All Purls. No Swine.
Here dead lie we because we did not choose To live and shame the land from which we sprung. Life, to be sure, is nothing much to lose; But young men think it is, and we were young. —A.E. Houseman I think of Alfred Edward Houseman (1859-1936) as my “hometown” poet, because he was born… Continue reading Uniquely Human Memories
When my father, who was quite a colorful character, died in 2007, he was the subject of several obituaries in the UK. This one, from the local newspaper, is my favorite because it’s the most personal and tells the most stories. Most of them referred to a verse from 1 Peter 2:17, which Dad, who considered himself an… Continue reading Occasional Quote of the Day–“Fear God, Honour the King”
This post was originally published on Ricochet in May of 2019. This year, in the midst of the Covid-19 epidemic, the commemoration of Memorial Day will be different, but no less heartfelt. Today is the nation’s officially designated Memorial Day. My mother-in-law never called it anything but Decoration Day, and never commemorated it on any day… Continue reading For the Gift I Have Received, I Am Truly Thankful–Memorial Day 2020
From Sapper to Spitfire Spy: The WWII Biography of David Greville-Heygate DFC, by Sally-Anne Greville-Heygate is an endearing memoir of a father’s military career, put together and fleshed out by his loving daughter, and given life by that father’s vivid diaries of his World War II experiences combined with a large selection of family photographs,… Continue reading A Book Recommendation–From Sapper to Spitfire Spy–And Some Notes on Diving For Pearls
Season’s Greetings! I watched a segment on Fox News Something-Or-Other this morning which triggered action for me. The segment was about Luke’s Wings, a charity dedicated to providing the families of wounded, ill, and injured, service members the means to visit them during recovery and rehabilitation. A selfless and wonderful idea. What’s not to like about that? I… Continue reading Miles for Heroes: Please Consider
If Florence Nightingale were still alive, she’d have been 199 years old in 2019. She was born on May 12th, 1820, just a few short months after Mad King George (of American Revolution fame) breathed his last. By the time she died on August 13, 1910, George V (the current Queen’s grandfather) was on the… Continue reading Florence Nightingale: The Lady With the … Cats?
“Beware the enlisted man. He is stupid, but crafty.” Those words were first spoken to me by Bernie, my teacher, mentor, and friend. I met Bernie in 1972 when he was a teaching assistant, and I was a college freshman. My composition teacher had suffered a heart attack, was out for the rest of the… Continue reading Making Connections
Some months ago, a United States Marine Corps career officer of my acquaintance observed that, for a foreigner, for a civilian, and for a woman, I seem to have enjoyed the company of a quite a number of United States Marines in my life. And he’s right. (To be clear, I always call them “United… Continue reading United States Marines I Have Known and Loved–And a Couple of Others