Stolen Child, Making Bombs for Hitler & Underground Soldier

It happens every night.  I climb up onto Jacqueline's bed, between her giant stuffies, and read to her.  Often I read a picture book, my favourite genre.  But I have also read her chapter books like The Little House on the Prairie and Anne of Green Gables.

Right now we are in the middle of another series, this one by Brantford author Marsha Skrypuch.  The first book, Stolen Child, was published in 2010.  The main character Nadia emigrates from Germany to Canada. As she settles into her new home, she struggles with flashbacks in which her name was "Gretchen".  Bit by bit, it comes out that Nadia is really Larissa, a Ukrainian girl.  One day, she was kidnapped by the Nazis and given to a German family to "adopt", part of the Nazi's Lebensborn program.  Somehow, with the help of a young woman and her husband, she was able to escape and immigrate to Canada.

Book number two is called "Making Bombs for Hitler" (2012).  It focuses on Larissa's sister, Lida, also kidnapped by the Nazis, who ends up in a concentration camp.  At first she is employed in the laundry room where she uses her sewing skills.  But later she is moved to a factory where she builds bombs.  With rumors of the Allies turning the tide of the war, the young workers start to sabotage the bombs.  Life is dangerous for the prison mates who dodge American bombs as they work.  Finally, Lida's work camp is liberated and she starts to search for her sister.

Book number three is called "Underground Soldier" (2014).  It focuses on Luka, who works as an Ostarbeiter (slave labourer) in Eastern Europe along with Lida. Desperate to escape the labour camp, Luka hides in a truck under a pile of dead bodies and escapes.  He joins the Ukrainian resistance which is caught between advancing Nazis in the west and Soviets in the east. At war's end, Luka must decide whether to follow Lida to Canada or stay and find his lost mother.

D-Day Facts & Figures

To commemorate the 70th anniversary of D-day, here are some facts and figures:

1.  Americans had 70,000 soldiers and airmen participate in the battles at Omaha & Utah Beaches.
     The British had 61,000 soldiers and airmen participate in the battles at Gold & Sword Beaches.
     The Canadians had 21,000 soldiers and airmen participate in the battle at Juno Beach.

2.  The total number of naval combat ships was 1213.

3.  Robert Capa and Charles Turner were two of the war photographers present on the Normandy beaches on Jnne 6, 1944.

4.  The location of the D-Day landing was a heavily guarded secret until the last minute.  Catching the Germans off guard was essential given that they had 55 divisions in France at the time.  The Allies had only eight divisions.

5.  About 17 million maps supported the mission.  Training maps used fake names.

6.  The United States shipped 7 million tons of supplies including 448,000 tons of ammunition.

7.  There are 9,386 graves in the American cemetery at Colville-sur-Mer.  Each grave faces west towards the United States.  The British suffered 4868 fatalities, all buried at Bayeux Cemetery.  There were 946 Canadian casualties on the Normandy beaches.

8.  If not for the discovery of penicillin in 1928 by Alexander Fleming, the death toll would have been much higher.

9.  By July 4, one million men had been landed on the Normandy beaches.

10.  D-Day was postponed by a day due to bad weather.

How to Collect Airmiles

I would love to go to the Maritimes with my family.  But travelling is expensive, especially within Canada.  I once heard about a Canadian businessman who noticed that every time he flew somewhere within the country, the plane was half full.  So, he, and his fellow passengers, were paying for the empty seats with their overpriced tickets.

So, I am on a mission to collect Airmiles.  I have an Airmiles Mastercard.  That's a good start.  Each month I collect at least 100 Airmiles by using it.  I collect a mile here and there by going to certain stores like Staples or The Children's Place.  If I get gas at Shell, I collect a few more miles.  Lately, I have been shopping at Metro.  On an average trip, I'll get 40 or 50 Airmiles.  But if I'm really lucky, it's a day where they're offering 100 Airmiles for every $100 spent.

