A Taste of Fiction

It was a dark and stormy night. I was just sitting there minding my own business when out of the blue, as I was waiting for my computer to perform a single, simple function, came a tap on the window. As I set up straighter and turned my chair for a direct view of a most unusual sight.
The vision before me was Justin Deaver and Jay Cutler. Just before I turned back to my computer to witness the last of its life I heard these two voices in unison, "High Grandad".
Tomorrow, with my new computer operating near the speed of light, I won't have time to turn toward visions in the night. Boy, am I disappointed. I have some really good dreams stored up.

Kim

I pull up Kim's blog and there is a picture of this Carib indian with her grass cutter that lives back in the jungle of St Vincent. The folks that live where I visited while on the island advised that I should not venture there. This must have been before Kim decided to become my daughter.

Dumping

Last week at Sager Brown was the best. It started by unloading two semi trucks full of kits on Monday. The volunteers would carry it out box by box, stack it on pallets of 28 boxes each and Charley and I would hall it away by fork lift. My boss, the normal fork lift operator had to be absent on Monday. We finished with 90 pallets holding 2520 boxes with 45,360 kits worth over
$ 1,000,000. This was donated by several church memberships in Iowa.

On Tuesday we started transferring the kits to larger more accessible large boxes that would hold approximately 250 kits. This is called dumping. Charley would then place the large boxes
on shelves with a fork lift for other volunteers to check for proper content.

I had a dumping crew of eleven, mostly female. Cynthia, Sue, Deb, Jan, Nancy, Allison, Mary, Bob, Harvey, Dennis and Chuck. We were able to complete dumping all the boxes by Friday noon.

At lunch on Thursday I announced how well my team was doing was preforming and as a reward
I was offering free hugs the rest of the week. The response from my team was great, starting during lunch time.

The Iowa team said I could come back as a member of their group next year since I wasn't invited back as a long term volunteer. They stay only for only one week. They bring two semi truck loads every year.

It was a great and rewarding week. I have a hard time keeping a dry eye every time I think about my team.

Moving On

Today is the anniversary of the Longest Day,June 6, 1944. We give thanks to those who were there.

Spend most of my time organizing the material that goes into the kits that are assembled here. It was a real mess but now its not. Its much easy to deposit new material where it goes and much easier to find the material when you need it.

Visited the bayou yesterday at nine AM and the tide was coming in. Visited the bayou at noon and the tide was coming in. Visited the bayou at three PM and the tide was coming in. The tide was carrying the islands of green foliage. The new interesting thing I saw was an egret or two riding up the bayou standing on the islands. Lazy birds.

We will spent part of the week packing for the trip home next Friday. We were not ask to return next year and will probably not be returning again. Next year will be a different place at a different time doing a different activity. They're going to miss me I think.

BOSS DAY

Sunday the sixteenth of Oct was National Boss Day and they couldn't do their job because no one come to work.

MANNA CABANNA

Each day of the work week we enter the depot and make our first stop at the Manna Cabanna for our first cup of coffee. there's a choice of coffee, decaf, several flavors of soda and water. The volunteers usually bring goodies to munch on..

On Thursday we loaded a container, for shipment to Armenia, with 652 boxes at 30 pounds each containing 15,648 health kits stacked 7 across and 8boxes high. We sill be loading another next Tuesday for a different location.

There are 50 volunteers here this week assembling health kits, school kits, birthing kits, layette kits, and sewing kits. There will be 70 here next week. They come from all over the USA. If you or your church group ever get bored give Sager Brown a call. There will probably be a year or more waiting list. Most of the volunteers are retired folks.

I have been busy helping to reorganise the material that goes into the kits to make it easier to obtain by the volunteers and cleaning up the refuge left over from the kit building process. Next week I may be washing down the outside walls of the depot or painting warning and control strips of the depot floor.

Never a dull moment. Beautiful weather each day we have been here. The sugar cane truck are on a roll with full loads

First week at Sager Brown

Spent the first week at Sager Brown unloading a trailer, disassembling large tub boxes that I helped assemble last year for the Haiti quake and transferring material that was shipped in from small boxes to large tub boxes. Had a super crew helping me. Mostly women. Gained a couple of pounds on the food they served.

This week end I am again sitting on the bayou watching the tide roll in carrying the islands of foliage (lily pads). The sugar harvesters provide a background of noise. Trucks are waiting to move the cane to the refinery for processing. Soon the barges will be hauling the sugar down the bayou and on to the world in many forms.

