Thanks so much for sharing that story with me. My dad grew up in the last throes of the Great Depression, and spent his youth in the late 40’s early 50’s. Also, I was very close to my late great Grandmother who raised her only daughter, my maternal grandmother in the 30’s. She still washed her tin foil at 85, for reuse.
My dad’s parents lived in a tent for a while, and a house made of milk crates that burned down. My dad taught me lots of things. In his view the depression was mostly bad for city folks, as the farmers weren’t very wealthy anyway, they just further tightened their belts.
My dad told me some humbling stories of his parents living on wild asparagus on the river bank, and weevil infested oatmeal. One of the stories I’ll never forget is how one year his dad (who had about 8 kids I think at the time) drove from Southern Nevada up to Idaho (I think, but it may have been Utah) to get a truckload of cabbages which they ate that year. He said they scrounged for bottles and canned them as sauerkraut by the hundreds (of quart jars) and buried them in the cool ground.
My dad has given me advice about the coming crisis, with reminders like “As a kid, there were always beans in a pot on,” and such. He’s been a real treasure, and I’m grateful that he’s provided so much insight. Our progenitors went through some difficult times, and we’ll have our turn, I suspect. That’s how the Lord keeps us, or makes us humble.
She still washed her tin foil at 85, for reuse.
You just brought a tear to my eye, as I recall my late father carefully flattening the “silvah paypah”, as he called it, with his thick Boston accent, for later re-use.
And, there was always an empty concentrated orange juice can next to the sink, where my parents would pour bacon grease and other oils. This was never used. I don’t know what they did with it.
In any case, my parents were both Depression Era children, and they passed along a lot of warnings which, I guess, only I, took to heart.
Hard-Times are coming. Be Prepared. And remember the lessons your parents taught you...
Thanks for sharing