By: Stan Jordan
There was a person that called our office and said it wasn’t right that I didn’t care if a person died from an overdose of drugs.
YOURS AND MY RIGHTS
I had said, “Let them die” and it is my right to think that and say it, it is surely that person’s right not to agree with me on that. They thought that was cruel thinking.
Yes, you are right about that, but let me tell you why I think that way.
One fine evening last summer, a car pulled off of SR 49 to the side fo the road, right in front of my driveway and house. He was very sick from too much drugs and couldn’t go on, so they called the state patrol, Antwerp EMS and a fire truck. Now this was between 10:00 and 11:00 at night so some of those first responders got out of bed.
This went on for a few minutes and the EMS took him to Hicksville or Bryan, one of those hospitals, and saved him from dying. He got straightened out and this was on Friday night and over in Bryan on Sunday, he again got into some drugs and he overdosed and died.
Now when I wrote that column to “let them die” I had all that on my mind and I would write that same thing again, as that is the way I feel. I know nearly all of those first responders personally and I know they don’t feel as I do.
Look at all the families that went out of their usual life and helped him live. He didn’t give a hoot, he just wanted more drugs. Now, I didn’t know that man, but I just assume that he didn’t do too much for society in his way of life.
I’m sorry sir, but that is my right and I used it. That is your right and you used it. I’m glad that we have those rights.
See ya!
THE AMAZON OF 1935
By: Stan Jordan
When I was growing up back in the 1930’s, the Amazon of those years were Sears & Roebuck, Montgomery Ward, Spiegel, May and Stern, J.C. Penney and a few others, and those big companies are falling like leaves from an Oak tree.
Ben Franklin once told me, “What goes around, comes around.” Now be that as it may, but let me tell you about that catalog era in my youth and later.
Nearly everybody received a catalog from the above companies along with smaller sales catalogs. We spent a lot of time looking through those books. Actually, not too many years ago, I would get a catalog from Bass Pro and Cabela’s and I still looked those books over good. That is why they send you one, is for you to buy from them.
About 1934, my brother Jim worked and saved his coins because you didn’t earn much at that time and in the Sears book was a .22 calibre, single shot, long rifle. That nice gun was called a Ranger and only cost $1.79. He had memorized that part of the transaction, but he did send for it and he used it all of his life, along with a half dozen others.
Every fall mom would send to Sears and get each of us 2 pairs of pants to go to school with. You changed clothes as soon as you got home from school. What I’m getting at, is everyone ordered out of the catalogs in those years. Then in the late 1950’s and 60’s the big companies built big stores locally, like Sears in Ft. Wayne and Defiance. Then a little later, the bigger marts came in and took over those sales and the local stores just couldn’t make it and they died out.
Those stores were the Amazon of that era and that is the way we lived and enjoyed it too. Like Ben Franklin said, “What goes around, comes around” and now some of those big stores are gone.
See ya!
ME AND CHRISTMAS
By: Stan Jordan
I have always loved Christmas, even when I was younger and the depression was on. Having lived through the depression taught me to enjoy and appreciate how things are now, 90 years later, actually I don’t know how my folks made it with three boys. We still had the Christmas spirit, we went to church and sang all the Christmas and those season songs. Then over the years things got better and we all grew older and wiser, but I still get the good Christmas spirit, all it stands for and the things it brings out.
I love the pretty Christmas lights and the Nativity scene and the reindeer, sled and the old fat fellow that rides in the sleigh. I even like Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. You might say that I get caught up in the Christmas air and revert back to a child again, but I enjoy it, how can you help not?
Years ago my wife gave me a leather bound book of Christmas cards all drawn by Currier and Ives. I have looked at those beautiful cards many, many times. They are beautiful but I like to look back deep into the background at all the little details they show. These boys must have really liked the wild life and the outdoors. I can get lost in one of these cards in a hurry. I guess that is just another form of Christmas spirit.
There was a lady just in our office that uses pretty Christmas card pictures over again. I think that also shows the Christmas spirit, that just settles on you like the morning fog.
See ya!
ME & BEN
By: Stan Jordan
About 1775 Juan Valdez and I journeyed to Boston on a call I got from Ben Franklin, it was about a chore for us to go visit Betsy Ross for Gen. George Washington.
This was all hush-hush stuff because a lot of the neighbors didn’t like Betsy because she is sort of outspoken in favor of freedom. Of course we met Ben down on the water front in sort of a speak easy. Tempers ran a little high at the time about the Tea Tax and the lousy Governor the English appointed.
Betsy Ross’ husband, Charles, was an upholsterer and Betsy helped him with the little heavier fabric, but Charles is dead now. Gen. Washington figures Betsy Ross is handy with a little heavier cloth so we are to meet with her and have her make us a new National flag.
After a few pints of grog, we three went down to Betsy’s house and Gen. Washington was already there. After a round of tea and some introductions and greetings all around, we got down to business. You could tell right away that Betsy was for freedom and wanted to get away from the English and all of their ways. Betsy told us she wanted to get as far away from the Union Jack because it is too black and dismal. She said, “I’m going to use red, white and blue. Now what do you boys want? The table is open for suggestions.” There were a number of plans, ideas and notions on the table as each one had our own ideas.
After a while Juan made some coffee and it was really good with her hot biscuits and butter. The clock struck one and George said, “It’s time for lights out.”
George was to sleep on the couch, Ben in the big arm chair and Juan and I would sleep in the barn. Betsy told Juan to tie his ass, Conchita, in one of the big stalls. We met that next morning about 8:00 and after many cups of tea and Juan’s coffee, we finally got down to business. We discussed things for a couple of days and knew it would have 13 stripes of red and white. We didn’t want our flag to look like any other country’s banner. Now about the blue…we had a couple of ideas and notions, but nothing for sure yet.
We finally came to a decision on the blue. Up in the left hand corner of the flag, on a field of blue, would be 13 white stars, one for each colony in the nation at this time. Maybe there will be more later on…who knows.
See Ya!
