Afterwards people mingled and had some food, and the potato latkes were delicious. I digress from the lesson, but they were really yummy.
As an illustration as he spoke the rabbi briefly talked about fire and water. He confirmed with a firefighter present that the bigger the fire, the more water needed to extinguish a fire.
However, not so with darkness. Darkness needs only a candle to beat back darkness, more darkness does not vanquish a candle. The rabbi used this metaphor for darkness in the world and people’s lives. He encouraged us to light our own candles and keep them lit. He said light a candle for…
I hope you enjoyed the two parter posts recently with insights into the depression bank robbers – Bonnie & Clyde, click here for Part 1. I know I found the posts interesting and educating.
I have them in the same category – Three Little Random Thoughts, and I list the various categories along the right hand margin of the blog. ♥
Today I hope enjoy my post because it includes Blood, Bullets and a Bull Moose.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin – October 14, 1912. Theodore Roosevelt was no longer President of the United States, however he was still an imposing figure, often described as a Bull Moose.
That cool Monday he wore his thick Army overcoat, steel rim glasses and strode purposely to the lectern.
In his pocket was his 50 page speech still rolled over, but now it had bullet holes in it. Soon he revealed his shirt to the shocked audience, blood covering the right side of the chest.
Just minutes before, a would-be assassin had pointed a .32 calibre Colt revolver at Theodore’s chest and fired. At only five feet away the assassin probably felt success was assured, Theodore Roosevelt was shot by the bullet on the right side of his chest. Wounded but surprisingly alive!
Theodore’s stenographer seized the man, placed him in a half nelson and grabbed his right wrist to prevent a second attempt.
Theodore (Ted) seemed the coolest one of all, and told the mob not to hurt the almost killer and to instead turn him over to the police.
Hustled away to a private spot, Ted checked his own injury. He was a far sight from the sickly child he once was. Ted, known as Bull Moose, now had a barrel chest and thick muscles around his neck and back even though it had been years since his calvary days and cattle ranching in North Dakota.
Colonel Theodore Roosevelt knew immediately his injuries were not serious because of his hunting knowledge. Taking off his dense overcoat he could feel the dime sized bullet hole in his chest. Inside his coat, slowing the bullet had been the folded pages of his 50 page speech and his steel-reinforced eyeglass case.
Ted went ahead and gave his speech that day, over ruling the organizers who wanted him to go immediately to the hospital. The aspiring assassin’s bullet remained lodged him for the rest of his days, a memento of the day he carried with him, a day unlike any other in his life.
I am positive none of the people present forgot his speech that day either, as he spoke for 50 minutes and his bloody shirt, the bullet torn pages were all inscribed forever in the memories of those there towitness them.
My interest in Theodore Roosevelt arose from his speech entitled “Citizenship in a Republic” speech which he gave in Paris, France on April 23, 1910. However, mostly I think of it as “The Man In the Arena” speech, it’s amazing !
Part of that speech is often memorized and quoted, and I shared it once in a speech contest. I think resonates timelessly encouraging me to “dare greatly“
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
Lastly I will share a few photographs from the western shore of Skaha Lake where I walked a few days ago. It was a beautiful sunny day, despite the low temperature and it felt wonderful to be outdoors.
I never planned to have two parts to any posts in this category but there was just so much interesting information in the second thought in the first post that I had to split that “thought “ in two.🌠
This post is actually two Micro thoughts and a Medium Plus Thought. I hope you enjoy reading it.
I recommend you read Part 1 first, and hopefully that will make the post more enjoyable for you as you read the introduction about Bonnie and Clyde.
Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow – the infamous Bonnie and Clyde. I suppose I thought that I already knew quite a bit about them. My opinion about my knowledge changed after I studied a bit more.
What piqued my interest was when I learned Bonnie Parker, while hiding out from the police and while on the run, managed to find the time to write poetry AND send her poetry to the newspapers. I was intrigued, and her is really insightful. The page links in the post are for your use to read her poems yourselves- she was talented. I think because of her poems the public were sympathetic, however the police were incensed.
As I read more and thought about them, it almost seems their lives of crime and ultimate death in a hail of bullets and life of crime was inevitable.
It was a deep economic depression. Bonnie’s father died when she was four, and her mother must have struggled to provide as a single mother. I think that is why Bonnie’s mother encouraged Bonnie into a loveless marriage at age 16. I think it was out of desperation by the mother for both their sakes.
