In Flanders Fields

 

​In Flanders Fields ​ In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place, and in the sky, The larks, still bravely singing, fly, Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the dead; short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe! To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high! If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields. ​The author of perhaps the most recognized poem of World War I was not an English schoolboy with romantic ideas about going off to war. Lt. Col. John McCrae was a Canadian surgeon. He had previously served in the Boer War in South Africa and knew the horrors of war first hand. McCrae served in a field hospital that sat close by the Yser Canal in Ypres, Belgium. On May 2, 1915, McCrae had to officiate at the battlefield funeral of Lt. Alexis Helmer a 22-year-old close friend. from Ottawa who seved with the Canadian First Artillery. Helmer been blown to bits by an eight-inch German shell launched from the other side of the canal.  The next day, McCrae penned his famous poem while sitting on the back bumper of an ambulance that overlooked the make-shift cemetery. He was inspired by the poppies that grew among the wooded crosses. ​McCrae did not live to see the end of the war. He died of pneumonia in 1916.  Jennifer Bohnhoff's novel about World War I will be published in October 2021. You can preorder A Blaze of Poppies here. To learn more about John McCrae, click here.

Americans buried in the Somme

 

 

The Somme district is a part of Picardie, in Northern France. It is a beautiful area of green, gently rolling hills and little stands of woods. The American Somme Cemetery is there not because of the area’s beauty, but because it was the scene of some of the bloodiest fighting in World War I.  

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​The cemetery’s chapel boasts a massive bronze door surmounted by an American eagle. Its outer walls are carved with military equipment. Inside a cross-shaped crystal window illuminates walls which bear the names of 333 men missing in action.
 
Outside, rows of crosses and stars of David mark the graves of 1,844 American men and women who fell trying to break the Hindenburg line, which bisected the area, in a push known as the The Hundred Days Offensive. 

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Most buried there served in American units attached to the British Fourth Army under the overall command of General Sir Henry Rawlinson.  Others buried there died in operations near Cantigny.
 
The largest one-day American regimental loss of the entire war occurred here on September 29, 1918 when the 107th Infantry Regiment suffered nearly 1,000 casualties during the first day’s attack in the Battle of St Quentin Canal.
 
Three Medal of Honor recipients are buried here.  The Gold Star Mothers became organized because of two brothers, James and Harmon Vedder, who are buried side by side. 

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​Not all buried here were fighters. Nurse Helen Fairchild was serving in a casualty clearing station in Dozinghem during July and August, while the Third Battle of Ypres-Passchendaele was happening nearby.  The station was repeatedly exposed to mustard gas and heavy shelling, and she reportedly loaned her gas mask to a wounded soldier during one such attack. After being evacuated in August, she developed gastric ulcers, for which she underwent surgery on January 13, 1918. She lapsed into a coma and died five days later. It remains unsure whether Helen Fairchild died of complications from chloroform used during surgery or from effects of mustard gasses, which mimic the effects chloroform has on the stomach.

​Jennifer Bohnhoff toured this cemetery in June 2019 as part of a tour of World War I battlefields. A Blaze of Poppies, her novel based on her experiences will come out in October and is now available for preorder.  For more information on Mrs. Bohnhoff and her writing, visit her website.

All American Breakfast

 

 

Dr. John Harvey Kellogg

Breakfast in America in the mid-1800s was not all that different from other meals. Middle- and upper-class Americans ate eggs, pastries, and pancakes like we do today, but oysters, boiled chicken, beefsteaks and leftovers were also on the menu. It wasn’t until the invention of ready-to-eat cereal that breakfast became a meal with distinct foods that weren’t usually served at other times of day.

The men behind this transformation have names that are still recognized today. Dr. John Harvey Kellogg and C.W. Post began a transformation in what Americans eat that is still controversial today.
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During the nineteenth century, the most common American digestive complaint was dyspepsia, a term for what we now call indigestion. Dr. Kellogg and other nutritionists and reformers attributed this complaint to eating a diet too heavy in meat and spices and to too little exercise. They recommended what Kellogg called “biologic living,” a vegetarian lifestyle with more exercise, simple, unspiced foods, and whole grains. One dietary reformer, Sylvester Graham, invented the graham cracker in 1827. In 1863, another reformer named James Caleb Jackson invented a cereal that he named “granula” and his critics called “wheat rocks.” Kellogg invented his corn flakes in 1894. 

