WELL, IT IS WEDNESDAY AND TONITE WE ARE GOING TO DINNER IN PHOENIX WITH MY FAMILY ...MY SON HIS WIFE AND MY GRANDDAUGHTER AND HER HUSBAND.
THIS IS OUR DELAYED ANNIVERSARY MOTHERS DAY FATHERS DAY YEARLY DINNER . HAHHA
WE ALL HAD BIRTHDAYS AND ANNIVERSARIES AND ETC WHILE WE WERE GONE TO CALIFORNIA.

THE OTHER DAY I WAS THINKING AGAIN ABOUT MY BEST CHRISTMAS WHEN I WAS A KID... I GOT A PAIR OF TENNIS SHOES, A SILVER DOLLAR, A BIG BIG ORANGE, AND A BIG BIG APPLE . THE APPLES AND ORANGES WERE THE SIZE OF ALMOST A CANTALOUPE AT CHRISTMAS TIME. I DON'T KNOW IF GROWERS ONLY HAD THEM AT THAT TIME OR HOW IT HAPPENED BUT SO HELP ME THAT'S THE TRUTH. AND THEY WERE SOOO JUICY ANS SWEET AND GOOD PICKED AT THE RIPENED BEST.

ANY CHILD TODAY WHO ISN'T HOMELESS WOULD THINK THIS A BUNCH OF JUNK TO GET FOR CHRISTMAS.

THIS WAS POST THE DEPRESSION OF 29 IN 1942 AND IT WAS STILL A BIT OF A POVERTY TIME. THE WAR HAD JUST STARTED AND WE WERE ON RATIONED FOOD AND CLOTHING TIMES, YOU HAD TO HAVE FOOD RATIONING BOOKS AND CLOTHES RATIONING STAMPS AND LITTLE RED TOKENS LIKE THINGS MADE OF A CARDBOARD STUFF VERY HARD TO BUY MEAT . THEY WERE CALLED POINTS.
EVERY FAMILY WAS ALLOWED SO MANY POINTS PER PERSON . ALSO GASOLINE WAS VERY SCARCE SO YOU DIDN'T SEE TOO MANY FOLKS DRIVING AROUND AND THERE WEREN'T TOO MANY WHO ACTUALLY HAD AN AUTOMOBILE.
EVERYONE HAD A JOB IN A WAR FACTORY WHERE THEY MADE ALL KINDS OF WAR OBJECTS.
ALL THE MEN WENT TO WAR ALL THE WOMEN STAYED HOME AND WORKED IN A FACTORY IF LUCKY AND A LOT WERE WAITRESSES BECAUSE FACTORY PEOPLE HAD TO EAT. I CANNOT REMEMBER HOW THE RATIONING WORKED IN A RESTAURANT BUT I'M SURE IT WAS LIMITED A LOT.

I WAS BUSY GOING TO SCHOOL AND TRYING TO GET BY ON ALL SIDES. WE HAD OUR OWN HOME, BECAUSE GRANDPA HAD PROVIDED US WITH A PERMANENT HOME IN SANTA FE. IT WAS AT 511 WEST SAN FRANCISCO STREET. IT STILL EXISTS IT HAS GONE THRU MANY CHANGES WHEN I WAS LAST IN SANTA FE IN 1997 IT WAS A CLINIC, BUT I LOOKED IT UP ON THE INTERNET ABOUT 2 YEARS AGO AND IT WAS SOME KIND OF STORE AN ART PLACE I THINK. THE HOUSE WAS MADE OF SOLID ADOBE BRICKS ABOUT 18 INCHES THICK, THE WINDOWS WERE ALL WINDOW SEATS I REMEMBER SITTING IN THEM AND WATCHING IT SNOW OUTDOORS. IT WAS BEAUTIFUL TO SEE.
AND THERE WAS A DITCH FOR CATCHING WATER AT ONE SIDE OF OUR HOUSE AND A HUGE COTTONWOOD TREE GREW THERE. IT WAS A SMALL HILL WE USED TO CLIMB THAT BIG TREE AND BE UP ABOUT 50 FEET IN THE AIR MY BROTHER AND I, OUR MOTHER WOULD SCREAM WE WERE GOING TO FALL AND DIE AT US , WE JUST WAVED TO HER AND LAUGHED.

