Quilts

For some years now my wife has been making quilts. Most of these quilts have been donated to Access Community Health and designated for their perinatal clients (I think that is medical speak for a woman around the time of birth. The prefix peri refers to around the time of). The quilts are about the size of a lap quilt. This is a story of her quilting for charity.

One benefit of her organizing and reorganizing what she organized is that she took stock of scrap material she had from her many years of sewing quilts, and clothes. Frugal with her fabric, she cut the fabric into pieces to make quilts. This is just like it was done in the old days when quilt making was an pioneer way to use fabric scraps, to make something useful. We purchase the batting and she uses larger pieces of fabric for the back of the quilt. In some of her quilts I could recognize pieces of fabric which brought back memories of their use, mainly in clothes or items for our sons, although she recalled much more than I did. The quilts are well liked at Access Community Health. Her first donation was to Hospice, but they never again contacted her after her initial donation so they apparently lost interest. She came across someone who works for Access Community Health and she has been making the quilts for that organization, specifically the perinatal care unit ever since. Access Community Health will take all she can make. 

It looks like a tackling dummy
but it is batting for the homemade quilts

The high demand for the quilts poses a couple problems. First, she has run out fabric and scraps and has depended on fabric received from other people like friends, cousin, her mother, and some of her mother's friends. That supply ran out. Access Community Health so wants the quilts they took up a fabric collection for her and awhile back dropped off a few big boxes of fabric that she is now using. Not all fabric is useable for such a quilt, however.

On 29 November they contacted her and told her they were down to four quilts, and wondered if she had more. Luckily she had a supply ready to go, which they picked up the same day. Access Community Health delivers 20 to 45 babies per month. A quilt seems to be offered to the perinatal clients and some will take a quilt, others not. As only females and nurses can do, the staff at Access Community Health ooh and aah over the quilts, because they can become a prized possession to a young mother and her infant child. My wife was told that her quilt was the only covering one mom had for her newborn, which was wrapped in the quilt when the mom and baby came to appointments. 

Quilts awaiting pickup, 29 Nov 2023

So far, my wife has donated 284 quilts, of which 264 of those went to Access Community Health and the perinatal clinic.  (This is those that have been kept track of, the total may well be greater.) This keeps her down in the basement, I refer to it as her dungeon, for good parts of many days. It is for a good cause. It also keeps her out of my hair for a bit of time. As the saying goes: "A retired wife is a husband's full time job." Or, do I have that saying backwards?

On 9 Dec she saw a post on Facebook Marketplace of a person selling a homemade quilt; it turned out to be one of her homemade quilts which she had donated to Agrace Hospice. The woman said she bought it at a quilt sale. Her handmade quilts have obtained buyer status. Apparently the family who received the quilt, or Hospice itself, sold the quilt to make a few dollars.

Quilts are cozy and comforting, wrapping infants, children and adults to keep them warm on cold days of the long winter. It is like comfort food. It is a great gift, from a hearty and kind soul, to welcome an infant into the world.

Fourth Week

The week of Dec 17 we celebrate the third week of Advent. Next week, or to be more precise, one day we celebrate the fourth week of Advent. The fourth week of Advent is like me, a middle child. We are always squeezed by the older siblings and younger siblings, and the fourth week of Advent is squeezed between the end of the third week and Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Because Christmas falls on Monday this year, the fourth week of Advent is a day, just one day. Yet, the 4th Sunday of Advent is a religious event, not a secular event, so it is not even a day. It is, maybe, 16 hours. I came up with sixteen hours as the time from midnight to 4 pm; why 4pm?  Four in the afternoon happens to be the time when a mass, in this situation Christmas Eve mass, counts to Christmas Day. So, sixteen hours maximum. By the church calendar, the fourth week gets short shifted, just like a middle child. If a household has an Advent wreath, that wreath, I suspect, is only lite during the evening meal, not at breakfast or at lunch. Many persons now start celebrating Christmas on Christmas Eve, and Christmas Eve is the 4th Sunday of Advent. It does not take a genius to know what takes precedence. It is not lighting that fourth purple candle. As a middle child, I can certainly sympathize with the fourth purple candle. 

Advent Wreath, Google Images

Middle children, are well, caught in the middle. But, that allows us to build resilience. We are not used to attention, and we go on working hard and doing what is required of us. Yet, there are more practical ways in which we middle children were affected. In terms of clothes, got both hand me-downs and hand me-ups. For my college graduation, I wore the suit my younger brother wore to his 8th grade graduation. One thing about us middle children, we were at the vanguard of the reuse movement. In society today, there are fewer and fewer middle children, and our general culture may well be the worse for it.

The fourth Sunday of Advent, gets little attention. The first week of advent is exciting as we prepare for Christmas, and that carries over to the second week. Then comes the third week of rejoicing as the day draws near. Heck, the third week even gets its own special Advent color candle--rose, or pink. Then there is that fourth week  of Advent, ignored as much as a middle child, but still resilient in playing its role no matter how short its week is. It really does not get much respect, either by people, or even the Liturgical Calendar. Middle children have their own day, August 12. This choice speaks a great deal, as it is only a five days after the middle of the summer solstice. I am not sure who made this selection, but I guess it is better than 3 Feb, which is halfway through the winter solstice and the day after Groundhog's day. 

Malcom in the Middle, he may be the most famous 
middle child, due to the television show.
I only saw part of the show once or twice

Of course, last year Christmas was on a Sunday, which meant there was a whole week of days of the fourth week of Advent, but since Christmas Eve was on a Saturday, it really fell a day short. I am not sure the fourth week of Advent is able to build much resilience since its days change so regularly. Next year, because of a leap year, the fourth Sunday of Advent will be three days. Maybe Pope Gregory, when setting the Gregorian Calendar (went into effect in 1582), decided to throw an extra day to the fourth week of Advent. Although that is countermanded by the leap year of 2028, as in 2028 we will be in the same situation as this year--Christmas on a Monday, and the fourth week of Advent being less than one day. Like a middle child, the fourth Sunday of Advent just cannot get a break. 

Yet, like us middle children, the Rodney Dangerfield's of the family, the fourth Sunday of Advent, the Rodney Dangerfield of Advent, keeps showing its resilience, by showing up every year, no matter how short it is celebrated. Here is to the 16 hour celebration of the fourth week of Advent. May its star shine bright in its short lifespan. 

Alexa Weather

Last week Friday night, my wife was already in bed, and while I was in the bathroom to get ready for bed. While brushing my teeth, I could hear Alexa going on about something, but I could not understand what the device had to say. When I got in bed the wife tells me we are to get almost a half inch of rain that night. This was a surprise, since I had just looked at my weather app and it said to expect up to quarter inch. Why did it all of a sudden double?

