REMINDER:  One day left (today) for “The World Is My Country” online, Dec. 17 for on-line gathering with the producer of the film.  Details here (scroll down to Third Thursday).

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December 14, 2020: Merry Christmas. Here’s Bing Crosby’s rendition of Silent Night.

In a few days it’s Christmas.  Cathy always does the tree, we’ve downsized over the years from real tree, to a large artificial tree, to a small one.  They’re always nice.

Dec 14, 2020

Downstairs is the creche set I purchased from a Palestinian in Jerusalem in January of 1996 – it’s now 25 years old.  All of the figures Olive wood.  Previously they’ve been on the mantle of the fireplace.  This year on the coffee table.

Dec. 14, 2020

There are other “Christmassy” evidences around.  But this year is very different in our town, and yours as well.

Today is Election Day in the Electoral College in what used to be the United States.  The election is proceeding as I write.  This is the country in which I’ve lived my whole life, now in turmoil.  A new experiment of a tribal country prevails this Christmas.  Hard to find “silent night, holy night” here.  Are you in the acceptable tribe?  Or not.  We will make nice with the loser.  That’s easy.  In “win-lose” everyone is a loser in the other sides eyes.

And there’s Covid-19, of course.  For me, that trip began March 6, 2020.  What follows are a few random photos, mostly from my daily short drives in the nearby areas.  Just a few views of the last 10 months…more months of this to come.

Grim reminder at Basilica of St. Mary March 15, 2020. Final open-to-all Mass day in 2020.  I ushered this day, the last large public event I attended.  Attendance was very low compared to normal….

Forsythia, late April, 2020 Woodbury MN

The day after urban terrorism at 27th and Lake, Minneapolis the end of May, 2020. My good friend owned a popular restaurant right behind the burned out building. It, too, went up in smoke the next day. The ruins remain as of this day. (See final photo, below)  I think the perpetrators of the fire are still at large, but for how long?

Deer near walking route Juy 30, 2020

Fall colors early October, 2020, St. Paul MN

Nov. 7, 2020. I watched this ‘project’ all summer along my walking trail. One time I saw the kids and their Dad working on this build, using deadfall from the woods. It was a good use of time, I felt. Sometimes it would change shape, or number of structures. This was the latest and perhaps last for the year.

A declaration of resilience at Gandhi Mahal, the restaurant of my friend, burned down at the end of May, 2020. Photo: Oct 31, 2020. (The restaurant was next door to the burned out building in the photo above.)

This day, Dec. 14, 2020, the state electors chose Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as incoming President and Vice-President.  Their inauguration is January 20 2021.  This was the day of the first U.S. innoculations for Covid-19.  This is a day for hope, though the wars continue.

This day, also, came an e-mail from JoAnn, my former state legislator, who is one of those active in changing the conversation about politics.  She included some quotations which deserve sharing as our history as a country hopefully proceeds towards national healing:

What are your memories of the year now past?  What are your commitments for the year about to begin?  All best wishes for a hopeful Christmas and New Year.

A quotation that sticks with me: “If it is to be, it is up to me.”

POSTNOTE;  Monday Dec. 14 Just Above Sunset: History here

COMMENTS (more at end of post):

from SAK:

Thanks Mr Bernard that is so moving, those memories & thoughts of peace.

I remember a quote from the Boston Herald I came across once. This was written in 1913 most probably and proclaimed that Great Britain, the United States & Germany had reached such a level of civilisation that war between them was unthinkable. And then there was World War I or The Great War.

Well even during that dreadful slaughter the guns were silent the first Christmas & carols rang out! A film was made about that truce.

The original Silent Nightwas in German & composed by an Austrian& I was just watching parts of The Great Escape which I had first seen decades ago . . . Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, James Garner, James Coburn, David McCallum & many others. That was the other & even worse disaster: WWII.

Can we be sure that there won’t be other major wars? Difficult to bet against it! With economic distress & rising nationalism it’s usual for violent passions to take over. ” Against stupidity the gods themselves rage in vain,” Friedrich Schiller:

Predictions  & forecasts point to a sad 2021 but hope springs eternal & I wish you & yours a Merry Christmas & a glorious New year.

Response from Dick: Thank you.  Re the 1914 Truce, for those with access to public television, a wonderful musical was made last year in the Twin Cities, and has aired twice recently on PBS.  It is titled “All is calm”, as I recall, and about the 1914 Truce.  The powerful song, Christmas in the Trenches, by John McCutcheon is readily accessible on-line at YouTube.

from Larry: There are several children’s book versions of the Christmas Truce story.  The one I’m most familiar with, SHOOTING AT THE STARS, is in my December SUN POST column, link here.