Bonnie dropped out of school at 16 to get married and soon was all alone; she was arrested in a failed robbery and sent to jail.Within three years, Bonnie was completely on her own, her husband just lost contact with her. Bonnie never seemed to miss him. She was struggling for a roof over her head and to feed herself, as were many others.
She turned to crime.
While in jail she spent her time writing poetry in her green notebook including a poem about naive country girl who lures her into crime (while in prison); the full poem – click here The Story of Suicide Sal.
There I fell for “the line” of a “henchman”
A “professional killer” from “Chi”
I couldn’t help loving him madly,
For him even I would die.
One year we were desperately happy
Our “ill gotten gains” we spent free,
I was taught the ways of the “underworld”
Jack was just like a “god” to me.
Clyde also seemed doomed to a life of crime. As I said in part 1, he was not a big man, only 125 pounds and 5 foot 6 inches. Clyde was not a labourer obviously, instead he was musical person and heavy farm labor did not attract him.
Sentenced to 14 years of hard labour in a notoriously harsh prison with work gangs, he was so desperate to avoid work gangs after 18 months, that he took an axe to his own foot to chop off two toes.
In addition Clyde was undoubtedly mentally affected by his time in prison at only 20 years old. There in prison he faced starvation and violent abuse from the guards and humiliating rape from another prisoner, Big Ed. In fear for his life, and as the result of his rage, he cornered Big Ed in a toilet and beat him to death with a lead pipe.
Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow discovered one another in the midst of poverty, with few skills to earn money and both one-time prison veterans. Both of them set on surviving, and finding in each other an ideal partner. Bonnie in my opinion helped Clyde control his rage again cops and the system that failed to protect him in prison. Clyde protected and cared for the petit Bonnie who was all alone in the world.
Time to wrap up and tell you the end of story: Bonnie and Clyde were betrayed by a member of their gang, Henry.
Henry, negotiated for a pardon from his crimes in return for setting up the arrest of the couple. It wasn’t an arrest though, it was an execution. The police wanted revenge.
The police were tipped that the couple were going to Henry’s father’s farm as the gang routinely visited members of the gang’s extended family.
The police arrived early, and chained Henry’s father to a tree so he wouldn’t tip off Clyde Barrow. Then the police took his truck and positioned on the side of the highway where Clyde would pass and made it look like the truck was broken down.
Speeding down the highway came Bonnie and Clyde but Clyde who liked vehicles and driving recognized the truck and so he stopped to look.
In seconds it was over, and it was merciless. The Texas and Louisiana lawmen opened fire, 150 rounds into the car. Everyone inside was killed instantly.
The leader of the posse still took no chances and crept up to the vehicle and fired additional shots into Bonnie’s body while she was dead, her hand still holding a half-eaten sandwich.
Bonnie was shot 26 times and was just 24 years old May 23, 1934. Clyde was shot 17 times and the “arrest”ended a 21 month crime spree of mainly gas stations and restaurants and 15 banks.
Bonnie’s poem called The Trails End – was prophetic.
Two Tiny Thoughts to make the post fit the category. ♥
A large coffee chain, likely one you are familiar with gave me a “snowman cookie.” I innocently took said cookie, and ate it.
The next day I wanted another, and I realized that is how it all starts! The first one is “free” and the next thing they have you hooked, and then they tell you they were seasonal and they are gone.
But “they know a guy” who can hook me up, in fact they have a “drive through” – special snowman cookies, homemade (don’t believe it) Beware the snowman cookies my friends 🙂
Welcome to “Life and Random Thinking” – I sincerely appreciate you visiting, as well as your comments and suggestions. – ♥
The theme today: On the Run. As it unfolded, I realized I had more to share than I thought was ideal for my readers, I hope you will enjoy this “Part 1”.
I will be interested to know if you enjoyed it and what you liked. Nudge Nudge ♥
My first record was “Elvis” and being that my allowance was only 75 cents a week, and my only only income was occasional babysitting, I listened mostly to my parents records the first few yearsafter owning my own turntable.
It was a years before I “car hopped” at White Spot and I could afford favorites; Beatles, Queen, Aerosmith, Three Dog Night and so on.
