The Elves and The Shoemaker

Dear Friends,
I hope your week was good. Mine was good. But my youngest daughters was not. On Friday her husband her and their little girl (Granddaughter) were going down the highway when they hit a deer. The son-in-law got a very soar thumb. The daughter got a very sore ear and a bruise on her shoulder. Mostly from the air bags and the seat belt. Granddaughter is fine. But she keeps saying deer, and car broken.The car, is not so good. It's going to a task for them to figure out what to do next with the car.
I don't know about you, but this has been a very challenging year for us.

Anyway, here is the next story from Riverside Literature Series:

THE ELVES AND THE SHOEMAKER

There was once a Shoemaker who worked very
hard and was honest. Still, he could not earn
enough to live on, and at last all he had in
the world was gone except just leather enough
to make one pair of shoes. He cut these out at
night, and meant to rise early the next morning
to make them up.
His heart was light amid all his troubles, for
his conscience was clear. So he went quietly to
bed, left all his cares to God, and fell asleep.
In the morning he said his prayers and sat down
to work, when, to his great wonder, there stood
the shoes, already made, upon the table.
The good man knew not what to say or think.
He looked at the work; there was not one false
stitch in the whole job; all was neat and true.
That same day a customer came in, and the
shoes pleased him so well that he readily paid a
price higher than usual for them. The Shoe-

maker took the money and bought leather
enough to make two pairs more. He cut out
the work in the evening and went to bed early.
He wished to be up with the sun and get to
work.
He was saved all trouble, for when he got up
in the morning, the work was done, ready to his
hand. Pretty soon buyers came in, who paid
him well for his goods. So he bought leather
enough for four pairs more.
He cut out the work again over night, and
found it finished in the morning as before. So
it went on for some time. What was got ready
at night was always done by daybreak, and the
good man soon was well to do.
One evening, at Christmas time, he and his
wife sat over the fire, chatting, and he said:--
"I should like to sit up and watch to-night,
that we may see who it is that comes and does
my work for me." His wife liked the thought.
So they left the light burning, and hid them-
selves behind a curtain to see what would
happen.
As soon as it was midnight there came two
little Elves. They sat upon the Shoemaker's
bench, took up all the work that was cut out,
and began to ply their little fingers. They
stitched and rapped and tapped at such a rate
that the Shoemaker was all amazement, and could
not take his eyes off them for a moment.

On they went busily till the job was quite
done, and the shoes stood, ready for use upon
the table. This was long before daybreak.
Then they bustled away as quick as lightning.
The next day the wife said to the Shoemaker:--
"These little Elves have made us rich, and we
ought to be thankful to them and do them some
good in return. I am quite vexed to see them
run about as they do. They have nothing upon
their backs to keep off the cold. I'll tell you
what we must do; I will make each of them a
shirt, and a coat and waistcoat, and a pair of
pantaloons into the bargain. Do you make each
of them a little pair of shoes."
The good Shoemaker liked the thought very
well. One evening, he and his wife had the
clothes ready, and laid them on the table instead
of the work, they used to cut out. Then they
went and hid behind the curtain to watch what
the little Elves would do.
At midnight the Elves came in and were going
to sit down at their work as usual; but
when they saw the clothes lying there for them,
they laughed and were in high glee. They
dressed themselves in the twinkling of an eye,
and danced and capered and sprang about as
merry as could be, till at last they danced out of
the door, and over the green.
The Shoemaker saw them no more, but every-

went well with him from that time forward
as long as he lived.

I like this story. A good man getting help from the unknown in return helps them. It's something I believe in. Paying it forward in a way.

Here is one more short story:

THE ASS IN THE LION'S SKIN

The Ass once dressed himself in the Lion's
skin, and went about scaring all the little beasts.
He met the Fox, and tried to scare him too, but
the Fox stopped, and said:--
"Well, to be sure, I should have been scared
like the others, if I had not heard you bray and
seen your ears stick out."

I guess the lesson here is you can't fool everyone into believing you are a mighty Lion when you are really an Ass.

Here are three more things from Morning Star, Okinawa February 21, 1963:

Well that's all I have to share with you today.
I hope you will come back soon for more Fading History.
Till then.
Your friend,
Sandy

Morning Star, Okinawa; February 21, 1963

Dear Friends,
I hope this finds you all well. Me? The same. It looks like I will have the two dogs for a very extended amount of time.
The weather here, as it is for most I believe, is not the kind of weather most want this time of year.
The other day when the husband was letting the dogs out into their outside pen, one of them started barking at something. First he thought maybe a deer. But no deer. The he looked in the tall grass. He was what he thought was a big cat. It was a big cat, a "Bobcat". He got the dogs into the house got a gun and shot into the air to scare it away. So we have to be careful when we let the dogs out. There is also a pack of coyotes in the neighborhood.