I begin Pearl Harbor Day with a commentary entitled “This Particular Civil War”.  Read it later, but please read it, and think about its implications for all of us.

Nov. 8, 2020 S. St. Paul MN.  My daughter did a project to remember veterans on Veterans Day.  Her great-uncle Frank’s poster was among these (below).

This Dec. 7, I ask readers to watch a movie, and think about how it applies to all of us, in the present day.

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This Dec. 7, the documentary film, The World Is My Country, the amazing story of WWII veteran and peace activist Garry Davis, is my focus.  Davis’s death merited a long front page obituary in the New York Times July 28, 2013.

Garry Davis was born in 1921; Pearl Harbor brought his older brother and himself into the military; his brother was killed in 1943 when his Destroyer was hit off Italy.  Garry’s dilemma of conscience began when he bombed a German city, killing German civilians not unlike the Germans he daily worked with in the theater in New York City.

Davis was in his 20s when he made a difference to change the conversation, and he engagingly tells his story himself, as an old man.

The film is being offered free on-line for a week through December 16, and I encourage you taking the hour to view it.

This film has recently been placed on the recommended list for scheduling by America’s public television stations.  Disclaimer: I’ve been supporting the production of this film since I learned of the project in 2011. I found it to be an excellent vehicle for catching young peoples interest and promoting discussion.  Do watch it.  I think you’ll reach the same conclusion.

(Yes, I’m sure you’ll be asked to contribute.  I’d encourage that too.  If you’re interested in participating in an on-line conversation with the movie producer the evening of Thursday, December 17, make your request to me dick.bernard@icloud.com.)

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A FAMILY STORY THIS DAY. Since 1981 – I recall how it happened – I’ve  annually remembered the death of my Uncle, my dad’s brother, Frank Peter Bernard of Grafton ND, on the USS Arizona, Dec. 7, 1941.  Enter “USS Arizona”  in the search box of this blog and you’ll find many links, likely all relating to my Uncle Frank.  Today’s post is a variation on the others.

Largely war stories have always concentrated on young males, sent to fight, and often die, for their country.  Uncle Frank was 26, probably old among the victims that Sunday in Honolulu.  War and Peace is not a simple conversation.  I have a grandson in the Marines; I know antiwar people including a good friend who went to prison for his beliefs.  I’ve served myself, and come from a family for whom service was expected and a duty.  But there is a place for all in this conversation.

As noted, there are many military veterans in my family and circles, including myself.  There are many stories, told and untold.  For a single example: across the street is friend Don, 91, who did his two years in Germany after WWII (the reconstruction years).  His memories often go back to those years.  Some years ago he gave me a CD, which I’ve again listened to in its entirety: Danny Boy: John McDermott.  The link (clink to enlarge) has the play list of this marvelous CD; several cuts of which directly relate to war and its consequences.  Most likely you can easily find all of the songs on YouTube.

Today’s Family Story

Frank Bernard was my dad’s younger brother, born 24 July 1915.  He joined the Navy Sep, 1935; assigned to the USS Arizona Jan 1936, died aboard the Arizona Dec. 7, 1941.  He served his career on the Arizona.

Frank Bernard, Honolulu pre-Dec. 7, 1941

In 1942, Mom’s brother, George W. Busch, (born 11 Jan 1916), completed Naval Officer training; and thence spent three years as an officer on the USS Woodworth (DD 460) in the Pacific Theatre.  His Destroyer survived the war.  They landed at Tokyo Sep 10, 1945, and he arrived home through Portland OR in late October 1945.  He began his career as a public school science teacher.

Naval officer George Busch with family and new spouse Jean Busch with Busch family, May 1944.  He was on leave and married his college sweetheart.  From left, back row, siblings Edithe, Art, Vincent and George.  Standing front: Sibling Esther, mother Rose, wife Jean, dad Ferd.  Kids in front row, Mary Ann and Richard.

Personally, I was one year old when Pearl Harbor happened.

In May and June, 1941, I traveled by car from North Dakota with my parents and grandparents Bernard, destination Long Beach, California. This included an apparently unanticipated visit with Frank Bernard, while the Arizona was berthed at nearby San Pedro.  My Aunt Josie lived in Los Angeles, and since 1937, Grandma and Grandpa usually spent part of the year in Long Beach.  Many others did the same.

What follows is part of a 1941 Shell Oil road map of the U.S.  The actual trip is described in two earlier posts, linked below, in which my parents describe the general routes we followed to and from.

