I've been out of town and not able to fully attend to this blog. I have stories "on the spike" and will get to them and begin posting them at the end of next week when I return. Just wanted to let you know I haven't abandoned the blog.
Dave
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Sunday, May 13, 2012
My Hospital Visit
by June T. Bassemir
They said to be there at six a.m. My goodness did they know that I lived an hour away? That meant getting up at four fifteen in order to leave by five and get there by six. So be it.
The check-in began. After receiving the two hospital gowns, a nurse arrived to ask questions. She was poised on a stool in front of a full screen computer on wheels.
Do you smoke? ...No, never.
Do you drink?...No, never.
Are any of your teeth loose? Do you wear dentures? Do you have a pace maker? Do you have any metal parts within? Are you wearing any jewelry? When did you eat last? When was your last bowel movement? Did you take any Tylenol, Aspirin, Motrin, etc. etc.?
On and on went the questions as her fingers flew over the keyboard. Are you diabetic? What operations have you had? How many times were you pregnant? How many children have you had? Are you allergic to anything? Then…..Did you remove your underpants?
“What?...Huh?...No.” Why do I have to remove my underpants? They are working on my eyes, not my pelvic region”
Well, they need a sterile environment in the operating room.
“How does removing my clean underpants make for a sterile environment in the operating room?”
No answer.
“Are the nurses and doctors removing their underpants?”
No answer.
Her hands dropped into her lap as we waited in silence. We had reached an impasse. My son sat quietly in the corner listening and I could feel his thoughts. “Don’t make waves, Mom”. No one spoke.
I wondered if I should be another Rosa Parks and hold my ground. Finally she said… Well you can keep them on for the moment…and out of the room she rolled with her computer. The moment stretched into four hours, as the doctor was late. I hoped she would forget about the underpants. But then I had a nagging thought. Had I come this far after waiting so many months, only to wake up from the anesthesia with the news that the operation was cancelled due to the fact that “She wouldn’t take off her underpants.”?
The final hour had come, along with the anesthesiologist who kindly told me to get up on the table. I did as I was told, but first, not wanting to chance it, I reluctantly succumbed to the “Underpants Regulation”.
However, when the survey letter arrives, I’m thinking of making a suggestion that they provide disposable panties for senior ladies like me who just want to retain a little bit of dignity, as they prepare for their eye operation.
copyright 2012, June T. Bassemir
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Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Life In Big Falls - 1887
Big Falls, Wisconson - Kitzman, Barkholtz Families
A. W. Whitcomb was born February 2, 1832 in the State of Maine, a Civil War Veteran, before drifting west to Wisconsin in search of the American dream. Married twice and had three sons.
A. W. Whitcomb trekked from Oshkosh to Waupaca County to an area later known as Big Falls and Wyoming Township. Found a territory covered with virgin timberland of pine, basswood, red, white and burr oak, hemlock, beech, birch and elm trees. By 1887 he had a saw mill up and running, and organized a railroad, bringing logs in, and sending millions of board feet lumber out to build homes and businesses in Oshkosh. The trains also carried passengers, freight, and mail. The railroad had spur lines to Hunting, Granite City, Marion and the world beyond. Little Wolf River provided power with a natural dam and waterfall.
The Campbell Brothers and George H. Cameron also of Oshkosh had their operation of lumber and farming enterprises south of Little Falls in Helvetia. The only memory of Campbell is a nice fishing lake named after him.
James Spaulding and Thomas Wall and their sons purchased the saw mill from Whitcomb who had died January 7, 1901 of Bright's (kidney) Disease at the age of 69. Buried at the Little Wolf Cemetery, south of Manawa. Sadly today in 2012 the only remembrance of A. W. Whitcomb, the founder of Big Falls is a straggling trout stream wandering through the townships.
When Wall-Spaulding came to this village in 1895, it proved to be the hey day of Big Falls and the surrounding area. Hundreds of men were employed both in the woods and mill. A cedar shingle mill, water powered, sawed 50,000 roof shingles in a day. The saw mill was located north of the Pond in Big Falls, run with turbine engines and water power.
Hotels, boarding houses, butcher shop, saloons, hardware stores selling among other things - burial caskets for dead people, general merchandise and groceries, livery stable, blacksmith and wagon shop, grist mill to grind flour and corn, creamery, German Methodist Church, cheese factory, bank, post office, restaurant, furniture store, pickle receiving station, shoe and boot store.
