There. Fixed it for you. (wish I knew how to do those line through jobs – much more effective!)

My mother was born in Boston, and grew up there. My grandfather worked in real estate (I don’t know particulars – he died the year I was born) and must have done well – he had the first electrically lighted house in his district. He died in a car fire – which my mother said was a political hit. Her feelings against Joe Kennedy were so strong – that he was a crook etc – that I think she thought he was connected, but I’m not even sure she wasn’t blowing things out of proportion. Nevertheless, we _know_ that Joe was a rum runner – that’s how he made his fortune – so breaking the law in some ways was a given.

I wish I knew more about what was going on at that time, and more about my grandfather, but my mother never talked much about it. Why would he be targeted for a political hit? Even if you have bad guys doing that sort of thing, it’s not usually a random thing…why would they have wanted _him_ dead? what was his involvement? Maybe it’s best left in the past…but I do get curious sometimes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3vTlDAdr7I

Hasn’t got much to do with this post, other than it’s a great song.
They were are my favorite group, despite the pantheisim.

Yes, I suppose it was a lovely era.

The democrat party brought it to an end of course, when all those lovely, mature, innocent – and naive – people woke up and realized that Joe Kennedy successfully stole the election for his kid by buying up the entire dead voter turnout in Chicago, (a huge number), the state of Illinois, and the state of West Virginia.

First and only time a national election was stolen.

The problem with lovely, naive and innocent people is that they’re innocent and naive.

Ah yes…I remember it well!

Then for a story on alcoholic beverages….

That was also a period of wives clubs in the military. My mother was hostess for the ladies group on one occasion, and as was usual, had two punchbowls – one alcoholic, one non-alcoholic. People knew – generally – who normally chose which one to self-serve from. At a certain point, Mom realized that certain of the ladies who usually chose the non-alcoholic beverage were -ummmm – a bit the worse for wear – or maybe a little _less_ the worse for wear! In any case, after checking around, it seemed the ladies thought she had put out _both_ non-alcoholic punch bowls…and the Scarlett O’Hara punch was _so_ tasty! Ooops!

Alcoholic beverages were normally served at such functions. No soft drinks in those times. Well, maybe ginger ale. No wines – until we moved to California. I still have a slew of recipes for various punchs. I’ve never used any of them, but I have them. Artillery Punch, for example. And the above mentioned Scarlett O’Hara…

Times have changed. I don’t normally even think about it…today is today and life is normal. But when I think back to “how things were” when I was much younger, there is a tremendous difference. Some of it is simply a different culture – I grew up in a military culture, and raised my children in a military culture, and now I live in a civilian culture. That alone is a major difference. But I don’t think it explains all the differences. For better or worse? I don’t know. Young people of today would probably find those times more restrictive, but they were also more secure – in a social sense. You knew the rules – and generally, the consequences for breaking them. It was easier to be a rebel in ways that had less permanent effects – I sometimes wonder if the excessives of today are the result of not being able to be “bad” with less excess…