liberate Warsaw before the communists, thus manifesting Polish sovereignty and also as express resistance against their age-old enemies, the Germans.

Polish Home Army soldier

The Polish Home Army knew it would have to accept help from the Russians, but trusted that America and England would prevent Russia from setting up a communist Poland.

They thought that the Polish Forces-in-exile would be allowed to come to their aid.

They expected airdrops from the US and Britain and hopefully put out white sheets to guide American bombers to Polish territories. 

And, at the start of the Uprising, the Polish soldiers outnumbered the Nazi troops stationed in Warsaw, everybody's spirits were up, and morale was at an all-time high, so, on August 1st, 1944, there was plenty of reason to think that the Uprising would be short and successful. 

Polish soldiers of the Parasol battalion

Alas. The expected help from the Allies was small and unsatisfactory. Stalin would not allow Allied planes supporting the Uprising to land at their bases; consequently Allied bombers were forced to carry smaller loads over long distances above enemy territory. Casualties among the bombers were high and the airdrops were mostly unsuccessful, as many of the supply containers fell into Nazi hands.  President Roosevelt was unwilling to join Churchill in defying Stalin's orders, hoping to keep the peace with his treacherous Russian ally.

The Russian Red Army sat on the opposite bank of the Vistula river, sometimes fighting, but mostly watching the fighting. Stalin knew the anti-communist sentiments of the greater portion of the Polish Home Army, and looked on the Uprising as a handy way to get rid of them--let the Nazis finish them off.

The Nazis sent reinforcements of  troops and tanks to Warsaw, doubling the German forces in that area. The German SS chief Heinrich Himmler declared that Warsaw must be leveled as an example to all of Europe, that no prisoners were to be taken and that all inhabitants of the city were to be killed. SS troops were a terror to all inhabitants of Warsaw. They committed all sorts of atrocities, from the horrific Wola massacre to the burning of insurgent hospitals, etc. Many civilians turned against the insurgents, saying that it was their fault for bringing all this horror and destruction upon them.

Rain, autumn rain, sings a song of tears...

On the other hand, there were many civilians supporting the Uprising, and many soldiers in the ranks of the Home Army or the Polish scouting union. Men, women, children were all fighting side by side. Kids of ten and twelve were running mail through German territory to different Polish-held sectors in Warsaw, or helping the Red Cross, or painting anti-Nazi, pro-Polish propaganda on the walls, or fighting in combat. Women were in the Home Army, the scouts, the Red Cross, acting as couriers, liaison officers, radiomen, nurses, soldiers. They ran hospitals, aid stations, relief centers, carried ammunition to the soldiers, etc. Old men and teenagers mounted the barricades side by side to fight, their home-made grenades and machine-guns in hand.

 Warsaw is not waiting for empty words of praise, for expressions of recognition, not for assurances of sympathy. Warsaw is waiting … Warsaw is waiting … for weapons and ammunition.

Szare Szeregi (Grey Ranks), the wartime name for the Polish boy and girls scouts

But, outnumbered and with insufficient weapons, by late September, Polish forces were forced to evacuate their sectors through Warsaw's sewer system and assembled in the City Center, which was the last district of Warsaw still in Polish hands.

 Insurgents reading a Polish underground paper, Biuletyn Informacyjny (Information Bulletin) 

On October 2nd, 1944, at 8:00 PM, all fighting ceased. General "Bor", commander of the Home Army, said in his farewell address to the soldiers of Warsaw:
"Soldiers of Fighting Warsaw! The heroic deeds of Polish soldiers which constitute two months of fighting in Warsaw are proofs, however full of horror, of our desire for freedom — our strongest desire. Our battle in the capital, in the face of death and destruction, stands in the forefront of famous deeds of Polish soldiers during this war. They will be a lasting memorial to our spirit and love of freedom. Although we were not able to gain a military victory over our enemy (since the general situation in our country was not favourable to our endeavor), those two months of fighting for every foot of Warsaw’s streets and walls have fulfilled a political and ideological goal. Our struggle will influence the fate of our nation, since it is a contribution without equal in its heroism and sacrifice to the defense of our independence. Today, when the enemy’s technical superiority has forced us into the central sector of our city — the only sector still under our control — when the city’s ruins are crowded with soldiers and the heroic civilian population, suffering from unbearable conditions of living on the battlefield, when we have not enough of even the most primitive food, and when there is virtually no chance of defeating the enemy, we have to confront the problem of complete destruction of the population by the enemy and chance of having most of the fighting soldiers and hundreds of thousands of the civilian population buried under the ruins. I have decided to call a halt to the fighting." 

