The Good Life

Here are the green beans that I froze like Helen said Daddy did it.  They are really good and not much trouble to put up.

Helen spoke of memories and my memory is not too good.  But I recall some things.

Fleta, Clayton and I made play houses above the road next to the old fence.  We each had a home the houses were outlined in rocks.  Our homes had more than one room.  We would visit in each others houses.  It was summer time. Daddy was working.  Clayton could not have been more than 12 or so I think for him to play these elaborate games with Fleta and I.  I remember once we had him dress up like a woman.  We all had make believe names. I always wanted some name like Roxanna or Valerie.  I thought those sounded sophisticated. We had tin cans and stuff for dishes.  Seems like this play went on for days in the summer and we had such a good time.  We imagined we had fine food and clothes and plenty of money.

Daddy started working for wages by 1962. Gilbert was born in the summer of '61.  After that he always worked out.  After he did this, each week or every couple weeks a check would come.  We had more money and we had enough to eat.  Before 1961, some of the time we almost starved to death.  I still have good memories and I know we had a family that we knew we could count on, but we were very poor.  I believe that Patsy and Richard had it even worse.  I am thinking of the years from about 1947 to when they went to Green Forest School.   I think they were really even poorer.  Probably had less then Fleta and I did when we were in grade school.  Patsy said Richard did not want to go to school at Green Forest because he wore overalls and all the boys wore jeans.   Jimmy Powell remembered it the same way.  It was town kids and country kids.  I guess Richard was a country kid and perhaps made fun of because of his clothes.  Jimmy Powell said he finally threw his books in the wood stove and got a whipping but he did not go back to school.  Patsy went to the Bible school because she did not have clothes to wear to high school.  The Bible school helped with her living expenses.

Helen was born in 1954.  By 1962, she was only 8, and Dad worked for wages most of her life that she can remember and the part before she was 6 she does have some memories but they were sheltered ones.  We sheltered Helen because we could not shelter Deb.  Helen said today that when times were tough she always thought, I want to go home.  She felt like "home" could fix it all.  I never had those feelings.  I always felt that I must make it on my own volition.  Before I married, I always felt I could call on my brother, Clayton, if I was in need.  He would always try to help.  No one else can fix things in our lives.  We have to make our own way.

Helen said she skipped school.  I loved school. I loved most of the teachers and had lots of friends.  I told Helen that I could remember in grade school being called to the teacher's desk.  She showed me the C's in the book.  It was one of those dark brown slim graders.  The c's were not grades but charges for my lunch.  When were we going to pay all those c's.  I would make up a story. Maybe next week I might say.  I don't think I ever told Mom or Dad because I knew they could not fix those c's.

Patsy, Fleta, Helen and I all have different memories some of the same times creating a different memory for each of us because we are different from each other.

I would not want any other parents than the two God gave me, but things were not perfect just as my home was not perfect for my two girls growing up.  I made Laura wear a Brownie uniform that I bought at a second hand place...right color wrong outfit.  It bothered her.  I did not even know at the time or did not care.  I did the best I could.  Mom and Dad did the best they could.  They put us first.  I tried to do that with Laura and Erin.  I hope Erin and Laura always do the best they can for their families.  I believe they do.