BROTHER, CAN YOU SPARE A DIME?

     Emotions ran high during the Great Depression. Often, ordinary Americans didn't know where their next meal was coming from during the eleven years that marked this devastating period in our nation's history. Anyone that lived through that overwhelming time will tell you that it was one of, if not the worst times of their life.  It did, however, hone their survival skills, help to shape their views on unnecessary spending, and develop an understanding of what was truly important in life. There's nothing that comes close to a comparison with it in today's world. The United States would rebound around the start of World War II and, eventually, prosperity as we now know it would return.

     The question, however, is precisely how do you define prosperity? Most people would say that it is defined as success in business or an opulent lifestyle, the good life, or living in the lap of luxury.  That was certainly the definition before the Great Depression, and in many cases …that's still how it's defined.

      The roaring twenties, it was called, was known for its rapid growth, both economically and through the many advances made in manufacturing.  But what exactly made them 'roar'? After World War I, manufacturing's focus shifted from the needs of the military to those of the consumer. The war was over, and people were ready and willing to receive all of the innovations that we take for granted today.  Items like radios, phonographs, refrigerators, and vacuum cleaners were now all within reach.

      Henry Ford's American auto company…Ford Motor Company, flourished. Automobiles were mass-produced on moving assembly lines, which helped increase production and reduce costs. By 1927, Ford had produced the last Model T and the first Model A automobile.[1]  

Uncle Carl & friends out stylin' in their Model T - 1927

     The philosophy of the day was to "live now…pay later." Any American that had a job was now able to purchase these modern marvels on easy credit plans, and they quickly took advantage of that philosophy much to their later regret. No one knew then that the bottom would drop out by the end of the decade.[2]

      The U.S. economy, highly influenced by legislation, introduced reduced taxes on the wealthy and the businesses in America, encouraging growth and sparking an economic boom along with the rise in stock market investments. It is based upon the belief that if the government did what it could to foster private business, prosperity would ultimately include most of the rest of the population. Unfortunately, the over-production of goods eclipsed product demands. European countries imposing taxes on American exports made them too expensive to buy in Europe. [3]

      In hindsight, it's evident that this was a house of cards that wouldn't or couldn't sustain itself for long. Over-production of these items and the inability to move them off the shelves because of the excessive taxes would lead to factory closings and layoffs. People were now living above their means and couldn't pay back the money they borrowed and used to purchase many of these luxury items. 

      Bank closures left thousands of Americans without money. The death-knell came with the stock market crash of October 1929, which wiped out the paper value of common stock. By the time 1932 rolled around, just about one in every four Americans was unemployed.

      It would take many years before I fully comprehended all that ordinary Americans, the backbone of this country went through during that time. I cannot un-hear the stories of what it was like to grow up during the Depression…children, having to get a job to help support the family. Adults doing without so that their children could eat. Proud people that would never imagine having to take handouts or eat in a soup kitchen but were now thankful that they existed. If history has taught us anything, it's that placing too much stock in material things can have disastrous results.

      In keeping with that thought, I am revising the definition of prosperity. It is not in the intrinsic value of one's possessions. It is found in the pride felt by helping others and knowing that you've made a difference in their lives. It's in loving one's family and having that love reciprocated. It's in giving up the only way of life that you've ever known to make a better one for your family the way our ancestors did and knowing that it is appreciated...this is real prosperity.




NOTE:  I have attached a YouTube video below of the song “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime,” sung by Bing Crosby in 1932. It includes photos from that era. Enjoy!  


https://youtu.be/ovndTa7hQDE






Resources

---

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Motor_Company
[2] http://www.american-historama.org/1913-1928-ww1-prohibition-era/roaring-twenties.htm

[3] http://www.american-historama.org/1913-1928-ww1-prohibition-era/roaring-twenties.htm

ITALIAN SUPERSTITIONS - GOOD LUCK vs BAD LUCK

Luck comes in many different ways. There’s dumb luck, good luck, a lucky break or a stroke of luck. There are also lucky charms and amulets, such as a 4-leaf clover, a horseshoe, the number seven, lucky pennies or a rabbit’s foot. Carrying around a rabbit's foot in your pocket may be considered lucky, but think about it... how lucky was it for the rabbit?  🤔

Luck can also be bad. Take for example, the overabundance of superstitions that exist. There’s Friday the 13^th, walking under ladders, tipping a salt shaker over, breaking a mirror, failing to respond to a chain letter, opening an umbrella while indoors or hanging a horseshoe with ends pointing down… just to name a few.

