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Western Oregon | Dad has been gone since '95, I am the old man now. I learned from the best. I hate to go to town or talk on the telephone. Never had to. Both parents went through the depression. Dad was 56 when I was born. Retired at 62. He never bought anything new, even nails and fence staples. He might pay a dollar for a bucket full at a farm sale, for the bucket. The farm never made any money. They took our S.S check, took the 3 of us boys into partnership for the free labor. Mom never took us to town to eat but for special occasions she would pick up a treat at A&W, a gallon of rootbeer at haying, once, on the hottest day, or last day. If she was late she might pickup a Mama burger for each of us. Never heard of French fries, there was always a baked potato in the oven. Hungry, take an OLD COLD tater and wait. Mom worked as secretary at school, she baked 4 loaves of bread and a big sheet pan of dinner rolls every Saturday. Had to carry lunch to school, mostly dry thick slice of bread, folded over with ground rabbit and homemade sweet pickles and 1/2 the Miracle Whip it needed to slide down. My kids say their growing up wasn't bad, they ate good. I was making pretty good money at the city at that time. Wife was busy so shopped for food every Saturday. OK with me as long as I didn't have to go. We pretty well ate off the AD sale items for the week from 2 different stores. Wife would say make a list, I never did, for me. I worked a lot of overtime doing weekend duty, 2 hours a day and an hour at 1 1/2 regular pay for every call out. Growing up things weren't good for me at home so I spent a lot of time hunting and fishing after my chores were done, lived in an 8'x12' chicken coop for last 2 years before I drug it to the neighbors with my Farmall B, rented 19 acres with 2 little veal barns and left home at 12....James | |
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Any one else’s dad as cheap as mine?