The comedy resulted when my wife tried to get Alexa to reinforce her earlier statement about near a half inch of rain. She must have asked varied versions of "Alexa, when is it going to rain?" which sometimes triggers and amount, but Alexa did not provide an amount. She then tried something like: "Alexa, how much rain are we supposed to get?" That only elicited the response that it might rain and what ever percent chance. I think it was on the wife's fifth try when Alexa finally gave an amount. It was .24 inches. This aligned with up to a quarter inch my weather app had. I am not sure what had me laughing more, her questioning of Alexa that Friday night, or the incompetent and poor play of the Packers on Monday night against the Giants. The Packer team as a whole was a comedy of errors. 

Alexa device

Weather apps are not always accurate and neither is Alexa. Perhaps, it is near several weeks ago when it was cloudy and looked threatening, and had rained, and I looked at the weather app for rain, and it said for the next few hours about 17%. My wife went for a walk with her walking partner and I left on my bike ride. I got to Lussier Center and turned around and a few minutes later it started to rain. So much for an 83% chance that it would not rain in my vicinity. It would be my luck.

I hurried home, to avoid getting too cold. I thought the wife would already be home, but she was not. I was well soaked and had to dry my shoes and orthotics not to mention the clothes I had worn biking. I am hanging my wet clothes up in the basement to dry when the wife arrives home. Unbeknownst to me she and her walking partner had changed their route. I think the first thing she says to me is she heard my cough when she was walking down Exchange St, and without a stop says, "I saw you blow through that intersection." "That intersection" is the main four way stop in town by the Gazebo. The worst part was her tone and the look. Because they changed their walking route, I was caught blowing through the intersection. I think I would have been better off if a constable had stopped me.

The intersection I blow through

There are times when she is pretty much right on. For example, one time I asked when it was going to rain, and the device responded, "Rain is expected in five minutes." And sure enough, in five minutes it was raining. The best part is when asking for the wind speed. "It is breezy right now with winds at 2 mph, and expect a light breeze today at 12 mph." I still don't know who 2 mph is breezy and 12 mph is a light breeze.

And, just last night, my wife is sure she heard Alexa say the low was about 29, when in fact when the 6 am weather had it as 18 degrees. Now, these two scenarios point to one of two, although possible a combination of issues: 1) that Alexa can be wrong, or 2) that the wife needs her hearing checked. I can already hear her reaction! It will be worse than her stifling comment when she said, I saw you blow through that intersection." Ouch!

I have come to believe that Alexa is appropriately a female in both voice and name.  After all, when I play question of the day she rattles on about varied things at the end, trying to get me to join some trivia club, or see if I am smarter than a fifth grader. I am not sure what weather device she uses for her information, but perhaps it needs an upgrade.

The Team

A few years after my mom died in 1980, my dad remarried a woman named Barbara. Dad was generally known by his middle name Bernard. At the time, the A-Team television show, with Mr T, was a hit, although I never watched it, even I heard about it. At that point I started calling them the B-Team. Some of my siblings and their spouses became teams--L-Team, J-Team, P-Team. My wife and I became known as the T-Team, which we use in our common email address. While we are under the radar, so to speak a new T-Team is making waves throughout the country.

Last night, before going to bed I suggested to my wife that there is a new T-Team, Tay and Trav. She seemed perplexed for a bit who Tay and Trav are, and I wondered if it would be up to me to explain the current cultural phenomenon that certain people can not get over. It is a sad situation if I am the one who has to explain a cultural trend. 

Last week it came out that the nation's newest power couple, that he calls her by a shortened version of her name Tay, and last night, some Green Bay Packer post I see on Facebook had her referring to her male friend in a shortened version of his name-Trav. These nicknames have been referred to as sweet. I think, how original. But the fashionistas who clamor over such stuff, and go gaga, over this new power couple. Of course, I am referring to the new T-Team--Taylor Swift, an award winning singer-musician, and Travis Kelce, a tight end for the World Champion Kansas City Chiefs, and the favorite target of THE BEST QB in the WORLD, Patrick Mahomes. I am not sure how many times they referred to the Chiefs as world champions. Which is kind of odd, because, as far as I know, every team in the NFL is from the United States. But, marketing does such things.

Taylor must be important, or at least to Time magazine, who identified her as their Person of the Year. I just saw that this morning, so I am not sure if it is related to Trav at all or not. Trav has made headlines in his own right, and he and his brother and mother became a phenom of sorts during the Super Bowl last year as Trav's brother Jason plays for the Philadelphia Eagles, who lost to KC in the Super Bowl. The mother, who has made sure to garner more than 15 minutes of fame sucked that all in and now even appears in a vaccine commercial with Travis. 

A cultural phenomenon even I am aware of
Source: Google Images

For much of this football season one could not get news on a football game without hearing about Taylor and Travis and what games she may attend. I think things got rather dicey when she upstaged Patrick Mahome's wife, but things were apparently patched over as they now share the same luxury box. I suppose the NFL did not wish a fit to occur between the wife of THE BEST QB in the WORLD, and their now world famous tight-end. They shared a luxury box at Green Bay last Sunday night. A former KC Chief player did not like Travis spending part of his bye-week in South America while Taylor was on tour. 

Before, the game, I was wondering if the number of times NBC would show Ms Swift would turn into a drinking game. I watched the whole game, perhaps a first for this year, and only saw one instance where they focused on the luxury box containing Taylor and her entourage. Taylor is so important, that she arrived with her entourage an hour before game time, when it was snowing, in two large black SUV's at the loading dock of Lambeau Field. I am not sure what is worse going through the check in line, or being dumped at a loading dock. I don't know if Green Bay put out the red carpet for her or not. Monday morning, the local newscaster played part of the song "Lady in Red" and reported on some fashionista web site who tracks such things, about Taylor Swift arriving at Lambeau Field in a flowing red coat. She appeared to have a black outfit on in her box. Meanwhile, it was reported that there was a fan frenzy over Taylor Swift at Green Bay's Lambeau Field, which you can see in this news report. As an aside, in that news report, when it shows her walking at Lambeau, I swear it is Matt LaFleur walking behind her from left to right. I think he was wondering what the fuss was all about. He just went up a notch in my mind.

L: Tay and Brittany Mahomes in Lambeau Luxury box
R: Simone Biles on the Field

What is little said, is that Green Bay QB Jordan Love, outplayed THE BEST QB in the WORLD, and did it facing a better defense than the one THE BEST QB in the WORLD faced in the Joe Barry led Green Bay Packer defense. The broadcast team really liked to focus on Patrick as the THE BEST QB in the WORLD. They may not use that exact phrase, but that is what they mean. They were so wanting some penalties so he could direct a KC comeback that was not to be. The referees apparently not getting the message from the NFL Commissioner and Swiftie fan Roger Goodell. Roger has enjoyed the attention the NFL has obtained by the nation's newest power couple. Me not so much. Luckily, I only had to take one shot of brandy in my drinking game of how often they showed Taylor. 