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C.W. Post

The public responded favorably to these new dietary theories. During its first year in production, more than 50 tons of corn flakes were sold. By 1903, over 100 cereal companies had begun producing breakfast cereals in Kellogg’s home town of Battle Creek, Michigan.

One of Kellogg’s biggest competitors was C.W. Post, who formed his own cereal company in 1895. Post became a convert to Kellogg’s theories after being under Kellogg’s care following a nervous breakdown in 1890. Less a reformer than an entrepreneur, his first product, Postum, was a grain-based coffee substitute similar to one Kellogg served his patients.  The next year he began manufacturing Grape-Nuts, based on another Kellogg recipe.
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Today, the bloom has come off the cereal rose. Americans are more obese than ever before. Tums and other antacid medications show that we still suffer from indigestion. The dietary pendulum has swung to the other extreme, as evidenced by advocates of Keto, paleo and other diets that are meat-centered. Yet, cereal continues to make billions of dollars each year, and it’s not just for breakfast anymore. 

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I’ve been posting a cookie recipe every month, with the ultimate plan of putting together a cookie recipe book for my friends, fans and family at the end of the year.

It’s too hot to bake, though. Here we are, in the middle of summer, and I find the idea of turning on the oven repugnant. Good thing there is such a thing as the no-bake cookie.
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If you’ve known me longer than two months, you know that my husband loves cookies and he loves peanut butter. This recipe seems to be one of my go-tos for the indolent days of summer. 

​Peanut Butter Cereal Treats

Line a 9” square pan with plastic wrap

In a sauce pan, combine ½ cup sugar and ½ cup corn syrup.
Boil 1 minute over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Sugar will melt into the corn syrup and mixture will be clear.

Remove from heat and stir in ½ cup smooth peanut butter

Mix in 4 cups rice krispies cereal

Press into pan. Let cool 15 minutes, then invert on cutting board, remove plastic wrap and cut into squares.
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For an extra treat, you can melt ¾ cup semi sweet chocolate chips (I do this in the microwave by putting them in a glass measuring cup and microwaving 30 seconds at a time, stirring between sessions, until melted and smooth) and spreading over the treats when they are still in the pan. If you do this, put the pan in the refrigerator until set solid before turning out and cutting.)

Bobbed Hair and Bravery

 

The main character in my next book, A Blaze of Poppies, is a feisty little woman with more determination than muscle, though she has plenty of that, too. Agnes Day is a third-generation rancher in the dry desert of southwestern New Mexico. She stands barely five feet tall, but she’s adept enough on horseback to rope a steer and bring it down. The fifth daughter in a family that has no sons, she is determined to follow her father and keep the Sunrise Ranch going. When I write, I amass pictures to help me envision my characters and settings. My inspiration for Agnes Day is a contemporary of hers, an inspiring, real woman named Mabel Strickland. Mabel, who was born in Walla Walla, Washington, in January 1897, learned to ride the same time she was learning to walk.  Standing just over five feet tall, she was slim, but muscular enough to throw a 345-pound calf to the ground and pin its flailing legs, a feat that even male cowboys find difficult. She started her riding career when she was only fifteen years old. By 1916, Mabel was competing in rodeos. She continued to compete – and win – for 26 years. ​ Like Mabel, Agnes Day wears her hair bobbed.  One of her suitors, trying to gain her favor says “Bobbed hair like yours is very fashionable now, though. I saw a lot of it on the girls in Boston, where Harvard is. You would fit right in.” Agnes responds with ““I don’t care a continental about fashion, and I don’t care about fitting in,” then watches with satisfaction as the young man blushes. Agnes’ mother then says that “Our Agnes is a practical girl. She bobbed her hair so it won’t get into her eyes when she’s riding.” My grandmother (left) and her sister with their new, modern bobs. ​​While neither a rancher nor a rodeo rider, my own grandmother showed some bravery by getting the same haircut that Mabel Strickland and Agnes Day had. The family story is that she and her sister quietly went into their father’s room when he was sleeping and asked if they could get their hair cut. In his half-asleep state, he assented. The girls then went out and got their hair bobbed, being the first women in Deshler, Nebraska to do so. The family was not happy, but my grandmother and her sister started a trend, and soon many of the girls in town had bobbed hair.  Jennifer Bohnhoff is a native New Mexican who lives in the mountains east of Albuquerque. A Blaze of Poppies will be published in October 2021, and is available for preorder here. To see more images related to this story, visit her Pinterest page.

Elizabeth Garrett: Songbird of the Southwest

 

 

Elizabeth Garrett may not have the name recognition of her famous father, but she deserves to be well known among New Mexicans for her personal bravery and her contributions to her state.

