Feeling Much Better

I guess I was right when I said I had some kind of allergy or head cold going on, just like I get every year because after taking NyQuil Thursday night and DayQuil yesterday morning, I was feeling pretty much back to my old self yesterday. Not that my old self ever feels all that great, but you get the point. The keyword here is old. And to the many people asking, yes, I did take a COVID test, and it was negative. If my symptoms persisted or return, I would have another one done. But I don’t see a reason for it at this point. As I said, this is an annual event and nothing new for me.

Speaking of COVID tests, something that every rookie cop or newspaper reporter quickly learns is that witness statements are often unreliable. I once had three different people describe a car involved in a hit and run as as white, gray, and blue, and it turned out to be light green. It doesn’t necessarily mean the witnesses are trying to deceive you, people just don’t see things, and they often miss more than they see. Here is an example. A friend sent me this test result, and I sent it out to over 20 people on my Facebook friends’ list. Only one person, my son, caught it. Everyone else just said they were glad I was negative or urged me to get a second COVID test in a few days, just to be sure.

As I’ve said many times here, I love doing research for my books, and yesterday I was researching the Bonus March of 1932. Back in 1924, Congress passed the Soldiers’ Bonus Act, which awarded World War I veterans (it was actually called the Great War back then because nobody could ever perceive of a world gone that mad again) $1.25 for each day they were overseas and $1 for each day spent stateside. But the money wasn’t earmarked to be paid out immediately. Instead, veterans were issued Certificates of Service that would not mature for twenty years.

But with so many people out of work during the Great Depression, in 1931 Congress approved a measure giving veterans a percentage of the compensation as a loan against their full bonus. President Hoover vetoed it, arguing that the government did not have the money to do that. This resulted in as many as 25,000 veterans (estimates vary widely), many with their wives and children, going to Washington, D.C. to demand their bonus payments. In a shameful abuse of how this country always seems to treat our veterans, they were called Socialists and Communists and driven out with tanks, bayonets, and tear gas.

While I was researching that, I was also researching the rise of gangster Yonnie Licavoli in Toledo, Ohio, during the Great Depression. This was one bloodthirsty monster who made even Al Capone seem like a nice guy in comparison. At least Capone set up soup kitchens to feed the hungry during the Depression. All Licavoli did was murder and take.

I knocked off in the afternoon because my friend and fellow author Frank Butterfield stopped in for a visit. Frank is a great guy, and we always have a good time talking about books and writing and life in general. As Terry said when he left, whenever we get together, the hours just seem to fly by, and we always learn something from the time we spend with Frank.

And finally, here’s a chuckle to start your day from the collection of funny signs we see in our travels and that our readers share with us.

Be sure to enter our latest Free Drawing. This week’s prize is an autographed copy of The Vigilante by W.R. Hill. It’s the tale of a former CIA covert operative who left the business and settled down in a picturesque small New England town, wanting nothing more than a quiet life as a homemaker and a mother. But when an act of violence shatters that dream, she puts her old skills to work again, taking the law into her own hands.

To enter, click on this Free Drawing link or the tab at the top of this page and enter your name (first and last) in the comments section at the bottom of that page (not this one). Only one entry per person per drawing please, and you must enter with your real name. To prevent spam or multiple entries, the names of cartoon or movie characters are not allowed. The winner will be drawn Sunday evening. Note: Due to the high shipping cost of printed books and Amazon restrictions on e-books to foreign countries, only entries with US addresses and e-mail addresses are allowed.

Thought For The Day – It amazes me how much exercise and extra fries sound alike.