If someone says to you in Italian, "in bocca al lupo" which literally translates to "in the wolf's mouth..." your reply should be "morte al lupo" which means "death to the wolf." Think of it as the Italian version of "break a leg" to an actor right before he goes onstage. Neither phrase seems to scream good luck, but yet that's exactly the message that both sentiments convey.

Italians are a superstitious group of people by nature. Many carry lucky charms like the cornicello also known as ‘the little horn,’ which resembles a red chili pepper.

Cornicello

It’s an Italian amulet worn to protect against "malocchio" more commonly referred to as "the evil eye…" something that strikes fear in every Italian… at least, old-world Italians.The evil eye is the product of strong negative energy that is transmitted to the victim by another person who wants to cause them harm. This type of energy is often the result of envy, jealousy and hatred, and causes great discomfort for the person on the receiving end. It's a little like a bad rash that won’t go away... it follows you wherever you go.

In Italian folklore, a malocchio prayer is part of a ritual to get rid of the "evil eye." According to the superstition's tradition, the prayer is most effective if performed on Christmas Eve.

Obviously before the prayer... a diagnosis must be made as to whether or not the person has been cursed with the malocchio. A friend may make this diagnosis by dropping three drops of olive oil into a bowl of water. If the oil forms an eye shape, the evil eye is present. As the drops separate, those in attendance make the sign of the cross and recite the words of the prayer. Those individuals participating in the ritual then make the sign of the cross on the afflicted person's hands and repeat the prayer three more times.

The Italian culture is rich in superstitions, both good and evil. While I have heard of quite a few of them, I am unaware of anyone in my family seriously practicing, following or believing in any of them. Well, maybe one or two.  Anyway, here is the 'short list' of some of these time-honored classic Italian superstitions...

1. The number 17 is considered unlucky in Italy. Some of the hotels do not have a 17^th floor or a room 17. The Italian airline carrier, Alitalia, does not have a seat 17 and Renault sold its "R17" model in Italy as "R177.” The Roman numeral for 17 is XVII. By rearranging the letters, the Latin word, VIXI is formed, which means “I have lived,” a symbol that’s placed on ancient tombstones and associated with death. 
2. When it comes to toasting, there are several things that can cause you to have bad luck. For example, never toast with a glass full of water and don’t cross arms with the person next to you when you clink wine glasses.Toasting someone with water is like wishing them death by drowning and possibly will incur the wrath of the Gods. As for crossing arms...who knows? 
3. Laying your hat on a bed. According to tradition, when priests visited the dying to give them their last rites, they would remove their hat and put it on the bed.  At best, putting a hat on a bed is said to invite mischievous bad luck or foretell an argument; at worst, it’s a premonition of injury or death for the owner of the hat.
4. When you sit down to a meal in Italy, if there are 13 people around the table, it’s unlucky. This refers to the fact there were 13 people at the Last Supper, 12 apostles and Jesus. It’s said that Judas — the apostle that betrayed Jesus — was the 13th man to take his place at the table. Ironically, the number 13 is considered lucky when it comes to gambling and is also associated with the Goddess of Fertility and the lunar cycles. It is believed the number brings prosperity and abundant life. 
5. If you’ve managed to avoid sitting down at a table of 13 people and you are single, you’re still not necessarily safe. You’ll need to avoid sitting at the corner of a table because it means you will not marry.   
6. Whatever you do, don’t spill any olive oil or salt. It’s considered bad luck. This superstition may have its roots in times when both items were expensive and considered luxuries.The idea that spilling them would bring bad luck may have made people just a bit more careful when handling them. 
7. Singles also need to be careful when anyone starts cleaning the house. If someone brushes your feet by accident with a broom, you will not get married – so perhaps that’s a good excuse to put your feet up… or get rid of your broom.
8. In some countries, people touch or knock on wood to avoid tempting fate. In Italy, the practice of tocca ferro, or touch iron, serves the same purpose.
9. If you want to ward off bad luck then you can make le corna, or the sign of the horns. To make the sign, extend your index and little fingers while holding down your middle and ring fingers with your thumb, and point your hand downwards. Be careful to point downwards because if you make the sign holding your hand upwards it signifies that someone is a cuckold, i.e., the husband of an adulterous wife. You could give offence unwittingly. 
10. Wonder why there are no air conditioners in Italy? Italians believe that these evil contraptions blow dangerously cold air in your face, leading to “colpo d’ari” meaning a “blow or punch of air.” I have no idea why that would be considered bad luck unless, you ended up with a black eye. 😕
11. In some places, if a black cat crosses your path it’s considered a sign of good luck. Not so in Italy, where black cats are thought to be a sign of bad luck.
    
