Dear Folks, I'm continuing to try to put my stories together so that they'll eventually end up in a book. This evening I was reminded of a story that I never wrote down before. It had to do with collecting tin foil during WWII. When the war first started, everything was done for the War Effort. That included collecting newspapers, rubber products, aluminum, tin and even kitchen grease to be recycled into ammunition, tanks and such. Regarding collecting tin, well this is one of the things the school kids did with a fervor for the War Effort. It was collecting tin foil. My sister Norma and I would walk along the sidewalks checking the gutters for discarded cigarette packs. We'd pick them up and take them home with us where we would unfold the packs and carefully strip out the tin foil in them. We'd roll the foil up into balls and then start with the next cigarette pack. With each piece of foil, we'd add it to the balls and the balls kept getting bigger and bigger. When the balls got big enough we'd take them to a tin foil redeeming station where they were weighed and according to their weight, we were paid so many pennies per pound. What a great monetary reward for all the work we did! Note: the housewives were also rewarded for the household grease that they'd turn into the butcher. I believe they collected the grease in standard metal cans such as a Crisco can. Their reward was to receive a certain amount of red ration points (for meat products). That was worth much more than pennies or money. After all, don't you know that there's a war going on? vee

>If you've seen Windtalkers, you know why they were radiomen< Yes, the Navajo National is very proud of their Windtalkers. Faith

Foreigners? :-) ... During WWII, my dad was a radio man. He spent several years in different parts of Europe. Two of the other guys in his company were Printup and Aarons. (Vee will recognize the first name.) Both of them were Tuscaroras. If you've seen Windtalkers, you know why they were radiomen. Germans never could figure out how to break their code. When they returned after the war, Mr. Printup was probably one of my dad's best friends. My brothers spent weeks in the summer at his place, where he taught them how to hunt, with real bow and arrows. They considered it some of the best times of their childhood. He gave them each their own bow and arrow, and I know they still had them a few years ago. If not for the war, though, they probably never would have met. And if not for that they both were from western New York, the boys would never have had that chance. Kathy

Dear Folks, In 1974 I had moved back to Niagara Falls from California and by 1975 my close girlfriend Cheri back in California flew out here to visit me and to see the sights. Oh what a wonderful time I had showing her all around. One day when we had been visiting the Falls I remembered a small shop that had authentic Indian handmade crafts made by the local Tuscarora Indians. The two of us walked in and wandered around. The beadwork was so beautiful but when I spied one small piece of it I almost burst into tears. It was made with wire strung with green and white beads and bent into a simple little armchair. It was the exact duplicate of the one I bought back in the 1940s. In the 1940s our family had lots of relatives from Pennsylvania come up here to spend a week or so and we always showed them around the Falls. The Indian women set up card tables along the path along the upper rapids and displayed their handiwork to sell. We all knew that the Indian women were authentic as well as their handiwork. Their work wasn't the sort of souvenirs that the souvenir shops sold. And that's where I bought my little Indian beaded chair. I cherished it for the longest time. Note: the women sat very quietly behind their card tables and certainly never hawked their wares. Eventually, the State Park Commission forbade "vendors" from selling inside the park and of course that included the Indian women. Oh what a pity. They have always been such an important part of our local history. But that wasn't the last time I had the opportunity of observing their culture. Around 1950 Daddy took all of us to a lacross game on the Indian Reservation. The reason that Daddy was interested in the game was that he had gotten to know several of the Indians who were laborers in the plant that he supervised. None of us had ever seen a lacross game but the more we watched, the more that we had some idea of what the game was all about. There were two teams equipped with lacross sticks that have a small loosely woven leather pocket on the end. There's also a small lacross ball that they try to keep in control of in the pockets and race down to the other's goal to score a point. It's much like hockey but oh, what a difference! If you think hockey is violent, you've never seen a lacross game as played by the Indians in the 1950s! I eventually figured out the penalty rules. If you hit someone over the head with your lacross stick you were penalized so many minutes in the penalty box. Of course there were other minor penalties but I eventually noticed that when a team member was hit by an opposing team member, he always checked to see if any blood was drawn. That made the penalty even stiffer. It got to the point where I figured that if you actually killed someone, you just might be thrown out of the game! Nonetheless, it was such a wonderful culture to be around. Most of the fans were Indians of all ages. I can still remember women talking to each other in their native language. Ever since then, the local Indians have fascinated me. However, shortly after my marriage in 1950 my husband Ric and I went to our favorite watering hole where we knew the bartender and his wife very well. Ric and I were sitting up at the bar sipping on our beers when an Indian came in and ordered a beer at the bar. Johnny, the bartender, accommodated him without a word and after the Indian drank up and left, Johnny took the glass he'd been drinking out of and smashed it on the floor and said a few swear words! It shocked me inasmuch as I didn't even have an inkling that there might have been some sort of prejudice against the Indians. But eventually I figured out what the problem was. For a long time Indians were prohibited from drinking alcohol or being served alcohol. After all, you know what a drunken Indian is, don't you?? Of course now those laws have long been abolished. But here's the kicker. Johnny was either an Italian immigrant himself or was the son of an immigrant who came here around the 1920s. And around the 40s and 50s the Mafia was operating big time around here and in general there was prejudice toward all Italians. They were foreigners, you know. Nowadays there's no obvious outward prejudice toward either the Indians or the Italians, but you can still feel the underlying current of prejudice toward all "foreigners," whether they're Native Americans or the latest immigrants to our country. vee

