Comments On Article: We Are In This Together

Paula Alexandra Santos wrote

Hi, Grandma Donna!
I can't wait to follow your study in 2023! ;) It seems that I would have been born in 1887, according to your chart.
My favorite periods are the 40's and 50's, although I know that those were times when people were already starting to modernize more things and living less frugally in many parts of the world.
I have to say that the 80's and beggining of the 90's are also periods I find much more calm than today. At least here in Portugal, life was much more slow paced and technologies like the ones of today were a mirage.
Those Cornish Pasties look delicious and they remind me of Empanadas or Empanadillas. They are a Spanish/South American delicacy, but we eat them also in Portugal.
They are filled with vegetables, meat, cod fish, cheese, pizza sauce, etc and are delicious!
And I'm glad you are feeling stronger and able to knead the dough. :)
You asked what facts would we like to know. Well, more of what you have been showing us in your daily tasks and life.
We learn a lot with our Grandma! And I have learned some skills since I started to read your posts, so please keep teaching us and yes, I would love for you to keep doing the study further back during the 1930's.
Have a blessed week!
:) 

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Paula Alexandra Santos wrote

Oh, and I can't wait to know wich hairstyle you chose!
:)

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Anna wrote

My grandparents were born 1888, 1890, 1892 and 1895 and all lived until I was an adult and two lived until my oldest was an adult. They never liked to talk about "old" times I think because they were hard. My paternal grandparents raised 4 children (1 with mental age of 5) and lived on rented farms. Grandma's main comment about the Depression was that nothing really changed for them.

My maternal grandparents lived in town and had a somewhat easier life since grandpa owned his own businesses providing gas, kerosene and ice which were pretty much necessities back then. My parents were born in 1921 so grew up during the Depression. My mother's comment was there wasn't much in the stores to buy. Even though they lived in town they kept chickens and a milk cow. A man was hired by several neighbors to take several milk cows out each morning to graze the roadside ditches and brought them back for evening milking. There was town water, but it wasn't safe to drink so they also had a well.

My maternal grandpa had 5 living sisters and they often came to visit on Sunday afternoons, and I loved listening to their conversations with grandma. I learned so much from those blessed ladies and always wanted to be like them. They were women of strength and character who knew how to make do and do without. Another theme was do not owe anything which was also stressed by my parents.

I lost the first of my grandparents in 1961 and the last in 1982 so I was very blessed.

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Jackie Dickie wrote

Hi, Donna, I am very excited to start this new study. My favorite decades are the 30's and 40's, also the pioneer years. My house is full of furniture and other household items from the 30's and 40's passed along from my maternal grandparents.
I would like to learn about the every day life of an older, single, retired woman. I know there was no Social Security yet so how did these women get along? Did they live with their children or???. Also, how are holidays celebrated?
I've learned a lot of skills of the past but I would like to improve my sewing skills. I know the basics but would like to improve in this area.
I don't have a lot of "modern conveniences such as microwave, dryer, coffee maker ( I drink tea), toaster (I use a toaster oven) and other smaller appliances.
I plan to eliminate as much plastic from my life as possible, stay off the 'screens' (I can so easily get sucked in), sew more and use the old-time skills that I already have in my everyday life. I think I'm going to be giving my TV away soon so I will have to use my tablet or laptop which will make it a bit less convenient.

Thank you so much for all of your research into 'living like the past'. Happy holidays to you and Charles.

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Tandi wrote

So glad to read you will go back to 1932 and do more of Sarah's diary posts. That is my favorite one. Looking forward to doing it along with you. One thing I want to learn doing is can apples! I have recipes from my south african heritage that use canned apples, but I cannot make them here as the ones you buy in the stores in the USA have all added sugar to them and are more of the complete "pie filling". Ours are just the canned apples no sugar added. Anyway, the 1930s to 1945 is the time in history I am most drawn to. We don't have many of the electronics most people have now adays, so it won't be a big leap to move to 1932.

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Shirley wrote

Hello Donna
I'm excited to learn from your study.
I've been interested in the depression era since I was a young 20 something. My father was a twin ( I'm named after his twin sister Shirley) They were born May of 1927. My mother was from a family of 14 and she was born 1933. Both have passed on now and all family members from their families have passed on. The last family member, my dad's older sister passed this year at age 95.

