In Defense  of Onions

It’s a real stinker. It’s thin outer peel clings to your hands; falls to the floor, and into open drawers Slicing  into it makes your eyes burn and tears flow. It's sulphur content is responsible for the discomfort.

These are small problems compared the benefits.  Onions are chock-full of nutrients yet low in calories. They are loaded witonionsh antioxidants,  have anticancer compounds, and regulate blood sugar and lower blood pressure They  also have antibacterial properties, boost digestive health, strengthen  bones, and may help  prevent osteoporosis. It challenges the old  adage “an  apple a day  keeps he doctor away,”   but who is willing to meet meet the challenge of eating  an onion each day!

Onions have  been around for a long time  Medieval doctors used them to treat headaches, heart  disease, and mouth sores.

Somewhere I read that Vidalia onions were discovered  in Texas.  Unable to find any more mention of  Visalia’s  and Texas, I decided it was a mistake...until I came  across “The Legend of the Texas  Sweet Onion.”

As the story goes, back in the 40s, the  Bermuda Islands grew a well-liked onion. and  were finding it difficult to meet the demand for its seed. And Texas farmers were struggling to meet the demand for this sweet onion.

In those days, the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station was using crossing techniques to improve various  vegetables, but had neglected the onion, the main Texas crop, because it was difficult to cross.

 In an attempt to meet the farmers’ demands, they contacted New Mexico's Director of its Experimental Station and found he had imported a high yielding variety from Spain from which he had selected a strain for New Mexico and named Bravo.

Texas tried this Bravo in a test field and when the neighbors saw the results they asked for all the available seeds.  

Finally, after more ups and downs and more cross breeding, the Texas bred Granex was created  and became famous world-wide under different names. 

In 1952  a Georgia farmer bought Texas Granex plants for  his farm and the Georgia Vidalia was created after being discovering in Texas. The Georgia  Vidalia and the Texas Grannex are the same although Georgia claims theirs is better because of the  low sulphur content of their soil. Because of this,  the State has limited it’s counties qualified to grow and market Vidalia onions

Now that  you know there are low-sulfur onions in the markets, pay a little  extra and   be a  happier cook.

A Bad Year For Gangsters

A Bad Year For Gangsters

In the 1920s and 30s crime was keeping all law officers,  including the FBI, busy During Prohibition, bootlegging (illegally supplying alcohol) ran wild. When  the law was repealed, those  most dedicated to a life of crime turned to bank robbing.

lBy 1945  some had become notorious.Two especially bad ones were   BonnieParker and Clyde Barrow. They and their gang operated  mostly in Texas and killed nine  law officers and  a few civilians.  They were killed in Lousianna in 1934. Years after their death, they were romanticized in a ballad sung by British singer George Flake.

Charles (((Pretty Boy) Floyd was another to meet his fate in 1934, He was a back robber and  somewhat  popular with  the public because he often destroyed mortgage papers while committing the robbery.  This relieved many borrowers from further payments. He was killed in  a shootout with the FBI.

John Dillinger was also a bank robber.. His two escapes from jail made him a popular subject  for the media, In 1934 he was killed in Chicago by the FBI  after being identified by his escort who who a red  dress.

Babyface Nelson (((Lester Joseph Gillis also known as George  Nelson) got  the nickname “Babyface” because of  boyish features and small size. He was hunted as both a bank robber and murderer. His main claim to fame was his association with John Dillinger. He died in1934 in a shootout with the FBI. 

With the death of  these five  criminals, the nation felt relief, but the reign of gangsters was not over.  Ma Barker reportedly ruled her sons’ gang ruthlessly and was killed  inn 19935.  Machine Gun Kelly was still alive, but in jail  He and his gang were kidnqpers, among other crimes, and were successful in collecting ransoms from two different kidnappings.  He was captured and jailed .After 21years there, he died of a heart attack.

Congress took action in 1934 and passed the National Firearms  Act   banning machine guns  and  other firearms adapted to automatic fire.

Thanks to the Lloyd Sealy Library for furnishing this information from its records of the Great Depression.

    

Old Friends Are Like Gold....both are worth hunting for

.https://rockingwithdannie.blogspot.com/2024/06/friends-are-like-gold.html 

This sweet lady was the baby sitter for our first child...eighty years ago .She was one of six children who lived next door during  www11 and had plenty of experienced from caring for her youngest sibling,  a little  boy a few years older than our child.

When the war ended,  our families  parted, promising to stay in touch,   but failed to  do so,   as is often the case. So the years went  by and the Internet  and  Google entered my life. so did nostalgia, so I played with my new tools and began a search for anyone with their last name. And I found someone, ‘way up north, the oldest daughter of the family, now listed as the spouse of a fellow with the winning horse in a notable horse show  She had married the ensign she was dating while we were neighbored–a nice ending to a wartime romance.

Further googling took me to my long ago baby sitter,  all grown up with five daughters and living  in  California.     Several phone conversations  folowed as we shared the years gone by.

Another high point was getting to visit with Alice and Louis, her parents and our good neighbor of long ago, at their 50th wedding celebration. 

I love Google.