    If a cat is crossing the street, don’t be the first one to cross its path. It’s believed that these beautiful felines are a symbol of witchcraft and the devil. 
12. It’s common for people moving into a new home...especially newlyweds...to rid evil spirits and bless their home by performing certain rituals, such as sprinkling salt in the corners of all the rooms. It also helps to prevent ants, but I digress.
13. Every culture has its own set of New Year’s traditions. According to Italian traditions, it’s customary to eat lentils after the clock strikes 12:00. Also, don’t forget to wear red undergarments, as this too will bring you luck in the coming year. Never heard about the red undergarments, but hey...whatever works.😲
14. Never cross objects in the shape of a cross–for example, your fork and knife–as this is considered to be an insult to the religious symbol of the cross and will bring you bad luck.
15. According to Italian traditions, a loaf of bread must always be placed facing up. This superstition is based on the belief that bread is considered a symbol of life, therefore, its bad luck to turn the bread up-side-down or stick a knife into it. 
16. When you’re feeling under the weather, chances are you want to take a nice hot bath to soothe your pain. According to Italian traditions, however, taking a bath when you’re sick will only make you sicker as will going outside with wet hair. Now this one I remember, particularly the part about going outside with wet hair, especially in cold weather. 

Also...

• You must diligently sweep out the corners of a new house to get rid of the evil spirits that had taken up residence with the previous owner. You’ve got your own problems, right? Why would you want to inherit someone else’s, too? But I really question this particular superstition. Nonné are known to be obsessive about cleaning. This ritual seems to have been invented to justify an epidemic of hygiene neurosis among Italian grandmothers.

• You should always cover up all the mirrors in your house after someone dies. Why? Who the hell knows…?

Never share your dreams with an Italian...

• Dream interpretation opens up another dark avenue of superstition, and Italians are creative masters when it comes to inventing a semi-plausible fiction to explain your dreams. They’ll always come up with something sinister and disquieting about your unconscious mind, which inevitably becomes a self-fulfilling curse. Better to keep it to yourself.

• BUT…according to some Italians, if you dream of the number 29 (considered lucky), you simply must go play the lottery right away. 
  

• If you want to sell your house, bury a statue of St. Joseph in the front yard. Upside down, of course.

• For a newlywed couple, the two mothers should make the bed the first time that the young spouses sleep together. Some coins should be thrown between the sheets to bring good fortune. And all birth control devices should be confiscated or at least tampered with. (This last part is not really superstition; it’s just being sneaky and manipulative.)

• Speaking of beds, never use three people to make a double bed because serious harm or even death will come to the youngest of the trio. We've already covered putting a hat on the bed of a sick person, but did you know it's also bad luck to put a hanger on the bed of a healthy person? Again, to do so would be to invite the grim reaper.
  