As an after thought, the NBC broadcast team then mentioned that Jonathan Owens, a back up safety for GB, is married to Simone Biles. Simone Biles is the most decorated, and perhaps greatest gymnast ever. Which is saying a great deal given how many Soviet Bloc gymnasts were very good. I guess this shows that to the adoring American public musical talent overshadows athletic talent. Simone was on the field at Lambeau to watch her husband play. I suppose if a player careened off the field, she could do vault right over him. I suppose I have heard a Taylor Swift song, but I have to say I probably would not recognize it. 

Jordan Love's girlfriend and Mother
at 2021 Packer game in Kansas City
Described by even Chief fans as worst seats in the house.

Simone on the field, and Taylor in a luxury box. Two years ago Jordan Love had his first start as an NFL QB (his only start until this season) when the Packers played at Kansas City. His mother was present to watch the game, but was placed at the top seat level of the stadium, and I don't mean a luxury box. Quite a contrast to where Brittany Mahomes and Tay watched Patrick and Trav play in Green Bay this past Sunday night.

Jordan Love's comment on his mother's seat 
during the 2023 GB-KC game at Lambeau Field

While Tay and Trav may become known as the T-Team, I can say we have had that moniker for over 34 years. I heartily welcome this power couple as another T-Team, as long as they don't try to fly under the radar more than my wife and I. 

Wayward Elk

Last week there was a rare sighting in sleepy McFarland. On "Black" Friday, an elk was spotted on Hwy 51 near Farwell St, near the Maple Tree. My wife had seen a Facebook post this past weekend. Bull 357, as it is known by the WIDNR, is three years old and is/was out looking for love. When the wife first saw the post she thought it was a joke. Then more reports came in of the sighting. The poor wayward elk is a subdominant bull and is looking for a mate. 

The poor subdominant bulls have a difficult time finding a mate, since most mating in the herd occurs with the dominant bulls, the lucky fellows. Hence, a wayward elk is not unusual, since they are left in the cold. Wanting to avoid a cold shower, bull 357 has traveled many miles. He first headed easterly out of Jackson County and the Black River State Forest to the Waupaca area, then then northwest to Wausau and further northwest to Taylor County. Not finding anything to his liking, he again headed southeasterly to the Shawno area, and then westerly to the Wisconsin Rapids area. It is from here he headed south to the Madison area. I have not heard of where he is five days later.  A television news report is available here.

Elk in McFarland
Source: channel3000.com

In 1989, the state legislature directed the DNR to evaluate the reintroduction of elk, moose and caribou into the state. They determined that the reintroduction of elk could succeed, but moose and caribou likely would not. Reintroduction began in 1995 in the area of Clam Lake. In 2013 they were also introduced in the Black River State Forest, with 150 elk from Kentucky being introduced over a five year period, with those 2013 elk split between the Black River State Forest and the Clam Lake area. Ten years after the reintroduction at the Black River State Forest, 155 to 160 in that area, which adds to the 355 in the Clam Lake area, for about 500 total elk in Wisconsin. 

Elk in McFarland
Source: channel3000.com

A recent news report indicated that the four randomly selected hunters by the state had met the quota. They did not say what the quota was. For some reason, I think they should be hunting more deer right now as deer pose a much greater pest to the ecosystem and cars. Deer eat the forest saplings such that there are now insufficient young trees to regenerate the forest ecosystem. Elk are also herbivores.

The DNR has been tracking this bull, and one wonders why it did not tell people to be on the watch as it headed into the more populated south part of the state. Wayward Bull 357, in the meantime, is roaming the state looking for love in all the wrong places.

Cool Biking

The week of Nov 12, was for the most part, fairly warm for this time of year. With a normal high in the upper 40's, high temperatures that week were in the 50's, and even a couple days in the low 60's. Most of those days, however, it was very windy. When it comes to late fall biking, I have yet to figure out a few things out.

Biking in cooler weather and the wind poses some interesting challenges. First, there is a difference of a strong wind, as experienced on many of those days that week, with the exception of Wednesday when the wind was not as strong. For some reason, biking against a strong wind seems more difficult in cold or cool weather than in warm weather. Biking on 18 Nov I was against a wind stronger than I thought, and going up a hill I am usually in gear 11 or 12, but I had to go down to gear 9. Is the wind worse in the fall due to lack of vegetation, or when crossing the lake on the longest bike bridge in the United States, it whips across cold water? For example, Sunday, Nov 12,  even though the wind was strong it was from a south-southeast direction, so I was not much bothered until the last couple miles home. Further, the days that are warmer in the fall also seems to be the ones with strong winds. I think it was Tuesday of that week that the strong wind seemed to change direction and at parts I swear I was heading into that wind on the way to the Lussier Center and on the way back home. Biking on 11/20, I thought I was fortunate that the wind to Lussier was not bad at all, and then at my turn around point things got bad, most of the trip home. 

Part of main route

The sun can also make a difference in how I dress for biking on a cooler weather day. Although as the days shorten, the sun is not near as intense at its low angle, and so its affect is being minimized. It is still better than biking on a cloudy day. On days when I have not been buffeted by the wind I generally extend my route in town another 2.25 miles. 

Second part of main route

But, beyond how I dress or bike in this cooler weather, I am surprised about the varied dress of the people I come across who are walking. I often get amused, and sometimes it lightens my struggle with the wind. I realize that the wind can create a windchill, but still it has not been unusual to see people dressed in winter coats with their hoods up at 50 degrees, and at the same time others may be in shorts or short sleeve shirts. One amusing person was walking his dog and had on shorts, but layered with long sleeved shirts, and a polar fleece ear coverings. I also have seen, with weather in the 50's people with heavy winter coats and bomber hats. It made me wonder what those people do when it really gets cold. Perhaps they stay inside all day. I would guess that most people I have seen have been dressed in a midweight coat. I did bike on Monday of this week when temperature was about 38 or 39 degrees, and my weather app had a 5 to 6 mph wind. I was surprised to see about ten other bikers on my bike bridge route. I guess I am not the only stupid person. I was going to bike outside Tuesday, but the wind seemed too strong.

In the end, as I bike in the cooler weather, the challenge may be how to dress, but I do get some amusement in people watching as I bike along the paths and trails.

All the Light

The wife's book club is currently reading All the Light We Cannot See. It follows two main characters, a blind French woman, who with her father escape Paris in 1944 to stay with relatives in St Malo who are members of the French resistance. The second character, is a young German soldier taken from an orphanage due to his savant nature with radios is given the chore of tracking down illegal broadcast locations, one of which is in St Malo. The wife and I just concluded watching the Netflix mini-series based on the book. During WWII My father had a connection to St Malo, France, through his attachment to the US 83rd Infantry Division. This is what I can piece together of that story.