Dr. John Gygi, a physician from Switzerland set up a medical shop in Big Falls. Sadly he died of an overdose of ether at the age of 43 on October 22, 1919 and is buried under the only full length marble tombstone in the Big Falls Cemetery.
During prohibition and the 'dry' years, moonshiners kept stills in the back woods to provide alcohol to the thirsty hard working lumbermen, who after drinking the 'white lighting' had to cool off in the Big Falls Jail for a few days.
A roller skating rink and dance hall was built in 1909 by Rudolph Konopatzke and provided entertainment for the young folks.
Patrick Killin, born in 1840 in Ireland immigrated during the 1863 potato famine, to Wisconsin and Big Falls and erected in 1889 a 20-room hotel complete with food and drinks in his saloon. He sold it in 1917, died in 1925 and is buried at St. Mary's Cemetery in Marion. In 1922 Charlie Polzin took over the management of the Big Falls Hotel.
During the 1919 Spanish Influenza Epidemic, many local young adults died of the dread disease. Winters were longer, snow deeper and temperatures way below zero for weeks on end in those days. Poor roads made impassable, especially in the spring slush.
Dismally, the Wall-Spaulding ceased operations on March 20, 1920. The forests were depleted, Tom Wall died in Florida of a prolonged illness. Trains discontinued service to Big Falls, and for a time a stage coach shuffled mail and passengers. Otto Faehling later had a saw mill, pickle factory, and blacksmith shop.
According to the 1920 census 766 people lived in the township of Wyoming, including Big Falls. Now in 2012 it has dwindled to 270. Where have all these good people gone?
Because the saw mills needed workers, pamphlets and brochures were mailed back to Europe promising a land of riches. Off on a boat they exited from Norway, Ireland, Germany and Russia. A melting pot of ethnic refugees came to colonize and settle Big Falls.
The Kitzman clan began arriving from Russia in 1890. Villages like Wolgmien, Lublyn, Tarnafka, Shitomir, Wilhuft, Suzke, Milaschof, Rossbludge, Lubin, Wollinien. These Kitzmans were part of the German Lutherans in Russia that Catherine the Great, a German Princess took along with her when she married Alexander in the mid 1700s to the Volga River wheat growing Steppe area. For 140 years they lived in peace until Czar Nicholas needed men for his Army and many wars. That is why they began sneaking off and seeking asylum to America and Big Falls. Sent emigrant tickets back for more tribes to migrate. Once here, they married and begat large families. Some joined the military, all had to register for the draft. Along with their meager belongings in a steamer trunk, they brought their Lutheran Religion and were founding members of both St. Luke and St. Peter Lutheran Churches. Baptisms, Confirmations, Marriages and finally funerals were held from these churches, before the cortege to the Big Falls cemetery where many Kitzmans are awaiting eternity. Only the epitaph on their tombstones remind us of who these founding families of Big Falls and Wyoming were.
This life has now passed away
They are with the Lord today
Enjoying a better life anew
Their memory shall we carry through
Until we again RENDEZVOUS...
AUGUST Kitzman, 1864-1947, the first to immigrate in 1890, became a naturalized citizen in 1914, wife Henrietta, children Ferd, Henry, Elsie, Albert, Theodore, Leona, Cora.
ALEXANDER, 1884, arrived in 1897, wife Louise, children Reinhardt, Susan, Hugo, Alois, Paul, Alvina.
HERMAN, 1881 came in 1897 wife Marie, children, Harvey, Arthur, Lena, Bertha, Meta, Harry.
LOUIS LUDWIG, 1892, came 1899 wife Emma, children Virgil Lowell, Eroneal.
CHRISTIAN Kristgan Kitzman 1863-1925 the Patriarch of the family arrived in 1900 with his sons Gustav 1884-1948 and Daniel 1874-1945. Departed Hamburg Germany on May 9, 1900 and arrived in New York three weeks later on June 4, 1900. The name of the ship was Albano which held 790 passengers. Eventually the ship was mined off Tunisia on August 8, 1917 and sunk to the bottom of the ocean.
GUSTAV married Anna Barkholtz .