• Itchy palms are a sign that one will soon come into money. I know from personal experience that this one is not true. 😢

• If you drop a spoon or a fork, unexpected company will soon pay a visit.  This could be a good omen or a bad omen, depending upon who stops by. 😟😞😠

• Killing a spider is bad luck.  It's definitely bad luck for the spider. Spiders are an important factor in our ecosystem and technically, they keep bad bugs at bay. Even so, that doesn't mean that you want them roaming around your house. So, if you must kill a spider be sure to apologize to the poor little fella first, this is said to reduce the amount of bad luck you might bring about.

• Never start a journey or get married on a Friday or a Tuesday. The day of the week on which the wedding is performed makes a difference according to Italian superstition.  Looking at the days of the week from their Latin-language roots, and the Roman gods they were named after, the day of the week may forecast good or bad tidings for the future of a marriage falling on that day. Neither on Friday nor on Tuesday can you get married or leave on a trip or start a new job. It roughly translates to – anything you start on those days will go unfinished – not the best tidings for a hopefully lifelong marriage...great vacation or a new career opportunity! In fact, Tuesday derives from Mars, the ancient Roman god of war and destruction. Friday derives from Venus, the goddess of femininity, also widely believed to be seductively deceitful.

While some Italians may seem a bit eccentric with their superstitions and old-world traditions, they are also incredibly helpful, courteous, considerate and friendly people. There's a certain warmth, which makes you feel comfortable around them, but it's a warmth that is not always evident until you get to know them quite well. There are of course, always exceptions to the rule and sadly, those are always the ones that seem to end up front and center. As for my family...they are definitely not the exceptions to this rule...I love them, my heritage and even some of the quirky superstitions. To all of you...

Ti auguro tanta fortuna e felicità nella tua vita e per coloro che ami!  which means...
I wish you much luck and happiness in your life and to those you love!

 Sources:
https://dreamdiscoveritalia.com/2016/04/15/italian-101-how-to-say-good-luck-in-italian/
https://takelessons.com/blog/italian-traditions-z09
https://www.italymagazine.com/featured-story/top-13-italian-superstitions
https://rickzullo.com/italian-superstitions/
http://www.comoinstyle.com/magazine/behind-italian-wedding-superstitions-customs/

SOME of MY FAVORITE DISCOVERIES

Genealogy is defined as the science of studying family history, according to Britannica.com. It is not a science examined under a microscope. However, a contrary argument can be made due to DNA analysis. For me, it's closer to a history lesson that might be learned in school. Dates, locations, and historical events are some of the primary components of any genealogical research project. When I initially began planting my family tree, I had no idea just how addictive this science would become or the number of hours that would be devoted to research.

You need to know where you've been... before mapping out where you're going, so for me...the most logical place to start any family tree is with yourself and work backward. During my research, I have made many discoveries about my family by working backward through documentation and an assortment of material objects.

I love finding records dating back to the 19th and early 20th centuries. Old photographs can be an excellent source for telling an ancestor's story. Still, my favorite discoveries are the physical artifacts I've found over the years. Items belonging to family members long gone, objects they may have worn or held in their hands...like an old music box or a library book never returned; a cookbook with a handwritten family recipe jotted down on the inner cover... or a high school class ring. A greeting card with a love letter tucked away inside, a locket of a loved one's hair, or the bowtie worn by a nervous groom on his wedding day. Some might think it's a collection of junk and should be tossed, but each item is as precious to me as the individuals who once owned it.

One of my favorite discoveries is my father's army dog tags and military release papers. I found them by accident a couple of months ago. I was trying to make rhyme or reason out of a couple of boxes filled with old tax returns, expired insurance vouchers, and the like when I came across an envelope in my father's handwriting. It was one of those brown envelopes that could be purchased from a stationery or office supply store. Preprinted across the top was the word... 'Valuables.' The envelope had about 10-15 lines across the front so that you could write down what was inside. In Dad's recognizable scrawl was an itemized list of items... 'birth certificate, marriage license, union dues book,' none of which were inside this tattered, old envelope, by the way.  