While watching the mini-series I heard St Malo mentioned and that village name seemed familiar to me. I looked up the battle and Wikipedia did not disappoint. The lead general's name for the US was Robert Macon, who was the head of the 83rd Infantry Division. I then found a summary of the battles of the 83rd Infantry and sure enough there was St Malo. Or, perhaps, it was an article about my dad when he was discharged from the army that stuck in the back of my mind, but could not quite recall. In any event, the town seemed to mean something to me. 

Part of After Action Report, Campaign for St Malo
References materials captured

In the story and movie, the allies are bombing the city and environs, and conversations occur in varied groups such as German soldiers, French citizens and resistance about the coming US advance. In real life, St Malo had a port which the Allies viewed as necessary for its supply chain as it moved into the continent. General Omar Bradley assigned the task of obtaining the city and its environs to the 83rd Infantry Division. The 83rd Infantry's After Action report does not say anything about a bombing campaign, although a non-military source indicates it lasted about ten days. My dad was one of fourteen Counter Intelligence Corps (CIC) agents attached to the 83rd Infantry Division. At varied times, some were attached directly to one of the three regiments, while others were attached to headquarters. We know, from a letter my father wrote to a Thomas Johnson (28 Apr 1965) who was writing a book on the CIC and looking for information on the surrender of 20,000 Germans, that he was always assigned to the 83rd division headquarters. He also noted that at least one agent was permanently attached to each of the three regiments. However, he pointed out that there were times when he was sent to the regimental level. He self-described as a "trouble-shooter" going where needed as difficulties arose. 

Part of 4 Aug 1944 83rd Infantry CIC attachment
Morning Report

By the daily morning reports, we know that on the night of 3 or 4 August the CIC division headquarters moved to Pontorson, France, which is about 20 miles westerly of St Malo (it shows in the Aug 4 Morning Report). However, they were only there one night as the next morning, 4 or 5 Aug (9:00 am) they departed and set up HQ in Chateauneuf, which is five miles south of St Malo. Dad confirmed this in a 5 Aug letter home, where he says "We are in a new city right now and its wonderful to be in a place where there is little evidence of destruction and almost normal. We have rooms in a fairly nice hotel which the Germans stayed in. They toasted us with wine and are cooking our rations for us." But more interesting is this comment in the same letter: "They are happy to see us, more so than where we were before." On 10 Aug they moved once again, to St Servan, which adjoins St Malo. Moving was in concert with battle actions. The After Action report for August 1944 is dated 1 Sep 1944 and notes near its beginning that "Due to the extreme fluidity of the campaign and its rapid culmination, comprehensive Order of Battle Information in the conventional sense was unobtainable."

Part of pp 2&3, After Action Report, St Malo Campaign

War is intractable, and one never knows what will occur. Let me turn to the After Action Report for to provide a brief insight into the battle. It first notes that the enemy numbered over 12,000, of which 8,000 were concentrated on the St Malo side of the river. (Interestingly, when Bradley was making his decision he placed the German troop level at about 6,000.) The After Action report further notes that the quality of the troops varied greatly. "Permanent defenses were elaborate and were prepared over a long period of time."  It also commented that "Captured maps and overlays and information from FFI sources showed that these defenses were designed primarily against an attack from the sea." The Germans thought the Allied invasion would be in Brittany, of which St Malo is a part, not Normandy. The report specifically calls out "A map captured on 5 August revealed the following as the main enemy units to face us on the ST MALO side of the RANCE RIVER." (Capital letters in original.) It then identified six regiments and a security battalion. 

Present time Google Air Photo
St Malo and St Servan

The report goes on say, that regardless of design, tough land obstacles were in place, it then identified the varied obstacles the infantry division faced, including road blocks of concrete, twisted barbed wire, "and mined fields covered by AT guns." The 83rd Infantry attack on St Malo started on 6 Aug with the capture of outlying towns, although it noted that inferior troops were deployed along the outer defense lines. By 13 Aug St Malo, with two other towns "were in our hands, but our troops had to fight from house to house to wrest the city proper from the Germans." Allied bombing had destroyed most of the buildings in the city. After the fall of St Malo itself, the nearby Citadel, a rock and concrete fortress described as "practically impregnable" remained in German hands. The commanding German officer, General von Aulock, refused to surrender and the battle for the Citadel continued until von Aulock and "571 officers and men, including 200 marines" finally surrendered on 17 August. During the entire campaign, the 83rd infantry division captured well over 12,000 prisoners. Aulock did not like a static assignment and he, who had served in the Battle of Stalingrad, had hoped to command a mobile force.

Final Surrender, p4 After Action Report, St Malo Campaign

In the mini-series there is a German officer who has a mistress. Johnson inquired of my dad of a possible female spy named Franzeska Plourin, which, he said, my dad's commanding officer in the CIC could not much recall. Dad responded that he did not personally have any personal recollection of her, but did not think she could be the woman "whom the French underground uncovered immediately upon our entrance into Tours as the story behind that particular woman was to the effect that she had been living with a German commander in the area."  He believes, on the second or third day of having been entrusted to 300 Senegalese at the suggestion of the French underground, she became insane. He goes on to say that "Ordinarily, a mistress of a German commander would not be a spy...." In the movie I recall her asking the German officer to get her out to a different location, the officer wondered why she would want that. 

In a 9 Aug letter to his parents my father commented on the French taking care of things in their own way, when he wrote:

We are seeing numerous instances here where the civilians are taking care of the bad French themselves very effectively. They are a little late at it is the only trouble. In the last town we were at the people went & got 3 French gals who had been sleeping with the Germans & they shaved their heads. It was a pitiful sight to see them, afterwards, but the French are taking care of them in their own way.

 He did conclude by saying that there was not much he could write about, it was a busy time and "with all the confusion I can't write a very good letter either." 

Map of St Malo Area in France
Source The Thunderbolt history

We can see that the 83rd Infantry Division did a remarkable job in capturing St Malo and its environs in a relatively short period of time. However, the use of the port as a supply line for the US Third Army fell short of expectations due to significant sabotage to the port by the Nazi's which essentially nullified its use. The whole 83rd Infantry was held up for two weeks due to this mission. Patton argued it best to bypass it, so he did, cutting it off, and Bradley later assigned the 83rd the task of obtaining it. Some have argued that it would have been better to put the 83rd to more vital targets. My dad's brush with history is, however, more than simply being attached to the 83rd Infantry as a CIC agent. There is more to this connection.

