Cardinal Sins

There are things in this life you just don’t do, In the words of a song from earlier in my life:

You don’t pull the mask off the old Lone Ranger,

You don’t pull on Superman’s cape,

You don’t spit into the wind, and

you don’t mess around with Jim.

My first mid-watch aboard the USS Independence,  I was assigned to guard the hatch that leads into the Ships Intelligence center. I was okay until about 2am, when I looked at the ‘Coffee Mess’. It consisted of two 25 cup pots, rules were “There will always a pot of coffee.” Then hanging on the bulkhead were rows of my shipmates coffee cups. I might add ‘filthy looking cups’.  I am in some ways a neatnic. ‘I will clean this up’, thinks me. I dumped the black syrup out of the pots.

I scoured the pots (that were filthy inside). I took them apart and cleaned the sight glass. I still had time so I washed and cleaned EVERY CUP!  I made two fresh pots of coffee. Looked am my work, tasted the coffee and said that is good!

The leading chief was first thru the hatch the next morning, reached for his cup and yelled at no one in particular, but I knew he was talking to me.

“Who in hell messed with my cup, sixteen years of seasoning down the $hi—er.” he turned and looked at me. “ This coffee is terrible, what happened to the good mid-watch coffee?”

I am the new seaman in the shop so I did what any smart seaman would do, I lied, “I have no idea Master Chief, it was like that when I came on watch.” (He knew better)

I learned a lot my first few days aboard ship. LOL

Most of you  do not remember the treadle sewing machines. That treadle was designed to go just close enough to the floor to mash little boy’s fingers whilst mama is sewing. You commit the sin of putting your fingers in the wrong place, you suffer.

You don’t mess with mama’s tension settings on the old Singer Sewing machine.

Paula mentioned her mama could look at a dress and go home and make one. Mama could do that. I have done a little sewing, but I have never been able to adjust the thread tension to keep from breaking the thread. Amazing what some of the older ladies could do. I imagine it can be done today, but most folk get the store bought clothes.

Thanks for coming by the Log, I appreciate your time.

Nite Shipslog

PS:

You cannot look at a human, and know what talent lies within that person.

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The top one look like a forerunner of the Crosley.

The bottom like a Morgan.