Another January - Mondays With Mary

According to my mom's calender, the third week of January in 1991 looks a little chilly. Monday, January 21, starts off with 10 degrees below zero.  Thursday, January 24 is 9 degrees below zero.

I always think of Mom's calendar entries as mostly a weather report. However, once in awhile there is an entry that I can see would be of interest to a generation or two into the future.

For example:

Sunday, January 20, 1991.

18 degrees at 7 a.m.
getting colder all day
read and looked for
 Jacob's ladder quilt for Joyce T.
both read in p.m. and listened to war news


War News? What war news?

On January 16-17, 1991, people around the world watched the beginning of a war for the first time ever on live television. I looked back in the calendar a few days and found this.

 

Wednesday, January 16, 1991

18 degrees @ 5:30 a.m. washed load of clothes
trees & limbs all covered with frost - Vern
went to town in a.m. I sewed on log-cabin star
for C. Fitzpatrick - War broke out @ 6 p.m.
our time - Arcadia Lime cleaning out pit yard.

Thursday, January 17, 1991

30 degrees @ 7 a.m. Eich trucks are hauling
sand to Carroll Co. - Vern went to Scranton in a.m.
I cut out quilt blocks - went to Scranton in p.m.
listened to War news to-nite. Quilted on log cabin star.



As a review to those who remember that time and to those future descendants and genealogical readers, this was the Gulf War. (August 2, 1990-28 February 1991.)  The first codename was Operation Desert Shield but became Operation Desert Storm in its combat phase from January 17-February 28.  The Iraqi Army began occupation of Kuwait on August 2. This lead to international condemnation, economic sanctions against Iraq and eventually a coalition of nations intent on expelling Iraqi troops from Kuwait. This was also the first ever war seen on television.  With live news broadcasts from the front line of battle, one could actually watch the war.

What a difference this was from Mom and Dad's early married years during World War II. Their granddaughter interviewed them for a history class assignment in the 1980's about World War II. What we learned was that even though Mom had brothers in the Navy, my parents had very little news of the events.  It seems they did not even have a radio so lived their life somewhat unaware.

Fifty years later, they were watching war on television. Life changes quickly.