How to Make Grandpa Smile

Valentine's Day was just a couple of weeks back. We send each of the grandkids a card with a genuine U.S. government Federal Reserve Note with a value of one dollar. For that tiny investment, Grandpa can reap huge rewards.

THIS is what can put a huge smile on any Grandpa's face:

An original piece d' art from Benjamin. How cool is THAT?!!?

 =====================================================================

Ben's older brother, Jack,  is better equipped to writing his own thank you note.
Yeah, that's the ticket that makes Grandpa smile for sure!

If you don't understand how that can make a guy feel, you haven't been there. This is what makes life special and so very precious.

Thank you boys! Grandpa Paul is smiling...HUGE!!!

Life Casual

I'm at work as I write this. It's early morning, only one other employee here so far. Still, here I sit wearing jeans and a pullover sweater-thingy with a camo design! Talk about "grunge casual" dress!

My how times have changed. These days, folks seldom "dress" like they did in years gone by. Today, whether at an upscale restaurant or in church on Sunday morning...casual rules. It wasn't always that way in the world. I'm not sure what my mother, her sister, and her brother-in-law were doing or where they were headed when the photo, below, was taken, but those folks are dressed!

l - r:  my Aunt Mary, Uncle John and Mom, probably in the early 1940s. 

I cannot remember the last time I wore a necktie. I cannot remember when I last wore a sport coat, much less a suit. There was a time, back in the late 1970s that I wore a tie to work every day...every single day! So this begs the question:  were those "the good old days"?

This photo of Mom and Dad could have been taken after someone's funeral, or on Easter Sunday, or on their way to someone's wedding, but I doubt it. I'll bet this was just a beautiful Sunday morning after attending church.

Dad and Mom standing outside my bedroom window
at our place in Kramer Homes. I'd guess 1958 or so. 

Once in a great while, it can be fun to get all dressed up and do something special. Of course, then you're wondering if your tie is straight, if your cuffs are showing below the sleeves of your jacket just so, or if the shine is still on those shoes.

But for me, especially at this point in my life, I'm very content with a dress code of Life Casual.

As Our World Turns

• Egypt turned upside-down
• Angry Libyan citizens being shot down by soldiers and mercenaries on the ground, in helicopters and planes
• Four Americans killed by Somali pirates
• Protests continue in Bahrain, no end in sight

Here at home...

• Thousands of public and private union members in Wisconsin protest proposed changes while all their Democrat State Senators hide and refuse to do their jobs
• In Ohio, more thousands protest union-busting bills in the legislature
• Following the lead of their Wisconsin cohorts, 67 Indiana House Democrats are leaving the state, in hiding, so the legislature doesn't have a quorum  
• Gasoline prices in the U.S. expected to keep rising with the Middle East unrest; $4 a gallon this year???
• California, New Jersey, Hawaii, Ohio and more states are in danger of total insolvency
• While one-quarter of the counties in the U.S. are losing population (story here)

What the hell is going on in our world?

Whatever is happening, have you taken steps to prepare yourself to be more self-sufficient, no matter what comes along? Its beginning to look like modern survivalists are something more than goofy, whacked out, the-world-ends-tomorrow, tin foil hat-wearing crazies. There's a rumble underfoot and the result may not be pretty, my friends.

Sibling Love

I have three sisters. Of course, each of us will now claim to have been the best child a parent could possibly hope to have.

I recently came upon evidence to the contrary. First, I give you exhibit A:

l - r: Paul, Peggy and Nancy after Paul's high school graduation, 1965
Image courtesy Nancy, of course!

Now, in case the quality of this old photo doesn't allow you to see the detail of Peggy's face, check out this cropped close-up:

Ah, what a sweetheart! She sure looks like someone headed to Ohio State University, doesn't she? A Buckeye for sure. Nancy still remembers how angry Mom was upon seeing the photo in print.

This next shot, from 1955 or so, shows true brotherly love for his little sister. I don't recall what the problem was exactly, but I believe I was saying, "hold your head up and smile for cryin' out loud!"

Nancy looked very cute in that fancy coat, but I was truly stylin' with the
bow tie and huge cowlick!

Oh, sweet memories of how well we all got along and what perfect children we were, eh?

. 

The Elk Horn Coal Company

When businesses, such as the Elk Horn Coal Corporation, found large reserves of coal in places like rural Kentucky or West Virginia, they built what were known as Coal Patch or Coal Camp Towns near their mines. Of course this was to bring in workers for the mines, providing them housing, a general store, a bank, churches and schools. Generally, these towns were not incorporated, did not have elected officials and were wholly-owned by the coal company.

Wayland, Kentucky, circa 1914

Unfortunately, this meant the company controlled everything in town and charged the workers for everything they needed. Thus, the miners were paid in scrip that could only be used to pay rent or to buy items at the company store. A monopoly’s monopoly! Little wonder that my paternal grandfather urged his children to leave those Kentucky hills and find employment elsewhere.

