The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-12-26

after that first terrifying blackout, produce merchants complained that people weren't buying green vege- tables. It seemed that after Q day of Christmas shopping and Red Gross work, women hurried home to serve dinner out of cans, so the diShes could be, washed before the air raid alarm sounded,
 Hardest problem, to solve now is that of household assistance. Until the day Of that treacherotlS bonb- ing, the problem had been pad enough, for girls were deserting tho Kitchens for more lucrative jobs in defense industries. Now the Japanese cleaning boys are gone, too. ,
 San Franciscans to a great ex- tent depended on the 90 or more Japanese housework agencies to attend to the weekly holseclean- ing. Togo would arrive regularly with vacuum cleaner and window washing equipment, and go through the house like c small brown whirl- wind. Now
 "so sorry, not coming any more, The agencies arc closed.
 Even the jewels Of cooks and maids who have stuck at their posts, now expect and get, you may be sure = time off for their first aid classes and their yolun- teer duties. But most women are washing their own dishes and letting the floors go un-waxcd. MRS. SAN FRANCISCO
 BECOMES HER OWN MAID
 Mrs. Ms case is typical. She had always employed Q maid and 6 cook. Now sine gets up at dawn, cooks her husbands break fast, feeds the children theIf cereal, and gets them off to school. Btie knows they'll be safe there, for schools are instructed to keep children indoors should an alarm sound by day. Mothers are re. quested not to call for them.
 So Mrs. M. reds I'D" the house, then iflgpectB the furnace room to decide whether 1t would he safer to put the children there ct night, or if 1t would be wiser to leave them tindtgturbed in their own room. She compromises by moy- ing the bc.ss away from the win. dowS. This makes the room look out Of proportion, and she's sure to crash into the beds in the dark, but It's better than rsking shattered glass.
 She cheeks to see that the dog hasn't appropriated the bucket of sand that she brought homo. Sum- day from the vacant lot across the street. (Gan FrancBcos Italian scayengerS donated their time and their trucks on Sunday to bring sand from the ocean beach to accessible spots throughout the city,)
 Then she turned her attention to blackout curtains. These nee cessitieS have been Q headache to every Bay Region housewife. The Emporium, San Francisco'S largest store, sold out of black satin the day after the city's first blackout. other dark coIors in sateen or intcrlining arc pinch hitting. The next day, advertisements began to appear in the papers for blackout paperg,( and drapery firms were doing . land office business, Blackout screens were advertised for "as low as 2S cents Q window" and black ter paint is selling for 16 cents 2 gallon.
 Necessity bred many an Ingeni. ouS substitute for window drapes during thOse first biackoutg, for sitting with the lights out gets tiFesonle, Blankets were the first line Of defense, some women even lining them with gally coIored peTCalc, to make them look pret. ter. One attic diSgorged e plush piano cover, which covered the Iy- ing room windows nicely with a di- yeTting gay illnetieg touch. Famil. les soon discovered that life could % on satisfactorily with only kitcn- eES and hath room daFkened.
 SOCIAL ACTIVITIES
 lgR-ORG GANIZED D
 People are Fe-discoyeFing their homes, to the distress of the ileighborhood movies, which cone unue business behind darkened niaTqueeg. Boys clubs and girls groups gre meeting afternotlog, to saaka 0aVaaa and SNPasaaRa ara fk