A 26 Dec 1945 news article on his honorable discharge from the army notes that he received the Bronze Star "for capturing enemy documents at St Malo, France and for obtaining confessions from five enemy agents in Luxembourg." It would be interesting to know how and what enemy documents he obtained in St Malo, was it the maps and overlays referred to in the After Action report? Or, perhaps other documents that held even greater value to the larger war effort? This, we may never know. In response to Johnson, my dad commented:

As I look back on it now, I certainly am proud to have been a member of the CIC and especially of its 83rd Division detachment. However, the memory of that work is not pleasant, except in its long range effect. I would prefer to look upon it as a nightmare, simply having done the jobs we were supposed to do under the conditions in which we did them.

WSJ 26 Dec 1945

William T Sherman, one of the great Union generals of the Civil War once said, "War is hell." My dad's comments to Johnson certainly seem to fit that bill. In a letter home commenting on having received the Bronze Star, he noted that he was simply doing his job. Clearly, the US Army thought what he obtained at St Malo was important. I also wonder if the five enemy agents he obtained confessions from were those on trial in Luxembourg in mid December 1944. When he departed Luxembourg after the trial, he was shot at--one of the first shots of the Battle of the Bulge, which you can read about here. 

As for the mini-series, "All the Light We cannot See" did not say anything about an American CIC agent capturing enemy documents in St Malo. Only at the very end did we see US soldiers. Part of the job of a CIC agent was to find enemy spies, and that involved being in a place sometimes before the battle, after a battle, or both. I think dad would prefer to be under the radar, as he saw the war success as being from the solider with the boots on the ground having the greatest effect. As he said to Johnson in regard to the mass surrender of 20,000 enemy combatants, "the credit goes to the ordinary GI and his commanders in the field." I hope that the Allied cause gained a great deal from his captured documents than the ill-fated port. Among all of this brush with history, is the other part of the story---that I will now have to admit to the wife that I should read a book selected by her book club. 

Deeds

Readers will be familiar with the 1862 Homestead act, where the US Government provided 160 acres of land to a claimant, who had never taken arms against the United States, with the claimant being required to improve and cultivate the property. If after five years, the original filer had improved their holding, they could, for a small fee, own all of the property.  For a small filing fee and a cost of $1.25/ acre you could forgo the five year improvement and purchase the property outright. The west was settled due to the Homestead Act, which of course was at the time of the Civil War.  Most readers are probably not aware of the Bounty Land Warrant applications. There are bounty claims in the land ownership chain that my great grandfather Martin Hovel purchased in Iowa.

1852 Original Approved Land Survey,
Part of now T of Lincoln, Worth Co, IA
Source: see endnotes

The bounty land applications provided land to soldiers who served in a variety of US conflicts from the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and what are referred to as the "Indian Wars." Over the course of several years, Martin acquired three different parcels in the town of Lincoln, Worth County, IA. His first purchase, the home farm, deed was signed 21 Dec 1877 for the N1/2 NE1/4 section 34 T98N R20W (town of Lincoln) consisting of about 80 acres, although divided by a railroad, he also had a road running along the north and east sides of the property. No easement for the road is provided on the deed. The plat maps show the road fully in his section, not divided between sections. His second purchase was on 22 Sep 1891 directly southeast of the home farm at 47.91 acres, this parcel included a 20' wide access strip (which does not show on the plat maps). His third parcel, of 42.8 acres, adjoined the same rail line, was acquired on 28 Mar 1908. 

First part of deed US Government to Olive Hurlburt
Source:  see endnotes

All three have history in the Bureau of Land Management Records of being sold to a person who serve in a war. The first to a Revolutionary War soldier, the second to one in the War of 1812, and the third to those who served in the Blackhawk Wars. 

Property Assigned to Wm Stevens, by Olive Hurlburt
N1/2 NE 1/4 S 34
Source: see endnotes

At least for the main farm we know from news articles that Martin broke the prairie sod on that farm and was considered a pioneer farmer. When Martin and Amelia arrived in the area in the fall of 1877, the city of Manly, actually Manly Junction at the time, only consisted of two buildings, the railroad dept and the Harris (later Knowles) general store. This makes sense as the city was first platted in 1877 and was at the junction of two railroads, the Rock Island and the Chicago Great Western. Martin's brother John, appears to have moved to Worth County, town of Union in about 1873. Of their seven siblings all but Rose would eventually move to Iowa and all, at least for a time, farmed the land in the vicinity. It was the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad that ran through or bordered all of his three holdings.

P 1 of 1937 VA letter

P. 2 of 1937 VA letter
Source: see endnotes

Let me focus on the records for the home farm, purchased 21 Dec 1877. The whole NE1/4 of section 34 was acquired by Olive Hurlburt widow of Timothy Hurlburt who served as a private in the Revolutionary War. Hurlburt was born in Connecticut, and first volunteered in July 1776. He served in a Connecticut regiments. He moved to Berkshire County, MA in 1781 and married Olive in 1811. (town of Pittsfield), the same general area where my wife's Goff family lived. Timothy died 12 Jul1838 in Pittsfield. His widow was granted bounty land on 23 Mar 1855, and was about 84 years of age at the time.

1930 Plat Map
Source: University of Iowa

For some unknown reason on 3 July 1937 Mrs. Florence Lawton of Rockford, IL requested information from the Veteran Administration regarding Hurlburt's pension and his receipt of bounty land of 160 acres (the NE1/4 s 34). In response of 27 July the assistant director of the VA responded with detailed information. My grandfather Rudy Hovel owned the former Hurlburt bounty land at the time, having acquired the home farm from his father Martin by deed signed 14 Dec 1912. Rudy paid $8,400 for the home "80" and the 42.8 acres in section 27 (the latter acquired in 1908 by Martin). Rudy moved to Wisconsin in 1930, but continued to own the farm until he and my grandmother sold the farm to CW Broderson on 24 Nov 1942. It would have been interesting to find out why Lawton was interested in Hurlburt's pension as the VA was not aware of any children of the Timothy and Olive. Anyway, the deed is clear that ownership was promptly assigned to William H Stevens of Berkshire, MA and his heirs. The deed was signed by President James Buchanan on 1 Jan 1859. Iowa entered the Union as a state on 28 Dec 1846.

1913 Plat Map
Source: University of Iowa

The Stevens ownership set off a series of transfers, likely related mainly to land speculation which was rampant in the era. William H Stevens continued to live in Berkshire and sold the 160 acres to for $300 to Fayette Richmond of Mitchell, Co, IA on 27 April 1870. Less than a month later, on 24 May, Richmond sold the 160 acre property to John Butler and his wife for $600. Both deeds were recorded on the same day in June.