My dear folks family, Thank you for you prayers on behalf of my son Mark. He is now out of ICU and getting dialysis three times a week. He is doing better physically and mentally, which sure makes a mom's heart glad. Evelyn

Found this on the Orleans County list and felt Niagara County subscribers would want to see it. We all know how valuable old photos are. Evelyn ----- Original Message ----- From: "S Burch" <stburch@frontiernet.net> To: <NYORLEAN-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, March 16, 2005 1:37 AM Subject: [NYORLEAN] FISHER > Forwarding with permission: > From: KathNHNC71@aol.com <mailto:KathNHNC71@aol.com> > Subject: Mrs. G. Irving Fisher--Lockport NY > Date: Sun, 6 Mar 2005 08:15:16 EST > Hello Listers, > > I purchased a lot of studio photos from ebay thinking one of my relatives > might be among them...they were not. But one of the photos lists this on > the > back: Mrs. G Irving FISHER, 703 East Ave. Lockport, NY. The photo is of two > women riding an elephant in either Egypt or India, I presume. The other > 6 photos > appear to be part of a family group of the same woman at various ages and a > gentleman--either brother or spouse? including photographers from > Brockport, > Medina, Lyons, and one from Barton, Vermont. > > I'd love to return the photos to a family member of Mrs. Fishers. > > > > Researching Families of Rochester and Brockport: > COOKE/COOK, CASWELL, HEINRICH, SQUIRES, FROST, HOPKINS, REINHARDT > > > > ============================== > Search the US Census Collection. Over 140 million records added in the > last 12 months. Largest online collection in the world. Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13965/rd.ashx >

Dear Folks, Over the years I've tried to keep my house as secure as I reasonably can. I have dead bolts on both of my doors and I've definitely secured the downstairs windows. However, there's one flaw in my security system and that has to do with a possible emergency such as a fire in the house. In my front door I keep the key to the dead bolt lock firmly in place in the door knob so that in case of panic I won't have to fumble around to find the key. That goes the same with my side door. Therefore, any burglar would only have to break the window on either door, reach in and unlock it. And frankly that's the way it still is. I refuse to live in fear of what "might" happen and I'm comfortable enough with it. But lately since my physical condition has deteriorated, my biggest fear now is that I'll fall down and won't have the strength in my legs to get up. It has happened several times lately but somehow I haven't sustained any injuries and eventually I've gotten back up on my feet. I've taken measure in that case inasmuch as I've told the 911 people where I hide my extra key to the house as well as told my neighbor Dawn just in case. It's hidden in a hollow "Keystone" that I've put it in with the other various stones outside my house. However, now that it's covered over with snow, that would make it more difficult to find. Therefore I've come to the conclusion that I'll just store the key in almost plain sight with a magnetic key container that one would put under their fender in case they lost their car keys. I'll attach it inside my metal storm door and hope the burglars won't notice it but the medics will. I know the risks I'm taking with that sort of setup regarding burglars but I also know that in the long run I'm protecting myself against a medical emergency. In addition, a friend of mind suggested I carry around my cordless phone in my pants pocket in case I wouldn't be able to reach a phone to call 911 or whoever. And that's what I've been doing today. So there you have it. That's how I'm trying to keep my house secure and yet making it accessible in an emergency. vee