Elizabeth’s father was Pat Garret, a bartender, customs agent, and lawman who was sheriff of both Lincoln and Doña Ana Counties in New Mexico. He is most known for killing Billy the Kid, then coauthoring a book titled The Authentic Life of Billy, the Kid, which for decades was considered the most authoritative biography of the famous outlaw. 
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Pat Garret and his second wife, Apolinaria Gutierrez Garrett had eight children. Elizabeth, the third child, was born on October 9, 1885 in their home in Eagle Creek, outside the small community of Alto, in New Mexico’s Sierra Blanca Mountains. In the same year, the nearby town of Ruidoso was established. 

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Mrs. Elizabeth Garrett and Teene, her seeing-eye dog, at her 'La Carita' home in Roswell, New Mexico. Courtesy of the Palace of the Governors Photo Archives (NMHM/DCA), 057207.

Elizabeth’s life was never easy but she had an independent spirit and a can-do attitude. It is unsure whether she was born blind or lost her sight at an early age. Soon after her birth, the family moved to Roswell, where she led an active outdoor life, riding horses, playing in her family’s apple orchard, and doing all the things the other children did. When she was six, she was sent to the Texas School for the Blind in Austin, where her education included the musical instruction that would guide her future. When she graduated, she rejoined her family, who had moved to El Paso when her father began working as a Customs Officer. When the family moved to Las Cruces, Elizabeth stayed alone in El Paso for three more years so she could continue to teach music there. After that, she moved to Roswell and supervised the building of her dream home, a five-room adobe.

Elizabeth composed and sang her own songs at performances around the state and the country. She once performed for the prisoners at New York’s infamous Sing Sing Prison. Her most memorable song is "O, Fair New Mexico," which she wrote in 1915. Two years later,  New Mexico Governor Washington E. Lindsey asked her to sing it to the state legislature, who unanimously voted to make it the official state song the very next day.
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Elizabeth Garrett died in Roswell on October 16, 1947 after falling while out on a walk.

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O fair New Mexico

Under a sky of azure,
Where balmy breezes blow,
Kissed by the golden sunshine,
Is Nuevo Mejico.
Land of the Montezuma,
With fiery hearts aglow,
Land of the deeds historic,
Is Nuevo Mejico.

O, Fair New Mexico,
We love, we love you so,
Our hearts with pride o’reflow,
No matter where we go.
O, Fair New Mexico,
We love, we love you so,
The grandest state to know
New Mexico.

Rugged and high sierras,
With deep canyons below,
Dotted with fertile valleys,
Is Nuevo Mejico.
Fields full of sweet alfalfa,
Richest perfumes bestow,
State of apple blossoms,
Is Nuevo Mejico.

O, Fair New Mexico,
We love, we love you so,
Our hearts with pride o’reflow,
No matter where we go.
O, Fair New Mexico,
We love, we love you so,
The grandest state to know
New Mexico.

Days that are full of heart-dreams,
Nights when the moon hangs low;
Beaming its benedictions,
O’er Nuevo Mejico.
Land with its bright manana,
Coming through weal and woe;
State of esperanza,
Is Nuevo Mejico.
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O, Fair New Mexico,
We love, we love you so,
Our hearts with pride o’reflow,
No matter where we go.
O, Fair New Mexico,
We love, we love you so,
The grandest state to know
New Mexico.

"O, Fair New Mexico" is a tango in 2/4 time. I believe New Mexico is the only state that has a tango as its state song. It is in the key of A flat major. Its three stanzas, with refrain, describe the climate, geography, agriculture, and overall beauty of the state of New Mexico. In order to show the two cultures that Ms. Garrett had running in her own veins, each stanza uses the Spanish words "Nuevo México," while the refrain uses "New Mexico."

New Mexicans really like their music, and its legislators like to acknowledge that face. While "O, Fair New Mexico" remains the official state song, the state also has an official Spanish-language state song, a state bilingual song, a state ballad, and an official cowboy song.

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​In February 1937, Elizabeth Garrett gave an interview given to Works Progress Administration writer Georgia Redfield, where she said this about her famous father: “Quite frequently,” said Elizabeth Garrett, “my father had to bring harmony with a gun. I try to do so by carrying a tune.” You can read the transcript of the interview here.
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Jennifer Bohnhoff is a native New Mexican and a former New Mexico history teacher. She lives in the mountains of central New Mexico, where she is presently writing the third in a trilogy of historical novels set in New Mexico during the Civil War. The first in the series, Where Duty Calls," will be published by Kinkajou Press in May 2022.
​To read more about her and her writing, click here.