As the area started to develop land values started to increase. John Butler sold the 160 acres for $2,000 to L.S. Butler and his wife and the unmarried E.W. Smith. The deed was signed 8 Apr 1876, and recorded two days later. Within a few months they then sell the 160 acre property to Joseph Bohm by a deed signed 3 July 1876 for $2,000. Notarization of the signatures, of Smith occurred in Pennsylvania in August, but LS Butler did not have his signature notarized until 9 Sep, which is odd as his spouse, Julia's signature was notarized in early August. 

Bohm paid the same price for the 160 acres as did the sellers. 1876 was at the end of the panic that started in 1873 with major financiers over extended on loans to railroad magnates. Although, the true start was bank collapses overseas. Bohm would then sell the north half of the NE1/4 of section 34 to my great grandfather, Martin Hovel for $970. Martin married Amelia Duscheck in January of that year, and a pamphlet produced for Manly's centennial (1977) indicates couple moved to Iowa in the fall of that year.

The Three Parcels on a present time air photo

The U.S. government must have been having a fire sale on Iowa land. Martin's daughters grandfather, so my second great grandfather, Andreas Pitzenberger, acquired property in Winneshiek County Iowa, which is eastern part of the state on 1 Jul 1859. I am not sure how it was decided what land was bounty land, but I have to think the Manly land was just developing at the time. My grandmother used to clerk at a general store two of her brothers owned in Manly, the Pitzenberger General Store, and my aunt recalls Ida telling stories of how Native Americans would stop by and they would give them some food or other goods. I guess it is the least that could be done for a group driven from the land by the government. 

Martin Hovel deed to Iowa home farm
signed 21 Dec 1877
Source: Worth Co Recorder's office

Martin, by the end of March 1908 had large blocks of land which totaled about 171 acres, most arable. By contrast, Martin's dad, Josef, owned and farmed in Bohemia about 45 acres in 67 parcels, with about 24 acres of that arable. The rest was meadow with some woods. Martin's son, my grandfather, Rudy purchased the home farm and the part in section 27 in 1912. Martin, did not of course, till all the land at once. The 1880 census, using data from 1879 crops, reports that Martin tilled 45 acres that year. Not bad considering it was before tractors.

Signature block of Martin's home farm deed
Recorded 12 Jan 1878
Source: Worth Co Recorder's office

A land deed can provide a great deal of information. The early deeds tell us where the grantor and grantee were living, the price paid, and of course the legal description. It also provides dates which can be useful in tracking down people by location. For example, Martin and Amelia were married at East Bristol in January 1877, but in December they have closed on land in Manly, IA where they would break the prairie sod and start a farm and family. 

Sources/Endnotes: 

Hurlburt letter: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/196077693?objectPage=19 (also page 1-56)

Hurlburt Deed: https://glorecords.blm.gov/search/default.aspx#searchTabIndex=0

Initial land survey: https://glorecords.blm.gov

Other Deeds: Worth County Recorder Office. Big thanks to the kind public servants of said office who located and electronically provided the records to the author.

1977, Culver, Marjorie. Manly Memories 1877-1977.

Halloween Candy

Halloween is associated with candy that is given out to trick-or-treaters. Not desiring to have to put up with a trick, I like to provide candy to the few that come to our house. Years past, say 20 to 25, the neighborhood used to have many more children. The children have moved on, but many of the parents have stayed in their homes, altering the demographic makeup of the neighborhood. What type and how much Halloween candy does one dispense?

Bag of Candy, with most Snickers out

A couple weeks ago my spouse and I were at Farm and Fleet to purchase a belt for the rototiller, and a few other items. My spouse asked if I wanted to give out candy for Halloween, and I said yes. So we picked up a bag of what was reported to be 55 pieces of candy from Mars/Wrigley. The bag contained four types of candy: Twix, M&M's, Peanut M&M's, and Snickers. For some reason, I was thinking they would have a near equal distribution in the bag. That was not to be. They may have simply labeled the bag: Snickers with a few M&M's, Peanut M&M's, and Twix thrown in. 

First candy distribution

During Covid I started to place candy outside, with a nice sign asking themselves to help their self to two pieces. (One year I used a few, and had a teenage girl dump the whole bowl in her pillow case, so now I limit to two). During peak Covid, 2020, I went so far as to layout the bars in groups so they only had to touch what they picked up. The wife thinks I am taking the easy way out, by not answering the door. I know her passive-aggressive tactic, which is to have me keep getting up so I get sick of giving out candy. She is one of those who thinks we should no longer give out candy on Halloween. I am not one of those persons. Bill Gates said he likes to hire lazy people because they find the most efficient method of doing work--and hence can do more work. I have found, but that one incident, an efficient way of candy distribution.

Candy by type. Minus one Peanut M&M

Back to the candy bag allocation. When I was starting to set up a container with the candy, it seemed I kept pulling out Snicker bars. I decided to count what I had: 28 Snickers, 6 Twix, 15 M&M, and 8 Peanut M&M. I had eaten one Peanut M&M for which I had to delve to the depths of the bag. My take is that people must not like Snickers, because they put so many in. The anti-Halloween wife likes Snickers and provided the theory that they are likely giving out what people like and that is Snickers. My favorites would be what the bag had the least of. A Snicker bar is at the bottom of good candy bars in my opinion. 

My Sign

We have not gotten many trick-or-treaters the past several years, and with the cold weather for this Halloween, I doubted the number would increase. This year for the first round, I placed all 28 Snickers and two M&M's in the container. I don't put all the candy in the container at once, in case one person, like that girl, decides to go rogue and dump all candy in their container. I put about half in the container. Later I put out more candy. What I found was that 20 Snickers and both M&M were taken from the container. This means (small sample size aside) that 100% of the available M&M's were grabbed, but less than 75% of the Snicker bars, proving that children do not like Snickers as much. After putting out more candy we had no Trick-or Treaters. I turned off the light at 7:35 pm. I put out the Snickers, because if we have left over candy, I prefer it not to be Snickers. At two pieces each I can handle 28 visitors. The reason I ate one was to get the number from the advertised 55 to 54. I guess I should have counted before eating, but that Peanut M&M was just screaming eat me, eat me. 

The good news, we did not get tricked, and so even if they do not like Snickers, they were at least kind enough to know they got something. Maybe, just maybe there is some redheaded kid out there that likes Snicker bars. Kids are kids and will likely be happy with any type of Halloween Candy, even if a Snickers bar.

Drive Belt

A few weeks ago the now seemingly persistent rainy weather had provided a few day break. Even though we had a couple inches of rain a few days before, the soil of two garden plots was sufficiently dry to rototill up where plants had been harvested and pulled. I was doing the garden in Sun Prairie, where potatoes, eggplant, beans, tomatoes and a few other crops had been pulled up, I was about 1/3 of the way through when, the drive belt on the Troy-Bilt Pony rototiller broke.  Many years ago, perhaps about twenty or more, I had replaced the same drive belt. 