The fish are jumping clear of the surface and the small boats are heading down stream toward the gulf. The egrets seem to be avoiding this stretch of the water.

The tide has turned now. The wind is blowing up the bayou and the tide is flowing down stream. The tide is winning the battle of which way the small islands move. Mother nature says,"You can' t fool me".

Leaving the bayou to the center of the campus, I am sitting in a swing hung from a huge oak tree trying to read. As I sit there trying to win the page turning contest with the wind, an egret lands at a nearby bush, giving it the once over. Then moving to another group of bushes, moving ever so slowly, stalking its prey, it stabs out with its beak and savors an insect.

Now we start a new week with a brand new crew to work with.

Humming Birds

The second group of migrating humming birds arrive today. We have three feeders out but they seem to concentrate on the two nearest the house. There are about a dozen out there fighting over the two feeders.

The first group arrived, stayed a few days and departed about a week ago. We only had two feeders up at the time. We increase the amount of sugar we put in the mix since they are migrating and can use the extra energy.

We have four humming birds that come and spent the entire summer with us. They disappear for a short time when the honey suckle is in bloom. We see them when they return to their nesting area in the evening.

A real joy of nature.

Repeated Tunes

I think I will follow Arlo where ever he goes. I think taking a short break from the absurdity of modern living is a good idea. Tired of technology. Tired of the information. Tired of the leadership. He just wants to be Arlo. Sitting on the limb of tree sounds just right.

Party

The neighbor's party started at 11:30 am and we arrived at noon. I received about five hugs from the hostess during the hour and one half we were there. They had a very large lunch spread. The ribs were the best. Their swimming pool of salt water was in use and they had a blown up slide in the front yard for the children. They were just recently married and the new husband is in the construction business. The additions to the house were very nice and very well done and decorated. New garage. New den. New bedroom. New covered room over the deck. Two three new bathrooms. Very nice. It started pouring rain about 12:30 and everyone gathered under the tent they provided over the driveway. The band set up in the garage. When the band started it was loud and rock. The band and the vocalist were good but not our style. We said goodbye to the hostess, got another hug and came home in the rain. Seven PM and the party is still going on and LOUD.

Once upon a time.

Once upon a time I believed the United States was the greatest place in the world. Time has moved on and I am left with the feeling of delusion in what we have selected as the leadership at all levels. Greed and manipulative in all that they do, when their only goal is to be reelected. I can not see change no matter who no matter who we put in charge with the power to make and change laws and spin our country in a downward spiral.





So give me my horse and saddle and let me give up all my comforts and travel the highways and byways . Free to find the places where I can make a difference for those I find in places I see along the way.





Sure as hell our government is not going to reach them and I don't see God as being the answer to their problems. It may not be on horse back but would be a very simple mode. You know, I may have to have a home on wheels so that I can carry my tools to do what needs to be done. Or maybe a motor cycle with a trailer. How about a row boat.





What I need now is a plan. Anyone want to join me?

Pies and cakes and worms

I have in my possession a freshly bakes apple pie. There are two pieces missing. The remainder if in the safe with my Will. But, never fear, it will not be there when I am gone. The only thing that might happen is that I may have to sell it to get Ellen out of hock. I'm sure I can come up with something to prevent that.

We have some kind of varmint (worm) that is clipping the limbs off of all of our trees. They chew part way through about two feet from the end of the limb until it hangs down and dies. I'm off to see the Ag Agent tomorrow to try to find the cure.

Just went out to the kitchen. Ellen is baking a chocolate cake to go with the peach pies and cookies she has in the freezer. If those pies should happen to disappear, I probably won't get to come to the party. I probably will have death threats from other folks who have sampled the pie.

Addendum to Trip

The local paper for the Vermont area arrived and I see where Ted Whore Whittle came to the reunion from Tennessee. I think maybe Kim has some influence with the editor.

Earth

I believe you will find my presentation about as stylish as road kill.

At given times prior to today we have had earthqaukes, the ice ages, melting ice caps, rising ocean levels, wild jet streams, tornados, hurricanes, floods, droughts, hot and dry, wet and cold,
high ocean temperatures, volcanos, forest fires.

We are destroying wet lands, cutting trees, killing the rain forest, intoxicating the atmosphere,
intoxicating the water ways and water sources, intoxicating the soil. Forty two million were
displaced by natural disasters in 2010. These numbers will rise as human induced climate change comes to full force. We will likely experience more than displacement. Is Mother Earth
pissed off? We are having record tornados, forest fires, floods, earthquakes and tsunamis, and volcanos.

