USMB Coffee Shop IV

[Foxfyre]

I've been missing my sainted uncles lately. My Uncle Alex, the family patriarch, passed away in his home in September of 2001. He was 97 years old. Alex never had children and was an old man when I first began to remember him. I'll be 59 next Friday and to me, Alex was old when I was a kid and stayed reliably old forever. Alex was born in Dundee Scotland and he and my grandfather and Great Grand Mother immigrated here in 1912.

My Great Grandfather died before I was born. But he made the trip over in 1910. He worked an extra year to afford second class tickets for his wife and sons. His voyage in steerage class scared the bejesus out of him and he would not allow his family to endure such a trip.

Once they got set up in the printing business here, they began to expand their family. A third son, my Uncle Ducky was followed by my Aunt Louise and a forth son Robert. My Aunt Dorothy was the last child born to them and together they shared a grand home in the city's East End on St. George Street only a block away from the river bank.

They were great joiners of organizations. Freemasons, Shriners, Elks, Moose, Orioles, Eagles, Rotarians, Kiwanis, Odd Fellows, you name it, someone from those first generations were already past presidents. I think so many fraternal organizations were around back then because there was not the distraction of television and the travel to many places we take for granted was more difficult.

When the War came, Alex and Grandpa were too old to enlist. But Robert signed on for the Army Air Corps and Uncle Ducky served our nation in the US Navy Shore Patrol breaking up bar fights in Honolulu. Robert never saw action during the war, but he did fly during the Berlin Airlift shuttling coal and Hershey bars over the Iron Curtain to West Berlin.

When my grandfather married another Scottish immigrant, Grace Hoyt, Pop's arrival was just around the corner. They moved into the grand home on St. George street too. Two households in one must have made for some really interesting friction, but none of those stories was ever relayed down to me.

Grandpa was a civil defense air raid warden. He patrolled the neighborhood during air raid drills, assuring that all lights were doused and the north bank of the Ohio River was free of German and Japanese troops. Pop melted down 78 rpm records as they were made of Bakelite (a primitive form of plastic). He would take his bucket of liquid Bakelite to neighbors and, for a small fee, would paint the black goo onto basement windows. That way, during the air raid drills, one could retire to the basement, light a floor lamp and listen to the radio or read a good book without reprisal from Grandpa the Air Raid Warden.

Meanwhile, Uncle Ducky was strolling from dive bar to dive bar making sure our sailors were behaving, if not as gentlemen, at least not as savages. Ducky was a big man. Let me repeat that: Ducky was a big man. Six foot five and two hundred eighty pounds, Ducky took no guff from any drunken Sailor or Marine. His technique in controlling a bar fight was to pin one of the combatants to the bar with his massive torso while basically bitch slapping the poor serviceman into sobriety. "Now then, laddie. Why do you want to make such a fool of yourself here in a public space?" Ducky would admonish while raining down blows from his bear-like fists.

On the other side of the globe, Uncle Robert learned the fundamentals of aviation and Army comportment. By June of 1945, he had earned his wings. He flew DC-9 cargo planes resupplying our troops still in Europe with Spam and Lucky Strikes. When Stalin threw up the barricades on the highway serving West Berlin, he took to the skies again and brought milled flour, coal, nylon stockings and Louis Armstrong records into that German city under siege.

My uncles. Some only waited to be called, others served to the best of their abilities. And I continue to be proud of each and every one of them.

All of my uncles on both sides of the family served in WWII and some also went to Korea. Like you I am proud of each and every one of them.

 

[ChrisL]

And while we are on the subject of birthdays, today is our own dear Sherry 's birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHERRY!!!!​

​

I'm so glad my birthday is in the summer.

 

[Nosmo King]

That would be Jan 22, this coming Friday Nosmo King ?

Actually, this Friday is Daisy the Mutt's seventh birthday. Mine is Friday January 29. We're both Aquarises (Aquariae?) Or, more to the point, we were both born under the sign of Feces, the Turd.

 

[ChrisL]

That would be Jan 22, this coming Friday Nosmo King ?

Actually, this Friday is Daisy the Mutt's seventh birthday. Mine is Friday January 29. We're both Aquarises (Aquariae?) Or, more to the point, we were both born under the sign of Feces, the Turd.

My son turned 21 on the 15th. He's a Capricorn.

 

[Foxfyre]

That would be Jan 22, this coming Friday Nosmo King ?

Actually, this Friday is Daisy the Mutt's seventh birthday. Mine is Friday January 29. We're both Aquarises (Aquariae?) Or, more to the point, we were both born under the sign of Feces, the Turd.

My son turned 21 on the 15th. He's a Capricorn.

My son is a Capricorn too. They're really neat interesting people yes?

And belated Happy Birthday to son of Chris.

 

[ChrisL]

That would be Jan 22, this coming Friday Nosmo King ?

Actually, this Friday is Daisy the Mutt's seventh birthday. Mine is Friday January 29. We're both Aquarises (Aquariae?) Or, more to the point, we were both born under the sign of Feces, the Turd.

My son turned 21 on the 15th. He's a Capricorn.

My son is a Capricorn too. They're really neat interesting people yes?