A $1 Scrip token issued by Elk Horn Coal Corp.

Note it says, "Payable in Merchandise Only"

The following is a brief history of mining in the area around Wayland, in Floyd County, Kentucky:

When Elk Horn Fuel and Elk Horn Mining (including Mineral Development Co.) merged in 1915 to form Elk Horn Coal Corporation, there were already 18 mines in operation - seven in the Wayland Division, seven in the Fleming Division, and 4 in the Wheelwright Division.  The total capital stock of Elk Horn Coal upon completion of the merger was $27,045,000 . On November 30, 1915, just 12 days after its birth, Elk Horn Coal acquired all the property of Elk Horn Fuel and Elk Horn Mining including all mining camps and appurtenant mine works and equipment, the 205,452 acres of land they jointly controlled, and an option to buy 50,000 acres more from Beaver Creek Consolidated Coal.

Stock certificate --- 50 shares of common stock

Getting down to business on December 1,  1915, Elk Horn took control of mine works already set up by Elk Horn Mining and still in progress.  At one of these locations, up on Right Beaver Creek at Steele's Creek, there had been confusion as to what to call the mining town under construction.  The nearest post office was at the town of Allen. Letters were addressed to 'At Camp, Steele's Creek, Allen P.O.', or 'Watsontown, Allen P.O.', or 'Wayland, Allen P.O.'. A courier for the company would be at Allen to receive mail when it arrived, then ride the train (or a horse) up to Stonecoal and Steele's Creek where the mail would be distributed.

On May 18, 1914, however, 'Wayland' was established as an official U.S. Post Office (named after Clarence Wayland Watson) and mail rode the train under its own power to this destination.

Elk Horn's coal fields and towns in southeastern Kentucky,
near the Virginia state line.

The towns built at Garrett and Wayland were large mining centers until the last mines closed in the early 1950s. At Garrett, mine postings indicate mine 326 closed in 1927, mine 327 in 1943, and mine 325, the most extensive one on Stonecoal Branch, lasted until January, 1956.  At Wayland, mine 330 was shut down in 1928, mine 331 in 1936, and 332, 328, and 329 held out until 1954.

Tipple at Elk Horn mine No. 329, Wayland, 1914

A company report from 1937 states, the Wayland mine is operating the Elk  Horn No. 1 seam which has a general average thickness of about 42 inches of coal.  The underground equipment includes 26 electric cutting machines, 25 electric locomotives, 500 new steel mine cars, 1 mechanical loading machine and 23 underground conveyors.  These conveyors are arranged to load from 12 working places and to gather the coal to 4 separate points where trips of mine cars are loaded.

       ~from http://www.elkcoal.com/ History by Jeanette Knowles (former Elk Horn Coal employee)—November 1990. All information for this article was obtained from documents on hand or from two books: "Kentucky's Last Frontier", by Henry Scalf, and "Theirs Be the Power", by Harry M. Caudill

Modern Survivalism

About 2-1/2 years ago I woke up one morning with an interest in Modern Survivalism. OK, maybe I didn't wake up with it in my head, perhaps it was a rather normal transition and continuation of my huge interest in self-defense and our Second Amendment rights. The desire and ability to defend oneself is the basic tenet of survival, don't you think?

I'm currently reading the Kindle version of the novel Indivisible by Troy Grice on my iPod. A novel based on the fictional (perhaps, time will tell) total economic collapse of these United States. You see, becoming a Modern Survivalist or "Prepper" doesn't mean you expect the Earth to be hit by a huge meteor, or that you're looking for China to attack the United States with a massive EMP (electromagnetic pulse) that knocks out much of our technological society, or that you're expecting zombies to crash through your front door at any moment. 

Quite the contrary, as stated by Jack Spirko of The Survival Podcast (www.thesurvivalpodcast.com) it's really much more basic and valuable for each of us:

“Everything you do to prepare for disaster should improve your position in life

even if nothing ever goes wrong.”

For instance, if you want to stock up on food items, buy the items you eat on a regular basis...not freeze-dried MREs that you and your kids wouldn't touch with a 10-foot pole. When you shop, if canned vegetables are on sale, buy a few extra cans and place the extras in your basement storage. As you take cans from the kitchen pantry, restock them from your storage. In doing so, you've saved money while better preparing yourself for the next blizzard, ice storm or tornado. 

And it doesn't only pertain to canned goods:  remove debt from your financial life, plant a garden in the back yard, make sure you have flashlights or kerosene lanterns and alternate ways to produce heat, an extra supply of water...take care of the basics so you can weather a short-term problem if the occasion arises or so you can live better every day even if a disaster never occurs. 

