WW II Homefront

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          WWII Home Front
This recent Mother"s Day brought to mind what it was like so many years ago. Although only an elementary school kid, I remember it all so very well.

Much has been written about how women took over jobs once held by men, who were gone off to war. Women building aircraft,ships,and other war material.  But there were others like my mother who worked very hard to keep the home fires burning.

When my father went off to war he left a wife and two small children. What all she managed to do, continues to amaze me. We were living in a four room bungalow with an outhouse and empty one car garage. A gravel road ran past our house up to the corner where mother would catch the bus taking her to the school where she taught.

Not only did she teach school, but she also had to clean house, shop, cook meals, do the laundry, and keep the coal fired furnace well fed. About all I did to help her was to chop up wood crates for the furnace, and carry up pails of dirty wash water up the basement steps, and dump the contents on our victory garden. During the winter I would carry my sister on my sled down the road to the house where she was cared for during the day. One other task I really enjoyed was stamping empty tin cans flat,  contributing to the war effort.

I can see it now, my mother and I down in the basement with our coats on, so cold      you could see your breath, feeding the empty furnace.

Mother had a map of Europe on one wall of the living room with a pin where she thought my father was located. After the war he said that often she was correct, in spite of censored letters from him.

I wish now that I had spent some time talking with my mother about those dark war years. This is but a poor tribute to my mother who worked so very hard.

     Aloha
     Grant          

Thefts in Paradise

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         Thefts in Paradise

The night before Easter, Tonto had made a pineapple casserole. I took it down to the empty condo down the hall, which we look after, while its owner is away living in Guam. I opened the door to the refrigerator, and saw that someone had stolen the ham, were planning on having for Easter dinner! We often use this refrigerator for Christmas turkey and other large items.

So we went shopping for a ham Easter morning. We could not figure out who the thief was, until the apartment owner in Guam asked his cleaning lady about the missing ham. She said that she thought that it was left by the people who had last used the apartment. So she took it and gave it away to some people she thought could use it. I should note that she knew that we often talk to her, and Tonto had even washed some towels for her. She could have asked, but all is well. We will in the future write our name all over whatever item we leave. I am glad we discovered the theft before Easter day.

And speaking the theft. Tonto and I were recently in Walmart, and I wanted a can of corned beef from Argentina. You know, the kind of can with the sloping sides, and a key you have to wind around the can to open it. Much to my surprise I found the can of corned beef inside of a clear plastic box. I thought  that it was odd, but that I could probably use the box for something else. I tried to slide the latch to open the box and it didn't budge. When checking out the cashier had to use a special tool to open the box. I can only assume that Walmart had had a number of cans stolen. I wonder too what are they going to do about the great stacks of Spam. I bet Spam is also under threat of theft. We will just have to wait and see what is done.

   Aloha
   Grant  

Two Great Inventions

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        Two Great Inventions
"Caller ID" I am sure we all agree, is a wonderful thing. We can now decide to answer the caller, or not. If the message is important enough, they will leave a message.
It must be difficult for people today to understand, when I tell them that our Lutheran Church was able to start two other churches by using telephone evangelism.

As I now remember, it worked this way. Church members who were interested in participating, were given a script to read.  Telephone numbers following the alphabet, were chosen. Calls were made in the early evening. Persons answering the phone were asked a series of questions such as "Do you belong to a church?" If not, the caller would invite them to a social gathering for discussion and refreshments. After some 200 positive calls, a nucleus say some 50 people would decide to form a new church. Two new churches were born this way. This would clearly be impossible today due to "Caller ID."

The second great invention is the 16 inch high toilet. Much easier to get on and off. After many years of the standard toilet this size is a great relief. (joke intended) I imagine the old standard size toilet was made to help toilet train children.

Here in Hawaii, the Japanese seem to favor a model called a "Toto" toilet. This model remains standard size but with additions such as a heated seat, and features spray, both behind and front. Fairly expensive, but people using the "Toto" toilet seem to really enjoy using it.    
 
    Aloha
    Grant

U. S. Grant

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            U.S. Grant
My given name is Grant, it was my father's middle name, and he was born in Grant's Pass Oregon. The pass in Oregon was named for the famous Civil War general and president of the United States. That is what I want to write about.

I have just finished reading the newly-published biography of U.S. Grant, written by Ron Chernow. I believe  it is one of the best biographies I have ever read. Historians have not been kind with the story of his life. They dwell on the facts of his failed leather business and above all, the fact that he drank, They fail to tell how difficult it was for him to fight off his urge to drink. He often refused to have alcohol served at the White House . He struggled, and most of the time he won the battle.

Grant graduated from West Point, and fought in the Mexican War. He loved Mexico and its people, but disliked having to fight in what he felt was an unjust war.

