Good morning! It is a lovely, soft, gray morning as I work on my blog (Monday). There is a light rain, with more (and heavier) rain in the forecast. It will be nice to get out of our drought! On our morning walk we had one of those quirky pnw weather moments. There was blue sky overhead, but we were walking in the rain! Ohio, however, is still in the cold. There is even a hazardous weather warning about the windchill factor. There is snow in the forecast for the end of the week. My Ohio relatives remind me to be happy I don't have to shovel rain ... believe me, I am, I am! :)

Book Trails this time has a World War II theme. One of my favorite movies is "The Great Escape" and, after watching it for the first time I tracked down the book by Paul Brickhill (with the same title). It was different than the movie, of course, but gripping and engaging in it's own way. There's a lot more detail of what went on, maps of the tunnels, and pictures of the actual men involved.

In grad school I took a Canadian history class. For one assignment I read And No Birds Sang, by Farley Mowat. Mowat served as a Private in the Canadian Army from 1940 to 1945. This book is a personal account of his experiences there in. He describes the harsh conditions that took a toll on the men (the dust, or mud, depending, the smell of men in close quarters who had not been able to shower for several days, the lack of sleep, the bombs) along with the frustration and silliness of some of the Army rules (such as being sent on leave when there was no place to actually go). In contrast to this (as part of the assignment), I read one written by a General or Admiral who had an entirely different view of the war. Mowat's book is the one that stayed with me all these years later.

My WWII reading was jump started again with Once Upon a Town: the Miracle of the North Platte Canteen by Bob Greene. North Platte, Nebraska was a water stop for the troop trains transporting soldiers across the country. Local residents initially planned on greeting just the train that was taking their own troops east. Instead, it evolved into a Canteen for every train that stopped, from early each morning until after midnight each night. Food was offered, from hot meals to home-made desserts (often using the baker's ration book coupons for sugar) to coffee (the cups could be taken on the train, then put into a box that was sent back on a train going in the other direction). There were books and magazines, materials for letter writing and even, sometimes, music for dancing. Entirely staffed by local volunteers from this small community it continued until the war ended. It's an amazing book, one that I've recommended and given as a gift.

This lead to A Higher Call: an Incredible True Story of Combat and Chivalry in the War Torn Skies of World War II by Adam Makos. An American pilot, in a damaged plane, was in the air over Germany when a German plane came up along side him. Instead of shooting him down, the German pilot signaled to follow him and led the American safely out of German air space and to a point where he was able to get his disabled plane and crew home. The book chronicles the lives of both pilots before, during and after the war. Recommended by my friend Terry. A similar theme was used on an episode of NCIS this season.

Another reader friend of mine (aka Constant Reader) suggested Wine and War: the French, the Nazis, and the Battle for France's Greatest Treasure by Don Kladstrup. It is the story of how the winemakers of France worked to save their treasured wines and grapes from the Nazis. From creating false walls in the caverns, complete with spider webs and dust, to mislabeling bad wine as good, and sabotaging trains, they also hid Jewish refugees and helped sneak men and women of the Resistance across the country. Although I'm not a drinker of wines and probably missed things when wine was discussed, I found this to be an enthralling read.

Shortly after finishing the Kladstrup book I came across A Train in Winter: an Extraordinary Story of Women, Friendship, and Resistance in Occupied France by Caroline Moorhead. While both men and women were involved in the French Resistance, this is a book about the women. They came from all walks of life, some were very young, others in their sixties. Eventually they were hunted down by the Gestapo, imprisoned and eventually sent to Auschwitz. This is a story of their ordeal, it's grim in many places, but well written and has one of my favorite things ... a wonderful bibliography.

I love kid's books! Some of them will show up with other 'Trail' themes, but this one is a stand out all by itself (at least for now) and I thought it might offer some relief from the rather grim trail of today's blog. A Mother's Promise written by Lisa Humphrey, illustrated by David Danioth. For reasons I will never be able to explain, I plucked this book off the shelf at Village Books. I started with a quick scan and ended up standing there, reading the entire book. I loved everything about it ... the text, which is about our connections to the natural world, and the pictures, which depict them so beautifully. It is a quiet gem of a book.

There has pretty much always been a dog in my life. My mom and I went to the local shelter when I was five and since then I have always had a rescue dog. Many of my friends also have dogs so when we are together (whether 'live' or via email) we are talking about our dogs. (I'm pretty sure we're could hold our own against any grandparent). ;-) A few dogs back I had a dog that would sing ... well .... what she had was a 'rou' of a bark, which I could get her to do if I 'rou'd' back to her. We'd sing 'Rou, rou, rou your boat' and 'Michael, rou your boat ashore'. (Other dogs, however, have actually left the room when I sing).

Happy trails! (Remember Roy Rogers?)

Reading Hermit With Dog