I remember the Cold War years, when we felt both Russia and the United States had their fingers on the button that would send nuclear warheads to either country via ICBM missiles and deliver us back to the stone age...if we lived through it. Some folks built bomb shelters in a corner of their basement. At school, we had "Duck & Cover" drills—teaching us to get under our desks and cover our heads, as if that would protect us from a nuclear explosion. Modern Survivalism is much more beneficial because it helps you live a better life even if bad things never happen. 

February 10th

Yesterday, a friend and work associate lost his father.

Yesterday...February 10th. 

My mother passed away February 10, 1983.

My father passed away February 10, 2008—25 years to the day after we lost Mom.

I don't claim to be intelligent enough to understand what all this means; strange coincidences to be sure. I am smart enough to know that I'll pay very close attention to that date if I'm suffering from a serious illness.

Mom, Dad and Peter...rest in peace.

Never Felt Better

One of the many things I love about my Kentucky heritage is the abundance of such wonderful, flavorful, sometimes comical but always meaningful phrases. When spoken with that special accent, comments like Uncle Edgil's oft-uttered phrase, "this area is so poor, even the crows carry a lunch when they fly over," can be both comical and painfully true.

There are many others, but I was recently reminded of a reply my father often used when asked, "how are you, Greene?", he quite often responded,

I've never felt better, needed less or expected more. 

I often wondered if that phrase was due to his humble upbringing in a poor, rural Appalachian coal town, his job working at the Elk Horn Coal Company Store (Tennessee Ernie Ford was right*) and how he was able to move away to quasi-affluent living in Detroit and suburbs. I should have asked him when I had the chance.

=============================================

*Mr Ford's popular song, Sixteen Tons, included the refrain I owe my soul to the Company Store. The miners were usually paid in "scrip", that could only be used to purchase items at the Company Store, thereby trapping those folks in that hard, dangerous life. (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrip)

Sixteen Tons

Some people say a man is made outta mud
A poor man's made outta muscle and blood

Muscle and blood and skin and bones

A mind that's a-weak and a back that's strong

You load sixteen tons, what do you get

Another day older and deeper in debt

Saint Peter don't you call me 'cause I can't go

I owe my soul to the company store

I was born one mornin' when the sun didn't shine

I picked up my shovel and I walked to the mine

I loaded sixteen tons of number nine coal

And the straw boss said "Well, a-bless my soul"

You load sixteen tons, what do you get

Another day older and deeper in debt

Saint Peter don't you call me 'cause I can't go

I owe my soul to the company store

I was born one mornin', it was drizzlin' rain

Fightin' and trouble are my middle name

I was raised in the canebrake by an ol' mama lion

Cain't no-a high-toned woman make me walk the line

You load sixteen tons, what do you get

Another day older and deeper in debt

Saint Peter don't you call me 'cause I can't go

I owe my soul to the company store

If you see me comin', better step aside

A lotta men didn't, a lotta men died

One fist of iron, the other of steel

If the right one don't a-get you

Then the left one will

You load sixteen tons, what do you get

Another day older and deeper in debt

Saint Peter don't you call me 'cause I can't go

I owe my soul to the company store

More 2011 Blizzard Stuff

Seeing the stories and photos from around the country today underlines the fact that this was definitely a rare monster storm crossing the country. I like a bit of snowfall Christmas Eve, but this is way over the top!

Lake Shore Drive in Chicago was a mess. It remains closed this morning.
------------------------Scott Olson/Getty Images

Lake Shore Drive during the storm. Some people
stayed with their vehicles for NINE HOURS!

This image, courtesy NOAA, shows the monster storm
on Tuesday, February 1, from 22,000 miles up. 

Clearing snow in Dallas. I know they're not prepared to handle snow there,
but I can only hope my driveway is this clear by March 15th!!!

Poughkeepsie, New York. I love a church with a sense of humor.

I'm hearing that up to 100 million people (nearly 1/3 of the U.S. population) were affected by this storm. I know the East Coast has had their fill of Winter's wrath; I'll bet we all have had about enough.

The Blizzard of '11

Ol' Mother Nature nailed us over the past 24 hours. What's been tagged as The Blizzard of 2011 began late Tuesday afternoon and finally settled down at around noon Wednesday.

This greeted me when I opened the side door
of the garage...15" straight out!

One local TV station says our little town got 17 inches of snow, with temps in the teens and gusts to 45 mph. We were rockin' and rollin' all night, that's for sure!

Our deck gathered over three feet of snow. 

The grill grew quite a bit overnight!

Thank goodness for teenagers and snowblowers
when it comes time to move that much snow!

For the first time in my memory, we did have a "snow day" from work today, as the office was closed. The Michigan State Police called for essential travel only, which was no problem as far as I was concerned. A nice midweek break!

We weren't alone with this storm: it began in Texas and finished up in Maine. Almost 1/3 of the country was affected to one extent or another.

I hear the large rat in Pennsylvania didn't see his shadow today, so Spring can't be far away, right?