I am a Victory Grower…fascinated by gardens, not only for their educative value but for the historical lessons they can teach us. I returned to graduate school a few times, first to study business, then education, and then in my 40s to earn a Master's and Ph.D. in U.S. history and public historical studies. My doctoral research focused on Victory Gardens, women in agriculture/horticulture, female suffrage, food and ag policy, poster art, and the American home front during wartime. A two-year W.K. Kellogg Foundation fellowship supported my digital advocacy efforts to encourage school, home, and community gardens. I wrote a book synthesizing my historical research, contemporary practice and public policy recommendations; it was published in 2014.

From a very young age, I’ve been fascinated by history. It’s hard to convey this, but my sense of time is diffused. I move back and forth many times a day between the past and the present, posing questions and finding answers, at least for knowable things. My first major history interest was the Civil War. My parents and extended family indulged my passion for history - much to the regret of my totally uninterested siblings - taking me to battlefields, cemeteries, national parks, museums, and antique stores. My father in particular made sure that books were always available and could be counted on for stacks of new reads each Christmas and birthday. Mostly, though, the people around me answered my endless questions and introduced me to other people who also answered my questions. 

In my family, I am the “Keeper of Things.” Ever since I was a child, relatives and friends have given me items for safekeeping. A WWII GI sewing kit. Guitar picks. Old books. A jar of buttons. Marbles. Hymnals. Photos. Bibles. Cufflinks. Boxes of letters. A table. Paintings. Baptismal records. Childhood treasures. And more. I’ve kept each item safe, along with their stories. I always consider the stories of things - and people - within the larger historical context. I am driven by a sense of curiosity.

Surprisingly, I didn’t major in history in college. I majored in English, with a course of study that focused on British literature. My electives were nearly all European history classes, though. I took only one U.S. history class in four years: the history of California, taught by the notable Richard Oglesby. I dabbled in theatre my last year in college, mentored by the extraordinary Homer Swander - a giant in student-centered instruction. He made literature come alive for me in new ways. Post-graduation, I traveled to England with classmates and Dr. Swander for a short summer course with members of the Royal Shakespeare Company in the Association for Creative Theatre, Education, and Research (ACTER) program. Life-changing experience.

Faith and church experiences are something I frequently weave into my writing. I’m a cradle Episcopalian. The Episcopal Church represented a compromise some generations back for members of my family (some of them immigrants) who came from Dutch Reformed, Catholic, and Baptist churches. I’m very active in my church. One of my favorite ministries is choir and my blog - A Polyphonic Life - takes its name from a musical term. I’m also active in the Los Angeles Diocese, serving on the communications committee, on the climate commission, and on the Bishop’s standing committee. I value the lessons and traditions that older generations taught me about my faith tradition; I’m now an elder myself.

A sense of place is something you’ll also often find in my work. I’ve lived in many places and traveled to many more. I use my memories and knowledge of history as a GPS of sorts to locate me in place and time. Each landscape is my favorite at a moment in time. I am a keen observer of nature, and especially love gardens, birds, weather, and light in all its gradations. 

Like everyone, I’ve had challenges and losses in my life. I write about those things sometimes, too. I’ve often been accused of being overly optimistic. Perhaps my optimism is unwarranted, but so is the grace I receive every day I live on this spinning orb, in this wonderful creation and limitless universe.

Things I love