Here’s a pdf of the same map: 1941 road map west U.S.

Here and Here are two previous posts about the 1941 road trip to and from California from North Dakota.  They didn’t take the trip to be remembered by history, but certainly they did contribute to our knowledge of this time.

Enjoy.

Late June 1941, Long Beach CA, from left: Henry and Josephine Bernard, Josie Whitaker, Frank Bernard, Richard, Henry and Esther Bernard.  Grandma Josephine wrote on the back of this photo: “Taken June 22, 1941 at Long Beach.  The first time we had our family together for seven years and also the last.  This is where we lived.”

One year ago this time of year, was one of the worst times of my life.  I usedcomputer a lot, innocently, and I was maliciously and viciously hacked.  It wasn’t till the end of January 2020 that I was back in business, older and hopefully wiser.

It is not easy to be ‘wiser’.  Most recently, today, a simple family letter with replies and a forward went somewhat awry, some recipients had trouble reading the text – too small, or too wide – the sort of thing all of us experience crossing technologies, platforms and whatever.  A real letter, with stamp, is preferable, but an e-mail is so much more convenient, faster and easier to transmit to more people, instantly.

Can’t win for losing (for my family, and anyone else interested, I’m passing along the earlier communication at the end of this post, about music in my ancestral family.)

On a more positive note about technology and its partner, real paper, it is daily being confirmed that the fears of interference in the 2020 Presidential election did not materialize.  On Sundays 60 Minutes former cybersecurity director Chris Krebs confirmed that this election was not disrupted by mischief.  One of his biggest shoutouts was to paper ballots, which can and did confirm the accuracy and security of the technology used in this election.  (Krebs was fired by Tweet by President Trump.)

High tech has great positive potential; and great potential for peril.  Hackers, mis- and dis-information by global evil-doers require caution.  For me, a learning from my bad experience is to no longer have passwords saved, and to go through the process of turning off the computer when I’m off-line, and re-signing in each time.  Nothing is a guaranteed.  But more diligence, not only just by myself, makes serious problems less likely anyway.

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Now, here’s the family story (which happens to be about music in the old days) which even non-family members might find of interest.  This story essentially continues three Thanksgiving time posts on the same general topic, here, here and here.

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Music in the family: the errant e-mail chain.

Nov. 28, Mary: Hi guys and I fully expect I put the wrong e-address for Dick.  Auto population and advanced years keep me sort of annoyed!

from Dick, Nov. 28: Well, quickly for now.  Strasburg and Berlin are about 100 miles apart (here).  Grandpa was born in 1880 and they moved to ND in 1905 and Lawrence was  born in 1903, and there is no lore that the Busch’s ever met Welk, though they certainly would’ve loved the music.

I went out to the Welk home in rural Strasburg with Vince and Edithe one time (here).  It was just a small typical rural farm place which was a tourist attraction.  The year after Edithe died (2014) a niece of Lawrence came down to St. Rose from Jamestown and talked to the residents about her uncle.  (Photo). That was the closest call I think they had to the man.  The Nursing home audience was very attentive!

I have a letter somewhere from Aunt Josie, Dad’s sister that says that Grandpa Bernard and Lawrence Welk were friends.  This is plausible, because from the late 1930’s through most of the 1950s Bernards wintered in Long Beach, and during the 50s Lawrence Welk was very prominent in the LA music scene, and the odds that Bernards went to see him from time to time is pretty good.

That’s about all I can offer.

Frank, Nov 30: There was a piano in the Yellowstone West Thumb employee rec hall and one summer I learned a few chords (ie C, D etc) while on break from my busboy job.  That would have been 1960s.  Later on at the Busch farm I sat down at the old upright, opened up the keyboard and did a little chording.  Grandpa  was very interested and got out his fiddle and we did a few tunes — all of course limited by my minuscule musical ability.   So, if Grandpa played with Lawrence and I played with Grandpa, you know someone only twice removed from Lawrence Welk.  That, and $2.50 will get you a tiny coffee at Starbucks, should they ever be allowed to reopen, of which I am becoming less certain of as days go by.

Dick, Dec. 1:  I think Grandpa Bernard is the one who may have actually met Lawrence Welk in California, per Aunt Josie’s recollection.  Of course, no way to prove that, either!  No doubt, Grandpa Busch was a country fiddler when he was young.  He apparently read music, rather than improvise.  He had a small group and played neighborhood dances, like in Grand Rapids.  The Busch’s were all interested in music, it seemed.  I wonder what finally happened to the old piano, which I tried to research years ago.   Attached is a photo of Grandpa, fiddle and family about 1912 or so.  He would have been in his early 30s.  Grandpa is holding the fiddle, Grandma is behind him.  Mom would have been 3, probably to Grandma’s right.  I don’t know for sure who the other people were.