Is Mother Earth trying to tell us something? Could we eventually become the dinosaurs? Is the next thing to come a massive loss of life from the abuse we cause to the eco balance of the world? As Mother Earth takes its own course will it start eliminating the source of problem.

The earth is the jewel of the universe. I truly believe she will save herself but may destroy a good bit of civilization.

If you worry about something it usually doesn't happen. Maybe we should all start to worry.

Myself, I would like to go back to Bountiful for more than just a visit. Maybe I will in time.
Each of us should pause and remember how the world once looked and smelled and felt.

Word Game

Make one sentence which includes the following words.

defeat deduct defence detail

Work of Art

This is work of art drawn by Kim and Jill when they were still in grade school. It was posted in my work shop and it says, "Quiet, genius at work!" I think I will have Jill recreate it on canvas
just like it is.

Trip

Made a trip to Illinois again last week. Stopped in Chatham at the disaster relief depot operated by a Methodist church organization so Ellen could have her sewing results reviewed and approved. She past with flying colors. This took place on Friday.

On Saturday Kermit, my nephew, and I went to visit his sister, Eleanor, and her husband where I acquired a picture of my father and his sibs when they were very young. Top picture. Dad is front row right. Also got a picture of the first five of their children of this group. Dad's first two are Wendell, second from the right and Carol, third from the right.

Watched the corn and beans grow. Got to see the run down farm where I use to help farm and milk 50 cows twice a day. Worked for my brother in law, Charley, Kermit and Eleanor's dad.

Kermit and I took a couple of four wheelers and toured a 40 acre patch of ground he had just purchased. Through mud and shoulder high grass, black berries and black rasberries.

Went to the Vermont, IL high school reunion represented by classes from 1936 to 1947, the life of the high school in Vermont. The reunion was at the Christian Church. The addition to the church was built over the spot where I use to live. I welcomed everyone to my home but I didn't

mention any thing about the possibilty of ghost.

From there on to Normal to visit daughter Kim, the home of rhubarb pie.

Catfish dinner on Friday. Fried chicken dinner on Saturday. Barbaque ribs by Kim, a salad by Sierra, and a rhubarb by Kim, Sierra, and Jeramia on Sunday.

Sorry everyone. I took the rhubarb pie home.

Strange

Well I belive I have a spook inside my blogging software. Yesterday when I tried to comment on my blog, the system would sign me out of Google when I tried to post it. Today the system would sign me out and then return to the post with the following.

Anonymous said

and then repeat the comment that I was trying to post.


Any suggestions.

Blog

The system will not let me comment on anyone's blog. Not even my own.

I though Kim had a great day and I thought the video posted by Kathleen of Yael Naim's video
was great.

Testing

Having major problems with bloging and posting notes.

Camp Ellis

Sargeant Michael B. Ellis,(The Lone Wolf),enlisted in the US Army on Feb 8, 1912 at the age of 17. He served along the Mexican border and at Vera Cruz and in WWI he was in campaigns through out France. In the autumn of 1918 Sargeant Ellis was operating far in advance the first wave. Flanking one emplacement he killed two of the enemy and captured 27 prisoners and two machine gun positions. The captured prisoners indicated the location of four other machine guns and he in turn captured these and all their crews. He was the only soldier in General Pershings
First Division to receive the Medal of Honor.

Early in 1942 a site of 17,800 acres in Illinois was selected as an army camp to serve the needs of WWII. The site took in farm land and the town of Bernadotte, located on the Spoon River. The site was named Camp Ellis.

All the farm and town families were forced to sell their home and property and had to move out.
The camp was 6 miles from my folks front door. The camp was open for business April 15, 1943,one month ahead of schedule.

The camp included a major hospital with 1400 beds, two dental clinics, and a 125 bed unit for prisoners of war. The hospital occupied 140 acres and provided medical and dental services and trained medics for services over seas.

The camp was built to handle 35,ooo men and 3ooo prisoners. The camp training was in the areas of combat, quartermaster, enginering, medical, and signaling. Needless to say the area around and near the camp was now very different place.

In December 1945 the camp with 28,557 military buildings and 17,455 acres was turned over to the Illinios National Guard. Effective November 1949, Camp Ellis, Illinois was declared excess and sold, with the original owners given first choice.

So you will appreciate more what I've written, this camp is the some location which Kim wrote about in her blog dated April 16 and 17, 2010 when four old people broke through a barrier to an impassable road, braved the deep mud, past a hugh firing range wall and broke the the barrier at the other end. The firing range is now put to its proper use. It is now a monument for graffiti.