Fortunately my parents has some remarkable music including Herb Alpert, Kingston Trio, and some awesome instrumental records for movies like :The Good, Bad and the Ugly.
The song following my theme today is “Bad Man’s Blunder” – Kingston Trio. The “Bad Man” is caught at the song beginning while “On The Run.”
(If you love a light happy melody and funny lyrics – enjoy, this is the whipped cream on your hot chocolate!”
When I was arrested, I didn’t have a dime The sheriff says Son, you’re ridin’ free this time Where you’re goin’ You won’t need a cent ‘Cause the great state of Texas Gonna pay your rent’
Cause where you’re goin’ (I think he means jail) You won’t need a cent (Well, he knows I’m broke) ‘Cause the great state of Texas (Yippee!) Gonna pay your rent. (I’m mighty grateful, fellas)
The story of this couple legendary couple began and ended in the “Great Depression”, but from what my Grandpa told me, there was nothing “great” about it. People faced hard times, even desperate times. Undoubtedly the economic crisis contributed to the outcome of the doomed twosome.
They died while “On The Run.”
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The intrepid female of this tale was a real person, and she was born October 1, 1910 in Rowena, Texas and her Daddy died when she was four. I imagine she liked school because she won prizes for spelling and writing. This young woman loved the silver screen and like many other young people she dreamed of being a star herself. In fact the police often found her movie star magazines in the stolen cars they recovered.
It was interesting to me when I discovered her poetry, which was really insightful to her life.
Likely her Mother pushed her to marry and at the age of 16 she was married to a minor thief. Within three years they simply lost track of each other, but her real love was to ahead.
She met her beau in 1932 and they were infamous together, and when you remember one, you remember the other.
They were suited for each other in many ways, her beloved was only 5 foot six inches and 125 pounds. She was a mere four foot ten inches and a slight 85 pounds. Her young man’s nickname was “Bud.” Surprisingly to me, Bud loved to sing and play his guitar as he grew up on the farm. Bud even taught himself to play the saxophone but more people connect him to banks than to music.
That same guitar was left behind in a police shootout, and confiscated by the police. They refused to release the guitar when Clyde’s mother requested it back (on behalf of Clyde/Bud).
I am writing about Bonnie Parker, and Clyde Barrow. They had so much in common; from tough beginnings to their physical injuries that literally caused them to lean on each other.
Bonnie was injured by sprayed battery acid when Clyde crashed their car down an embankment and from then on she hopped or was carried by Clyde. Clyde also limped, but his injury was self-inflicted; he chopped off two toes with an axe to avoid overwhelming physical labour while in prison.
Ironically four days later, the governor in response to pleas from his mother. granted him parole which had the effect of reducing his time in prison (he was just 20 years of age) from 14 years to 18 months.
Those missing toes were a problem for him though, he was an amazing get-away driver, to the frustration of the police, and they would have been surprised he had to drive in stocking feet because of his foot injury.
More in my next installment about Bonnie & Clyde – Next will be the betrayal and the demise of the couple, and I will share poetry written by Bonnie. Those were the depression years and how much they stole, and how violent they were is exaggerated. There wasn’t much money to be had in those times and so they were stealing what was merely grocery money, sometimes as little as $80and never exceeded $1,500.
Even their violence seems exaggerated as you study them because their “hostages” were usually let go and sometimes even given money to get home and apologize for the inconvenience. I am sure this added to the “Robin Hood” legend and frustated the police as also did the poetry that Bonnie sent to the newspapers to publish. – Surprised? I was also.
At the end of my post today, I just want to leave you with a quote and thank you for your interest. Part 2 will be soon of this post, I hope you enjoyed this one. – David
Take time to pause
We're all so busy we don't make time to enjoy our lives, good company and good food.
John Torode
Enjoy life and try not miss it because you are always “On The Run.”
Welcome to my little blog, I am grateful for your interest. I am continuing with this new category on my blog called “Three Little Random Thoughts” – today the theme is “Perspective”. I hope my grey hairs qualify me on this topic. ☻
When I was a child in Vancouver I took swimming classes during the summer in an outdoor pool, Hastings pool, appropriate as it was on the corner of Hastings Street and Renfrew.
Google picture – sometimes you have to dive in
It wasn’t a huge pool and only open a few months of the year, it was an exciting place to be when you are a pre-teen and in the east side of the “big” city.