Busch family with visitors about 1912. Ferd is at center with the fiddle; Rosa stands behind him. At the time there were three children. Lucina is in front of her parents, Esther, my mother, is to her sisters right. A younger sister, Verena, is probably not in the picture. She was born in 1912. The other children are from the other family(ies).

 

In addition,  I wanted to note that the picture was taken at the west wall of the original house.  Where they were standing was likely what later became the living room where the piano stood.  Mom’s memories (p.124-25 in the Busch-Berning family history) says “After I left home [about 1928] the folks acquired a rather badly worn piano but it was a real boost to the musically inclined in the family.  Lucina had taken piano lessons at the [St. John’s] Academy [in Jamestown] and she would chord or play the melody while Dad played the violin and the rest of us sang, both hymns and popular songs.  Dad bought a lot of sheet music and seemed to have most of the current songs in his repertoire.  He could read notes and that helped with the violin.”

  On page 120 Mom says “Rural entertainment was something else.  We used to have Yoeman club dances in the Yoeman building in Grand Rapids once a month during the winter time.  [Dick: I think the building still stands on the Main Street of Grand Rapids and was remodeled]. We would go with sled or buggy, bring a box lunch and dance until two o’clock in the morning.  Many of the dances were square dances and quadrilles.  My dad was always the fiddler with some assistance from other musicians in the area.  I even played the banjo one night along with the dance band.  There was always a good piano player at least good at chording and rhythm.  If the children got sleepy they slept on piles of coats in the club kitchen and many slept the whole night long.”

At my Thanksgiving post a couple of days ago, my brother, John asked me a family history question in the comments section.  I answered the question as best I could.  Thinking about this business of family and Thanksgiving got me to thinking about family gatherings generally in the old days.

Busch family Dec 1942, George center, back. from left, Mary, Florence, Rosa and Ferd, Art George, Edithe, Esther, Vincent and Lucina.  (Verena died at 15 in 1927).

Luckily, the families from which I spring did a more than middling job of documenting life.  In those days, long before today’s technology, photography was not a simple matter.

From my own experience, any time we came to the farm, before we left for home Grandpa would haul out the old 1910 box camera and take a single picture, as the above.  As years went on, as children married additional cameras would document the farewell.  The above photo includes all of the children, someone’s husband, probably Uncle Duane, Lucina’s husband, clicked the shutter.

Not all photos were dated (by pencil on the back).  This was the case with this one.  Family historians have to become amateur archaeologists, so it is with this one.  Things like Lucina’s coat give clues.  I’ve concluded this one was probably late 1942, when Uncle George was making his last visit home after completing training at Great Lakes in Chicago, enroute to three years as an officer on the Destroyer USS Woodworth (DD 460) in the Pacific theater in WWII.

This would have been a pensive time.  We were at war.  Esther’s brother-in-law Frank Bernard, had gone down with the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor a year earlier. The oldest child in this photo would have been 35.  Grandma and Grandpa were about 58 and 62 (they died in 1972 and 1967 respectively).

There was a certain rhythm to all of these family gatherings.  Weather dictated such visits, so they usually happened in non-snow times, usually spring, summer and fall.  There is no apparent snow in this picture, but no snow in December was not unknown.

If one child came home, likely two or three others were there as well.  Six of the kids were unmarried, three of them living at home.  The visitors came and went home the same day – motels were less available and the house was very small.

Dinner for company was farm fare.  Usually, the meat course was chicken.  Grandma would assess how many chickens were needed to feed the group. Fresh or canned vegetables and home-baked bread and dessert were always part of the meal.  This would have been after the Great Depression so food was probably plentiful.  Hard work kept the folks slender….

The house would have been very crowded this day in 1942.  Bathroom?  The outhouse.  There was radio, and telephone, no television.  Electricity wouldn’t come through rural electric till about 1949, though by 1942, the had a wind charger with storage batteries.  Entertainment? Probably a game or two or whist or canasta before the visitors headed for home.  And there was alway some singing.

Yes it was the old days.  ‘

Happy Thanksgiving.

POSTNOTE:  More about the Busch and Berning family at the North Dakota Historical Society.  Search archive collection 11082.  The collection is not yet complete – Covid-19 caused me to cancel my summer visit in 2020.  Maybe next year….