On Being Norse Neighbor

Walter R. Tingley, Jr of Shingle Springs, CA submits this story.

It is recorded that most of the Tingleys in the United States are descendents of Palmer Tingley. We have been told that Palmer landed in Ipswitch, MA in 1642. Marian Frye stated in the Tingley Family Revised that: "The name Tingley is a local name in Yorksire, England." There is in fact a town in England north of London, near Leeds, named Tingley. For many years my father and members of his family told me that we were all descendents of Palmer, who came from England. It was'nt until 1953, when I was serving in the army in Germany, that while driving into Denmark, that a Danish border guard in formed me I was Danish. Upon entering Denmark , he ask my nationality, and I replied, "American". He then said. "Oh, I know you're American, but where did your ancestors come from?" I said, England. And he said, "No, they might have come from England later, but they were originally Danish."

He said there was a small town 40 kilometers north of the border (in the Schleswig-Holstein area) named Tinglev, which I visited. He said this was probably the origin of our family in England. In 1066 or before, when the Vikings invaded England, some of them probably settled in England. Although History records that most of the Vikings came from Norway, its presumed that some of them must have come from Tinglev. The name was obviously anglicized later to Tingley. Recently, archeologists have found evidence of villages that were established by the Vikings near Leeds. I can only presume that they were Tingleys.

My notes: Records found show that Palmer's father last name was Tingle.

USA

USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------USA

Fall of Giants (Bk 1)

Just finished reading the Fall of Giants by Den Follett. Its a story dipicting events in England and Europe leading up to, events of and the aftermath of WWI. I don't believe the world's leaders have the ability to learn from past mistakes because we keep repeating them.

The book a depicts mine disaster because the mine owner did not spend the money to follow safety regulations and trampled on workers rights on wages, working conditions and housing the mine owned. Tsars, kings and the moneyed said the working class were not able to participate in any governing of decision making. All peoples below their class were relegated to physical work only.

The death of one man permitted the greed for territory to snow ball. Elements of each country wanted to go to war. Cooler heads did not prevail. Tsars were over thrown to be replaced by dictators. There are still a few of them around. Civilians and soldiers die in large numbers. One of the final chapters left us with Hitler in jail in Germany in mid 1920's. And the beat goes on.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Sat, Sun,Mon, Tues

Went fishing Sat. River was to high to swim. The fish didn't like our bait. Jordon caught a tad pole.

Bottled wine Sun morning. Used a new shorter interval on the timing to cure. It tasted better.
I ran out of wine before it was time to bottle it. So I had two reasons to move to an earlier date.
Yes I did! Went for a hike Sun PM. See Ellen's blog.

Cleaned out the garage Mon. Getting ready for a garage sale. I think I will take all that doesn't sell to Sierra. She would be able of put it to good use in some of her inventions.

Went shopping twice today and found everthing on my list. Fits good. The list included some more ingrediants to make wine. Got home in time to mow the lawn.

I must schedule an early time to make more wine. I don't want to run out again.

Today

Today I will get behind my trusty mower which has an engine, a blade that turns, that pulls it's self and walk along behind it while it mows my acre of grass. Then, like a dummy, I will go to the hardware and get some weed and feed to make the grass grow faster. Next I will get out a pair of tire chain that I found in the barn and see if they will fit the Olds for when it snows in IL. And then I will rest.

Mother Nature

Many years ago (1971) I wrote a few paragraphs to describe The Church of My Choice. My four children hired a professional entertainer to record it with background music. What follows are items stolen from those paragraphs to describe one side of Mother Nature. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Walk with me through the quiet of the morning. Listen to the soft sounds and view the sparkle of the dew from the first rays of the morning sun. Listen to the music from the trees that stand green in the meadow, filled with a sea of flowing grass. Sense the movement of the small animals seeking their fill during the dawning of a new day. Witness the making of honey, the flight of the young as they test their new found skills or a flower bursting into the first stages of bloom. Watch the small brook run gently by with clear fresh water, untouched by all except that on which it flows. As you dip in your hand the temperature of melting ice reflects the age of all things things around you. Feel the gentle baptismal rain of the seeds of life as they spring from the clouds above. As the day has spent itself, the glow of the western sky fills you with wonder. The evening drifts into dark and you feel the settling of life around you. Watch as the moon lifts into view and listen as the night melody plays in your meditation. Terra is proud of her work.

