Pensamientos

I remember the first time I tasted bubble gum. It was 1945 in Montana as WWll was ending.The United States was rejoicing, and black and white newsreels were filled with images of soldiers, sailors and marines arriving home to arms of their wives and children. One incident stands out from my six-year old mind. My mom came home from her grocery checker job at the Parkdale market, carrying a small brown paper bag. With a large grin on her face, she told me to close my eyes, and hold out my hand. I complied, and she placed a hard wrapped lump in my palm that read "Double Bubble" on the wrapper. I placed the sweet tasting gum in my mouth and chewed until my jaws ached, while reading the cartoon strip that was imprinted on the inside of the wrapper. This incident was the first time that I was awareof war rationing. During this era many goods and services were in short supply and were rationed by the government. Gasoline, auto parts, milk, meat and treats like "Double Bubble" were in short supply. Unlike the war economy of today, the sacrifices during the WWll era were much more stringent and personal.