My “Military” Faux Pas … 1959

In 1959 my husband Dick and I were living in NY City when he received a phone call from one of his old National Guard Buddies from Fort Drum. Dick had been the official photographer and driver for a one star General while in service there and it was this man who was “in town for the day” and inviting us to a gathering of the “old crew” for dinner and a polo match. 

We thought it would be fun but Dick warned me that the General could turn into a bit of a jerk if he drank too much. The polo match was held in the massive drill shed of the 7th Regiment Armory on Park Ave. and, although I knew nothing of the rules or who was playing, it was thrilling to watch.

At the end of the game a group of about 20 of us, including the General, made our way upstairs to the very elaborate Board of Officer’s room where we were served drinks. I couldn’t believe how ornate it was…with large framed pictures of famous past Commanders on the walls. 

We must have been directly above the horse stalls because the smell was almost as strong in that room as it had been in the shed. It didn’t seem to bother anyone else, but then they weren’t 5 months pregnant as I was !

The evening, and the drinks, continued and the General, who had been very soft-spoken, was getting more rambunctious with each round that was served. I finally nudged a girl next to me and asked if we could suggest that it was time to eat. She was shocked at the question and stated, in no uncertain terms, that when one was in the presence of a General you had to wait until he gave the “command”.

I sat back and tried to listen to the story-telling but I found myself getting really angry. After all, Dick and I weren’t in the Army...why did we have to wait for the all-mighty OK from the General. Without really thinking about it I gave Dick the eye, rose from my seat and, while patting my stomach, I said, “Thanks a lot, folks. It’s been wonderful but this little one is saying it’s time to go home.”

There was a stunned silence and then, bless his heart, Dick rose too. He gave a farewell salute to the General and we left. “We’ll never get invited again,” he said, “but it was worth it...just to see the look on the old wind-bag’s face.” Then he gave me a big hug.

“Dinner out” became two hot dogs from a street vendor and a long walk home...

Typical tone deaf white male ...

Well, he's the right age and, from his opening salvo at a recent debate event against his Democratic opponent, it is evident that he has the deeply ingrained ideas about women and their subservience to males that so many men of this era display.  

This is  Ralph Noman,  Republican Representative from So. Carolina who describes himself as "pro family conservative". He was the lead speaker at a Kiwanis Club debate session last week and started his introduction with this:  "Did y'all hear this latest, late breaking news from the Kavanaugh hearings?  Ruth Bader Ginsburg came out that she was groped by Abraham Lincoln."

That not-so-funny and sexist remark said so much about the man who uttered those words.   I grew up in that era and, although I loved a lot of it, I was constantly alert to the drawbacks.   It has taken the South an especially long time to make changes.  I remember when we moved to North Carolina and I went to open a checking account.  The year was 1978 and I was shocked to find that, since I was married, I could only open an account if my husband's name was on it too.  Of course there have been many societal changes since then and that's encouraging.

It's not unusual to see a group of students laughing and sharing ideas despite the fact that their accents are not the same and they are of varying colors and ethnicities.  They are not afraid to open their hearts and minds to change.  In fact they embrace it and I  am excited to see so many of them running in the 2018 mid term elections. I hope it will prove fruitful.

Bye, bye FLORENCE ....

About 2 weeks before FLORENCE  hit I stained my deck.  It looked lovely but not so much on Sunday when I took this picture.  Not a pretty sight but so much better than it could have been.   The rain and wind started on Thursday  and then the power went out around midnight and came back on about noon the next day.   I was very lucky because I only lost it once again on Saturday for 2 hours.   People all around me were not as fortunate and one friend, just a town over, called today to say they had just regained everything.

Your good wishes must have carried weight and I thank you.   Here's a "before" picture of my little house built in 1902.  It's very sturdy having been built out of yellow pine that gets harder every year. When we first moved in the telephone guys actually broke 2 drill blades when they tried to cut through the wall to bring in their line.

 

As you see I am surrounded by trees so I was fortunate indeed not to have any of them fall on the house but at one point I thought my roof was being attacked and as a matter of fact it was...……..

 

The chimney that you see here took the brunt of the wind and the upper part was blown off.     The sounds that I heard were the bricks bombarding the roof and it was really the most frightening part of the whole ordeal.   So, I'm back on track and thanks again for all the good wishes and, hopefully I will be back to my regular blog routine in the next few day.                                                             

           

In the eye of the storm ...????

It's Wednesday afternoon as I write this and everyone in my area is preparing for the onslaught of  Florence … the hurricane that experts say could be the worst storm to ever hit the U.S. North of Florida.  If you look at the diagram above I am located right at the rim of where the solid white meets the gray spot encircled by a white line.  Of course it changes all the time but for right now it's a pretty scary scenario.

I actually had to go to 3 gas stations yesterday to find one that had not run out.  So I filled the tank and stocked up on canned goods, bottled water and batteries.   Of course I also brought everything on the deck and the front porch into the house and I have a cozy area set up in a small closet where I feel pretty safe. Oh, and I'm also filling up buckets of water … you can never have too much in a situation like this.

There's been some talk that the storm is changing its' predicted route so it may not be as bad in my area but, of course that just means that someone else will suffer more than me and that is no consolation.   Hopefully when I post my next blog entry I will be able to give you a follow-up.  Until then ……….fingers crossed.

There's a med for that !

Finding the news of  the day more than you can handle?  Maybe these meds will help …

Flipitor:  Increases life expectancy by controlling rage & the urge to flip off those who disagree with you.

Menicillen:  Potent anti-boy-otic for older women.  Used to calm down an overstimulated libido.

Damnitol:  Take 2 and the rest of the world can go to hell for up to 8 full hours.

Buyagra: Injectable stimulant that increases potency, duration and credit line of spending spree.

Anti-talksident:  A spray carried in purse to be used by anyone too eager to share their life stories with total strangers in elevators.

Peptobimbo: Liquid silicone drink for single women. Two  full cups swallowed before an evening out will increase libido, decrease intelligence  and prevent conception.   

Dumberol:  When taken with Peptobimbo can cause dangerously low IQ resulting in urge to watch FOX news.  

Carefully taught to hate ...

                                                 

1949 … Rodgers & Hammerstein …  lyrics from "South Pacific"

"You've got to be taught to hate and fear … you've got to be taught from year to year … it's got to be drummed in your dear little ear … you've got to be carefully taught.

You've got to be taught to be afraid … of people whose eyes are oddly made and people whose skin is a different shade … you've got to be carefully taught.

You've got to  be taught before it's too late … before you are six or seven or eight … to HATE all the people your relatives hate.  YOU'VE GOT TO BE CAREFULLY TAUGHT."

 

2018 … In the primary race for Governor of Florida Ron DeSantis hoped to be picked as the GOP's choice.  He ran an unusual TV campaign featuring his small child being carefully taught to get on the Trump bandwagon.  One spot shows him reading "The Art of the Deal" to him and another playing with blocks to show how to "build the wall". Many thought his TV spots were "silly" or "childish" but he knew just what he was doing .  

DeSantis won the primary and in November he will be pitted against the Democrat Andrew Gillum.