The weather is all over the place, making it tough to get around. But even so, it seems like everyone is traveling. Holiday trains are packed. And Wes leaves for California. With another family. In winter. Days before Christmas.

With the changes in temps, the ice and sleet and snow are alternating, making everything a challenge - including a nasty surprise for the neighbor bride-to-be.

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Characters This Week:

• Wes (son)
• Florence (daughter-in-law)
• Georgine (friend)
• Aunt Ella (older sister)
• Gram (mother)
• Virginia (Ken's fiancée)
• Rudy (step-daughter)
• Uncle Herb (younger brother)
• Walter (youngest sister)
• Cousin Ella (?)
• Vivian (step-daughter)
• Bud (step-son)
• Elizabeth Rickard (neighbor)

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Cover photo: Christmas Cards by Ken

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Website: moth.family

Contact us: mattieonthehomefront@gmail.com

Get notified about new episodes

––––

Mattie On The Homefront is produced by Hans Buetow. It is hosted by Hans Buetow and Steve Buetow. The theme music is by Matt Buetow. The graphic design is by Amy Kirkpatrick.

Mattie's in a Christmas play. She's a shepherd! And that's just one of many things she has going on.

We are joined by Jesse Buetow, Hans' brother and Steve's son, as we hear Mattie turn her letters into her daily diary. She has car trouble, cold trouble, and mom trouble, but she gets it all handled. There's a visit from a cousin. And another cousin. In a dramatic turn, Wes announces, to Mattie's consternation, that he wants to leave for California, and Mattie sells her hat, literally off her head.

Plus, there's a huge air raid drill, and we discuss the rationality of Minnesotans being afraid of being bombed during the war.

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Characters This Week:

• Gennrich's (Friends)
• Margaret (?)
• Margaret's mother (?)
• Cousin Ella (niece)
• Aunt Ella (older sister)
• Gwen (niece)
• George (nephew-in-law)
• Paul Unke (nephew)
• Wes (son)
• Flo (daughter-in-law)
• Bud (stepson)
• Mrs. Hanson (church friend)
• Virginia (step daughter-in-law)
• Wally (step son-in-law)

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Cover photo: Mattie's cross

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Website: moth.family

Contact us: mattieonthehomefront@gmail.com

Get notified about new episodes

––––

Mattie On The Homefront is produced by Hans Buetow. It is hosted by Hans Buetow and Steve Buetow. The theme music is by Matt Buetow. The graphic design is by Amy Kirkpatrick.

Grandma Mick has died. We knew it was coming, but it's still tough. Matt, who has a birthday, takes a day off of work during a busy time to grieve his mom, and Mattie helps with funeral arrangements, despite her own mother feeling left out and letting her know.

On top of all that, or maybe because of that, Mattie feels like her siblings aren't doing enough to help.

In good news, Chuck's letter finally made it to Ken. Also, we take some time to understand the finances of waging a war, and to learn about the manufacturing plant where Wes works.

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Characters This Week:

• Grandma Mick - Marie (Matt's mom)
• Gram - Julia (mom)
• Aunt Ella (older sister)
• Uncle Art (older brother)
• John Mickelsen (Matt's older brother)
• Gennrich's (friends)

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Cover photo:

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Website: moth.family

Contact us: mattieonthehomefront@gmail.com

Get notified about new episodes

––––

Mattie On The Homefront is produced by Hans Buetow. It is hosted by Hans Buetow and Steve Buetow. The theme music is by Matt Buetow. The graphic design is by Amy Kirkpatrick.

It was a difficult and beautiful weekend for Mattie - dominated by her mom, Julia, demanding attention, and Matt's mom, Marie, dying. Navigating both women, and her feelings, lets us into her inner world as a sandwich generation daughter and mom - worried, caregiving, and trying to be present with both the generations above and behind her.

Plus, Aldo Stenberg, Mattie's older sister's husband, is at it again. He's making trouble for his younger brother, and trying to figure out how to keep money away from his stepmother - neither of which sit well with Mattie.

And Bud is hanging out of airplanes. Literally.

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Characters This Week:

• Gram (mom)
• Grandma Mick (Matt's mom)
• Aldo Stenberg (brother-in-law)
• Alvin Stenberg (brother-in-law's younger brother)
• Aunt Ella (older sister)
• Aunt Ida (mom's sister)
• Lobdell's (friends)
• Uncle Berndt (Matt's uncle)
• Aunt Martha (Matt's aunt)
• Helen Langeland (sister-in-law)
• John Mickelsen (Matt's older brother)
• Bud (stepson)

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Cover photo: Julia Zibell (Mattie's mom)

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Website: moth.family

Contact us: mattieonthehomefront@gmail.com

Get notified about new episodes

––––

Mattie On The Homefront is produced by Hans Buetow. It is hosted by Hans Buetow and Steve Buetow. The theme music is by Matt Buetow. The graphic design is by Amy Kirkpatrick.