Small Town America

Just started reading "Eventide" by Kent Haruf. I've only read four chapters and I started thinking about my childhood in small town, Vermont, Illinois. Started out as a farm child some six miles from town. I was too young to be of much account. Had three older brothers and three older sisters and one younger brother to keep me out of trouble. Dad farmed 160 acres and raised grain, animals, turkeys, chickens, etc. Had a large garden. Had a small lake and the neighbors would gather every winter to cut ice blocks and store them in our ice house. We all had ice during the summer for the ice boxes. There were four of our family in grade school at the same time, all in the same school room. I was in the first grade. Rode a horse to school. The school had stalls for the horses while we were in class. There was hay available for them also. We lost the farm in 1937 because of the depression. Dads sister and one of his Brothers acquired the farm with a quick claim deed and kicked us off the farm. I was still in the first grade. I remember going to town to our next home with one work horse and one riding horse pulling flat rack or hay rack with all our possession. We ended up with one riding horse, Old Bob, and one cow, Horny.

Had a big garden. Took up the whole yard. Over the years as things improved the garden grew smaller and smaller.

Dad borrowed money from the bank for the house and paid three dollars a month until it was paid off in 1967.

I started second grade the next year and it was the typical new kid on the block. I guess they didn't like my bib overalls.

I received one bloody nose and the teacher wouldn't let me back in the class room until I cleaned myself up. I saw a movie staring Rody McDow about that time and he had somewhat the same problem. I copied his use of his fists one day and never had any more trouble.

From then on I did what I had to do and far exceeded the expectations of my school teachers,

my parents and my peers. It seems like I always waited toll the last minute to act on the academic side.

Girl Friend

If Jesus was walking around the streets of Laredo today with his girl friend, you would see a beautiful young lady of African, European, Asian heritage. She would have a round oval face,
a light bronze tone complexion, a pool of big brown eyes and a smile as broad as a rainbow.
She would have dark flowing hair that she could flip at the toss of her head and creative talents
beyond anyones dreams and would move as soft as a shadow.

Her name is Flower.

Welcome, anyone who wants to add to the discription.

Who are the fathers?

The Laws of Our Fathers by Scott Turow (1996)

After reading the novel it looks like a pretty stupid title. I guess this s---- has to be blamed on fathers since most of us are.

1969 The college age male students are about to enter the draft lottery for service in Vietnam. The plans are to live in California, protest the war, get stoned on booze and drugs big time, have lots of sex, run to Canada and let me fight their war for them. The female squeeze is also there enjoying it all. All funded from home. Active professors who advocate revolution and the Marxist doctrine are in the mix teaching the throng.

1995 The lady and the gent are now new members of and profiting from the society they criticized and abused. The lady becomes a judge much to the dislike of the Chief Judge she works under. Females don't belong. The male is a writer of fame who wants everyone to fell sorry for him.

The real killer for me is the conditions in the getto where murder, crime, drugs sale and use are openly commited without consequences.

Its all covered. Black vs white, Jews and the holacaust, conspiritcy by anarchist, marriage,
divorce, sex drugs, booze, crime.

And we are still going to war, so who are the father?

My Brother's War

But first a few side comments.

Arlo says: Loravore--The desire to eat food produced near where you live. Hershey, PA was his
choice.

I now have a night light in my bath room that projects a scene on to the ceiling.

Last week I mowed, thatched, broom raked, aerated, and seeded the yard. Now I need a little rain.

All the doors are open to let spring in today. Still open 8 PM.

Some body said: Ugly as an obsene phone call.

From the story of Ordinary Heroes by Scot Turow: WWII

Jewish officer to a very difficult situation "Jesus"
British comment "Kerfuffle"
GI comment "snafu"


Epithets--Jew, N-----, Spic, Polack, Dago, Mick, Cracker, Hick, Okie, Mackeral-Snapper

Jewish Mother to son on marriage to a Christian. You think some priest can wave a magic wand
and go poo,poo so that instead of a chicken you are now a duck.

The battle of Bastone during the battle of the bulge.

If you want a Quick read.
Pages189-247 An impossibe assignmet for the understaffed unit.
Pages 289-298 Captured by the German SS.
Pages 321-327 Balingen Death Camp.

Not a very interesting presentation.

Foot Note.

I have been trying to locate a friend in Japan with Connie's help. No luck so far.

Letters From Uncle Bill Part Five

They gave a couple rolls of toilet tissue. The Indians wanted to unroll the toilet tissue and divide it into six piles. I went out and walked around outside and when I returned they had used their share to wrap their hair and beards.