WE ALSO ATE THE BUDS WITH THE COTTON FLUFF IN THEM THEY TASTED GREEN WE LIKED THEM WE NEVER DIED FROM EATING COTTONWOOD SEEDS SO I GUESS THEY WERE OK.

I MUST SAY OUR CHILDHOODS WERE VERY INTERESTING EVEN THOUGH WE HAD FEW IF ANY LUXURIES. I REMEMBER MY AUNT GAVE ME THIS LITTLE PIANO AND I LOVED IT MY BROTHER TOOK IT AND REMOVED ALL THE LITTLE ROUND MARBLE LIKE THINGS SO HE COULD PLAY MARBLES I WAS HEARTBROKEN.
THEN MY SISTER AND I GOT A DOLL AND A BUGGY ONCE AND I CANNOT REMEMBER OUR AGES WHEN ALL THIS OCCUR ED BUT WE WERE SMALL KIDS, I MUST HAVE BEEN AROUND 7 MY BROTHER TOOK MY BUGGY AND SET IT AFIRE AND WAS PLAYING LIKE HE WAS BOMBING THE ENEMY IN THE WAR AND HE TOTALLY DESTROYED IT. ALSO HE REMOVED THE DOLLS EYES FOR THE MARBLES AGAIN. HE WAS A NASTY MEAN BOY. AS A RESULT I LET THE AIR OUT OF HIS BIKE TIRES AND HE BEAT ME UP. LIFE WAS HARD AT TIMES.
MY POOR MOTHER HAD NO IDEA WHAT TO DO WITH HIM HE WAS A PROBLEM.

THIS WAS LIFE IN THE EARLY 40'S WE MUST HAVE BEEN A BIT BETTER OFF SINCE WE GOT A FEW TOYS AT LAST.

MY GRANDFATHER DIED WHEN I WAS A MONTH SHY OF MY 4TH BIRTHDAY I WAS SO LOST WITHOUT HIM, HE HAD BEEN MY FATHER AND GRANDFATHER AND I LOVED HIM DEEPLY, EVEN AS ADULTS EACH OF US ALWAYS FELT GRANDPA LOVED ME BEST. THAT IS HOW WONDERFUL HE WAS.

MY MOTHER THEN MARRIED HER NEXT HUSBAND AND HE WAS A MAN FROM MINNESOTA HE WAS BIG HUGE LOOKING TO MY SMALL SELF AND HE WAS LOUD AND HE ATE LIKE A PIG I WAS NERVOUS AROUND HIM ALL THE TIME. HE WAS ALSO ABUSIVE TO US CHILDREN. I LEARNED TO TRY AND STAY AWAY FROM HIM HE SCARED ME. AFTER MY GRANDFATHER'S GENTLE DISCIPLINARY WAYS, HE WAS A MONSTER.

FORTUNATELY FOR US WE WERE EVENTUALLY PLACED IN FOSTER HOMES WHERE I THRIVED AND WAS QUITE CONTENT. WELL I WAS UNHAPPY IN MY FIRST FOSTER HOME BUT THE SECOND ONE WAS A VERY NICE AND I GREW AND THRIVED THERE.

STRANGE HOW MY MEMORIES TAKE OVER LIKE THIS AT TIMES. THEY JUST RUN AND RUN.

AHH A FUNNY ONE ... WHEN I WAS ABOUT 11 I PLAYED HOOKY FROM SCHOOL ONE DAY AND WENT TO THE MOVIES TO THE BURRO ALLEY THEATRE I HAD TO WATCH STANLEY AND LIVINGSTON UGH WHAT A BORE.
WELL I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER MY TWO FRIENDS FROM SCHOOL SISTER S DOLLY AND BERTHA CAME BY FOR ME EVERY DAY, AND WHEN I WASN'T THERE AND NOT AT SCHOOL THEY REPORTED ME AND I WAS FOUND OUT. I TRIES TO TELL EVERYONE IN MY SHAME AT BEING CAUGHT THAT I HAD A HEART ATTACK ON THE WAY TO SCHOOL BUT THEY LOOKED AT ME STRANGELY. HAHAHHA
ENOUGH MEMORIES BYE FOR NOW HUGS.