Whatever's Comfortable

I guess this is.

March 8, 1944

Happy Veteran's Day. Today, for Veterans Day, I read aloud a V-Mail letter on my YouTube channel. To see it, click here. Below, I'm continuing with an excerpt from another letter sent to my grandmother from my grandfather during WWII.


Hello Puss,
... When you write, say anything you wish for your mail to me is not searched by the censors. Of course you know that I can't buy any clothes here so maybe you could send me a scarf, green in color. Bought a handmade knife at a very reasonable price. Bought a bell in a pub and looked at the bottom of it - Made in the USA. That was one time the joke was on me.

Get pretty blue over here - not by myself I know, but this time it's bad. I want you near me so much and the thought of it being a long time maybe, just about shakes the props out from under me. Tried getting a bit blotto but it was only a waste of dough. Now it may seem a bit odd but when I do get the blues, I can't sit down and write like I want to. One fellow said if he could just cry for a few minutes, he could get rid of it but he is like me. He can't cry no matter what. To get a letter helps to make them vanish so write often Puss, please.

Sure gets dark here - finally got a hand torch so I wont run into my hand when I put it up for a guide on a dark night. You know Love, that's getting pretty dark.
I do love you Puss, just a little and you know that means with all my love,
Lee

Smacksy Sunday Links

My great-grandmother Albinita and my Aunt Dolores

A few words from Warren Buffet.

Home is always worth it.

How a 17-year-old is helping feed the homeless.

This is a lovely tradition I've been doing for a few years now.

Things I wish someone had told me when i started cooking.

This street photography. 

And ravens exhibit complex intelligence behaviors similar to humans.

Happy Sunday.

Smacksy Saturday Photo: Waiting

Watching Mr. Rosenberg making pancakes. 

Another Thing I Made

And the music's not immortal;

But the world has made it sweet.

-Alfred Noyes, The Barrel Organ

29 February, 1944 - Leap Year

The next letter to my grandmother from my grandfather, during World War II.

Hello Sugar Puss,
Received your letter of the 3 February on the 27, two days ago. And today's Sugar Report will start in where my last letter left off. I was, at the time, somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean. After due course of time, we landed and are now somewhere in England.... England has been at war for four years. A husband, brother, sister, or any combination of such, is nine times out of ten, missing from the family and it naturally leaves a surplus of girls. After so much of the heartbreak of the war, they live for what pleasure they can possibly derive. So it is not the destruction of a country that ruins it. Rather it is the last hope which is gone and they term it morale. The longer the fight, the lower the morale goes. You can see now that a country degenerates terribly and loses even though they may win the so called victory for they send to war, the cream of the crop...

English are very generous. when you eat a meal at their house. they will put a week's ration on the table and tell you to eat it all. But out of politeness and to save them from starving, you eat but very little.

I look for mail from you every day and day after day there is none but I know that as soon as they are able to, the mail will come thru to us. Sure wish I had put you in my pocket before I left for now I could take you out and let you live near me. The first time I come home, I'm going to do that very thing. Put you in one pocket and Sandra in the other. Give her a kiss for me and keep most of them for yourself and here is a bear hug. Keep the home fires burning for this guy over here cause he sure does love you and miss you terribly. The war won't last forever though and when it's over I'll come back and no more do I roam by myself. Be sure to write.
Love, Lee

Fall Back

Pet Store Clerk Guy: Ok, great. Do you have a discount phone number with us?

Me: Yeah. 323... Wait. I don't have a 323 number.

PSCG: No problem.

Me: 626... Hold on. Um.

PSCG: I found you by your name. Do you want to put in a different number for next time?

Me: Yeah. I'll use my cell. I don't know where my brain is.

PSCG: It's okay. It's only Tuesday. Still early in the week.

Me: Isn't it Wednesday?

PSCG: Oh, yeah. I guess it is.

Me: High five.