Category Archives: Things

Green’s Point Rules

Memories, Things, , , , ,
Green's Point Reminders
The actual rules that used to hang in the cabin

Before my grandparents moved to their cabin in Chetek, Wisconsin, they used it for a vacation home. My grandfather typed up a set of rules for when friends and family visited the cabin. I remember the rules hanging on the wall in the hallway that led from the garage door to the kitchen.

I know for a fact that my grandfather typed this on a big, black, heavy typewriter with round keys — I know that because I learned to type on that very same typewriter by copying poems from my grandfather’s books when I visited them many summers.

I found the framed rules when I was going through things at Mom’s house in February. Here’s the scan so you can read it more easily.

See below image for full text of the rules
A scan of the reminders

Green’s Point Reminders

We hope your stay will be a pleasant one, and that you catch such a big fish, and so many, that you won’t have to stretch the truth when you go home and tell about them.

Use whatever we have here, but think of the next ones who are going to use the cottage. If you eat it or drink it, replace it so there is at LEAST as much here when you leave as there was when you came.

If you break something, or it goes haywire while you are here, replace it or have it repaired. If there isn’t time to do either before you leave, report it so we can have it taken care of. Don’t take a chance on having someone drive 340 miles expecting to have everything in order, then have to have something repaired that was out of order when you were here.

Before you go: Defrost the refrigerator and leave the refrigerator door open, unless someone else will be up within a week or so.

Shut the gas off at the tank and hang the key with the others.

Pull the plugs on all appliances.

As an added precaution, pull the main fuse in the switch-box and put it where you found it, so if lighting should strike the line outside, it can’t go farther than the box. Disconnect the radio aerial and let it hang outside the cottage.

Bring the motor, oars and other fishing equipment, etc., and put them in the basement. Lock up the boat and put the keys where they belong. Clean up before you leave, especially garbage and refuse, so the next ones won’t have to wade through it. Don’t leave anything edible in the containers that field mice or other rodents can get into and be attracted, unless it is inside a cabinet or can they can’t get into.

It is going to take all of us to get the place the way we want it, so you see anything that needs doing give us a hand.

We believe the foregoing to be only fair to all concerned; and we hope the place will always be ready so we can unlock the door, turn on the lights, and start to enjoy the time we are able to spend here. We hope you have the best vacation ever.

Lois and Walt Green

Two Fishermen

“Hiyamac. Lobuddy Benearlong? Cuplours. Ketchaneny? Goddafeu. Kindrthey? Basanacarp. Ennysiztuem? Cupplapoinds. Hittinhard? Sordalite. Wahuoozin? Gobbawurms. Fishmonahboddom? Rydonnahboddum. Igoddago. Tubad. Seeyaround. Yatakidezy. Guluk.”

Lt. Col. Don Williamson 7-7-65

People, Things, , ,

I thought I’d written about my POW bracelet before, but I cannot find it when I search my blog. I did mention it on another blog in 2005

If you were a teenager in the 1970s, you probably knew someone who wore a silver POW bracelet. Maybe you did too. Maybe you still have yours. Did you research the soldier who was on your POW bracelet? I did. I hoped to find out that he was released and was reunited with his family and lived happily ever after. That was not the case for my POW.

My POW bracelet

My friend Cindy gave me the POW bracelet for either Christmas or my birthday. She said she chose it because my name is Dona and his name was Don. I wore it for a very long time, longer than most other people wore their POW bracelets. I planned on wearing it until I knew Lt. Col. Don Williamson was either safely home or his remains were returned.

His name was one of my first searches on the Internet, and it wasn’t until the last 12 or so years that I found out more about him. It wasn’t until today that I saw his photograph.

His full name was Don Ira Williamson. He was born in 1930 and lived in  Louisville, KY. He was an Air Force pilot in the Vietnam war. His fighter jet was shot down on July 7, 1965, and according to reports (see link above) he survived being shot down but died in 1979. His remains were returned in 1989.

Read the link above if you want to know more about Lt. Col. Don Williamson. If you want to see his photograph visit Don Ira Williamson’s memorial page on The Virtual Wall® http://www.VirtualWall.org/dw/WilliamsonDI01a.htm

I didn’t realize that his name was on the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial. Or if I did, and visited it, I don’t remember doing so.

Happy 4th of July, you wonderful old First Federal Savings and Loan!

Memories, Things, ,

Apologies to Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett, and Frank Capra. for the misuse of their words.

My first bank account was with Elgin’s First Federal Savings and Loan. Apparently, at the time, when you opened an account you were given a bank in the shape of the building. I found that bank, along with my passbooks a few years ago in the attic of my mom’s house in Elgin.

The bank is the color of old pennies — it may have been brighter copper colored when it was new. It is showing wear on one side, I think it is oxidation. White, not green, so I guess it is not copper.

I use the bank to hold foreign coins. I found a key that works (now that I look at it, it is the original key), so they are not forever stuck in it. I had the bank on my bookshelf in my office, but I want a less cluttered area so I am not positive what I am going to do with it.

The passbooks date from January 9, 1961 (I was 4) and is a joint account with my father. On January 10, 1961, a total of $31.06 was deposited into the account. The most money in the account was $2,364.74 on November 28, 1979. The account was closed on June 20, 1981, probably because I moved to Pittsburgh.

It seems I had another account with First Federal Savings and Loan that I opened on March 8, 1976. Its highest amount was $538.11 on July 1, 1976. I closed this on November 23, 1976.

I vaguely remember going to the bank to deposit money and to withdraw money using these passbooks. I didn’t have a checkbook or credit card and ATM machines weren’t invented yet.

As for the passbooks — I will keep them in a box in the knee wall. Maybe the kids will find them interesting someday. If nothing else, the advertisements are interesting.

I like the way the style of homes are different from the passbook that was opened in 1961 and the one that was opened in 1976.

Dream home 1961
Dream home 1976