Let's Pull Up Our Socks

Calvin sent me an email about what people born in 1900 went through.  I have amended it to fit the time frame of my father, born in 1910, died in 1952, and his family.  My brother and sister might be wise to get out the Kleenex.

Let's put things in "Perspective"

We probably all think that it’s a mess out there now.

Hard to discern between what’s a real threat and what is just simple panic and hysteria.

In comparison, many would think that 1910 was a pretty simple time of life.  But then on your 4th birthday, World War I starts, and ends on your 8th birthday.  22 million people perish in that war. 

Later in the year, a Spanish Flu epidemic hits the planet and runs until your 10th birthday.  40 million people die from it in those two years. Yes, 40 million.

On your 19th birthday, the Great Depression begins.

Unemployment hits 25%, the World GDP drops 27%.

That runs until you are 23 (that's the year that our dad married our mom).  The country nearly collapses along with the world economy.  If you were lucky, you had a job that paid $300 a year, a dollar a day (he was a truck driver).

There was no government assistance.

When you turn 29, World War II starts (I was two years old, my sister Lorraine, who died at age 55, was born two years later, and our dad was working at Dofasco making armament for our military).  You aren’t even over the hill yet.  And don’t try to catch your breath.  If you lived in London England or most of continental Europe, bombing of your neighbourhood,  or invasion of your country by foreign soldiers along with their tank and artillery was a daily event.

Between your 29th and 35th birthday, 75 million people perish in the war.

At 40, the Korean War starts. 5 million perish (brother Roger was an infant).

At 45 the Vietnam War begins and doesn’t end for 20 years. 4 million people perish in that conflict (our dad missed that one, he was killed in an industrial accident a month before his 42nd birthday - sister Judy was born four months later).

On what would have been his 52nd birthday there is the Cuban Missile Crisis, a tipping point in the Cold War.

Life on our planet, as we know it, could have ended.

Sensible leaders prevented that from happening.

When dad died in 1952 our mom was just short of her 38th birthday and five months pregnant.  They had no savings - all their money had gone into improving the house and raising their family (but they did manage to buy my accordion and send me for lessons).  Indoor plumbing was installed by dad's friends after he died - until then we used an indoor outhouse in the attached, enclosed garage.  My job was to dig the holes and bury the waste at the back of the yard.

Dad's Dofasco Fund paid out about $12,000 I think.  No Workmen's Compensation or insurance coverage.  Mom had to go on Mother's Allowance so that the family could survive.  With a 14 year old, a 10 year old, a 2 year old and a new baby on the way, I really don't know how she pulled it off!

So that's the perspective I have when I think about now, in 2020, when we have the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thousands have died; it feels pretty dangerous, and it is!

But really, let's just pull up our socks and get through this!  Surely we can do that!

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In case anyone was wondering about the Bushnells item in yesterday's posting, here is a picture that I forgot to include.

As I mentioned, the binoculars were a gift from my Tromper buddies.

And speaking of that, I screwed up my courage this morning, took on the technology, and with a couple of minor bumps in the road, joined the Trompers for a 40 minute Zoom chat.

Good to "see" the guys once again!
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David's email about his 9 hole "golf course" was discussed.  Roger wanted to know what the rules of etiquette would be - would anything be "frowned upon" (an inside joke).  I suggested that if David is involved there will be no rules (other than the coronavirus safety ones).  The last time he golfed with the Trompers, he advised his foursome to mark par on every hole on the card and forget about the score.  With the caveat that if they beat par on a hole they could reduce  that score.  

It really upset our foursome to see them have so much more fun than we did.
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So I just got back from the greenhouse.  Cut grass for an hour before the winds and rain chased me inside.  Saw Barry and Lillian in the garden centre.  Thanks folks.

Had a chance to check out the future home of Trillium Hill Golf and Country Club.  Unfortunately, drainage from the escarpment has left the back field too wet to cut just yet.  Opening day will be postponed a few more days I'm afraid.  Can't wait!  BYOB.

By the way, it will be a walking course unless you have your own ATV.  
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Stay well.  It's time for me to see if the bartender is available.