Part 16

All the frantic effort our country put into the at times unreal world of wartime activity at home and abroad, had it not produced a positive outcome, would have been ultimately meaningless. Such a frenzied atmosphere constantly changes the lives of those caught up in it. The only stable anchor many had to cling to were thoughts of wife and children, family and home, and in no small measure this proved enough to see us through those years.

As our children grew George began to go places with me much of the time. He was a happy, curious, adventuresome little boy, the very traits that sometimes got him into trouble.

One time we stopped to check as freshly baled hay was being stacked at the end of a field, and George quickly climbed to the top of the stack. There he found a bottle of whiskey the workmen had stashed. Removing the cap he took a big gulp, then almost passed out before he could catch his breath.

Another time he found a can of aluminum paint and a brush in the barn. Prying the lid off the paint he started out painting parts on a tractor. Then he removed his shirt and painted his belly. Next he painted his lower body and legs. Mary and my mother worked for the better part of an hour getting the paint off of him with paint thinner and rags, then scrubbed him clean in the tub.