Year built--1989

Quite frankly, it is probably easier getting into Fort Knox, than to find the right drive belt for a 35 year old machine. I took the belt home with me and stopped at the hardware store. The guy looked up the number on the belt Troy-Bilt 9201, and said it was an odd size, at 23.5". I then went to the internet and found that one site claimed it was an odd dimension of 23 5/16" and others had 24. I then called Troy-Bilt and they said it was some fraction. Is it measured inside or outside diameter?

I then called two dealers that sell Troy-Bilt (the dealer from which it was purchased is out of business) and they suggested I get the part number. One tried to find the parts manual online, but could not find it. The following week on my next trip to Sun Prairie, I find the owner manual and luckily with it was the part catalog. I find the part number by reference to the diagram. Why there is a number on the belt and a separate and different part number, I do not know. I think an engineer, desirous of making things as difficult to follow, wrote the parts catalog. Armed with this information, I again called one of the two dealers, and now they wanted the serial number of the machine. Luckily I had found the serial number the prior week, but one digit was not discernable. I provide the information I have on the serial number, and missing digit was not required. So, all of this to find out they cannot even get the drive belt. The machine is dated 1989, so I figure it was about 33 or 34 years old, which is not too old for such machinery in my mind. I wanted to get an original manufacturer part, as I thought it would probably have the best fit. That was not going to be. The parts guy suggested going to Farm and Fleet. 

Model Number, was of no use

Armed with belt 9201 and the part number from the catalog I went to F&F and they looked up the part number and gave me a belt from a secondary manufacturer. I am not sure if it is the right size or not. I did put in on the tiller, but the ground was too wet to rototill, and with current rains I will probably not get it rototilled this fall.  I am not sure if the tines will turn under load of ripping up soil. When I think about it, it is quite a load the tiller has for doing what it needs to do.

One on-line belt, the cost at the store was much higher
maybe a different belt manufacturer.

Maybe I can get my brother-in-law to bring down his tiller that goes behind a large garden tractor off a rear PTO. That would make quick work, but it may take more effort to get the tiller on and off than to do the Pony, provided it works right with the new drive belt. One never knows when parts go out of stock. Hopefully, the drive belt I purchased and installed is the correct one. 

The Ramp

Last week Tuesday I made my weekly trip to Stoughton for book club. As I arrived, I saw some "tweens" riding in the parking lot on their bikes. I suppose the age range ran from about 10 to 13, and consisted of both boys and girls. Being about 6:15 pm, dark was starting to set in. I went in the building, and was about to head to the room when I heard some thumping. I went back to the door and saw the ramp, near the light of the outdoor on building fixture placed it near the entrance to the building.

The "tweens" were taking turns riding their bike up the small black ramp and then allowing the wheels to hit the pavement on the other side. This was the thump, thump, thump I had heard at somewhat regular intervals. I was rather amused watching them from the door. the boys tended to go much faster over the ramp, and the girls much slower. One girl was going so slow, I thought she would never get over the ramp. It caused a back up in the line. It also brought back memories. 

Evel K about to hit the land ramp, his take off ramp
to the left. I now know why my jump failed--
I did not have a landing ramp.
Source: Google Images, Sports Illustrated

When I was about that age, some of my siblings and friends would gather up varied lumber pieces and build a ramp on the downslope of our circular driveway. Evel Knievel was a popular stunt performer and showman, at the time, and he used a motorcycle to jump over varied things. I suppose we were channeling our inner Evel Knievel when we decided to place old pedal cars and tractors after the ramp we had constructed. I decided that I would go down the hill and over the ramp first, confident in my ability to clear the pedal cars and make a smooth landing. 

Going down the hill, I recall going up the ramp, and nothing else until I woke up as my dad was carrying me into the doctors office. I figured I did not make it over the cars. At least my bike was not heavily damaged. I recall it being my gold Schwinn American, a two-speed bike with chrome fenders. My twin brother, showing the difference in view of the two of us, opted for a Schwinn Sting-Ray with the banana seat. He has always been flashier in his tastes than I. Maybe I was presaging the later nickname some of my siblings gave me--grandma. 

Did that event cause me to become more cautious in life? If it did it did not have a real long-lasting effect--because, as I have been told by the wife, I am still somewhat injury prone. Jumping over the ramp, I have to say, was not the last dumb decision I made. Being older, a dumb decision today seem to have a greater effect on the body. 

As for the kids outside that door, when the next member of the book club was arriving, I heard one of the boys say "Hi, Grandma."  It was her grandson, and I found out he had just bought a new bike. He had out grown his old one and had been using his mother's bike, but she put a quick end to his use of her bike. Maybe she him go over a ramp. I cannot really blame her, as I doubt bikes are as well made today as was my Schwinn American. When the woman's sister-in-law arrived for book club she asked if Calvin had said hi to her, and she said yes, and then commented how nice he is still at the age he would acknowledge and adult. 

What this made me think of his how over 50 years later kids still do some of the same things. They could have been at home playing on their cellphones (yes, they have cellphones in Stoughton), or watching television, or here is a novel idea, even doing homework. But on this uneventful evening here they were riding bikes over a ramp. I hope next time they bring a bigger ramp and put pedal cars after the ramp to jump over. 

Creative Destruction

The transition to electric is creating a dynamic called creative destruction. As new technology advances certain industries have to adapt or change. In this, some jobs are lost and new ones created. Think of the photo-film industry, or the more basic camera industry where Smartphones are replacing cameras. Another example is there is no longer coal delivered to homes for heating. Creative destruction is also present in the automotive industry. It takes many fewer parts to manufacture an electric car engine than a gasoline engine. No catalytic converters to be stolen either. The auto strike is not just about wages, but the sense the union has that fewer jobs will be required in the future with the move to electric vehicles. Ford claims their new $1 billion battery plant, on which they have currently suspended construction, is being held hostage by the UAW.  In the meantime, Biden, who has been touting electric vehicles, visited the picket line for 15 minutes, spoke for one minute before heading to a fundraiser in California. 

The "big" three in the US, Ford, GM and Stellantis, have significant headwinds in competition with the union ask. The union, among many other things, seeks a 40% pay increase, but a 32 hour work week (essentially a 75% pay increase). Other head winds include the US publics continued support of purchasing non-union made vehicles. More than half the vehicles built in the US are foreign brands that are made in non-unionized factories. The Honda, Toyota, Subaru, Kia, etc. buyers are all buying non-American worker union assembled vehicles. For example, in Massachusetts over 70% of vehicles sold are foreign brands, California, the most populous state in the Union, is fourth at almost 65%. Non-union jobs at the plants generally result in lower wages, more temporary workers, and more profit than the three unionized brands in the US. 