I remember walking from home and the pavement got sticky on the hot days of summer, my towel over my shoulder. Those were carefree times, I just had my towel, socks and shoes – life was simple.
The lessons were in the morning and in the afternoon, kids could just splash around.
Every hour the lifeguards would kick everyone out of the pool and the building. There was usually a line-up of kids outside the building waiting to get in. They would be lined up behind a rope like you see people waiting in a bank to see a teller.
If there weren’t too many waiting outside at the end of the hour, I would leave the pool early and get in line before the lifeguards closed the pool. I did that so that I could be let in with the next “bunch” and before everyone got in line ahead of me.
I remember there was a small diving board and a big diving board. The small one was maybe 3 feet over the water surface, but the “big” one was 9 feet over the water. Standing at the side of the pool and looking up at the “high” diving board, it didn’t look that scary. I remember climbing up that aluminum ladder shakily and every single time, it was a lot higher looking down at the pool than it was looking up at the high diving board.
I think now I could have learned a lesson then about perspective, and maybe I did. I am sure kids trivialized the bravery of someone like me who at first was afraid to dive off that high board. They were looking from the outside and from the pool deck.
Now I hope I have learned a few lessons. One is that diving off of a high board, or anything, in life isn’t easy, and two that it’s always a relief to look up and laugh when you are safe in the pool.
I enjoy reading and often a few books “on the go”. If you enjoy reading as I do, you may have a few favorites.
I never tire of reading “Sherlock Holmes” stories. There are all sorts of what I suppose we think of as “spin offs” from the original created by Arthur Conan Doyle.
I enjoy the language of the historical stories as it rich and I am often adding words to my own vocabulary as a result of reading or taking note of a quote from a story.
I confess that I have been as blind as a mole, but it is better to learn wisdom late than never to learn it at all. – The Man with the Twisted Lip / Sherlock Holmes
While walking to burn calories I regularly listen to a show called “Under the Influence” – it is a CBC Podcast.
The creator, Terry O’Reilly, has an amazing show, each one about 27 minutes long. He tells stories about various themes related to …. well, see for yourself. Click here
Each episode of his show illustrates amazing research. In one of his episodes he talked about the famous “Wright Brothers” – Wilbur and Orville. Now you may already know the story but did you know that they often argued?
Arguing isn’t special, but how they settled their disputes was. After arguing their point of view, they would switch sides and argue the other brothers point of view.
Isn’t that wonderful? They would actively try to see the points of view of the other brother – resulting in understanding and I assume better decisions.
I think that is “Wisdom”
Wilbur and Orville Wright were American inventors and pioneers of aviation. In 1903 the Wright brothers achieved the first powered, sustained and controlled airplane flight; they surpassed their own milestone two years later when they built and flew the first fully practical airplane.
My elephant that I want to eat is “weight” right now.
It will take steps, lots of steps – too many steps for one day. Just like the elephant of learning a new language, or creating a new habit. Digestible chunks a bit at a time.
I will be parking at the far end of parking lots or even a block away. No elevators, only stairs. I went out and bought waterproof walking boots yesterday so even the days of slush ahead won’t deter this stepper from his route.
Whatever you want to change, I encourage you to find a way to break it down into pieces. Take steps toward your goal, even small steps in the right direction are progress. Hugs !
No, I’m absolutely not proposing a new kind of Atkins diet where you eat elephants. Yuck! It’s a metaphor for accomplishing a big task. The answer is in small bites(and probably chew thoroughly) 🙂
Really what I am talking about is slowly achieving tasks, like:
riding a bike,
learning a language,
public speaking
training your body (or mind)
developing a new skill.
When we do gradually invest time in an activity over a long period, we gradually build up our comfort level and learn easily, digestible chunks!
The first time you drove a car, you were scared, stiff movements but now getting in and driving is totally relaxed.
The same thing learning to ride a bike, at first you wobbled and weaved, but as you invested time, gradually it was something that no longer made you nervous at all. Hop on, and off!
This week I learned a lesson about light from a rabbi.
However, not so with darkness. Darkness needs only a candle to beat back darkness, more darkness does not vanquish a candle. The rabbi used this metaphor for darkness in the world and people’s lives. He encouraged us to light our own candles and keep them lit. He said light a candle for…
Life and Random Thinking 