Category Archives: General

Here’s a twist: My grandparents owned a bar, Andy’s. Until sold when I was 20, they had a phone booth in the bar, which also doubled as their home phone.

My mom worked at the bar. If she needed to call home, my grandmother wanted to contact us, or I was there and needed to call home, the call was made. Let it ring once, hang up, and get the dime back.

If anyone was at home, that was the signal to call back to the bar immediately. That way, we saved a lot of dimes.

My grandparents lived upstairs. To be able to call from the first to the second floor, they had two World War II field phones that operated with a crank for those calls. My family moved upstairs during my sixth-grade year while building a new house. My grandparents added a phone upstairs to make calls.

Incidentally, I can say this now because my family has been out of the bar business since 1986; if anyone calls the bar looking for someone, say a spouse, let’s say Mary Smith is calling to see if her husband, John Smith, was there, the routine was always the same. My grandmother would answer the phone.

GM: “Andy’s.”
MS: “Is John there?”
GM: “Let me check. “John! John Smith! [pause] Has
anyone seen John Smith today?
Voice: “NO
GM: “He’s not here. No one has seen him today. If I
see him, I can let him know you called.”

Now, John Smith may have been there. During the pause after his name was called, he could wave off the call or decide to take it- his choice.

Three years ago, there was a movie, The Tender Bar. It was a biographical movie about a boy growing up and learning about life among the patrons at his uncle’s bar. That’s my story, but I didn’t get a movie deal.

Do you call today’s holiday Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples’ Day? How about Leif’s Lost Day?

Columbus Day is actually October 12, but using Monday holidays, this year, it falls on October 14. Call the day what you want but know some of the history.

By indigenous people, the reference is Indians or Native Americans (there was no America when Indians arrived, though). I know this because I received an email from an organization I belong to. It will be closed on Monday to celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

It went on to state that the day was first recognized in Berkeley, California, in 1992 after a long struggle by activists seeking recognition of Indigenous people. In 2021, President Joe Biden signed a proclamation wiping out Columbus Day and creating Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

The first people to come to North America were from Asia, although there is a weak alternative theory. The Native Americans from Asia theory would then mean they were a force of immigrants. By the time European settlers arrived, Indians were already making land grabs, killing each other, and practicing slavery-all of this on each other. Remember the 1619 Project? The 1619 Project ignores anything before 1619, and it’s fiction anyway.

That said, Columbus never reached the shores of North America, but we know from grade school, “In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” We can credit him for having the courage to make the trip some believed couldn’t be made and for finding the so-called New World. And it’s okay to ignore Erikson on being first, even though he showed up 500 years earlier.

According to Icelandic sagas, Leif set sail from Greenland to North America in a roundabout way. He traveled in the opposite direction, from Greenland to Norway, which was intentional.

On his return voyage to Greenland, a storm blew his ship off course, and he discovered the North American continent, but not by design. Since he was already there, he decided to explore and establish a settlement called Vinland. So, he was in Newfoundland in Canada today, although the exact location of Vinland has yet to be discovered.

An unintended detour during his return trip brought him to North America. A storm blew him off course. In theory, he could have made the trip in three or so days before he would have known he was going in the wrong direction. Leif was lost, so it was more of an accidental discovery of North America.

By the way, there is Leif Erikson Day, an annual observance on October 9 to honor him. In approximately 1000, he was the first European believed to have set foot on the North American continent. Notice I used the word “European.” But wait, it gets better.

Geographically, Greenland is part of the North American continent. It is politically an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. It’s closer to the North American mainland but influenced by European ties. Technically, Erikson resided in North America when he “accidentally discovered” it. Call it fake news. October 9 is bogus, too, but chosen for a reason.

My father’s family came from Norway. A date was needed, so the date was chosen because the first Norwegian immigrants arrived in New York Harbor on October 9, 1825, more than 800 years later. It commemorates a fictitious date, but why quibble?

September 14th-A Day of Meaning

I write part of this in jest, of course, until the end. It’s important to me because I was born on this date. The thing is, when I was young and went to sporting events, I was always impressed by how people would stand and give me a standing ovation. For a young kid, that’s really something big. But it turns out there is more to the story.

Francis Scott Key penned the Star-Spangled Banner on this date, so maybe, just maybe, the people weren’t standing to honor my birthday at all.

In September 1940, and this is a little trivia, Congress passed the Selective Training and Service Act, providing for the first peacetime draft in U.S. history. It would become important later.

The first date picked in the draft lottery in 1969 was September 14. I was numero uno. What an honor to have my birthday recognized by the federal government. Except I wasn’t eligible because I was still in high school. The following year, I was number 247 but, again, not eligible. With the numbers going back and forth from low to high and being eligible the following year, I anticipated a low number. Nope. In my year of being eligible, I was number 253.