Thousands of civilians streamed out of Warsaw in dismal columns. Polish soldiers began tearing down the barricades. They handed their weapons over to the Nazis and marched proudly out of Warsaw to German captivity, their heads held high, still carrying the Polish flag. Some German soldiers saluted the insurgents as they passed the lines of triumphant Nazis, in a gesture of respect. As a German soldier said in a letter home: Let's not deceive ourselves: Warsaw fell thanks to our heavy weaponry and not to the courage of certain units, however well they fought...They (the insurgents) came out with fully deserved honours after true heroism in battle. In truth they fought better than we did.

The Warsaw Uprising lasted 63 days. It failed because of the political situation between the Soviet Union and Poland, and lack of support from the Allies. The Poles had thought the Russians wished to capture Warsaw, whereas Stalin instead preferred to sit back and watch the destruction of the mostly anti-communist Home Army, and they were unaware that Poland had been placed under Soviet control in an Allied conference of 1943. It is estimated that over 15,000 partisans, 200,000 civilians, and 16,000 Germans were killed during the rising.

Warsaw was systematically looted, burned and destroyed by special Nazi destruction units, with especial care in obliterating historical and religious buildings. In January of 1945, the Red Army rolled victoriously into Warsaw. Communist rule in Poland began. Members of the Home Army were branded as criminals, hunted by the communist secret police, and many were executed on the charge of being traitors to Poland.

For decades the Warsaw Uprising was a subject of great embarrassment for America and England, as they were so unhelpful to the Poles and lenient to Stalin. In communist Poland, the Warsaw Uprising was a forbidden topic.

However, in Poland today, August 1st is commemorated as a great anniversary. Every year Polish citizens congregate at the Powazki Cemetery in Warsaw to honor the brave Polish insurgents. Here are some videos of Polish street bands in Warsaw on the 1st of August, singing the rousing songs of the Warsaw Uprising (you can also click on videos of lots of other songs by the same groups of street singers):

 Warszawianka 

Serce w Plecaku

And here are some good sites for you to read more about this forgotten episode of history, in which the civilian population of a city rose in defense of freedom.

Polish Greatness blog

Warsaw Uprising

Photos of the Uprising:

Warsaw Uprising Museum

And, here is Julian Kulski, Polish Home Army insurgent at World War II Weekend:

Guest Post by Mary Rose. Illustrations by ditto. 

Living History: World War II Weekend

 World War II Weekend at the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum is the biggest WWII living history event in the country. It's a whole weekend completely devoted to World War II - planes and tanks and jeeps (oh my), encampments and re-enactors, demonstrations and battles, music and dancing, and of course lots of veterans. My family had been looking forward to it- planning, researching and getting more and more excited for months. Not only was it thrilling to be so immersed in our favorite time period for two whole days, but there is great joy in being together with so many people who share your same interest and passion and who are enjoying it as much as you are.

As soon as we got through the entrance gates someone asked Josiah if he really played the accordion, and as he gave a demo a friendly German gave Eliza a dance.

Veterans are everywhere, enjoying the sights and scenes along with everyone else.

There is a charming little French village, unfortunately occupied by the Germans. The skirmishes to retake the village are always very exciting.

Kateri was all hot and tired and really starting to whine when who should save the day but the ice cream man, just in the nick of time!

Red Cross ladies are always so friendly. This one showed the little girls pictures and told them all about what children did during the war to help out on the home front.

Veteran speakers gave talks throughout the day.

And of course nothing beats meeting the veterans who served. Shaking their hands, hearing their stories, collecting their autographs - it's the best. When Anna greeted this gentleman with "Thank you for your service!",  without missing a beat he surprised her by replying, "Thank you for wearing your Miraculous Medal!"

If we can't find our daughters, it usually means they've gone off following the pipes.

(Hopefully they didn't get blown up by a tank.)

The flame thrower demo was really something!