While still in uniform, he met and fell in love with Julia Dent, of Missouri whose father kept thirty slaves, four of whom belonged to her. She had one cross-eye, but it did not matter to Grant. He father refused permission for a marriage, and the couple remained engaged for four long years.

Grant later resigned his commission, and went to work in his father's leather business. He was a failure in business. One of Grant's failures throughout his life, was that he was always too honest and trusting, and people often took advantage of it.

His early years of struggling came to an abrupt end, with the coming Civil War. Grant and his wife Julia were living in Iiiinois. He reenlisted, and raised a regiment of men.

Space here does not permit, nor do I have the desire to relate all of his victories in the western area of the war, including Vicksburg, Mississippi. The eastern theater of the war was not going well after the Battle of Gettysburg. President Lincoln was having a difficult time finding generals who could win. Grant was summoned and became supreme commander of the Union Army. He sent General Sherman on a  path of destruction south, through Georgia to the sea. Likewise, he sent General Sheridan to lay waste the Shenandoah Valley, depriving the rebels of food and rail transport. General Robert E. Lee was forced to surrender. Grant made use of the telegraph to know what was happening in all the theaters of the war. The four year long Civil was was over, at a cost of 750 thousand dead, and thousands more wounded and maimed.

Grant's popularity was such that he was elected president. He championed civil rights for blacks, with the 14th and 15th  amendments to the Constitution. Southerners were upset with the idea that blacks were now citizens with the right to vote. Black citizens were murdered,lynched, and burned alive. Black schools and churches were also burned. The KKK and the Knights of the White Camilia and other groups terrorized blacks throughout the entire south. Grant sent Union troops to restore order.

The period of Grant's administration  is called the "Gilded Age,"due to the great riches achieved by men, who were often no better than thieves. The discovery of gold,the westward settlement, and the building of railroads all helped to make this possible. Grant lost most all of his money by trusting a business partner.

The was a moment to  draft Grant for a third term, but he declined. His health was failing. His throat was so sore that it hurt him to even swallow water. He had a large growth on the side of his neck. He knew that he was dying, but he wanted to see his memoirs printed and sold, to provide money for his wife. Mark Twain, a friend of Grant published the memoirs. Some few historians claim that some of the writing was written   by Mark Twain, but Twain denied that charges and paid tribute Grant's writing style.

Unable to eat, Grant weighed only ninety pounds when he died. There is the old joke asking who is buried in Grant's tomb. Located in New York city, it is the largest tomb in America.

This is such a great biography, if you are not afraid of a big book. Well worth your time. I was left with the feeling that in spite of the loss of life and property, things in the south remained largely unchanged. The only difference was the end of slavery.

    Aloha
    Grant
 

Site 6

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              Site Six
During WWII, the U.S. Army Air Force built three small airstrips along side of the Colorado River. These airstrips were known simply as Sites five, six, and seven. They were built to train pilots to fly in strong cross-winds, and have places to land in emergencies.

Site Six is no longer an airstrip. Houses have been built over the runway. Site Six has become a popular fishing spot. Located not far from Lake Havasu City, Arizona. All that remains of its former history is a small concrete building with rooms for long ago WWII pilots.

     Aloha
     Grant

Desert Bar

   
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Imagine finding a real bar serving beer and wine, in the middle of the Arizona desert! Seven miles off the main highway, and away from the small town of Parker, there is a real bar! The owner built the structure  only ten feet square. It has since expanded. Water for the bar was carried from Parker in an old fire truck. The owner of the bar is a man of many talents. A welder by trade, he also built what is called the "Holy Church," a steel facade with windows cut out with torch. The building facade is 30 x60 ft. and rests on a concrete slab.

The bar has greatly expanded over the years. Ice chests have been replaced by refrigerators. There are also clean restrooms, and hamburgers are served at the bar. The owner has built a house for himself too on the desert  property. Weekends are always busy with people at the bar, weddings at the "Holy Church" for those wanting to try it for the third or fourth time. And everyone dances on the concrete slab of the "Holy Church."

If you drive to the town of Parker,
Arizona, you might get directions to the desert bar, located seven miles out in the desert.

   Aloha
   Grant

The Strongest Librarian in the World

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    The Strongest Liberian in the World

On the third floor of the Salt Lake City Library  you will find a six foot seven inch man named Josh Hanagadne. He has a Master's Degree in Library Science, and he bends railroad spikes and rolls up frying pans during his breaks. He is also cursed with Tourettes  syndrome.

Tourettes takes many forms. It caused him to beat against his face, shout out suddenly and shake his head. His parents tried everything to help him, including having Botox injected in to is vocal chords, causing him to be unable to talk for two years.

His tics grew worse. But there was hope. He met a retired Air Force Sgt. who was into weight lifting. Josh soon found that he could suppress the tics whole lifting weights. He is not cured, but he can lead a normal life. He is married and has one son.
His story was published in 2013 by Gotham Books.

    Aloha
    Grant