Morning Chuckle

There is an apple tree in our backyard. It's not very old and it's not very big. We generally get about six apples a year, and frankly, they aren't very good. But it is a great temptation to little ones, especially since the apples are so low to the ground. There has been a constant litany this spring - don't pick the apples until Grandma or Grandpa says it's okay. Well, they didn't pick the apples. As I was sitting on the patio drinking coffee this mornig, something in the apple tree looked a little odd. I went over to look, and sure enough, someone had been eating apples. But they didn't take them off the tree! See, that's progress!!

Stop and Smell the Roses (or Hydrangeas, as the Case May Be)

One of the original intents in my blogging was to have a place for clearing my head once in a while. I guess you can guess that my head hasn't been too clear lately. It is very tempting to blame one of my forebears for the nasty, self-pitying side of my temperament, but I think I have to own it all myself. All too often I let myself dwell on the difficulties in my life, but if I've learned anything in the last few months, it's that many people have it much more difficult than I.

This last weekend was great, weather-wise, and it was the perfect opportunity to drag the kids outdoors and get some major work done in the yard. We cleaned the hill, we planted roses and strawberries, and one of us stopped to enjoy the flowers! Life wasn't perfect, but we found plenty of opportunity to laugh, play, and appreciate the time we had together. So my goal is to pull myself out of the pity party a little more often, just in case I miss something really fun.

Thank You Ed

I've never found the perfect words to tell Ed thanks for being our "second dad." He'll never admit to being that, but in my eyes, he is. He would never think of replacing "Dad" in our hearts and lives; that was never his intention. After all, we were pretty much adults when he became a permanent fixture. But he's always shown concern for us, love for us, and respect for us. He has offered and given us advice and help, sometimes with the stern words a dad has to use with his kids. He has stood by and watched us make mistakes but never made us feel like we weren't welcome or were too much trouble. He's been a loving companion to our mother, making a home with her and enjoying life together when they could.

We love you, Ed, and I for one can't imagine what life would be like without you. I hope your birthday was wonderful.

News Story From the Past

This week I was digging through dusty boxes of family detritus and came up with something I hadn't seen before - a news article about Dad testifying for the Senate Rackets Committee. I'd heard a little about this from Mom, but the article made the whole story come alive.

The article's pretty yellowed and fragile, so I thought I'd just duplicate it here for you guys to read, if you're interested. There's no date on the article. Hopefully, I'm not breaking any copyright laws.

Frozen-Pie Worker Testifies on Freeze
A frozen-pie plant worker told the Senate Rackets Committee today that Nathan W. Shefferman's labor-relations firm helped freeze one union out of a food factory and then helped another get a "very poor contract."

The witness, Gary Long, testified that the Morton Packing Co. secretly ordered him to form a "spontaneous" committee of workers to prevent the CIO United Packinghouse Workers from organizing its Webster City, Iowa, plant in 1955.

But later, he said, the company cooperated with the Bakery Workers Union in recruiting members and signing a three-year contract which gave a raise of only five cents an hour.

A Packinghouse Workers official said his union wanted rasies of 2 to 46 cents an hour for the Morton workers.

Cooperation
Mr. Long said one employee of Sherman's firm, Labor Relations Associates, worked with him to fight the Packinghouse Workers and another later signed up members for the bakery workers.

Before Mr. Long testified, attorneys for the frozen-food firm - now a division of Continental Baking Co. - tried to put the case on ice, claiming the testimony would prejudice their defense against National Labor Relations Board charges filed against the firm by the Packinghouse Workers.

The committee refused. Chairman John L. McClellan (D., Ark.) said the group tried not to interfere with criminal trials but could not defer its work for the outcome of a civil action.

Beginning
The Morton case was the opening gun in an investigation of Mr. Shefferman, 70-year-old Chicago labor relations counselor to some 300 firms across the nation.

Sen. McClellan said, Mr. Shefferman's firm was "apparently dedicated to the proposition that no employer need deal with a labor union unfriendly to their interests."

The chairman said the Taft-Harley Act put restrictions on management as well as labor, and the committee would investigate whether there has been "a deliberate and calculated effort to circumvent and defeat these provisions on behalf of management." (UP)

byline: Washington's sprightliest society columnist - Evelyn Peyton Gordon in The News.

One of My Favorite Blogs

http://celticmemoryyarns.blogspot.com/2009/05/old-roads-and-new-life.html



I hope so much that this link works. I've been pretty "homesick" for Ireland lately, and this lady's writing can feed my soul. Feel free to skip the parts about knitting.

Another Movie Review

Okay, not much going on around here, so I'll talk about another movie. Seems to be a good way to get some convervation going.

Sunday night we watched "Frost/Nixon." I wasn't sure what to expect really, but I found it fascinating. I would say our family is not traditionally impressed with Richard Nixon; I remember Grandpa Long being very vocal about him. The Watergate incident has always been fascinating to me - the twists and turns, the secrecy, the apparent inability of Nixon to be honest and to recognize when it was time to give up the pretence. I have watched "All the President's Men" again and again, always finding something new in it.

I had no background on the Frost/Nixon interviews. I remembered David Frost as a tv personality, but didn't really get that he wasn't a serious newsman, so that part of the story was interesting. But I really appreciated the portrayal of Nixon's personality. Much of what I saw supported by gut instinct about the man, but there were a couple of surprises, too, and the unfolding of the story was interesting to watch.

Doldrums, The Reader

Okay, guys; I've hit a rough spot here. Nothing drastic, nothing unusual, I just can't seem to get out of my rut. And I like writing on here. So ask me a question, give me a nudge. Help me out please.

Stayed up last night to watch "The Reader." Seems like there's been a run of holocaust movies lately, most of which I haven't watched. (I'm probably overstating, but there was at least ONE more.) Has anyone else seen this one? There were a couple of character issues I didn't get and would like explained. Consider it a challenge.