Last year the girls dressed as French resistance, but they wanted to do a more authentic impression this year. As my husband and children have some Polish ancestry, and some Hungarians did indeed assist the Poles, it was decided we would portray the Polish resistance as a family, as the resistance movement had members of all ages and even the women and children were vitally important to the cause. Folks around here started reading all they could find about the Polish Home Army and especially the Warsaw Uprising of 1944, during which the brave and heroic Poles attempted to take back their city from the German occupation.The girls spent many hours researching period photos and working out our outfits. Josiah made a few German-style hats (as the Poles often wore confiscated items) and Lydia made Polish eagles to embellish them.

Thus we were very excited when we found the encampment of genuine Polish re-enactors and they greeted us in Polish as we walked up! Alas, we could only reply in English. Still, the Poles were very happy to see us and approved of our impression.

Mary Rose had taught herself the Polish National Anthem Boże, coś Polskę (God Save Poland) and she sang it together with one of the re-enactors while Josiah played it on the accordion. That was a lovely moment.

They even let us pose with some of their weapons and gear.

Eliza was most thrilled with the airplanes that continually fly overhead. "Beautiful!" "Glorious!" "Oh so beautiful!"

Make way for the President!

There are home front displays too. I had to get a picture of the Air Raid Warden station as my father, 4F-ed for medical reasons, served at home as a warden.

If Josiah had a dollar for every time someone asked him if he really 'played that thing' ...

Here is Jonathan trying out the field organ. This little number folds up kind of like a suitcase. One must pump the pedals continuously with the feet in order to make a sound!

Eliza impressed us all with Hot Cross Buns and Cuckoo,feet pumping all the time.

There is a special hut where Battle of the Bugle veterans gather to share stories and memories.

But most unexpected and exciting of all- we met a veteran of the Polish Resistance! He fought in the Warsaw Uprising at the age of 15. We all felt so very honored to meet him. Mary Rose got to sing with him too.

And the day ends with a big swing dance in the hangar on Friday and Saturday evenings.

That's World War II Weekend!

"It was once said that history is a teacher of life! The contemporary consumer society tends instead to relegate human beings to the present, to make them lose their sense of the past, of history; but by so doing it also deprives them of the ability to understand themselves, to perceive problems and to build the future. Therefore, dear young women and dear young men, I want to say to you: the Christian is someone who has a good memory, who loves history, and seeks to know it." - Pope Benedict XVI

Go Birding (guest post by Lydia Grace)

Have you heard of the Great Backyard Bird Count ?  Well, it begins today, Feb. 13th and you can do it.

The GBBC is an annual four-day citizen science project in which people all over the place count the birds and submit the data. This has been going on for 17 years already and it is now worldwide. I have read that folks in 135 countries did it last year.  Thus scientists can get a huge picture of bird populations all over the globe as Dick, Jane, Baby, Puff, Spot, and the Common Man gather vast quantities of data!  Isn't it a terrific idea?

[The old faithful pair of Red-tailed Hawks survey their domain from pole #1922]

Now it is for you to participate this year! The GBBC is done by all kinds of people from old sobersides birders with Swarovski opticks to kids with a bird feeder in Grandmother's backyard. Don't worry if you think you're only a beginner, there is nothing hard about it, and it is truly useful.

Here's how it goes: On one or more of the four days, Feb. 13-16th this year, count the birds you see for at least 15 minutes (noting the time), make a list of number and kind, and then enter your count on the GBBC website. There is even a handy-dandy tool that will give you a checklist of likely birds for your area: printable bird tally sheets. You can have as many counts as you want, wherever you want, with a new list every time. If you can't identify every bird, you can just do the best you can.  Go here to read all about it and register: Get Started.

[You may say, there are no birds in winter... well, if you look, you'll find some I daresay. This White-throated Sparrow, f'r instance. They're homesick when they first arrive here for the season. All they can say is , 'Oh, sweet Canada, Canada, Canada'). Don't want to miss it even if it is kind of drab.]

Important Notice: Even if there are really no birds at all, it is just as useful if you look for 15 minutes and submit data on how many birds there aren't. 

Timothy Pigeon wants YOU to join the Great Backyard Bird Count.

Please try it?

Living History: The Battle of the Bulge

On Saturday we attended a commemoration of the 70th Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. This event included many WWII reenactors giving impressions of many different units of various origins, and we got to observe two tactical engagements (aka battles!). Despite the freezing temperatures, the sunshine and the excitement kept us warm enough and we had a most fabulous day.