Anyway, here are two short stories from the Riverside Literature Series:

First up:

THE CROW AND THE PITCHER

A Crow that was very thirsty found a Pitcher
with a little water in it, but the water lay so low
that she could not come at it.
She tried first to break the pitcher, and then
to overturn it, but it was both too strong and
too heavy for her. She thought at last of a way,
for she dropped a great many little pebbles into
the Pitcher, and thus raised the water until she
could reach it.

Crows are a smart bird. I have heard of them actually doing this. Just another very smart female.

Second:

A COUNTRY FELLOW AND THE RIVER

A stupid Boy, who was sent to market by the
good old woman, his Mother, to sell butter and
cheese, made a stop by the way at a swift river,
and laid himself down on the bank there, until
it should run out.
About midnight, home he goes to his Mother,
with all his market goods back again.
"Why, how now, my Son?" says she.
"What have we here?"
"Why, Mother, yonder is a river that has
been running all this day, and I stayed till just
now, waiting for it to run out; there it is,
running still."
"My Son," says the good woman,"thy head
and mine will be laid in the grave many a day
before this river has all run by. You will never
sell your butter and cheese if you wait for
that."

I do wonder what this boys name was.
I think all he wanted to do was be lazy and not do what he was told and blame something else for him not doing what he was told. Just being a stupid boy.

I have part of a newspaper from Okinawa called Morning Star. It's from February 21, 1963.
Here are a few stories from it.

I think this was a time when Uncle Kenny may have been stationed in Okinawa. Or maybe Uncle Peter. Not sure which one right now.

Well, that's all I have to share with you today.
I hope you will come by again real soon for more Fading History.
Till then.
Your friend,
Sandy

Little Red-Riding -Hood: Riverside Literature Series

Dear Friends,
I hope this finds you all well. Me? Well I know have two little dogs at my house.

 This is Little Foot. (Sometimes called Little Man)

This is Lucky.

They belong to my mother in law. Last weekend she had a stroke. It is going to be a while for her to get better. So in the mean time her dogs are living with me.

Anyway here is the next story from the book.

LITTLE RED-RIDING-HOOD

Once upon a time there lived in a certain
village a little girl. Her mother was very fond of
her, and her grandmother doted on her even
more. This good old woman made for her a
red cloak, which suited the child so well that ever
after she was called Little Red-Riding-Hood.
One day her mother made some cakes, and
said to Little Red-Riding-Hood:--
"Go, my dear, and see how grandmother
does, for I hear that she has been very ill.
Carry her a cake and a little pot of butter."
Little Red-Riding-Hood set out at once to go
to her grandmother, who lived in another village.
As she was going through the wood she met a
large
wolf. He had a very great mind to eat
her up; but he dared not, for there were some
wood-choppers near by. So he asked her:--
"Where are you going, little girl?" The
poor child did not know that it was dangerous
to stop and talk with the Wolf, she said:--

"I am going to see my grandmother, and
carry a cake and a little pot of butter from
my mother."
"Does she live far off?" asked the Wolf.
"Oh, yes. It is beyond that mill you see
there, at the first house in the village."
"Well" said the Wolf, "I will go and see
her too. I will go this way; do you go that,
and we will see who will be there soonest."
At this the Wolf began to run fast as he
could, taking the nearest way, and Little Red-
Riding-Hood went by the farthest. She stopped
often to chase a butterfly, or pluck a flower, and
so she was a good while on the way. The Wolf
was soon at the old woman's house, and knocked
at the door-- tap,, tap!
"Who is there?"
"Your grandchild, Little Red-Riding-Hood,"
replied the Wolf, changing his voice. "I have
brought you a cake and a pot of butter from
mother." The good grandmother, who was ill
in bed, called out:--
"Pull the string, and the latch will go up."
The Wolf pulled the string, and the latch went
up. The door opened, and he jumped in, and
fell upon the old woman, and ate her up in less
than no time, for he had not tasted food for
three days. He then shut the door, and got into
the grandmother's bed. By and by, Little Red-

Riding-Hood came and knocked at the door--
tap, tap!
"Who is there?"
Little Red-Riding-Hood heard the big voice
of the Wolf, and at first she was afraid. Then
she thought her grandmother must have a bad
cold, and be very hoarse, so she answered:--
"Little Red-Riding-Hood. I have brought
you a cake and a pot of butter from mother."
The Wolf softened his voice as much as he could,
and called out:--
"Pull the string, and the latch will go up."
Little Red-Riding-Hood pulled the string, and
the latch went up, and the door opened. The
Wolf was hiding under the bed clothe and called
out in a muffled voice:--
"Put the cake and the pot of butter on the
shelf, and come to bed."
Little Red-Riding-Hood made ready for bed.
Then she looked with wonder at her grand-
mother, who had changed so much, and she
said:--
"Grandmother, what great arms you have!"
"The better to hug you, my dear."
"Grandmother, what great ears you have!"
"The better to hear you, my dear."
"Grandmother, what great eyes you have!"
"The better to see, my dear."
"Grandmother, what great teeth you have!"

