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THINKING
Author: Kat
My mind is rambling this morning. I feel a writing coming on me. The Bible
says young men shall see visions (of things they want to do) and old men shall
dream dreams (of what they have did). So here I sit dreaming of the past is
like replaying a video of the past.
I used the last feed sack I had not long ago to trim my great-granddaughter
dresses. When it comes to feed sacks my mother love to go to the feed store
and find these sacks. The persons who bought feed in them would empty the
feed out of them and sell them back to the person who ran the feed store for
ten or fifteen cents. Then mother would look through them. If they were not
torn or too dirty she bought them for twenty five cent each. She carefully
turned them and shook out the feed that was stuck to them for her chickens.
Next she unraveled them and soaked them in water and got the paper off them.
Then she would put them in the washing. Mother never did learn to use the
washing machine. I did it if I was there or other wise daddy hired it done.
We made hand towels, bed sheets, and underwear out of them when we lived at
Waukegan. When they came out with print sacks my girls had lots of dresses
with my mother help. I don't know why it took so long for them to start using
the printed sacks. One time I made my two daughters a new sack dress and when
one of their friend came over he wish he had a new shirt. When he came home
from school the next day I presented him a brand new feed sack shirt. He was
delighted and I felt real good it just fit. He ran home to show it off to
everybody. When he came back he was not smiling so big. I ask what is wrong?
Someone had pointed out to him that I had sewed it just like I made dresses.
Men shirts have flat French seams. I have not been making shirts and did not
think about that. Anyway he wore his shirt until he wore it our or else out
grew it.
My husband bought checkerboard feed (his name for it) Mr. Emhoffer called
him the $50.00 dollar bill man. The reason we sold our house at Beach for
$1,700.00 Mr. Walker paid him in $50 bills since he did not want a check.
We moved out to the farm. He got old Rex his horse, three or four cows, cowboy
boots, plows and he meant to make a living farming. Times changing and we
were not progressing along with it. Sure he could peddle his vegetables in
Fostoria and Cleveland. It did not work out that a way. Fishing, hunting,
and farming what he had learned to do. Those $50 bills were taking wings and
flying off for good. Then he worked at Cleveland Hardware store for a while
and then Cleveland water works finally my daddy was able to get him back on
the railroad. He kept his $50 bills under the cedar chest. One time we had
saved about $300.00 a little at a time he was pushing it in the bed leg so
it would be safe. It was very safe. When he decided to get it out and spend
it and then he couldn't get the money to come out. We finally took a big fishhook
on a piece of stiff wire and fished it out a scrape at a time. It was an old
iron bedstead. I took it to the bank and they gave me more money in exchange
for it. Yes, he did finally use the bank but it was after the battle not before.
One reason was he could not read or write and did not trust anyone but his
self. His hip pocket was not all that safe either. He got a $2.00 bill one
time and kept it in his billfold until it crumbled. There were other times
he would gamble and loose. Of course he would be mad at his self and I was
not very sympathetic about it. Occasionally he would win and if he let me
get my hands on it I would go right to the store and spent it. I felt like
if it was on my pantry shelf it was as good as in the bank.
Kat. Oct. 1, 1991
Kat's Family On The Farm
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