German soldiers marching to the battle area.

American GI's.

Few who fought had any 'snow camouflage' - white sheets thrown over regular uniforms.

Michael poses with a German general.

The Germans and their heavily armed vehicle. Their weapons were very loud.

German soldier in action.

The wounded lay where they fall in the snow.

Some are attended by medics.

A German is captured.

But after the battle, all wounds are healed and it's time for a smoke.

Mary Rose played Der gute Kamerad (or J'avais un camarade in French) on her whistle for this German reenactor (who is actually French);"A nice touch," he noted as he recognized the tune.

And time for a coffee break.

These are Canadian paratroopers.

Gratuitous bazooka shot.

The Irish Guards led by the bagpipes (and followed by my pipe-loving daughters).

Mary Rose happily poses with a German vehicle (wearing her new jeep cap of course).

The girls even got their picture in the news again, this time while sketching soldiers in battle. They were quoted as saying it was a pleasure to work from live models for a change instead of photographs. :-)

Roger Neighborgall, a WWII Army Ranger veteran speaks to a group of reenactor Rangers. He is holding a flag he confiscated from four Germans when he inadvertently captured them. He was just having a sandwich by the Danube, kind of off by himself, when suddenly four Germans appeared. They thought he was a German dressed as an American, but he pulled out his machine gun and showed them otherwise...

This event also hosted many WWII veterans earlier in the week and honored them with a banquet. There were just a few left around when we were there on Saturday. Pictured are Emmett Lang, Francis Chesko, and Roger Neighborgall.

Mr. Chesko was wearing a ring made from a piece of a B-17! He was a combat engineer and was tasked with blowing up a downed B-17 in Holland. The pilot told him to be extra sure to destroy the Norden bombsight! After blowing up the plane he found a little piece of it and kept it as a souvenir, and later made it into a ring.

He also showed us a lighter shaped like a miniature Coke bottle that he carried on his person all throughout the war. And here's a copy of a letter sent home during the war (sniff).

As always, the reenactors and battles and equipment are exciting, but nothing compares to meeting the veterans, hearing their stories, looking them in the eye, shaking their hands, and thanking them for their service! We also like to collect their autographs.

For further reading, John Toland's The Battle of the Bulge is very good. This is a book for young people, with material similar to his Battle: The Story of the Bulge. (We've read the children's one, but haven't gotten our hands on a copy of the other one yet.) The Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge provides links to sites with stories and testimonies from veterans. I am also hoping to get their book some time in the future - it looks fantastic. (Links above are to an interview with Mr. Chesko, an article about Mr. Neighborgall, and Mr. Lang's book.)

Living History: World War II

Today we attended another local WWII Weekend event. There were hundreds of reenactors representing many different American units, as well as portrayals of British, Canadian, French, Russian and Polish soldiers. Germans too. Medical units, mess tents, chaplains' quarters, and even a few cavalrymen. There were Red Cross ladies and civilians on the home front, piles of jeeps, vintage cars, all sorts of military equipment and more M-1's than you can shake a stick at.

But most thrilling of all is of course the veterans. As we walked up through the encampments we were excited to come upon a familiar looking display and my daughters were warmly greeted by a man in uniform, all of them smiling and embracing like long lost friends. Actually, they just met this dear veteran at a similar event a couple of months ago, and I hear snippets of the stories he's told them on an almost daily basis. He appreciates my girls because they appreciate his stories and service, and they were all so happy to see each other again. It is just amazing to see and hear this ninety-four year old man enthusiastically relating his anecdotes, showing his artifacts, passing on his memories as vividly as if they happened last week, not seventy years ago.

We also listened to formal speakers telling their stories - a medic veteran of the Battle of the Bulge, an infantryman and a tank driver, both of whom landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day, and a Marine who served in the Pacific. We heard harrowing tales and nitty gritty details of what it was really like. We heard an account of the train full of Jewish prisoners rescued and liberated by American soldiers, and the reunion that took place between some of them so many decades later.  We met other men who served as well and the girls added more autographs to their collection.

The opportunity to meet these veterans and hear them speak, shake their hands and thank them for their service, is truly an incredible privilege and it leaves us all in a fair bit of awe. Thankful, grateful awe.

Wordless Wednesday: "I'm writing as hard as I can!"