Back in the mid '50s-'60s I was a tramp printer, with a new job every few months. (Was trying to get a drivers license from every state in the Union. (Seemed like a good idea at the time)) Gave it up when Hawaii and Alaska came in.
I made it a point to talk with the Old Timers re: the Depression. The general theme was that while they didn't have any money, those on farms made out OK as far as food and shelter went. For the city folks, it was a different story.
As my grandmother pointed out, you can’t miss what you never had. All they had was a radio for the whole family anyway. People fixed things when they broke and didn’t spend a lot of time worrying about buying things they couldn’t afford.
My great grandmother used to say “There’ll be wind pudding if the crops don’t come in.” Meaning that she would feed me but only after I did the chores.
Yep. Mom and dad were small but remembered it and told us stories about it
. Moms parents had a farm. They didn't have everything they wanted, but had everything they needed.
Dad lived in a city. Every day they stood in line for government beets and butter flavored lard. Every day they ate beets and lard. That's all the government had to offer them. That's all they had to eat.