Archives
… Coca Cola
Things Go Better With Coke
July 10, 2018
It is a slogan all Americans of a certain age are familiar with: Things Go Better With Coke. Except for in 1985 when there was a brief period in time when the world shook on its axis and consumers rebelled against what was branded as “New Coke.”
The controversy began in April that year when Coca Cola replaced the original formula with the new version in an effort to regain some of its lost market share to Pepsi.
From the Infallible Wikipedia:
“By 1985, Coca-Cola had been losing market share to diet soft drinks and non-cola beverages for many years. Consumers who were purchasing regular colas seemed to prefer the sweeter taste of rival Pepsi-Cola, as Coca-Cola learned in conducting blind taste tests. However, the American public’s reaction to the change was negative, even hostile, and the new cola was considered a major failure. The company reintroduced Coke’s original formula within three months of New Coke’s debut, rebranded as ‘Coca-Cola Classic’, and this resulted in a significant gain in sales. This led to speculation by some that the introduction of the New Coke formula was just a marketing ploy to stimulate sales of original Coca-Cola; however, the company has maintained that it was a genuine attempt to replace the original product.”
New Coke was out and Classic Coke was back on July 10, 1985.
The history of the soft drink is, primarily, a tribute to marketing and also the use of corporate profits to acquire multiple business lines. Although its current rank on the Fortune 500 is at 87 (down from 64 in 2017), it will celebrate 100 years as a publicly traded company in September 1919.
For me, as a child, there really were only three choices in ‘soda’ or ‘pop’ as we called it: Coke, 7-Up, and Root Beer. Root Beer was a special treat as we occasionally drove to the A&W drive in and got a frosty mug of the treat, sometimes as a float. And I was never a big fan of 7-Up.
But Saturday nights always involved getting to drink Coke while we ate popcorn and played a game my parent’s called ‘DeVore Rummy.’
The game was six hands of cards where you collected, first, two groups of three cards; then a group and a run of four (all the same suit); then two runs. After the halfway point, things got more difficult with needing to acquire two groups and a run, then two runs and a group and, finally, two groups AND two runs plus you had to lay your entire hand down – with no leftovers – to win the round.
I have several distinct memories of playing the game. First, as a seven year old, tossing down my cards in frustration as I lost (yet again) and stomping away from the table in tears.
Then, as a teenager, not understanding that family game night was an important event, designed to keep us at home and provide an excuse for our friends as to why we were not out partying like so many were.
By the time those teen years rolled around, as the youngest of four, I was frequently the only child still around on Saturday nights; when in 9th and 10th grade, my friend Pam was fixture at our house. We added Pinochle to the mix as she and I both wanted to learn so many a night that was what was on the menu instead of Rummy.
But the other things never changed. I can still see my dad, standing at the avocado green electric stove, a large aluminum pan with a wooden handle in front of him. He’d cover the bottom of the pan with vegetable oil and, when he deemed the oil hot enough, put in three popcorn kernels and covered the pan with an aluminum pie plate. I have no idea what happened to the original lid and it had been gone for as long as I could remember.
We’d wait for the telltale pop-pop-pop as the kernels would bounce up against the aluminum pan. It was then he would add the rest of the kernels. Soon, with our heaping bowls of salted and buttered popcorn, and the always present glass of Coke, we’d gather round the dining room table for the games.
Over the years I grew to love the event – whether with my own parents, siblings, husband, kids, nieces, in-laws – for the wonderful gathering it is. And I no longer stomp from the room but instead, win or lose, value the time spent with family. And I always make sure there’s a bottle of Coke (or Diet Coke) in the fridge for those who want it.
For more information about New Coke: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Coke
And for the exhaustive history of the company: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Coca-Cola_Company
I cannot find the exact rummy game we played, so it must have been a family variation, but here’s a link to a variety of such games:
This entry was posted on July 11, 2018.
Mosquitos
May 29, 2018
On Wisconsin!
The state of Wisconsin was formed on May 29, 1848, making it the 30th state in the union.
According to the Infallible Wikipedia:
“Between 1840 and 1850, Wisconsin’s non-Indian population had swollen from 31,000 to 305,000. Over a third of residents (110,500) were foreign born, including 38,000 Germans, 28,000 British immigrants from England, Scotland, and Wales, and 21,000 Irish. Another third (103,000) were Yankees from New England and western New York state. Only about 63,000 residents in 1850 had been born in Wisconsin.”
