Here are essays and stories that I have written on every day life and my childhood.
Uncovering My Grandfather’s Role in the Manhattan Project
The journey that led to my book, ‘The Macdonalds of Cedar Park,’ started when I tried to find out which part of the Manhattan Project my grandfather worked on during World War II. As kids, my cousins, siblings, and I knew our grandfather, Donald L. Macdonald, Sr.—everyone called him Mac—had…
How Rationing Shaped Daily Life During WWII
To support the war effort, the government rationed critical supplies such as tires, gasoline, sugar, meats, fats, coffee, and shoes.
WWII Home Front Civil Defense
In 1942, German U-boats monitored shipping along the East Coast from Maine to North Carolina.
The Green Box
Our grandmother would pull out the green box where she kept the letters and photos she treasured.
The oregano and the white rose
When we bought the house, I could envision the trash heap at the back door of our new home transformed into an herb garden. It wasn’t the first thing I attacked when we bought the house, the front needed more love, but it was on my list. The spring I planned…
The Interview
The summer I was 10, my father received some mysterious phone calls. Calls that have stuck with me.
