carly_kai: (Default)
carly_kai ([personal profile] carly_kai) wrote2010-06-05 08:52 pm

Connections

I’ve been taking the van and truck to Marty’s Garage for repairs and maintenance. It’s a small garage across the road from me – one of the last of the old fashioned independent garages where you just know that you’re going to get honest quotes and good work at a reasonable price.

The mechanic I deal with is Alan – not Marty. I like Alan – he’s a really nice person and has given me good service, advice and always with a smile. There’s also another mechanic there and a woman – all are nice people.

There was a garage sale at the garage today so I walked over and picked up this little shelf, a CNR oil tin and box of what I thought was old bottles. Grand total - $5.50


 

There as also an old tobacco tin, two little tins containing tire patches and a third containing a road flare,. There was also a fishing knife, a wooden barrel tap and a grenade.


Yes – a grenade.

Cool.

I think it’s a WWII German grenade - a Model 24 Stielhandgranate that was the standard hand grenade of the German Army from the end of World War I until the end of World War II. The very distinctive appearance led to its being called a "stick grenade", or a "potato masher" in British Army slang, and is today one of the most easily recognized infantry weapons of the 20th century

Anyhow – let’s get back to the connections.

The woman from the garage was taking stuff from a cute little house that is right across the street from me and on the same property as the garage. We start talking about the stuff I’ve picked out and she’s telling me about how Marty was a collector of cool stuff.

All of a sudden I realize that I have seen her working in the once beautiful gardens at the front of the house. As it turns out, Marty died last year and was her husband. She she owns the garage. She’s clearing out the house, going to sell the garage and try to carry on with life.

How ironic that as I meet a few wonderful people they are moving on – I’ll miss them…

[identity profile] jessie-c.livejournal.com 2010-06-06 01:58 am (UTC)(link)
It'd probably be a good idea to get the base EOD types to take a look at your grenade to make sure you won't get a rude surprise when the cats knock it off the shelf...

[identity profile] carly-kai.livejournal.com 2010-06-06 01:23 pm (UTC)(link)
oh bosh :P

[identity profile] jessie-c.livejournal.com 2010-06-06 02:57 pm (UTC)(link)
60 year old explosives are not very civilised. They don't play well with strangers.

[identity profile] msstacy13.livejournal.com 2010-06-06 06:06 pm (UTC)(link)
Umm--
Mais, l'orthograpie juste est "Boche" n'est-ce-pas?

But she's right,
however bad my French might be.

Oh, and Americans called them "baby bottles"

[identity profile] msstacy13.livejournal.com 2010-06-06 06:07 pm (UTC)(link)
Couldn't have said it better myself.

[identity profile] gireateroftacos.livejournal.com 2010-06-06 06:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Explosive Ordinance D?

[identity profile] gireateroftacos.livejournal.com 2010-06-06 06:22 pm (UTC)(link)
need moar grenades!

[identity profile] jessie-c.livejournal.com 2010-06-06 08:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Disposal. In other words the Bomb Squad. You know, these guys.

[identity profile] jessie-c.livejournal.com 2010-06-06 10:45 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, by the way, Ordnance is the word you're looking for. Ordinances are otherwise known as "laws" and rarely go Boom.

[identity profile] jessie-c.livejournal.com 2010-06-06 10:47 pm (UTC)(link)
But then again, disposing of unnecessary and unwanted laws by blowing them up does have a certain appeal...

[identity profile] gireateroftacos.livejournal.com 2010-06-06 11:58 pm (UTC)(link)
ah. well i did good anyways. First time i've ever tried to spell 'ordnance'.