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I was born on June 5 1924 and grew up in the 1930's. We were almost like the "Okies" in the Grapes of Wrath. We ate lots of macroni and cheese, or Macroni and tomatoes.

It seems like a lot of people --most people who lived in the 30's saw a very different way of life because of the Great Depression. My parents talked of putting cardboard or newspapers in shoes that had holes on the bottoms because there weren't new shoes to buy. I know my grandfather got to see almost everything get invented ----I used to love to listen to his stories of those times. He never really got over the Depression when he was a young father with kids ---every thing went into the garage "just in case" because you might not need to wear scruffy shoes now but who knows when times get rough again you might appreciate having them.

It seems like a lot of people --most people who lived in the 30's saw a very different way of life because of the Great Depression.

My parents owned a small farm near Fresno and my older brother told me dad delivered a trailer load of cotton to the gin in Nov 29 and the manager told him that cotton was worthless. Dad asked him what to do and he said to park the trailer next to the others. Brother said the trailers sat there for years. They lost the farm to the bank. I have the cancelled checks from the period as the balance dwindled to zero. The bank was Bank of Italy forerunner to Bank of America.

Fitz:
You are right, we lived in Flagstaff Az when I was about 8 or 9 and it was winter. We put cardboard in our shoes and walked to school. Then we would take out dry cardboard and put in the shoes. By the time we went home we would change that cardboard three times. I remember also living in Texas, and having the "itch". We had to take baths in a copper sulphate soulation of some kind. It was really bad. While we lived in Texas, the snow would pile up all the way to the roof on the north side of the house. I don't want to return to those days myself. I still think we now live in the best of times. (if only we could get rid of some of the democrats.)

The very best to you and yours.

Semper Fi
Tommie

LOL. Your grandfather put things in the garage "just in case" and I put them in the basement for the same reason. It's very hard not to hoard things if you grew up during the depression, especially the depression in the South. When I compare notes with my husband who grew up in Ohio, I find that my childhood involved much more poverty. I recall going barefoot from spring thaw until frost. I wore handed down shoes with cardboard insoles. For me there was no such thing as "new" shoes, or clothes either for that matter. Most of our dresses were made from flour or feed sacks. They were good for at least three girls. The boys wore overalls with no shirt until cold weather. Then they had shirts made from white flour sacks. Someone recalled ironing with a non-steam iron. I recall ironing with flat irons that you heated on the wood cookstove, and lifted with a hot pad around the handle. You had to switch irons when one got too cold. We had no running water. No electric. No bathroom. We drew water from a well or carried from a spring. We had kerosene lamps. Cooked on a wood stove and heated the house with a wood heater or an open fireplace. We had an old battery radio and we could pick up the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday night if we got the antennea wire just right. When WWII broke out and we moved to "town", I thought we were rich because we had running water, electric and a bathroom. That's when the good life began, even with the rationing we were remarkably better off than we had been. I don't recall ever eating in a restaurant until I was in high school. First Pizza was in Miami in 54. I had never heard of it and hated the taste. It grows on you. I could go on all night. We do this type of thread ever so often, and I think I repeat myself.