Auto workers on strike

Of the ten states that purchase the highest percent of non-union assembled vehicles, all but one was a "blue" state, and of ten with the highest percent of union assembled vehicles were all "red" states. Apparently, there is a lack of support for the Biden American worker union agenda, at least the UAW. The American fascination with foreign vehicles is hurting the American union worker more than the bigwigs at the three companies.

Besides higher wages, lower profit margins, and lack of US union assembled vehicles being purchased, the union demands also come at a time of transition, or that creative destruction process. More so than at any time in the past, auto manufacturers need to invest in research and development to best accommodate the move away from gasoline engines. The transition to electric, and even perhaps hydrogen (or even another unknown fuel source) demands different ways of thinking and developing product. More money paid to labor means less funding available for research and development. With all these headwinds, can it be concluded that the US auto manufacturers are on a shoe string? Another head wind also comes from the Biden Administration in their proposed 58 mpg average gas mileage standard for 2032. It has been estimated that the big 3 will owe a whopping $10.6 billion in penalties a year, provided they are still in business, with $6.5 billion from GM. To put this in perspective, the total penalties paid TO DATE for not achieving past and current in place average mpg is $1.5 billion. When I was growing up with the oil crisis in 1979, many people talked about how the auto companies could make cars with 60 mpg or higher. That was a false narrative. One may get that with a hybrid, but if a gasoline engine could power a standard sized auto at that mpg, I don't think a manufacturer would hesitate to have put it on the market over the pasts two generations.

Electric vehicles face problems. A planned photo-op went awry when a Biden appointee was in an electric vehicle and her staff rode ahead in their gas powered cars and sat at a charging station, to reserve it for her when she arrived. Before her arrival, a couple showed up who needed the charger for their electric vehicle and her staff refused to let them charge their car. Law enforcement eventually was called in. Partially, this shows the unavailability of charging stations. In August, a Canadian man traveling to Chicago had to abandon his electric truck due to lack of charging stations. He completed the trip in a rented gas powered truck. It takes a lot longer to charge a vehicle than to fill it with gas, and coupled with generally much shorter range, electric cars are good for the normal commute, but not for vacation and road trips. I don't think an electric car could make it to Minneapolis on one charge from Madison. Further, it is said, the electric grid in most housing areas lacks the wire and power capacity for many homes to charge a vehicle at the same time. we love electricity, but do not like the high voltage power lines required to provide the electricity. An electric car is a viable option as a commuter car, but don't expect a long road trip. As usual, the American public, and perhaps the government, want it both ways.

Another measure of desiring both ways, is the batteries required to power all of this stuff, but not the mining to provide the minerals and resources at least in the US. The Biden Admin made a deal with the Congo for mining of some of the minerals, apparently not caring about the lack of environmental standards and the resulting pollution, much less the child labor that is used. It is apparently acceptable for the US to outsource mining (and oil wells), with little regard for the pollution and people. Apparently out of sight out of mind. The nation is externalizing the negative impacts of industrialization. The US gets the benefit and the Third World or developing countries get the negative side effects. If the nation had to put up with the negative side effects of industrialization, perhaps people would be more conservation minded.

People have responded not necessarily by buying an electric only car, but a purchasing a hybrid. The hybrid allows the long range desired on a gas engine, but to save some emissions when in city use. Hybrid cars themselves use something like 24 rare, or near rare, earth minerals. In desiring how "green" an item is, should not its overall footprint on the earth's resources be taken into account? 

Yet, for batteries, could help be on the way with battery power? Technology is ever changing. University of Central Florida scientists, following a few hurricanes, noticed how the typical lithium ion batteries can more easily catch fire after saltwater intrusion. Gas car fires go out quickly as that is the way gas burns, but lithium battery fires go on and on, posing greater risk, and a great deal more water and effort to extinguish. The UCF battery actually uses naturally occurring metal ions found in saltwater--sodium, potassium calcium and magnesium, and in the process create what they call a dual-cation battery. The brilliant application is not necessarily the use of saltwater, but the methods to avoid corrosion, as reported on the CFU website: 

To solve problems with instability, dendrite growth and corrosion, the researchers engineered a forest-like 3D zinc-copper anode containing a thin zinc-oxide protective layer on top.

The novel, nano-engineered surface, which looks like a birds-eye-view of a forest, allows the researchers to precisely control electrochemical reactions, thereby increasing the battery’s stability and quick charging ability.

Quick charging could take minutes rather than hours. One news article claimed about 3 minutes. If that short, it is less time to walk into a gas station while traveling to use the bathroom. It is amazing what technologies are being developed. This may seem like a win for the US manufacturers, but the university will likely auction off the rights to the highest bidder, and with lack of money it plays right into the hands of foreign auto makers--none of whom have a union shop. 

Yet to calm the negative impact of creative destruction, and keeping an eye on gas prices, Biden supports oil production--from overseas. NBC News reported on 10/8/23 that Saudi Arabia and Israel were nearing a normalization of relations, and with that the Saudi's promised Biden that they would increase their oil output. Iran opposes any Arab country from normalizing relations with Israel (Zionist state in their words) and that may have been a reason for the Hamas attack on Israel which occurred Oct 7. 

Technology may be moving fast, but I am guessing that the use of gas powered vehicles will be with us for a long time. Apparently Joe Biden, in wanting the Saudis to increase production, is too. Range, charging infrastructure, and just the lack of adequate power in the grid of a typical suburban or urban street means that not all people can have an electric vehicle and charge it at the same time. Further what will happen on the hot, sticky summer nights when air conditioners are running? We already have our thermostat controlled by Alliant during hot days, so they can turn up the thermostat to limit power during peak use. Then there is the issue of the amount of rare earth minerals often required in batteries, which take a great deal of input for little gain. Although catalytic converters are stolen  for their platinum, palladium, and rhodium. 

Creative destruction is not new, it has occurred over the course of history. There are a good number of old crafts that used to be at the local level that exist no more. My Reiner great grandfather was a shoemaker. He adjusted to creative destruction of the industrial revolution by opening a grocery store and tavern in Chicago. For generations, from the 17th to at least 18th century, my Hovel ancestors weaved linen from flax, that is now done by machine. When my grandfather Hovel had an auction on his move from his Iowa farm to his farm in Sun Prairie in Dec. 1929, one item was a sulky--a horse drawn plow, on which the human sits to control the horses. This would have been replaced by a plow pulled by a tractor. Sulkies are pretty much obsolete, but for a museum. Of course, we could all afford to be more conservation minded. That would be truly creative destruction.

Source on UCF Battery--https://www.ucf.edu/news/new-ucf-developed-battery-could-prevent-post-hurricane-electric-vehicle-fires/#:~:text=To%20solve%20problems,quick%20charging%20ability.