It's Thanksgiving!! It's dark! It's cold! It's lonely! And it's time to talk about food.

With a rousing poem, and recommendations from the time, we explore the culinary delights of the season. Lee's Broiler! The West Twins! It's a tour of the Twin Cities restaurant scene.

Mattie is feeling the absence of the Boys during the Holiday, but she's cooking a goose anyways. We get to learn about how Matt's job works as a railway postal clerk, and debate the difference between east and south (the cardinal directions) and which is which.

Plus, Monkey Wards!

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Characters This Week:

• Bud (stepson)
• Gram (mom)
• Wes (son)
• Flo (daughter-in-law)
• Gennrich's (friends)

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Links:

• Thanksgiving, 1942, by Christopher La Farge (The New Yorker)
• I Recommend [good places to go, eat, play and shop] by Roland L. Hill
• Menu from Lee's Broiler
• The West Twins
• Mail By Rail training video

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Website: moth.family

Contact us: mattieonthehomefront@gmail.com

Get notified about new episodes

––––

Mattie On The Homefront is produced by Hans Buetow. It is hosted by Hans Buetow and Steve Buetow. The theme music is by Matt Buetow. The graphic design is by Amy Kirkpatrick.

It's the week of Thanksgiving, and there's a lot of socializing to be done. Mattie visits and visits and visits, and bemoans that visiting will get much harder with coffee rationing taking away the pleasure of a cup of joe with your pals.

One thing that won't get done is going to see Mrs. Miniver, even if it is a good movie. Mattie learns about Ken's housing, and we learn about how much housing they needed to house the mobile workforce and the Army in 1942. Plus, how amazing the writing was in National Geographic.

And, we finally hear from Bud! After nearly 2 months of being out-of-touch, he has written.

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Characters This Week:

• Florence Glindmier (friend)
• Alice (friend)
• Virginia (Ken's fiancée)
• Susan (Virginia's sister)
• Gennrich's (friends)
• Hanson's (friends)
• Aunt Martha (Matt's aunt)
• Bud (stepson)
• Chuck Giertsen (Ken's best friend)
• Cousin Ella (niece)

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Website: moth.family

Contact us: mattieonthehomefront@gmail.com

Get notified about new episodes

––––

Mattie On The Homefront is produced by Hans Buetow. It is hosted by Hans Buetow and Steve Buetow. The theme music is by Matt Buetow. The graphic design is by Amy Kirkpatrick.

Steve and Hans are joined in the shop by Cathy - Hans' mom!

For us, it's father's day, the perfect time for an introduction to Carl, Mattie's ex-husband, Ken's father, and a huge figure in all of our lives. Carl was a difficult (awful?) man, and a tyrant of a husband and father, and looms large in the relationship between Mattie and Ken. And, in a lot of ways, with all of us. The legacy of a father to a son, and then down to his son and his - do these things carry on?

In Mattie's world, It's only a week until Thanksgiving, so it's time to talk about Christmas, and how much she'll miss the boys for Turkey Day. But there's plenty of volunteering to do, and things to accomplish, and Mattie tirelessly takes us through late November.

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Characters This Week:

• Gwen (niece)
• George (niece's fiancé)
• Georgine (friend)
• Gennrich's (friends)
• Gram (mother)
• Grandma Mick (husband's mother)
• Carl (ex-husband)
• Bud (stepson)

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Website: moth.family

Contact us: mattieonthehomefront@gmail.com

Get notified about new episodes

––––

Mattie On The Homefront is produced by Hans Buetow. It is hosted by Hans Buetow and Steve Buetow. The theme music is by Matt Buetow. The graphic design is by Amy Kirkpatrick.

Steve and Hans are joined by Mattie's great-granddaughter Becky, great-grandson-in-law Kevin, and great-great-granddaughter Mia, officially turning us into a five generation podcast.

Today, we get the details on George & Gwen's Wedding, including her dress, the flowers, Alvin's singing, and the door than knocked down poor Mrs. Buelow. We also speculate on the military job we imagine Ken should have had, and whether Mattie would have stood on business (she would have, obvsly.)

Both Matt and Mattie are also both out volunteering this week, including for Every Member Canvas and Ladies' Aid. And Mattie is cleaning - for herself but also maybe to feel normal.

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Characters This Week:

• Gwen (niece)
• George (niece's fiancé)
• Gram (mother)
• Flo (daughter-in-law)
• Genevieve (sister-in-law)
• Aunt Ella (sister)
• Uncle Herb (brother)
• Aunt Dolly (sister-in-law)
• The Peters' (friends)
• Bud (stepson)

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Website: moth.family

Contact us: mattieonthehomefront@gmail.com

Get notified about new episodes

––––

Mattie On The Homefront is produced by Hans Buetow. It is hosted by Hans Buetow and Steve Buetow. The theme music is by Matt Buetow. The graphic design is by Amy Kirkpatrick.