I didn't find beans, but I found blackberries! Jam, I thought. Perfect. It had been a rotten day due to one happen-stance of another beyond my control, but I was determined to be grateful and was thinking to myself as I stood in the ridiculously LONG checkout line..."At least the sun is shining today!"
I was flanked on each of side of me by persons holding one item and another with a handful of items. Inside I'm thinking, "Great, they are going to try to squeeze in front of me..." and I was getting annoyed at the thought of having to stand here longer. Then it hit me. I continued my internal conversation with myself and said "Hmm, perhaps your bad day is a result of not putting out enough 'good energy' into the world so nothing is coming back to you". Sometimes I hate that little itchy voice from within. Sooooo, I lean to my left and tell the guy whose holding "ONE" item - "Sir, why don't you go ahead, you only have one item" and so he did with a nod. We moved forward and the woman to my right was antsy as can be so I said "Go ahead - jump up there" and she said "oh no, that's ok, I only have these...you were first" - I retorted with "yes, but you're packing yours in your hands and I've got this cart so it's no problem. She moved in line in front of me and then commented on the pile of berries in my cart and commented on what a GREAT deal they were. I replied, "Indeed. I'm going to make jam with them". She commented, "Ya know, people really need to get back to doing things the 'old way'...that's so cool".
Sooo, you may be thinking - how does any of this relate to this blog?
Well, when I got home I began surfing the web in search of vintage canning jars - just out of curiosity. I had a couple blue jars with tin lids and was questioning the value et al. I came across the neatest website by an artist that who uses vintage wartime advertisements as his inspiration.
"It was 1944 (or present day, the shoe still fits!)--a war raged all over the world. It seemed every American knew someone who was in the military, and it was not certain that we would win. The enemies were tough, fanatical, and prepared for a long fight. Americans at home wanted to do something to help our boys "over there".
Winning a war is often about tactics and courage, but its just as often about the support lines that supply food, ammunition, fuel. Its said that for every front line G.I. in World War II, there were about 5 service people working in support roles. They were fighting just as hard by moving supplies, connecting calls, or handling logistics.
But in War Era America, you didn't have to be in the service to play a supporting role. It was called the "Homefront" and posters from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture and the U.S. War Department would tell the people on the home-front to "Grow More in '44", "Can all you Can" (as in vegetables in mason jars), or ask "Are you doing all can to help salvage?" These overtures felt like the right thing to do, and they gave the folks at home a clear, necessary task to participate in the effort."
WOW! does that have any re-sounding overtures of current times? This is a cool site. Check out the site www.victorygardenoftomorrow.com for a series of "propaganda" posters for organic farming and other facets of green, clean, sustainable living, in the roll-up-your sleeves style of vintage wartime advertisements.
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