DANIEL and wife Emma had Martha, William, Dorothy, Ella, Otto. JOHN Kitzman 1873-1825 imigrated in 1902, wife Wilhelminia, children Gust, Julius, Hulda, Linda, Helena, Adam, John, Adolph, and Albert.
All these Kitzman families are listed on the 1920 census for the Township of Wyoming, Waupaca County, Wisconsin, Lewis Arndt Enumerator. Included information on the internet provides valuable dates of immigration, language, homeland, ages, sex, marriages.
After Wall-Spaulding closed their doors, and sold equipment to the Tigerton Lumber Company, agriculture and dairy farming on this cutover land were the main sources of income, after they dynamited and blasted away all those tree stumps. Many Kitzman families left for greener pastures and high hopes but always managed to call Big Falls home.
Wilhelm Barkholtz 1872-1956 and wife Ernestine 1870-1914 and daughter Anna 1891-1986 arrived at Ellis Island, New York on November 7, 1898 on the ship Palatia which held 2060 passengers, was 460 feet long, by 52 feet wide, built in 1894 and scraped in 1925. Other immigrants on the ship were from Russia, the USA, and Hungary. When Wilhelm arrived, he had $30 in his pocket and records confirm they were from Wulkezien, Germany (Prussia). Emigrant tickets were sent by Wilhelm's uncle and aunt Ernest and Lena Lembke. Four sons, Wilhelm, Carl, Harry, Ludwig (Louie). Eight years after William Barkholtz came to America, he became a Naturilized Citizen on September 25, 1906, August Opperman and Carl Fetter were witnesses. Sadly Ernestine in 1914 died in a grass fire when her clothing caught fire.
Wilhelm Jr changed his name to William Smith, joined the Canadian Army in 1918 and died while in service and a fine monument commemorates his grave in the Big Falls Cemetery.
Anna Barkholtz 1891-1986 wed Gustav Kitzman 1884-1948 on October 20, 1908. Legend says it was an arranged marriage. Twelve children Evelyn Chiles, Arnold, Alfred, Laura Arndt Van Nuland, Gehardt, Wilbert, Edwin, Herbert, Milton, Victor, Eleanor and Carol Zimmerman.
All the children of Christian, August and Gustav Kitzman attended West Hill School.
Today in 2012 Big Falls is a village consisting of two saloons, churches, post office, feed mill and the everlasting cemetery, and 85 live souls which call Big Falls home. Second and third growth timber provides hunting land for out-of-town people who seek quiet times in the mid-Wisconsin woods.
Information furnished by Myrtle McNinch Hanson, Mary Rahr, Richard Dixon, Russell Miller, Historians, cemetery, church, census documents, From Sawmills to Villages book and other sources.
copyright 2012 by Russell and Delores Miller
This article ran earlier in Delores' local newspaper.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Boot Print in Time
Commanding one of Cortez' legions, Captain Cisaro Longario never dreamed he would experience other worlds ... in the future.
A Novella by Kevin Schmitt
“Maldicion,” the horseman groaned as his right boot cleared the hind quarters of his battle weary mount.
Pulled muscles were rare in the nether regions of a cavalryman, but this particular warrior had been reaching too far with his sword. Primarily because the enemy heads were too close to the ground. The young man yanked off his helmet, which along with his stained riding boots were the only belongings that identified him as a Conquistador, albeit a torn and battered one.
His clothing was made up of dense quilted cotton, courtesy of the people he had been fighting. The material was called lchcahuipilli, and while it was inferior to steel plate armor, it could turn away most obsidian swords or atlatl darts. It was lighter and cooler than chain maille and didn’t rub against the flesh. It also didn’t rust, not that the young nobleman would have to concern himself with that little problem. A gentleman need only keep his beard trimmed and his cock out of reach of any pox infested whores, and as of late, that had been fairly easy to do.
The gore covered Spaniard took a swig f cheap wine from a goat skin then wordlessly nodded to the servant who was never out of calling distance, regardless of the circumstances.
“Jefa---I am wondering---do you think there are cities in hell?” queried the servant as he slung the goat bag over his chest and shoulder.
Captain Cisaro Longoria gazed up at the red haze that haloed the nearest wall of the Aztec metropolis. It came from a thousand fires that would illuminate the city until dawn.
“Oh yes. But that need not concern you my old friend. The Devil would never allow you in. Your farts would be worse than any brimstone smell. Not to mention the rest of you.”