Cookies and Quakers

 

 

My husband loves cookies. He comes by that love naturally: his mother was a prolific cookie baker. Her Christmas cookie platter brimmed with dozens of different types of cookies. I didn’t get all of her recipes, and even if I did, I couldn’t match my mother-in-law’s cookie baking skills, but I’ve tried, for my husband’s sake. Although he likes many kinds of cookies, these oatmeal and raisin ones are one of his favorites. They are chewy and satisfying and, as cookies go, good for you. I added ground flax to this recipe around 20 years ago, when Hank developed high cholesterol. The doctor said that if he didn’t get his numbers down, he’d have to go on medication. Hank started exercising more, and I added almonds to his lunches, more fruits and veggies to all meals, and flax and oatmeal to many of my recipes. It seemed to do the trick. Hank’s still medication-free and his cholesterol numbers are good.

​Hank’s Special Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

¾ cup sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
½ cup butter, softened
½ tsp vanilla
1 egg
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp apple pie spice (you can use cinnamon if you prefer)
3/4 cup flour
2 tbs ground flax
1 ½ cup quick-cooking oats (you can use regular oats, and your cookies will be a little chewier)
½ cup raisins
½ cup chopped pecans
 
Heat oven to 375°.
 
In large bowl, beat sugar, brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
Add vanilla and egg and blend well.
Add baking soda, salt, apple pie spice, flour, and flax and blend well.
Stir in oats, raisins and nuts.
 
Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls, 2” apart, onto greased cookie sheets.
Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes until golden brown.
Cool 1 minute, then use a spatula to remove from cookie sheets onto a cooling rack.
 

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​Famous American Quakers

Unless you’re like me and use generic and store brands, the oats you use for these cookies might come from a box that has a picture of a Quaker on it. According to the Quaker Oats Company, this man was America's first registered trademark for a breakfast cereal. Registered on September 4th, 1877, the logo featured a full-length Quaker man holding a scroll with the word "Pure" written across it.
 
Back in 1909, the company identified this figure as William Penn, the founder of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and called him the "standard bearer of the Quakers and of Quaker Oats." Now, however, the company says that he is not the representation of an actual person, but symbolizes the Quaker virtues of honesty, integrity, purity and strength.

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William Penn was born in England on October 14, 1644.  King Charles II owed his father, the admiral and politician Sir William Penn, a great deal of money, and in 1681 he handed over a large piece of his North American land holdings along the North Atlantic coast in what is now Pennsylvania and Delaware to cover his debts. The younger Penn, who had been imprisoned in the Tower of London several times for his membership in the Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as Quakers, immediately set sail for America. As soon as he arrived, he convened the first Pennsylvania General Assembly. The democratic principles that he established in the Pennsylvania Frame of Government served as an inspiration for the members of the convention framing the new Constitution of the United States in Philadelphia in 1787.
 
Penn’s pacifist theories helped him propose a European Assembly, whose deputies would discuss and peacefully adjudicate issues among the nations, an idea no dissimilar to the European Union in place today.
 
Penn founded the city of Philadelphia, directing that it be laid out in an easy-to-navigate grid that was very different from the tangled street of his native London. Because Pennsylvania means "Penn's Woods," he named the cross streets after types of trees.
 
In addition to being an early advocate of democracy and religious freedom, Penn is known for his good relations and successful treaties with the Lenape Native Americans. He died on July 30, 1718.

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But although he is the most famous Quaker, William Penn is not the only one. American folk hero Daniel Boone’s family emigrated to the U.S. because they were Quakers and raised their famous son in their beliefs.  Cassius Coolidge, the painter who created the famous Dogs Playing Poker was born in upstate New York into a family of abolitionist Quakers. Actor James Dean was raised Quaker and is buried in a Quaker cemetery. President Richard Milhous Nixon’s mother was from an old Quaker family, and he attended a Quaker college in California named Whittier College. Joan Baez's father, Albert, a co-inventor of the X-ray microscope and a well-known physicist, converted to Quakerism when Joan was a child, influencing her anti-war stand. Blues guitarist Bonnie Raitt was also raised in a Quaker family. As far as I know, none of them have ever advocated eating oatmeal.  

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Author Jennifer Bohnhoff was raised Lutheran and eats a lot of oatmeal. She is especially fond of it when it is in cookies. Read all her blogs here and sign up for her newsletter here.