By now I imagine everyone is wondering why the heck I’m writing about Wisconsin. It can be summed up in one word: mosquitoes.
When I think about visiting Wisconsin, mostly I remember a frightening encounter in the fall of 1980 with a squadron of hungry mosquitoes. Before we get to that, however, let’s talk about how many mosquitoes there are in Wisconsin. A quick internet search reveals that 56 different species have been found in the state and mosquito season starts in early May, reaching its peak during the hottest months of the year. Additionally, mosquitoes thrive when there’s water nearby and, like its neighbor Minnesota, there are a bunch of lakes. Over 15,000 according to one source I found which totals up to 11,000 square miles of water in the state!
So you put together water and heat and the mosquitoes are piling in to the moving vans, hurrying to Wisconsin. Now I know that there are those of you from a couple other places who say your mosquitoes are worse. I’ll give that to some of the southern states, especially Florida. And, for sheer volume of mosquitoes, I doubt any state can compete with Alaska, and their famous mosquito clouds. But Wisconsin’s mosquitoes are bad as evidenced by businesses with names such as Mosquito Squad, Mosquito Xscape, and Mosquito Minus. The outbreak is so noticeable that people joke about the mosquito being the state bird…
Which brings us back to September 1980. A week and half earlier, on August 30th, I said “I do” and my newly minted hubby and I ventured across the United States from Washington State via Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, and then to Illinois to visit his sister and her family. After a few days there we headed north to Wisconsin to indulge the new bride in one of her favorite pastimes: geneaology.
It was in 1848, the year of statehood, when the DeVore family arrived in Hebron, Wisconsin, just 52 miles west of Milwaukee and Lake Superior. I knew my great-great grandfather Hartley was there as I had found the family in the 1850 census. But more information was needed, however, as I had come to the conclusion that the DeVore family had been dropped into Wisconsin by space aliens as I could not find where the family had been before.
It was a nice September day but by the time we arrived at the cemetery it was sunset. I don’t recall how we knew where, exactly, the family was buried but I do know we parked on a road and walked past several rows of headstones before we came to the DeVore clan. I was busy taking photos – there were about a half dozen ancestors there – when we heard ‘the’ sound: the unmistakable whine of a million tiny wings beating their way through the air toward us, their target.
We slapped at them, shooed them, and brushed them off. But the assault was relentless. Rather than be lifted up and carried away by an army of flying monkey sized insects, we did the only reasonable thing to do: we ran to the car, diving into our seats, slamming the doors behind us to stop the attack, our genealogy forays finished for the evening.
The next day was spent talking with some locals and getting to see the inside of one of the family ancestral homes and meeting a shirttail relative who gave me a copy of a photo of my great-great grandparents. But we had learned our lesson. When the sun was about to set we were safely inside, away from the penetrating proboscis of the persistent pests.
As for the genealogy, I confirmed – about 10 years ago – that my DeVore’s are not space aliens (well, except for my brother perhaps) but were part of the Yankee group which arrived from Western New York.
So happy 170th statehood day, Wisconsin! And you can keep your mosquitoes…
For more information about Wisconsin: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisconsin
And for the mosquito: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosquito
And, finally, if you are interested in tracing your family, I would suggest you go to the world connect project. Unfortunately, it’s currently unavailable online. But I’m happy to talk genealogy. Who knows, we just might be related!
…Olympic Champion Apolo Ohno
… and his amazing dad
May 22, 2018
“If I have given my all and still do not win, I haven’t lost. Others might remember winning or losing; I remember the journey.”
What is amazing to me about the person who said this is that, at the time, he was one of the youngest athletes to win an Olympic Gold medal. The individual? Apolo Ohno.
May 22 marks the American short track speed skating champion’s 36th birthday. He has won 2 Olympic Gold, 2 Silver, and 4 Bronze medals.
From the Infallible Wikipedia:
“He has been the face of short track in the United States since winning his medals at the 2002 Winter Olympics. At the age of 14, he became the youngest U.S. national champion in 1997 and was the reigning champion from 2001–2009, winning the title a total of 12 times. In December 1999, he became the youngest skater to win a World Cup event title, and became the first American to win a World Cup overall title in 2001, which he won again in 2003 and 2005. He won his first overall World Championship title at the 2008 championships.