Old Pedro Gonzales smiled at the joke; anything to divert his attention from the sounds of women shrieking in the distance. Gonzales had long served Cisaro’s father, and in those days he had learned that a city is not simply taken, it is raped, looted and brought down to its lowest possible level of humanity. The Spaniards were taking little joy in that. Their leader, Hernan Cortes had spent the last year recruiting native warriors from the outer regions, and those men were teaching the Spaniards the real meaning of total warfare.
Continue with the following word document:
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
King Cotton
by June Bassemir
(written circa 1974 with an update of 2011)
The town crier was hoarse! After all he had been crying out the news all night!
“King Cotton has been dethroned."
“Rah! … Rah…. That’s good”…..said some! But a few were sad and said, “That’s bad!”
The crier continued…”A woman by the name of Polly Esther has become Queen and hereafter all clothes will be made with her.”
For the most part the people rejoiced and even the few Cotton followers, who doubted the new Queen’s effectiveness, were satisfied to wait and see.
The supporters of the throne boasted that clothes made by the Queen would never have to be ironed.
All the women rejoiced because they never liked ironing clothes anyway. All went well for a while until “Gid” appeared. Now, Gid is the nickname for Ground in Dirt and he liked to hide in some shirts – usually around the collar & cuffs. After months of wash and wear, husbands began to complain about dirty collars and some were even heard running up and down the halls singing the number one hit of the day…”Ring around the collar…ring around the collar.” No sooner had that tune begun its upward climb, when “Every woman’s friend Clorax” introduced her second cousin – Clorax 2.
Alas…Polly Esther’s popularity was waning. Her subjects noticed she kept steady company with a nasty fellow called. “Static Electricity”. Whenever he was with Queen Polly, he brought his buddies along too. There names were “Threads”, “Hairs” and “Fuzzier Wuzzies”. The citizens began to complain of shocks, especially in cold weather.
“Something must be done,” complained the people…so Polly Esther’s advisors called upon their trusted Chinese friend, “Cling Free” to rid the Queen of “Static – E’s” shocking effect. He did so with a push of a button.
The throne still belongs to Polly Esther but King Cotton is waiting patiently for another chance to reign. There’s talk of a marriage between the two. The King’s supporters feel that would be his best material gain at this time.
2011 Update: The King is back, sharing the crown with Polly and others. Thankfully he is not in danger of being dethroned by young men demanding he step down…. as in Egypt and now Libya. Hah!
Monday, April 23, 2012
Words
By Carolyn Cecil
Folded-down, rumpled page,
graying paperback
holder of words,
solace-laden verse.
Langston Hughes trills
sweeter than hope,
newer than first-heard:
tough love,
stronger than a fist
shoved into a wall.
His will to live.
Solitary, sophisticate,
victor, everyman.
He captures me,
captures you.
I want to touch him,
fine maker of words.
copyright 2010, Carolyn Cecil
Saturday, April 21, 2012
If You Just Fly There - Bring Your Jeep
The problem of getting the soldier to the battlefield quickly over a long distance in a hurry was solved when the airplane was invented. But of course, it was rare to have an airstrip right next to the battlefield. With the coming of the well known "Dakota", the C-47 Skytrain, not only could the soldier get to the nearest airstrip, but he could take with him the means to travel to the actual battlefield in that well known vehicle called a Jeep.
All this took time, because getting a jeep out of the cargo door was not a simple matter, what with required ramps etc., so a better method was looked for. It came in the shape of a glider which could transport the soldier and his jeep into the thick of the battle. Silent (well, almost), in its approach, the glider proved to be very useful, and as the gliders got bigger and better, more cargo could be carried.
The American and British gliders tended to differ in how they were loaded and unloaded. The "Waco" was a much used American glider which being low on the ground had an entire front nose section that lifted up to "swallow" it's load. This allowed for a very clever idea for unloading, where a cable, pulled through a system of pulleys, lifted open the front of the glider as it skidded to a stop, and so there was no need to get out of the Jeep on landing, just drive the jeep straight out IF the landing took place as planed. It must have been a very merry ride for the troops in the jeep on the way down.
The British gliders had in some cases a tail that could be "blown off" but ramps then had to be put in position to enable the Jeep to be driven out. A large side opening door was also used, but it also required the use of ramps.