This week I hit 6000 Airmiles -- enough to fly to the Maritimes.  I was thrilled!  But I phone the toll free number and found out that I'm still short.  To fly to Halifax costs 7800 for four people (three adults and one child -- Thomas counts as an adult).  The lady on the phone said that I could purchase 3 tickets with Airmiles and pay cash for the fourth.  But the fourth ticket would cost $660!  Plus I would have to pay taxes on the 3 "free" tickets to the tune of $215 each!  I figured out that I could save $450 by waiting and collecting enough for that final ticket.

So, if you see me stalking people at Metro, asking if I can have their Airmiles, you'll know why.  If you see me in the LCBO, even thought I don't drink, you'll know it's to get someone else's Airmiles.  I'm determined to reach 7800  -- no matter what it takes!

Eggs Benedict

Ingredients

8 eggs, cold

4 English muffins, split & toasted

8 slices Canadian bacon, warmed

1/4 cup Hollandaise sauce

Directions

Heat two or three inches of water in large saucepan.  Adjust heat to keep liquid simmering.  Break eggs one at a time into custard cup.  Hold dish close to surface and slip eggs into water.  Cook eggs until whites completely set and yolks thickened (3 - 5 minutes).  Do not stir.  Lift eggs from water with slotted spoon.

Drain well.  Top each muffin with one bacon slice, one egg and 1 1/2 tbsp Hollandaise sauce.  Serve immediately.

Only God Can Make a Tree

I think that I shall never see

A poem as lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest

Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day

And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear

A nest of robins in her hair;  

Upon whose bosom snow has lain

Who intimately lives with rain;

Poems are made by fools like me

But only God can make a tree.

Joyce Kilmer

Grilled Pork Chops with Fresh Nectarine Salsa

GRILLED PORK CHOPS WITH FRESH NECTARINE SALSA

Ingredients:

2 nectarines, pitted & diced
1 ripe tomato, seeded & diced
1/4 cup diced onion
2 tbsp chopped, fresh cilantro
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
salt to taste
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili pepper
salt & ground black pepper to taste
2 tbsp olive oil
8 boneless pork loin chops

Directions:

1.  Preheat outdoor grill to medium-high heat.  Lightly oil grate and set four inches from heat.

2.  To make salsa, place nectarines, tomato, onion, cilantro, lime juice and red pepper flakes in a bowl; toss to blend.  Season to taste with salt.  Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to blend flavours.

3.  Stir cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper together in a small bowl.  Place olive oil in small bowl.  Brush pork chops with oil and season both sides with cumin mixture.

4.  Place pork loin chops on preheated grill.  Cook until lightly brown and juices run clear, about 4 minutes on each side.  Place pork chops on serving plates and top with generous spoonful of salsa.

allrecipes.com

A Boy and His Dad on a Fishing Trip

A boy and his dad on a fishing trip --
There is a glorious fellowship!
Father and son and the open sky
And the white clouds lazily drifting by,
And the laughing stream as it runs along,
With the clicking reel like a martial song,
And the father teaching the youngster gay
How to land a fish in the sportsman's way.

I fancy I hear them talking there
In an open boat, and the speech is fair,
And the boy is learning the ways of men
From the finest man in his youthful ken.
Kings, to the youngster, cannot compare
With the gentle father who's with him there.
And the greatest mind of the human race
Not for one minute could take his place.

Which is happier, man or boy?
The soul of the father is steeped in joy,
For he's finding out, to his heart's delight
That his son is fit for the future fight.
He is learning the glorious depths of him,
And the thoughts he thinks and his every whim;
And he shall discover when night comes on
How close he has grown to his little son.

A boy and his dad on a fishing trip --
Builders of life's companionship!
Oh, I envy them, as I see them there
Under the sky in the open air,
For out of the old, old long ago
Come the summer days that I used to know,
When I learned life's truths from my father's lips
As I shared the joy of his fishing trips.

Edgar Guest