Ohno’s accolades and accomplishments include being the United States Olympic Committee‘s Male Athlete of the Month in October 2003 and March 2008, the U.S. Speedskating’s Athlete of the Year for 2003, and was a 2002, 2003 and 2006 finalist for the Sullivan Award, which recognizes the best amateur athlete in the United States. Since gaining recognition through his sport, Ohno has worked as a motivational speaker, philanthropist, started a nutritional supplement business called 8 Zone, and in 2007, competed on and won the reality TV show Dancing with the Stars. Ohno later became host of a revival of Minute to Win It on Game Show Network and served as a commentator for NBC‘s coverage of the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi and the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang.”
I think the thing which has set Ohno apart is his attitude and it was that, I believe, which made me a fan of his from the moment I saw him skate in the 2002 Olympic Games. As his story was told I could see that there were two heroes: Apolo and his father, Yuki.
Despite being a single dad struggling to raise his son solo, I imagine Yuki woke up every day and evaluated what exactly his child needed to be successful in life. Worried about Apolo being a latchkey kid without direction, Yuki got Apolo involved in sports.
As one reads between the lines, it becomes clear the path was not one of instant success or without bumps. Apolo faltered more than once but his father never gave up, finding new ways to direct his son.
What the world saw when this young man emerged on the world stage was an incredibly humble individual with wisdom way beyond his years. I contribute much of that to his father’s singular focus on his son’s character development.
I’m including the Wikipedia article, but also a link to his quotes.
…Jake The Alligator Man
Happy Birthday!
August 1, 2017
Happy Birthday to that northwest icon, symbol of blatant commercialism, and
Long Beach, Washington’s most famous resident: Jake the Alligator Man
resident of Long Beach… Jake the Alligator Man!
How fun it was, on August 1, 2014, to be at Long Beach and join in the parade for Jake’s 75th birthday, be given free cupcakes and really celebrate this once in a lifetime event.
Or not. As it turns out the town of Long Beach celebrates Jake’s 75th birthday EVERY year and has been doing so for the past 11 years. So maybe it’s really Jake’s 86th birthday? Call me cynical but I’m starting to think that this is all a ploy for tourists to spend more money on Jake gear and at local motels and restaurants.
And his birthday is not always on August First but seems to coincide with whichever date the first Saturday in August might fall.
Jake’s murky beginnings are just that, murky. What we do know is that Jake was purchased in 1967 for $750 from an antique dealer. He has ‘lived’ at Marsh’s Free Museum ever since.
Jake The Alligator Man inspecting the Creepy Dolls.
Sandy The Creepy Doll inspecting Jake.
I feel pretty certain that I probably saw Jake that first year as my family spent many a summer on the Peninsula. Shopping at Marsh’s during a Long Beach visit is a must. Although Jake was once relegated to a dusty corner along with the two-headed calf and the shrunken head, he now has a whole display area with a variety of t-shirts, bumper stickers, posters, key chains and glassware dedicated to the Gatorman. And Creepy Dolls like him also.
The Infallible Wikipedia has done a poor job of telling the whole history of Jake. What’s up with that?
So I will skip them this week and instead share the article which catapulted Jake into legend status back in 2008 when the World Weekly News published an article titled “Manigator Found.”
“MIAMI, Florida — The discovery of a bizarre half-human, half-alligator in the Florida Everglades has flabbergasted scientists who say the creature is alive, at least moderately intelligent and possibly even a distant ancestor of modern man!
That’s the world from paleontologist Dr. Paul Ledbrader, who studied the creature in his laboratory for almost three hours before state wildlife officials seized the 5-foot, 11-inch, 180-pound beast and airlifted it to a research facility just west of Miami.
Nobody at the state wildlife commission is talking. But Dr. Ledbrader says the U.S. Forest Service sent no fewer than five experts to the facility to study the reptile in the hope of determining exactly where it came from — and what it might be.
‘I know what it isn’t — and that’s an ordinary alligator,’ said Dr. Ledbrader.”
To read more of their amazing discovery, click here:
http://weeklyworldnews.com/headlines/1717/manigator-found/
Be sure to make plans to attend Jake’s 12th annual 75th birthday party in 2018: http://jakethealligatorman.com/
*2020 Update!*
Sadly, Jake’s birthday celebration – scheduled for Saturday, August 1st – was cancelled. But that did not stop Mr. Gator from donning a birthday hat, a couple feather boas, and celebrating with friends and fans who might happen to stop by his house. Of course, HE was NOT socially distancing but this friend was. Perhaps next year. Be sure to mark your calendars for August 7, 2021. It’ll be a party.