"The better to eat you." And at this the
wicked Wolf sprang up and fell upon poor Little
Red-Riding-Hood and ate her all up.

I know we all know this story has many different versions. But I think this is the original one of it. What is your favorite version?
 

Here are couple of little articles I found:

 Lawrence J. Ecker is a relation to my Grandma Johnson.

 I wonder how this one turned out for John Jewel Sr. I wonder what motivated him to do this and if he had ever done anything like that before of after.

Well, that's all I have to share with you today.
I hope you come back soon for more blasts from the past.
Till then.
Your friend,
Sandy

Little One Eye, Little Two Eyes, And Little Three Eyes: Part III

Dear Friends,
I hope this post finds you all well.
Here it's been  a challenging few days. First the husband had surgery to have a couple of screws taken out of his ankle. They were put in a couple of years ago when his ankle was broken. He is doing fine. On crutches and hobbling around but doing good.The second thing that happened was my mother-in-law had a stroke on Saturday. So right now it's a waiting game to find out how she is. I'll try to keep you posted on how she is doing from time to time.

Anyway here is the final chapter of : "Little One Eye, Little Two eyes, and Little Three Eyes"

      III.
The Prince.

While they stood by the tree, the Prince
came riding near on a fine horse.
"Quick, Little Two eyes," said her sisters,
"creep under this cask; we are ashamed of
you;" and they threw an empty cask over her,
and pushed the golden apples under it. The
Prince rode up and gazed at the splendid tree.
"Is this splendid tree yours?" he asked of
the sisters. " If you will give me a branch
from it. I will give you anything you wish."
Then Little One Eye and Little Three Eyes
said the tree was theirs, and they would break

off a branch for him. They put out their hands,
but again the branches sprang back. Then the
Prince said:--
"This is very strange. The tree is yours,
and yet you cannot pluck the fruit."
They kept on saying that the tree was theirs,
but while they were saying this, Little Two
Eyes rolled a few of the apples out from
under the cask. The Prince saw them, and
asked:--
"Why! where did these golden apples come
from? Who is under the cask?" Little One
Eye and Little Three Eyes told the Prince
that they had a sister.
"But she does not show herself," they said.
"She is just like other people. She has two
eyes." Then the Prince called:--
"Little Two Eyes! come out!" So Little
Two Eyes was very glad and crept out from
under the cask.
"Can you get me a branch from the tree?"
"Yes," said Little Two Eyes, "I can, for
the tree is mine." Then she climbed the tree
and broke off a branch. It had silver leaves
and golden fruit, and she gave it to the Prince.
Then the Prince said:--
"Little Two Eyes, what shall I give you for it?"
"Oh," said Little Two Eyes, "I suffer hunger

and thirst all day long. If you would take me
with you, I should be happy."
So the Prince lifted Little Two Eyes upon his
horse, and they rode away. He took her to his
father's house and made her Princess, and she
had plenty to eat and drink and good clothes
to wear. Best of all, the Prince loved her, and
she had no more hard knocks and cross words.
Now, when Little Two Eyes rode away with
the Prince, the sisters said:--
"Well, we shall have the tree. We may not
pluck the fruit, but every one will stop to see it
and come to us and praise it." The next morning
they went to look at the tree, and it was
gone.
Little Two Eyes lived long and happily.
One day, two poor women came to her, and
asked for something to eat. Little Two Eyes
looked at their faces and knew them. They
were Little One Eye and Little Three Eyes.
They were so poor that they were begging bread
from door to door. Little Two Eyes brought
them into the house and was very good to them.
Then they both were sorry for the evil they had
once done their sister.

What do you think the lessons are here?
To me it's a kind of Cinderella story. But instead step sisters and step mother they are her blood family. Blood family can be just a nasty to one another as step families can be.
But even though they were so mean to her she still showed them kindness when they needed it the most.

Looking through somethings I've picked out an obituary for my great grandmother Mrs. Rose Ecker:

It is laminated. 49 years ago.

Here is thing some people might be interested in:

I found this re-elect card for Senator Heden and then his obituary and decided to show them both.

Well that's all I have to share with you today.
I hope you will come back next time for another story and what ever else I have to share with.
Till next time.
 Your friend,
Sandy