All in all it wasn't too bad an esperience. We were flown after our liberation to Naples where we were cleaned up and given new clothing and then shipped home.

I was given a 60 day recuperation furlough and my wife and I had 2 weeks at Miami Beach at a fine hotel on the ocean. I was then sent to Maryland to school for a month and then to New York
where I was the non com in charge of a large army Post Office. My pay was all loused up, but we got a room and same money from the Red Cross. Violet got a job in Wolworths and we got by OK.
I would eat at the mess hall and snitch food for her. Some fun. Actually we very fortunate and I thank God for all his blessings thru my life.

I don't know what I'd do to pass the time if it wasn't for the library. I read at least four books
a week. So with TV and crossword puzzles I get by. I always liked Michner, Clerre, Griffin etc.
But I can't keep track of the characters ond the plot any more the way my poor head is. My favorite any more is Dick Francis. His books are easy to read and they are not full of dirty words
and passionate love affairs. I try to keep up some kind of routine. That's why I get up every morning and go to early Mass. Jeopardy is a must and of course the Cubs and the History Channel is good most of the time. I used to try my hand at oil painting but I can't handle that any more. None of is worth keeping. I still have all the paraphenalia but I suppose its all dried up by now.

I heard from Jim today and John yesterday. Also got your last Email today also. I may have to get your address to send this.

All my love

Uncle Bill

THAT IS THE FINAL CHAPTER.

Letters From Uncle Bill Part Four

About the movie. It started out as a silent movie and then when the lady and man were having an argument and all of a sudden the sound came on just as he was shouting at her and I almost jumped thru the roof. When I told my friends about it when I got home and they said I was crazy. The just couldn't believe it.



I aslo visited my cousin Frank McMahon that summer. He was a year older than me. We rode all
over Chicago on the Els. We went to visit my brother Larry who had quit school and went to Chi. A relative of my farther took him in and he had a job at Harrison's Orange Aid Hut. It was something like a McDonalds of today. He was night manager and he was only 17 yrs old. He had an apt with another guy near Lincoln Park. When we went to see him he was at Lincoln Park hitting golf balls. He wore golf knickers, argyle socks and a soft cap and a big cigar in his mouth. He kidded around with us for a while and let us hit a couple of balls.Then he gave me a five dollar bill and sent us on our way. I'll tell you more about him later.


You ask about my prisoner experience. It really wasn't that bad. I went into the army in 1943 and was sent to Ft. Worth Texas. Tom and I went in the same day and were sent to Camp Grant, Il. As we took our physicals we bumped into each other in a room and both had a small bottle in our hands. It was very comical.

I was shipped the next day and never saw him again until our mothers funeral. I managed to get
on a cadre in Ft. Worth teaching the rookies what I didn't know myself. I was chosen for Officers
Candidate School but before I got to Ft. Benning, Ga. I was shipped over seas wirhthe 8th Div.
to Italy with a stop over in Africa. It was a terrible place to fight a war. (is there a good place). Nothing but mountains. The tanks were no good to us. We had to take the high ground before they could get up there. All our provisions were brought up by pack mule driven by Italians. (The Italians were out of the war then.) Anyhow I was wounded in the head in Oct of 44 by a mortar shell that hit a tree just above our fox hole. The fragment went thru my tin hat,my helmet liner, my stocking cap on to my poor head. It kncked me down but I wasn't unconscious. My buddy was hit several places on his face and chest. He jumped out of the hole and took off for the CP. I called the CP to watch out for him and to send a litter for the medic with us in the hole. I never did find out where he was hit. When I tried to touch him he just screamed. I dressed my wound and stopped the bleeding and when the guys came with the litter I took off for the aid station. It was dark and the aid men wouldn't take my partner down the mountain because it was to dangerous, so I stayed with him and we all we all went down at first light and took an ambulance to the Hosp.

What aggravated me was I was in the Hosp. for two weeks. The day after I was hit my company went to Monte Caturi for two weeks rest. So I got sent right back to the front and missed out on the fun.

