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<\/p>\n Four of the last five posts (and this one) all came from the above paper-and-plastic treasure chest, which – as you can see – was given a security update after the last post. This one is, by far, the most eclectic of the bunch.<\/span><\/p>\n Actually, I wrote this up before the previous post, but it made sense to run the two politics-oriented posts together first. And THESE items were found in a smaller bag inside that larger one.<\/span><\/p>\n There\u2019s a lot of stuff to get to and explain, so let\u2019s jump right in to what might be the coolest item of the lot.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n It\u2019s a 30\u201d x 20\u201d Irish linen in great condition. It\u2019s been folded in its plastic bag for decades – maybe as long as a half-century. Even if I owned an iron, I wouldn\u2019t dare touch this with something that hot for fear of ruining it:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n There are a few of these on eBay in varying conditions, starting at around $50 (at least there were when I wrote this). Here\u2019s the most ridiculous one I could find online from someone in Australia on a site called https:\/\/www.1stdibs.com\/<\/a><\/span>:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n With a shipping rate like that, I hope the buyer gets to keep the kangaroo that delivers it.<\/span><\/p>\n I don\u2019t recall buying this (ours – not the Aussie’s) and have no idea who might have, so if any sibs know how this wound up in our family, lemme know.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n I have NEVER seen this Mr. Peanut item before. As you can see, the bottom cup holds one tablespoon\u2019s-worth of whatever. The next-to-impossible-to-read top cup holds \u00bd teaspoon. How often does a recipe call for a half-teaspoon of anything? (asks the helpless bachelor who thinks heating up a can of\u2026\u2026\u2026.anything<\/em> is cooking):<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n These pins from the 1980 Moscow Olympics are really interesting. You may recall that the US and 65 other countries boycotted the Games over the 1979 Russian invasion of Afghanistan, so how did Mom acquire these?<\/span><\/p>\n Also in the box – right in the middle – was the small US flag pin that I took out of the box. Now that I think about it, was its placement a middle finger to Moscow?<\/span><\/p>\n Mother!<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n My parents went on many trips outside the US. I\u2019m guessing that these were acquired on one of them:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n I have no idea why they would have this ashtray. I\u2019ve never heard of the place, nor do I recall them ever mentioning having any reason to go there:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n I also have no idea how this spoon (or the next one) came into our family. Admiral Sampson was a United States Navy rear admiral known for his victory in the Battle of Santiago de Cuba during the Spanish\u2013American War. The story of the Admiral Sampson ship can be found here: http:\/\/www.dcsfilms.com\/Site_4\/Admiral_Sampson.html<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ooo -controversy!<\/span><\/p>\n Just remember: way before Hitler, the swastika was an American Indian (and other cultures) symbol of peace and good luck.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Here are the two spoons together to show relative size:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n I think this is a 1940s pin that MAYBE belonged to my father, but all I know about the place is what I just read here: https:\/\/www.mitchellairport.com\/airport-information\/history<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n These were mine. I think the one with the string was attached to a glove I bought for use in Little League. I\u2019m not sure how I acquired the other one, but I was all about Mickey Mantle back then:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n I think the ad in the center two pages of the booklet indicates that I may have washed with Lifebuoy soap in 1956 to get my copy:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Speaking of 1956, I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve all heard of Malcolm Forbes. Apparently, my parents received Christmas greetings from him and his family that year. I found this in two pieces that appear to have been heavily-taped at some point:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Thirty-two years later, I happened to photograph Malcolm Forbes along with Dave Mustaine of Megadeth and film director Penelope Spheeris. You can see the pic and read the caption from my site below:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Malcolm Forbes? Seriously? I found this on the LA Times site\u2019s archive:<\/span><\/p>\n . . . And talk about an odd couple. When \u201cDecline of Western Civilization: The Metal Years\u201d opened in New York recently, director Penelope Spheeris was shocked to find herself being introduced to a secret admirer–Malcolm Forbes. The business magazine tycoon not only attended the heavy-metal documentary\u2019s premiere, but stayed for the party afterwards, where he had his picture taken with Spheeris and Megadeath leader Dave Mustaine. \u201cI was flattered,\u201d Spheeris said. \u201cEspecially when he told me, \u2018Penelope, your movie\u2019s going to make a bundle of money.\u2019 \u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n It didn\u2019t say who the writer who couldn\u2019t spell Megadeth was.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n OK – that\u2019s it for my stuff\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026..time to switch gears to Dad\u2019s.<\/span><\/p>\n In my SERGEANT DAD (WWII)<\/a><\/span> post, I wrote about the fact that my father attended Bordentown (NJ) Military Institute during the 1934-1935 school year. Thomas Durland Landon was a long-time commandant of BMI until his death in 1934, so it\u2019s not difficult to figure out how Dad acquired this item:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n I\u2019m guessing this is a Mom item, but I really have no reason to:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n This is definitely a Mom item (big Pepsi collector – she even wrote \u201cMom\u201d on the label\u2026\u2026\u2026.as if any of us would steal it). She probably picked it up on a trip with Dad to Brazil (the song is in Portuguese, but I found an online translation):<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you really want to hear it (why?):<\/span><\/p>\n https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=1hatmAPWtfc<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n I\u2019ve only mentioned about a hundred times that my parents met and worked at IBM World Headquarters in Manhattan in the \u201840s, but this New York World\u2019s Fair occurred in 1939 when Mom was a senior in high school. Could it be that she attended the World\u2019s Fair that year and the IBM Pavilion interested her enough to seek employment there after graduation?<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n On a 7-years-after-that related note, I found the booklet for IBM School for employees. It\u2019s not likely that this was for Mom as she resigned from IBM on June 24, 1946, to marry Dad:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ever see Jeopardy shows where contestants did battle against \u201cWatson\u201d, an IBM supercomputer that beat two of the show\u2019s greatest contestants?<\/span><\/p>\n It was named after Thomas J. Watson – the head honcho when my parents worked there. Here\u2019s his pic from the School booklet:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n And here is the list of subjects that the School offered:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Engineering class (No gurls aloud!):<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Dressmaking class (No guyz alowd!):<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Equality in accounting!<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Thinking of signing up for any of the 28 offerings? Here are both sides of the enrollment card to download. I guess Dad didn\u2019t use it (no Chevy courses available):<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n I\u2019m going to finish off with something I cannot for the life of me figure out how, why or by whom it was acquired. It\u2019s an 8 x 10 transparency of 4 women sitting on a beach while holding colorful umbrellas as a fifth woman strolls by them holding a white umbrella that says \u201cTRUE\u201d:<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/iaintjustmusic.bobleafe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/1-IMG_6599-2-5-21-min.jpg\")
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