Baldo by Hector D. Cantú and Carlos Castellanos for November 15, 2024

Wow. My papa would’ve liked her, as he did some welding too, but that’s another story.

One of my great aunts worked in an armaments factory — we still have a shell with a little commemorative plate they gave to her. Another great aunt was teaching in China when the Japanese invaded, so she spent much of the war in a Japanese detention center.

If she only worked one Liberty ship it was a short career. “At the peak of production, the average Liberty could be built in just 42 days. One Liberty ship, the SS Robert E. Peary, was built in a mere 4 days, 15 hours and 26 minutes in November 1942. In 1943, three Liberty ships were completed each day.”

Salute

I hope we spend a few more days learning more about Tia Abuela Chela.

My father crewed on a liberty ship. When it sailed welders were still on board. They had to rendezvous at sea with another ship to take them off.

I was always attracted to ladies with a lot of “passion” or “fiery personality” when I was growing up. I bought into some of the stereotypes and always figured I would marry either a Latina or Irish lass. Never understood why people wanted a partner who didn’t challeng e them. Turned out I found one next door to my parents (they moved after I left home). We’ve been married 30.5 years now. She’s definitely very challenging and keeps me on my toes.

I hope she was a better welder than Jennifer Beals in “Flashdance.” Great dancer, but a crap welder. Look at how blue her flame was! The acetylene/oxygen mix was all wrong. Those seams would never hold.

Personally, I like fiery Latinas…..

Her great aunt? I guess Tia Carmen isn’t as old as I thought. Oh, wait… no, I forgot we’re almost a quarter into the 21st century now, and we’re both that old now.

Apparently great aunt was also full of herself, to be carrying around a picture of herself and to have it out while she was working.

“Rosie the Riveter” museum about 20 miles from my house in Richmond California!

…..but when you’re “fiery” in this country, you’re just a “domineering, controlling nag”… like half the “ladies” in the comics!!

MY great-grandma crocheted the Iron Curtain.

My paternal grandmother worked in a pickle factory – though had stopped long before I knew her. It was the depression and they needed the money. She would come home, boil potatoes and mash them and that would be dinner. (At least per the stories I was told by my dad and uncles.) I believe she worked for awhile later on again, if not until shortly before I was born as she was still friends with her fellow workers.

My maternal grandmother worked as a bookkeeper. She stopped when she married my grandfather. (They were a bit “classier” than my other grandparents and grandfather did not want her working after they married.)

Mom was a bookkeeper before they married. When dad was unable to work much in his later years due to illness, she went back to work as bookkeeper again.