In the spring of 45 after a three day rest we went back to Mts. near the Po Valley. My Co. was to take a small village in a kind of valley. The Cos. on our right and left were suppose to take the high ground on both sides but they didn't. We had several dead and some wounded but we were trapped. They were up in caves around us. They were putting delayed action mortors coming on us and it was bad. They told us to surrender or else. Our Capt. told them to stick it. They then let us take our wounded out and it all started over again. Our Captain was wounded badly. My weapon wouldn't fire anymore because of the plaster and dust from the building. Our First Lt told a Corp. to hold up a white sheet or cloth and we surrendered. I couldn't belive the tunnels and the rooms they had back in the mountain. There were some civilians with weapons that were very threatening but the Ger. officer controlled th. They told us they might have saved the Capt. if they had plasma. They took care of our wounded in a high train tunnel where they had an aid station and marched us off thru Po Valley into a prison camp in the Alps. Sometimes we walked or rode in trucks. They took us into opera house in Milan for a rest. ( La Scala). As we came out an old Italian lady had large basket of raw eggs handing out to us as we came out. I cracked mine and ate it whole.

The camp I think was a place called Breenico high in the Alps. The germans were blocked of at the Bremer Pass and knew it was about over. We were in what seemed to be a large airplane hanger. British, GI"s, Indians etc. We had blankets of a sort and slept on the cement floor in groups of six. W e had four GI's and two Indians with the beards and turbans.

We had a cup of black coffee for breakfast, a bowl of soup and a hunk of bread for lunch and a cup of hot water for supper. If you had tea you could make tea. We got some Red Cross stuff but I can't remember what was in it. We also got about six cigarettes a week.


MORE ON THE NEXT BLOG

Letters From Uncle Bill Part Three

There was a creek ran through the length of the property and my cousins Frand McMahon and
Marie and I had a lot of fun there catching minnows and tad poles. It was a paradise for a young boy.

Life was so simple if those days. Not to many cars. Only one paved in town. No TV's or computers. We didn't ever have a radio and young people even married one another. If an airplane should happen to fly over all the kids around would be out in the street pointing and calling 'airplane! airplane!

Then one morning ma called we smaller children around her and told us about the new house. She asked if we would rather have a stove or a new car, and of course she gave us both. I guess things were pretty good finacially. Daddy and I think three of the boys all worked in the mines and they all lived at home.

I think I'll close for now. If there is any of this you'd rather not hear about just let me know. Or
if there is something you'd like to know about tell me.

All my love
Uncle Bill


Ellen wrote back and ask about other things, including his experiences as a prisoner of war in WW II. Letter #2 follows.

Hello Still Rambling Bk II

Thinking back again on the 'Hollow' I can't remember my older sister and brother. Lizzie and
Helen could have been married by then but I know the boys were home. I only remember John
taking me to see what was left of the barn after the fire.

When we lived in the big house Helen always came home to see us and it was always so good to see her and she was always loaded down with gifts for us. She play the piano very well and knew
a million songs and had a pretty voice. One year at christmas she walked from town and was so cold when she got there she was crying. Her husband was very likable guy but he had too many
problems and she had a very difficult time with him.

When I was in high school I worked for her as a dishwasher in her restaurent in South Pekin.
I had a lot of fun there and made a lot of friends. She paid me a salary and bought me clothes etc.
It was during the depression and I was happy to be there. I had room in the hotel and she had her own apt. Once I brought a friend of mine with me to stay a couple of wks and he stayed all summer. We had a blast and she never complained. God bless her. My sister Lizzie was younger than Helen. She was just a sweet lady. I stayed with her in South Pekin also but she and her husband moved to Chicago when I was 11 or 12 and I saw my first talking movie the Granado Theatre on the North side. They would take us for rides at night to see all the sights and to the beach and Sadie was there once and we all went to the beach together and had a great time. I would go to the beach by myself and Peoria during the day. I didn't like her husband but I put up with him because she was so nice to me. She lead a tragic life God rest her soul.



MORE NEXT TIME

Letters From Uncle Bill Part 2

We were pretty close as a family and I remember playing croquet on our lawn. I think we had four lots and it was all fenced in. The neighbors would line up along the fence and watch us play.
Of course we were all hams and would put on a great show for them, arguing and trying to cheat
one another and knocking your opponents ball to kingdom come.

The boys were all athletic. John, Pat and Jimmy played on the local soccer team and Larry and I played football in high school and ran the dashes in track.

My father, James, was of slight built but was very musculer. He came from a broken family and as a boy of ten he worked in the fields and was in the coal mines at the age of twelve. He was a little on the quiet side but had a good sense of humor. Daddy had a good voice and enjoyed the parties as well, especially after he'd had a couple of hot toddies. He had one song " See Me Dance the Polk" where he sang and at the chorus one of the ladies would get up and dance with him.
I was always always in awe of him (or I should have been) but as I got older we had some fun together. He had a good sense of humor and told me once I was born Ma was so tired of having babies that she wouldn't even look at me. He said he had to feed me whiskey and sugar water
for three days before she would nurse me. I can't say I blame her.