The next logical step was to hang a Jeep underneath an airplane and drop it with the aid of a parachute. This is where the British Army differed from the Americans----all British Airborne Forces Jeeps were converted to enable them to be slung under the belly of a bomber or carried more easily in a glider. American airborne Jeeps were pretty much left as they came from the factory.
The first consideration was of course, weight, so all non-essential parts were removed. Who needs rear bumpers, so off they came. The height of the vehicle was most important, with the highest point being the back of the front seats, so the spare tire was removed. When in a glider, the wheel was carried between the front bumper and the grill, where a simple bolt held it in place. As soon as the jeep was well away from the glider, the spare was put back on the rear mount because the wheel stopped the flow of air to the radiator and caused over heating after a short distance. When parachuted down, the spare was carried on the floor of the Jeep.
The windshield would be carried in the folded down position while in the glider, as was the canvas cover and bows. These items were not carried on the parachuted Jeep. Rear seats were never put into a Jeep of the British Airborne Forces as the room was needed for the four parachutes which lowered the jeep, or much needed supplies.
The front bumper was cut down to the width of the chassis for weight reduction. There was never much room inside a glider so off came the jerry can holder. The side and rear grab handles stuck out from the body and could foul a part of the glider so they were also removed.
The steering wheel stuck up above the level of the seats, so a quick release arrangement was fitted so that with a flip of the fingers, off came the steering wheel which was then strapped to the front seat.
The shock of landing, even with four parachutes was quite severe so large pans with reverse springs were fitted to each wheel to absorb the shock. An eye witness told the story of seeing a Jeep come down with the parachutes unopened and noted that it came down in a most "spectacular fashion". I'll bet it was!!
An ever present danger was that after landing, the parachutes would fill up with wind and tip the Jeep over. So, two 'legs' were attached---with bowl shaped feet, and on contact with the ground, hydraulic fluid was forced through tubing along the legs and caused the main parachute connecting ring to open allowing the parachutes to blow away.
But that plan still left the problem on landing with only one Jeep per airplane, until some 'genius' thought, "if we can make a Jeep swim, (GPA), why not make it fly". So was born the flying Jeep, the Rotaplane 10/42, (auto gyro), with it's two bladed rotor of 46 feet, 8 inches in diameter for lift. A pylon to hold the rotor was bolted to the floor, a framework to hold the tailplane and two fins was attached to the back of the jeep, a tail skid, flying instruments plus a pilot was added and away you went. At least, that was the idea. With several towed behind an airplane, they would be cast off when the landing zone was reached and the auto gyro blades would auto-rotate the jeeps slowly to the ground. The rotor, framework, and other gadgets would be quickly unbolted and the Jeep would then be ready for its normal duties. Yeah, RIGHT!!!!!!!! Good luck with that!!!!!!
The only one ever built stood ready and was used for the first trials. A rope was pulled causing the rotor to start turning, and off down the runway roared the Jeep, being pulled by a British Bentley dragging this weird contraption behind it. When the speed got up to 65 mph, the Jeep took to the air.
What an experience that must have been for the soldiers inside the Jeep. I know that the top speed of my Jeep is about 60 MPH and that driving it over 45 MPH makes it seem like it might be coming apart. Considering the fact that even a very slow airplane of WW II flew at perhaps 150 MPH, what a ride it would have been to the GI's in the jeep as it was towed---- maybe even in tandem behind other Jeeps---- in the slipstream of the tow plane, had it ever gotten to that stage of development.
They had a flying Jeep at last, but it certainly needed to have some bugs removed. By the time all the snags had been ironed out, bigger and better gliders had been built and so the flying Jeep idea was abandoned.
There are a few surviving photographs of the flying Jeep that show that this clever piece of engineering actually existed and it is a great pity that the prototype was never kept.
NOTE: I need here to give credit to my co-author Tony Hayter, who was a member of the National Military Vehicle Collector Association in England back in the 1970's when he wrote an article about the Jeeps. I found his article in a back issue of the Motor Pool Messenger and felt that it was worth reprinting again with a few of my very own smart-alec remarks and photos added to it. Thank you Tony.
Copyright, 2012,
by Harold Ratzburg P.E.
MVPA #126C
MVPA #126C
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