Dear Folks, Tonight I to make a big decision as to what I should do with my worn out terry cloth hand towel that I use in the kitchen to dry my hands on. It's not that it has any holes in it, but all of the "terry" has worn away and I've ended up with a hand towel that doesn't absorb water very much. I finally gave in to the realization that the only good that it could do me was to wash it, dry it and then fold it up nicely and put it into my rag bag. But at the last minute, I still found a good use for it in the kitchen. I folded it up nicely and put it on top of my kitchen counter and now I'm so pleased that it's there for me on the occasions when my fingertips get wet or when I get beet juice on them or other things of the sort when I'm preparing dinner. So once again my thrifty nature kicked in and I've still found a good use for a worn out hand towel. vee

Marti: Maybe I shouldn't complain. LOL. I wonder if we'll ever see gas at $3.00?! Kim In SW Nebraska

Dear Folks, Well you know me, out of a clear blue sky I'll remember something that I hadn't thought of in years. In this case it was the Yoga Lotus Position that my mother taught me way back when (probably in the 1940s). Of course it had nothing to do with Yoga (we had never heard of that), it was more or less a cross legged position that was a bit tricky to do. Basically, you sit down on the floor and cross your right leg over the thigh of your left one and then cross your left leg over your right thigh. Mother had first demonstrated it for me and then I did the same thing. Now in our case we didn't know that from there on in we should meditate. Over the years I enjoyed showing off the "trick" and it even got to the point to where I added something else to the position. I found that if I could rock myself up on my knees in that position, I could knee walk across the floor. Note, it wasn't that I was so athletic, I have an idea that the length of my legs or something made it rather easy to do. In fact when I was in junior high school (7th, 8th and 9th grades), the gym teacher wanted us to bend over and touch our toes. Ain't no way that I could do that. However, I marveled at one particular girl with much shorter legs than I who could bend over and not only touch her toes but actually put the palms of her hands down flat on the floor. I guess what reminded me of the Lotus Position is because even though at my age and with my physical condition, every time I sit down in my easy chair to read my book, I feel very comfortable when I tuck my left leg underneath my right thigh. And who knows but if I would really try the Lotus Position in my chair, I just might be able to do it. However, I think someone should be here to help me untangle myself! vee

Dear Vee & group: I totally agree with Vee about the high cost of inflation! I pinch my pennies whenever I can and take advantage of coupons, rebates and such. Our gas is rediculously high, over $2.00 a gallon, $2.09 to be exact. On Thursdays, the gas is 5 cents cheaper, so I get my gas then, & everyone else! Sometimes I have to wait in line for a little while. I don't have credit cards, thank goodness. If I want something, I have to save for it or put it on layaway. I can't just go out and buy it. What's really rediculous is the high cost of prescription medicine. Being a diabetic, I have to fork out a lot for insulin, and supplies. Even with my co-pay $30, that still adds up when you're on a limited income. Sometimes you just have to forget what you really want, and settle for the medicine, which is your lifeline. Stinks sometimes, but you gotta live with it! Kim

Vee, most likely we all agree with you about this inflation. Sometimes it makes those of my generation's head spin. Being thrifty is also a basis of our generation, something many of the younger ones don't "get". They want what they want when they want it - making credit card debt now a national concern and one reason for the bill before congress about making it harder to file for bankruptcy. We know that everytime someone doesn't pay, the rest of us pay for them (through higher prices). I'm thankful to have been born when I was (1940), for what I was taught and have gleaned through the years. Which of us, IF money was no object, and we didn't have to pinch a few pennies, would be better off. We have a lot to be thankful for, oh yes indeed !! Evelyn > Dear Folks, > > As I mentioned yesterday one of the items I wanted to pick up was a box of > standard size staples. I took my old empty box into Rite Aid to make > certain that I bought the same size. And when I checked the price of the > box they had on the shelf, I almost had a coronary. It sold for $2.19. > > The old box had a price sticker on it and it said "Catalog List price $1.90, > OfficeMax price $.62!" Now mind you, I bought that old box maybe ten years > ago prior to OfficeMax having bar coding. In addition the sales tax at that > time was probably 7% versus the present sales tax of 8-3/4%. > > Granted, every year I get a Cost of Living Allowance added to my Social > Security and my Navy pension but in these recent years I've often wondered > whether what with the $25(?) increase per month I'd even break even. > Somehow I seriously doubt it. > > Nonetheless, I still manage to pay all of my bills promptly, including the > outrageous high cost of gasoline, fuel oil and propane gas. And my bank > account balance is still healthy. Thank goodness for being thrifty! > vee > >