Daddy was really a farmer at heart. The place we had in the "Hollow" had about ten acres and he
grew corn, peanuts, water melon etc. We had a large barn, a cow, chickens, pigs and a horse. Also a model T Ford as well. (Now I can't remember what I had for lunch.) I can see him with the old horse and a scoop digging a basement for the house. One night Pat used the Model T on a date. He must have left a cigarette burning in the car and the barn caught fire and burned to the ground. They saved all the live stock but the old Ford was only a shell. I didn't even wake up until my brother John carried me down the next morning to show me the remains. I had a lot of fun playing in the shell of the old car after that.

MORE IN THE NEXT BLOG.

Letters From Uncle Bill

Ellen's grandmother, Susan O'Neill traveled from Scotland to the USA in 1908 with five young children to join her husband, James O'Neill, who had arrived earlier and established a home in
the coal ming town of Gillispie, Illinois.

Ellen first learned, by accident in 1956, that she was born Ellen Elizabeth O'Neill in 1936.
That is the reason Ellen ask Uncle Bill to send her some of the history of the O'Neill family.
I have tried to type the letters word for word as they were written by Uncle Bill who was now near 90 years old.

Dear Ellen and Ted

I hope this will be legible enough so that you can dechiper it. I'm trying to think what you would be interested in knowing about your family so I'll just ramble on wi th what ever comes to mind.

Your grandmother Susan Brannan O'Neill was roly poly little woman who loved her family, parties and people. She had a sweet little singing voice and sang hundreds of old country
songs to us through the years. Ma loved to play games. It was a circus when she and my brother Pat played some kind of dice game. They always tried to cheat one another and would banter back and forth. Pat was John's father and he was the comedian in the family. Ma was very
religious but she was broad minded. She prayed her rosary every day but she was no purde.

When we moved from the house in what we called the "hollow" to the big house on Olive street,
she started a small grocery in our front living room. She sold bread and milk and some canned goods. It went so well that she had a store built on our corner lot and did very well for many years. This would be around 1920. She kept a lot of miners supplies etc. She and my father had only three or four years of schooling but she would have made a good business women. She told me once that her mother had six sons also. Her mother always said she had six sons to carry her to her grave, but it wasn't to be as they all died before she did. So when she passed away in 1945
we were the pall bearers. I had just shortly returned from over seas and Larry was still there
with Patton so we had a friend as a proxy for him.

Friends and neighbors were alwsys dropping in and the tea kettle was always on. We has a lot of parties at our home and family picnics in the woods near by. All of our cousins were within
six blocks of us and we were all pretty close. Ma had a quilting bee at home and her neighbors and friends came there to chat and gossip.

LOOK FOR THE NEXT INSTALLMENT SOON.

Weak By Comparison

After a period of time working for this individual he called me into his office and wanted to know what was the biggest problem I had to deal with. Well he ask! I answered, " Communication with my supervisor. I can talk to your supervisor easier than I can talk to you." He looked at me a
second, stood up, walked around the office, then said, " OK, we will send you to school." As luck would have it, I went to school and he got transferred to a different job. Another of my
coworkers was so releived that he no longer had to report to this individual. However, he soon learned that he was going to be transfer with him. He said, "It just shortened my life by ten years."

Later in my career, after I had left the company, my old boss came to me looking for a job. I moved on and lived longer.

Mirror, mirror on the wall

It was dark and snowy day. I was sitting on an old floor at Kim's house, looking into a mirror leaning against the wall, minding my own business and getting ready to put down a new floor.
Out of the blue I heard a voice,"If the mirror is in your way you could remount it if you want to."
So after Kim left for work I installed the mirror back in the bath room where it belonged. Then back to the floor.

When Kim got home she saw the mirror back on the bathroom wall and advised me that I had
put it up vertical instead of horizontal like it was before. We argued a while and she said she liked
it better the way I had put it up. I threatened to change it to horizontal but she advised that if I
did there would be no more rubarb pies.

So the next time she left the house I turned it upside down. Now all the images are upside down.
Shortly after I had completed this, an upside down religious image appeared on the mirror and
advised that I had committed a bad. She called up for a higher spirit to come down and select
my punishment. A misty hazy image came onto the mirror upside down and named the punishment. "It will be Montezoma's Revenge." The upside down religious image said,"OH GOD". The nest 12 hours were different. The mirror is still upside down.