And belated Happy Birthday to son of Chris.

Thanks sweetie! He's not here right now, but I'll tell him that later.

My son is very intelligent. He just never really applied that in school much. Lol. He is more of a hands on "outdoorsy" kind of person just like my cousin (who is a hunter). My son is also fearless, but that could be due to just his age. My son climbs trees on a rope (BIG trees), and cuts off the branches or the tops with a chainsaw. It's done with like a pulley system. Sometimes, he climbs trees with spikes too.

He has a video on his phone of himself up in a tree, and he is so high up there that you can't even see him, but you can hear him going "woo hoo!" Lol. Yes, I get worried sometimes. I should have him email it to me so that I can post it here and you can all see how crazy he is.

 

[ChrisL]

I wouldn't mind being here right now and maybe for the rest of the winter.

 

[Foxfyre]

That would be Jan 22, this coming Friday Nosmo King ?

Actually, this Friday is Daisy the Mutt's seventh birthday. Mine is Friday January 29. We're both Aquarises (Aquariae?) Or, more to the point, we were both born under the sign of Feces, the Turd.

My son turned 21 on the 15th. He's a Capricorn.

My son is a Capricorn too. They're really neat interesting people yes?

And belated Happy Birthday to son of Chris.

Thanks sweetie! He's not here right now, but I'll tell him that later.

My son is very intelligent. He just never really applied that in school much. Lol. He is more of a hands on "outdoorsy" kind of person just like my cousin (who is a hunter). My son is also fearless, but that could be due to just his age. My son climbs trees on a rope (BIG trees), and cuts off the branches or the tops with a chainsaw. It's done with like a pulley system. Sometimes, he climbs trees with spikes too.

He has a video on his phone of himself up in a tree, and he is so high up there that you can't even see him, but you can hear him going "woo hoo!" Lol. Yes, I get worried sometimes. I should have him email it to me so that I can post it here and you can all see how crazy he is.

My son wasn't much of a scholar either though he did manage to graduate with a degree in mechanical engineering and has accomplished himself significantly and enjoyed great success in the world of engineering. Maybe the tendency of Capricorns is to be more hands on and visually and physically mechanical than book worm types??? Of course Sherry being educated as a school teacher doesn't quite fit that mold, but she was born today, the last day of the Capricorn cycle on the astrological calendar.

 

[Foxfyre]

And while we are on the subject of birthdays, today is our own dear Sherry 's birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHERRY!!!!​

​

I'm so glad my birthday is in the summer.

Well, Sherry lives in Florida so summer is a relative thing year round there.

 

[ChrisL]

And while we are on the subject of birthdays, today is our own dear Sherry 's birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHERRY!!!!​

​

I'm so glad my birthday is in the summer.

Well, Sherry lives in Florida so summer is a relative thing year round there.

Oh yeah! I just assume that since I'm suffering, everyone else must be too!

 

[Foxfyre]

By the way, the Foxfyre fund raising project is now open. . . .

 

[Gracie]

Happy Birthday, Sherry!!

 

[Ernie S.]

Just got back from doing some shopping in Sierra Vista.
I hate it, but it had to be done.
Still a little better than Tucson.

I hope everyone had a great weekend.

I wonder when the world turned and shopping became so much less fun than it used to be?

I have never liked to shop.

I like that in a woman... I'm a buyer. I walk in, grab what I want and leave, usually pausing to pay, on the way out. Most women need to be attached to their husbands by a bungy cord so they snap back if they wander off too far.

 

[Ernie S.]

By the way, the Foxfyre fund raising project is now open. . . .

I saw that on facebook. So far I've made $10,000 and I'll send $1,000 to the next 10 people who like and share this post.

 

[Ernie S.]

OK limited time lately and I'm better than 100 posts behind. Is anybody dead? OK on to the last page and I'll catch up when I can.

 

[Foxfyre]

OK limited time lately and I'm better than 100 posts behind. Is anybody dead? OK on to the last page and I'll catch up when I can.

Well wish our Sherry a happy birthday, Ernie. And the rest of it can easily wait, maybe forever.

 

[Ernie S.]

Happy Birthday:

 

[Foxfyre]

I couldn't find a link to post it here, but our nephew just posted a video---sexy blues music opens with good looking leggy brunette in a bar. Guy sizes her up and as he leaves the bar, he drops his hotel key on the table in front of her, gives her a come hither look over his shoulder and goes out the door. She finishes her drink, picks up the hotel key and on her way out of the bar drops it in front of a big guy at another table. Gives him a come hither look over her shoulder as she goes out the door. . .

 

[Sherry]

And while we are on the subject of birthdays, today is our own dear Sherry 's birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHERRY!!!!​

​

Thanks, Foxy. I took the day off work. WQ and I went up to the courthouse to apply for our marriage license. It was a beautiful sunny day in the mid 60's. We had a great evening out with a movie and dinner. I don't want to mess with WQ's man card, but I've gotten him hooked on Downton Abbey and have been enjoying seeing the episodes again. Tonight we will watch season 3 finale Christmas special.

 

[Manonthestreet]

Congrats