Inconsistency?

There are so many momentous events going on these days, and here am I blogging about trivial matters.

But I think that it is good for our mental health to think about such trivial things and give our brains a rest.

Dear Me

A Kingman, Kansas man writes:

"I live in a semi-rural area. We recently had a new neighbor call the local township administrative office to request the removal of thr "Deer Crossing" sign on our road.  The reason:  "Too many deer are being hit by cars out here.  I don't think this is a good place for them to be crossing anymore."

Cost of making money

AARP reports on how much it costs to make U.S. Coins:

Nickel = 7.42 cents

Dime = 3.73 cents

Penny = 1.76 cents

Quarter = 8.62 cents

The U.S. Penny

Readers Digest says:

"Benjamin Franklin designed the first U.S. penny in 1787.  Instead of 'E Pluribus Unum' it proudly stated 'Mind Your Business.'" 

Money

Ambrose Bierce wrote: "Money is a blessing that is of no advantage to us excepting when we part with it.  An evidence of culture and a passport to polite society."

Spending Money (the act)

I've always heard the phrase, "He's spending money like a drunken sailor!"  In New Bedford where I grew up it should have been, "He's spending money like a drunken fisherman!"

After spending a week on the high seas catching fish, the weary boat crews come in to port, sell their catch, divide up the profit and then race to the local watering joints to spend it.

To travel from bar to bar, they take cabs.  I was one of those cabbies for a couple of years as I attended college.  Because my fishermen fares were usually drunk, they often became belligerent.  I have the scars to prove that.

I wonder if they now all have cell phones and call Uber?

That reminds me about the time when the New Bedford boat owners could not get enough crew members.  They made a deal with the local House of Correction, and young inmates with light sentences were allowed to sign on as fishermen, make some money and have their jail terms reduced.

A lot of inmates signed on, most of whom had never even been on a boat before.  The boats involved were known collectedly as "The Boat of Thieves."

Spending Money (used to buy stuff)

During World War II. we young kids did not get allowances.  We had to figure out how to get some spending money without bugging our hard-working parents.

Here are several methods we used.

Junior Renn would help himself to coins out of his mother's coin jar.  I don't think she ever caught on.

We would beg dimes from those sailors with girls on their arms.  They would give us the dimes to impress their girl friends.

We would search under ballpark bleachers looking for dropped coins.

We would search under people's front stoops for dropped coins.  

We would extract coins from collection plates.

We would earn 50 cent pieces by helping set up or take down circus tents.

We would rake leaves.

We would mow grass.

We would shovel snow.

We would sell hot dogs at ballgames.

We would run ring-toss games at festivals.

We would run errands.

We would sweep out businesses.

We would deliver groceries.

We would not sell or deliver drugs.

We would not beat up little kids for their lunch money.

We would not steal from cash registers.

We would feel bad about taking collection coins and later replace them two-fold - 'cause we were really good kids.

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