2021 Update – Jake’s birthday celebration has been cancelled for this year. Man, poor Jake is not feeling the love these days.
As American as Mother’s Day…
…and Apple Pie!
May 9, 2023
This is a reposting of a Classic Tuesday Newsday from May 9, 2017. It has been updated with a personal story.
As American as apple pie and motherhood… is the celebration each year of mother’s everywhere. It was on May 9, 1914, that President Woodrow Wilson
signed a proclamation which designated the second Sunday in May as the day
to show ‘love and reverence for the Mother’s of our country” who had lost
sons in war. The proclamation decreed that the American Flag be displayed on
government buildings.
Of course the intent of the original holiday has long since been hijacked by commercialization. I doubt Anna Jarvis – the woman who pushed for the
proclamation –envisioned today’s celebration.
The modern American efforts can be traced to May 9, 1905, the day Jarvis’ mother died. Distraught by her loss, Anna committed herself to continue her
mother’s work.
From the infallible Wikipedia:
“In 1868, Ann Jarvis, mother of Anna Jarvis, created a committee to establish a ‘Mother’s Friendship Day’, the purpose of which was ‘to reunite families that had been divided during the Civil War.’ (The senior)
Jarvis – who had previously organized ‘Mother’s Day Work Clubs’ to improve sanitation and health for both Union and Confederate encampments undergoing a typhoid outbreak – wanted to expand this into an annual memorial for mothers, but she died in 1905 before the celebration became popular. Her daughter, who became almost obsessed with her, would continue her mother’s efforts.”
The idea caught on, and with the passage of the proclamation in Congress, soon people were purchasing cards and flowers for Mom and taking her to dinner. Jarvis was appalled by this and spent the rest of her life fighting against what Mother’s Day had become:
“She was arrested in 1948 for disturbing the peace while protesting against the commercialization of Mother’s Day, and she finally said that she ‘…wished she would have never started the day because it became so out of
control …’”
Anna Jarvis lost that battle. Today Mother’s Day is the third most popular day to send greeting cards (eclipsed only by Christmas and Valentine’s Day). It’s estimated that $18.6 BILLION will be spent this year. Approximately 87
percent of all consumers will participate and spend, on average, $152.
So, if you want to honor the Mom’s in your life the traditional way, forgo the commercial cards and just write a note, don’t take her to dinner but do take her to church, give her a carnation and fly the American Flag… and, men, be prepared to sleep on the couch.
Update May 9, 2023: As I was reflecting on this post today I was struck by how much my world has changed since May 2017. At that point in time I was going back and forth from my home in Western Washington to Yakima about once every three or four weeks. My mother was then living at Apple Creek, an adult family home. Her mind had been ravaged by dementia, she was unable to walk, and conversations with her were at a basic level.
For a few years, by then, I had wondered each time ‘is this the last Mother’s Day with my mom?’ As it turned out, 2017 was that year. On May 14th I was in Yakima to give Mom a card and spend some time with her. Just over six months later she was gone.
Things continued to change. I lost my dad in October 2019 and my father-in-law in July 2022. The only one left of that generation still with us is my mother-in-law (MIL). At 95 there are good days and bad days and this past weekend the hubby and I drove the hour north to go visit her for an early Mother’s Day (I somehow got the date of Mother’s Day confused and was a week early. That sometimes occurs when you are focused on a topic and writing about something which hasn’t yet happened!)
But back to my MIL. She still lives in the family farmhouse, cared for by my sister-in-law and her hubby.
So I spent the afternoon visiting with my MIL. We reminisced – with the aid of a book one of her granddaughters put together – looking at some of the hundreds of family photos. For about an hour and half, my MIL identified various family members – all long since gone – and locations. We talked about the circumstances of her childhood; how her father had died of tuberculosis when my MIL was not even four years old. How it was that she came to be mostly raised by her grandmother due to the tumultuous life of her own mother.
As we perused the photos I used post it notes which I will transcribe to labels and add to my copy of the book in the near future, the genealogist in me not wanting to lose this important family history. We talked and visited until it seemed she was tired and it was the right time to take a break.