     

What I did find, however, was my father's dog tags and discharge papers from the army. Items I never thought I would find. It was like winning the lottery for me (or at least, a scratch-off ticket). The dog tags listed Dad's serial number, next of kin, and address. A medallion identifying his religious affiliation was also attached.  

 
                                               
   

Military discharge papers from the U.S. Army were included in the envelope, too. The documents stated that he was a private... served at Camp Campbell, Kentucky, and was discharged on August 27, 1943. It was World War II when my dad was in the army. He didn't serve overseas, but he did serve honorably... something I never doubted for a minute. I've always been proud of him because of the man he was right up until the end of his life. My favorite discovery is knowing that the country he served as a soldier was proud of him, too.  

   

THEY F*** YOU AT THE DRIVE THRU...

Leaky paper bags; super-sized sandwiches perched on their side because the bag is too small to accommodate their width; a cardboard box placed unsealed and upside down in the sack, so that the sandwich falls apart when you try to pick it up; a salad with no eating utensils or salad dressing, placed upside down in the bag and the plastic lid only attached to one side. No worries about combining the ingredients, that will happen automatically when you try scooping it all up and putting it back in the container... from your lap… with your bare hands. On the bright side... at least it wasn’t hot soup. 

An overfilled soda or coffee cup, handed to you on an angle through the open car window. Liquid dripping down the side of the cup...pooling on top of the plastic lid... from that small hole... meant as a convenience for sipping on a hot drink without removing the lid... or as a place to insert the straw on a cold one. Don’t forget about the coffee or soda spewing out from that same hole like a geyser, because you gripped the sides of the cup too hard and it was filled to the brim. I think my favorite scenario, however, is the drink handed to you ever so gingerly. As soon as the handoff is complete... the lid not properly sealed around the lip of the cup in the first place... pops off and your drink runs down your sleeve and into the open car window.

Maybe you’ve gotten a disposable paper cup that leaks from its side seam... or the Styrofoam coffee cup with the ill-fitting lid or invisible pin hole that you can’t find no matter how hard you look for it. To the naked eye, everything looks fine and so, you pick it up to take a sip and it drips down the front of your shirt... or magically appears as a puddle on your desk. Okay, the leaky cups may not be the fault of the drive-thru…those are obviously manufacturing defects, but I’m on the fence about the ill-fitting lids. That should have been caught. It's happened to me more times than I can count. These are some of the joys I have experienced at drive-thru restaurants.

Today’s post centers around a trip to a popular fast-food establishment, which began like any other. I placed my order...a burger, fries and a diet soda. When I pulled up to the window and got my soda and the bag with my food, I didn’t examine it because I was in a hurry. When I got home about twenty minutes and fifteen miles later... I opened the bag only to discover my burger and fries had morphed into a fish sandwich dripping in tartar sauce... smeared on the outside of the box and all over the inside of the bag. My fries had been transformed into a side order of chocolate chip cookies, which were now dipped in the tartar sauce from the sandwich. Yum!!

I thought about making the trek back to the drive-thru to complain, but I was tired and hungry. I ended up making a frozen pizza. I decided that I would be able to heat it up in the same amount of time it would have taken me to go back to the restaurant; find a manager that may or may not have believed the error was theirs (or that the food was handed off as a sloppy mess.), just to possibly get a replacement meal. I did learn a valuable lesson though…always check the contents before leaving the drive-thru window and better still…eat at home!

At any rate, there’s a funny quotation from Lethal Weapon 2, that I’m using as the title of this post. In case you haven’t seen it before, I've attached a short clip from the film. As far as I'm concerned, more heartfelt words were never expressed so eloquently... at least that’s how I feel today. If you're easily offended by profanity, you might want to skip the clip...just saying. 😏

https://youtu.be/i9upvWNN3P8

Sources:   Movie clip courtesy of MovieClips.com Lethal Weapon 2 (4/10) Movie CLIP - At the Drive-Thru (1989) HD

---

CLOSE TO HOME

No matter what source you cite, the definition of the phrase 'Close to Home' boils down to how you are affected physically, personally, or emotionally by something you can strongly relate to. At one time or another, certain sights, sounds, or smells have probably conjured up memories and mental images that have had a profound effect on your life, just as they have had on mine. 