Dear Folks, As I mentioned yesterday one of the items I wanted to pick up was a box of standard size staples. I took my old empty box into Rite Aid to make certain that I bought the same size. And when I checked the price of the box they had on the shelf, I almost had a coronary. It sold for $2.19. The old box had a price sticker on it and it said "Catalog List price $1.90, OfficeMax price $.62!" Now mind you, I bought that old box maybe ten years ago prior to OfficeMax having bar coding. In addition the sales tax at that time was probably 7% versus the present sales tax of 8-3/4%. Granted, every year I get a Cost of Living Allowance added to my Social Security and my Navy pension but in these recent years I've often wondered whether what with the $25(?) increase per month I'd even break even. Somehow I seriously doubt it. Nonetheless, I still manage to pay all of my bills promptly, including the outrageous high cost of gasoline, fuel oil and propane gas. And my bank account balance is still healthy. Thank goodness for being thrifty! vee

Oh my, Evelyn ... Yes - prayers will be coming your way from CA for your son - and your entire family. Take good care ... Deb

Dear Folks, My grocery shopping today was a success and if nothing else, I managed to haul my lettuce and toilet paper into the house and put them away. But there were other groceries in my car trunk that would be a bit risky for me to attempt the three trips that it would take me to get everything out of the car. First was the heavy gallon of milk and then there were the four large heavy bottles of club soda to struggle with. I feared that they all might freeze over night and expand to the point where they would break open their caps and just about explode. But I put a plan together in hopes that it would work. I left the trunk open and left the garage door open and when it got dark out I turned on the flood light that lit up the front of the garage. And it worked. When my dear next door neighbor Ken brought my newspaper and mail to my side door tonight, he noticed the flood light, the open garage door and the open trunk and took the hint. When he knocked on my door, there he was carrying the whole heavy shebang and when I gladly let him in, he put everything away for me. He told me that any time I wanted him to bring in the groceries, just leave the trunk and garage door open and turn on the flood light. That would be my signal to him. He then gave me a hug and then a few moments later he hugged me again. Now how's that for a good neighbor. vee

Oh Dear Evelyn, My heart goes out to you and your family. My thoughts and prayers are with you and if there's anything I can do for you, let me know. vee ----- Original Message ----- From: "evelyn" <ebcooper@copper.net> To: <NYNIAGAR-FOLKS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, March 11, 2005 8:36 AM Subject: [FOLKS] On a serious note > Good Morning Vee and my folks family - > > Heard last night that my son's (Mark) kidney has failed, so may I please > ask for your prayers. Presently he is in a hospital in Arizona. Thanks > much. > > Evelyn > >

Dear Evelyn, Of course we will pray for your son Mark. I will send his name to our prayer group. Barbara Moll Tucson, AZ

Evelyn, my prayers are with your son. May I ask what hospital? I live in the Phoenix Metro area. How can I help? Leslie ----- Original Message ----- > Heard last night that my son's (Mark) kidney has failed, so may I please > ask for your prayers. Presently he is in a hospital in Arizona. Thanks > much. > > Evelyn

Good Morning Vee and my folks family - Heard last night that my son's (Mark) kidney has failed, so may I please ask for your prayers. Presently he is in a hospital in Arizona. Thanks much. Evelyn

Dear Folks, Most of my entire day was spent in printing out more stories for my book. But all day long I knew I had to make the supreme effort of driving to the village grocery store tomorrow to buy a few needed items. I mean I REALLY need them! I'm almost out of lettuce, milk, a box of staples (from Rite-Aid Pharmacy next door), but most of all I'm down to just a skinny roll of toilet paper. Now if that ain't an emergency trip I'm gonna have to make tomorrow, I don't know what is. So come rain or snow or high water, I'll drive the 2-1/2 miles into Youngstown, drop off a couple of library books, get my shopping done and drive another 2-1/2 miles back home. Of course I'll have a problem hauling my groceries from my trunk into the house but I'll worry about that tomorrow. Just thought I'd keep you informed. :-) vee