It was guessed that the anticipated draft would be limited to the first 40-50 numbers. There was no way I’d be drafted. I remember watching that day on television as the numbers were drawn with a group of friends. I did have a close friend born on September 10, drawing 46. He went to the Army.

Another thing happened in 1994. Major League players went on strike, which ended the season and the World Series. My standing O was out the window for the remainder of the baseball season.

Incidentally, it’s important in another, more profound way: my dad, Cpl. Edward Thompson, U.S. Army Air Force, was stationed in Europe. The war ended there on May 8, 1945, and many of the soldiers were sent back to the States. The war in the Pacific raged on, and there was a thought an invasion of Japan would be imminent, with high casualties.

He was left there to possibly be transferred to the Pacific if an invasion was necessary. This is all speculation on my part, but my rationale is easy enough. A corporal during WWII was considered a non-commissioned officer. My dad was also a surgical technician and had an ambulance license.

I just found out about this a few days ago. To order a plaque for the back of his gravestone, a promise I made 21 years ago at his request but neglected, I was looking at his DD-214 discharge papers and decided to search for some answers. My conclusion is if casualties would be high, Cpl. Thompson would be needed.

My dad must have seen some bad stuff; I don’t really know because he never talked about it. But a couple of big bombs in August made the invasion unnecessary. The official surrender was September 2, 1945, my mom’s birthday.

On September 14, my dad returned to the States to be discharged. Seven years later, on the exact same date, I was born.

June 1, 1963. I’m 10 years old, closing in on 11; my dad takes me to Cleveland Stadium to see the Yankees and boyhood hero Mickey Mantle. We sit alone in the centerfield bleachers. At the bottom of every inning, Mantle trots out to centerfield to toss the ball around with Roger Maris and Tom Tresh. I keep hoping he’ll look our way, but he doesn’t. My dad tells me to yell out to him, but I’m too shy.

At some point, not sure what inning, Mantle is standing in centerfield; nothing is really going on. My dad encourages me yet again. This time, I stand. My arm is waving, and I’m repeatedly screaming as loud as possible, “Hey, Mickey!” Mantle turns to look. I stop yelling but keep waving. It wasn’t hard to find me. We’re sitting alone, me standing, my arm still waving. Mickey flashes his famous grin and waves back. It’s a moment I’ll remember forever. Heck, I’m writing this a little over 61 years later.

The game itself was slow. Maris breaks up a no-hitter in the top of the fifth with a solo homer. The Yankees will win 5-2. In the seventh, the Indians intentionally walk Clete Boyer to load the bases to pitch to pitcher Jim Bouton. At the time, Boyer was the only Yankee hitting over .300. Bouton cleared the bases with a double.

Four days later, in Baltimore, Mickey fractures a bone in his left foot and has ligament and cartilage damage to the left knee. He was chasing down a ball and ran into the chain link fence. Mantle missed the next 61 games.

It is the land’s supreme law and the day I read it each year. I encourage everyone to read the Constitution today!
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Constitution Day -The Birth Of A Nation

The United States Constitution has guided us for more than 200 years now. Despite attacks on it over the years, it remains the standard for liberty, So today, September 17, take some time to read it, live it, and defend it always!
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The American Constitution is the greatest governing document, at some 7,000 words, just about the shortest. Stephen Ambrose.
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The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil constitution, are worth defending against all hazards: And it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. Samuel Adams
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The U. S. Constitution doesn’t guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it yourself. Benjamin Franklin
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Do not separate text from historical background. If you do, you will have perverted and subverted the Constitution, which can only end in a distorted, bastardized form of illegitimate government. James Madison
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Our Constitution protects aliens(?), drunks, and U.S. Senators. Will Rogers
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There is nothing wrong with America that faith, love of freedom, intelligence, and energy of her citizens cannot cure. Dwight D. Eisenhower
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The Constitution of the United States was made not merely for the generation that then existed, but for posterity- unlimited, undefined, endless, perpetual posterity. Henry Clay
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Today is an important day in U.S. history. Depending on age, many people haven’t read it since school. Sometimes, we have to wonder if politicians missed school that day.
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It is worth reading it every now and then. It is the foundation of our republic. IT IS THE LAW OF THE LAND! Lee Thompson
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Constitution Day is September 17

What is the problem with the basics? Schools aren’t teaching civics these days. Perhaps people don’t care how their government is supposed to work. The failure to understand the First Amendment is incredible because we read about it so much in the news these days, and not always in a positive way.
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Anything not attributed is likely attributable to me over the years.