For example, my family would look forward to my grandmother coming to spend the day with us every Friday. But, of course, as much as we loved Grandma and her visits...we knew that she would prepare a meal that makes my mouth water to this day, just thinking about it. A pot of spaghetti sauce (or 'gravy' as it was known in my family) simmering on the stove was a sight to behold. The steam rising...the sound of the gravy almost bubbling over the sides of the pot... a slight hiss when a droplet managed to escape and hit the burner on the stove... and, of course, that delicious aroma permeating the kitchen as it wafted its way through the rest of the house. These sights, sounds, and smells remind me of those Friday afternoons.

Grandma's gravy was a magnet for all the kids in my family. So, we waited patiently, lining up next to the stove, like crows on a power line...knowing that Grandma would pass out a small piece of Italian bread dipped in that heavenly sauce (excuse me...gravy) to each of us. 

When she wasn't looking, we would all try to sneak back in line to get another piece. But, of course, she would always catch us and pretend to be angry. "Get away from my gravy! I'm not gonna have enough for the macaroni." (Note... all pasta, excluding ravioli and lasagna, was called macaroni in my family). There was probably enough food to feed a platoon of soldiers, but Grandma loved it when we asked for seconds of that 'homemade gravy bread.' Let’s face it... sometimes we did succeed in snatching some of it on our own. 

On those same Fridays, the kitchen table would be covered in flour and dough, rolled out, and ready to be turned into ravioli... perfect little pillows of pasta dough and filling. Sometimes, to switch things up...gnocchi, cavatelli, or conchiglie would be the day's pasta...sometimes all three, if Grandma was feeling extra ambitious. Gnocchi is small dumplings made with potato and flour. Cavatelli is a short, handmade pasta that looks like gnocchi but is hollowed out and made with semolina or other flour and water. In Italian, the name cavatelli means "little indentations." Those "little indentations" or "hollows" made by curling the dough off the side of your thumb capture just the right amount of sauce for each delicious mouthful. Conchiglie is my favorite, however, and the most fun to make. Conchiglie is a type of pasta shaped like a conch shell and known for its ability to hold sauces, too. It is made by rolling the dough off your thumb against the tines of a fork to make the characteristic ridges in the shells. My mother was good, but grandma was a pro and could turn out the perfectly shaped ridged pasta shells like she was working on a conveyor belt.

My favorite memory is when I insisted on helping Grandma make the pasta noodles on one of those Friday visits. I was only three years old and somewhat coordinated (well, as coordinated as any other 3-year-old), but not enough to roll a piece of dough off the tines of a fork, let alone off my thumb, without it rolling onto the floor. But to keep me out of the way, Grandma gave me a small piece of dough to practice with, and a couple of hours later... I had made my first and only conchiglie noodle. It wasn’t perfect... it was misshapen, and it was all gray from dropping it on the floor several times (and stepping on it once or twice), but I made it... all by myself.
 
As Grandma prepared to boil all the various kinds of pasta she had made that day...I handed my little noodle over to her to throw in the pot with all the others. My grandmother didn't want to hurt my feelings. Still, there was no way that my filthy, little glob of dough... that would have given Silly Putty™ a bad name would make its way onto the plate of some unsuspecting family member during dinner. She told me she would put my one little noodle in its own 'special pot' so that she could keep an eye on it. I'm sure the minute I walked out of the kitchen, that poor, dirty lump of dough was tossed directly into that 'special pot' also known as the trashcan—so much for my career as grandma's sous chef. I still remember that day, so many years later, when my grandmother patiently taught me how to make pasta. 

Whenever I am in an Italian restaurant...an authentic Italian restaurant, that is... and smell those delicious aromas as they make their way across the dining room... or I see a beautifully plated dish of gnocchi (or any other 'macaroni' for that matter). I think of those Fridays from long ago...cherished memories that always bring me close to home.