Later, after sharing a dinner with the family, we took our leave. Hugs were shared and promises of ‘yes, we’ll come back soon’ were given. And we will.
I think Anna Jarvis was absolutely correct. Mother’s Day really should be a day about honoring our mother’s with the greatest gift we can give them: our time and attention. That, afterall, is what Mothers everywhere cherish most.
For more interesting facts about Mother’s Day:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother%27s_Day_(United_States)
… Barnum’s Animal Crackers
… on the porch
April 18, 2023
This is an update to a Tuesday Newsday Classic from April 18, 2017
April 18th… it conjures up that most famous poem by Longfellow which begins…
“Listen my children and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year.”
But that’s not the important topic this week. Nor is our topic the catastrophic earthquake which all but destroyed San Francisco on April 18, 1906.
No, today we honor the Animal Cracker. Yes, April 18 IS “National Animal Cracker Day.”
The crackers were first imported to the United States from England in the late 19th Century. They proved so popular that Stauffer’s Biscuit Company began production in York, Pennsylvania in 1871. It was in 1902 when they became known as ‘Barnum’s Animals’ and were packaged in the circus themed boxes which are so recognizable. Just prior to Christmas that year a string was added to the box so the cookies could be hung on a tree. Now, over 100 years later, the boxes still retain the string but I doubt many know why there is a string!
Some other interesting facts from the Infallible Wikipedia:
“Barnum’s Animals Crackers are all produced in the Fair Lawn, New Jersey, bakery by Nabisco Brands. More than 40 million packages of Barnum’s Animals Crackers are sold each year, both in the United States and exported to 17 countries worldwide. The cookies are baked in a 300-foot (91 m)-long traveling band oven. They are in the oven for about four minutes and are baked at the rate of 12,000 per minute. About 15,000 cartons and 330,000 cookies are produced in a single shift, using some 30 miles of string on the packages. This runs to nearly 8,000 miles (13,000 km) of string a year. Those bright circus boxes are produced in three colors – red, blue, and yellow – with different variety of animals on each.”
I know all of you would be disappointed if I didn’t share some personal anecdote which relates to our topic. So with apologies to Longfellow, here it goes:
Listen my readers and you shall hear
of the midnight antics from Senior year…
It cost but a quarter for of box of treats,
Yes Animal Crackers for boys that were neat.
Up to the front porch of our desire’s house
My friend Snide and I always sly as a mouse.
A poem attached to each as a clue
Just “who,” it asked, “left these cookies for you?”
The unlucky ones found bushes and trees
Draped with rolls and rolls of contraband TP
Animal Crackers, though, were more easily bought,
Since, heaven forbid, we didn’t want to get caught.
The animal crackers caper was a one year thing for me. The summer before senior year I had been dating a guy, but he had gone away to college in September of 1974. There were some letters exchanged, but it became obvious that the relationship was all but over. So, along with a few select friends, we had lots of free time on Friday and Saturday nights, especially since we were not the party hardy kind of girls.
There was this one guy from choir that I was maybe, sorta interested in. But I doubt he knew I existed.
To be sure, I’m not sure exactly how the whole animal crackers thing started. What I do know is that Toilet Papering houses was all the rage in the 1970’s but it was also a messy thing AND you were likely to get caught. There was another challenge in that local stores would not sell large quantities of it to teenagers, so obtaining it was problematic. Did I mention getting caught was not on my list of good ideas? Did I mention that I DID get caught once which was motivation to not have it happen again?
So instead of TP, we found the boxes of Animal Crackers at the 7-11 on 16th and Summitview Avenues in Yakima. We would then write out the poems on paper and tape them to the boxes. Finally, under cover of dark, we would drive to the street where the guy we liked lived, park a half a block away, and then sneak up to the porch to leave the cookies. We did NOT ring the doorbells or make any noise whatsoever.
To this day I have no idea if these guys ever figured out who left the boxes. That’s not entirely true. In the spring of my senior year, having never gotten any traction with Choir Guy #1, I left cookies one night for a new one – Choir Guy #2 – who I had actually gotten to know during practice for the annual musical. I’m pretty sure HE knew who left the cookies. We ended up dating for two years. So apparently the great Animal Crackers caper worked at least once. And all for a quarter and a little creativity
For those who want to know more about these tasty treats I direct you to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_cracker
barbaradevore.com 