I grew up hearing about frugality and bits and pieces about the depression days. People didn't talk much about those days, actually, people didn't talk a lot at all. Even sitting on the front porch people would swing or rock quietly. It seems they enjoyed quiet during their breaks from work.
Occasionally the men would discuss politics.
Grandma was my favorite. She was born in 1888. Grandpa was in a wheelchair due to polio. Their 18 year old son died of polio. Grandma and the 5 younger kids worked the farm by themselves after that. The farm/ranch is still in the family today.
When my grandparents bought the farm they lived on the land in a tent and eventually lived in the chicken house prior to building their small home. They lived in that home until they passed in the late 1970s.
I'm turning 70 myself next week. I become more interested in my grandparents lives each passing year. I'm so blessed to have good memories of cooking on the wood stove with grandma, working the large garden with her, canning, milking, butchering fresh chickens, using the ringer washer etc.
One relative once told me she had never heard grandma say any unkind word about anyone. And complaining/grumbling simply wasn't part of her vocabulary.
Hard work was the norm.
I wish I could spend just one more day with her.
She always has been my role model. I attended a one room school near our farm growing up. I have treasured memories from those halcyon years firmly in my heart and return to them often.
I feel we are headed...quickly...into another great or even greater depression.
We've prepared the best we can. My husband is from simple mountain folk in Virginia. He too knows how to live sparingly and has many skills he can use when things go downhill.
We've endeavored to teach our children but most of them are used to rich abundance and really have little desire to face the reality that things might change quickly and drastically.
I'm looking forward to this upcoming study of the 1930s and have been researching much about that era online.
Thank you for taking time to include others in what you're learning

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Grandma Donna wrote

I am translating a comment.
From Analia, Good day, my parents were born in 1930 & 1933. My Grandparents were immigrants from Italy & Ireland. I love seeing photos from that time, Just discovered your blog, looking forward to your study post. Cordial greetings from Argentina.

buen día: mis padres nacieron en 1930 y 1933. Mis abuelos eran inmigrantes de Italia e Irlanda. Amo ver fotos de esa época. Recién descubro tu blog, espero con ansias tu publicación del estudio. saludos cordiales desde Argentina.

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Dianna wrote

Hi GDonna. My grandmother was born in 1903. I was always very connected to her. She was born in rural Indiana. I look forward to learning about how life would have been in the 1930's. My mother was born in 1935. Since they lived on a farm, it was a bit easier, but I do remember my grandma talking about being worried that my aunt who was born in 1937 might be born weak because of Grandma having less food.
Thank you for sharing!

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Griffin wrote

I'm so looking forward to reading next year's study! The 1930s is my one of my favorite eras of fashion and music. I'm a student, so I need my tech, but I'd love to try studying along somehow.

As a teenager (would've been born in 1915), I'm drawn to learning how teenagers and young adults lived in the past, although "teenagers" wouldn't have existed at this point (the term was coined in 1944!). I've read about some young people leaving home early during the depression to lessen the financial burden on their family. Schools in the USA were a wreck, but did get some improvements later in the decade, and many kids stopped attending once they were old enough to work. It seemed like a very grim time to come into adulthood. But I'm most interested in how people managed to save money and stretch food, especially during food and gift oriented holidays like Christmas.

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Cate Nunan wrote

Thank you for the kind comment about Australian accents. I think we do sound unique and mine is slightly more English/European as my Father is half French and my maternal Grandma was half English. I am looking forward to this study and being 50, I will have been born in the 1880's. How amazing! I am drawn to the 1930's and 1940's and I will be looking up the hairstyles and clothes but I already wear an apron, so that will be easy. I would really like to learn embroidery and basic sewing as my mother never taught me. I can knit but that is all.

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Darlene from Ohio wrote

Hi Donna,

There was another skill I wanted to learn and you already do it. That is making soap. I have a question about it. Where I live, in Ohio, you know we get very cold in the Winter, I know you would normally go outside to mix the lye and the water. Does the outside temperature matter at all? Can I make soap in temperatures around freezing? I'd like to make soap in the next few months, but they are my Winter months. Should I wait for Spring to try?

Thanks for your help,
Darlene

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Wendi wrote

I'm super excited for this study. In 1932 my great grandmother would have been 39 and my grandmother 13. Granny was in my life until I was in 5th grade. I loved going to her farm and especially spending time in her kitchen. The big wood stove was amazing! I know that the depression made a huge impact on how Mom (my grandmother) lived her life. She was frugal, resourceful and was a saver of all things.

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Karen wrote

Hi donna.hope you and Charles are both well. I really enjoy all your posts and appreciate all the writing you do I have learnt a lot from you.
I am very interested in life in the 30's to 50's I love doing things the old way.i would like to know what would the average housewife in the 30s have in her house? As in how much bed linen would she have ? What would her kitchen contain? How many clothes would she have? We are trying to downsize our belongings at the moment..most of which are second hand..we rarely buy new. I find older things much better made and like you I upcycled if needed.
Looking forward to following along with you :) best wishes karen uk.

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Emma - Barradale Farm wrote

You make an excellent point about people ordering from catalogues in the past. It reminded me of seeing them do it on The Little House on the Prarie. We used to own an old rural General Store and Post office, complete with the original counters and old floorboards. We uncovered the original solid timber shelving on the walls and painted it all up. It used to be major railway stop, as it was where the gauge of the tracks changed. Our General store used to sell everything in its day. There was still the old brass ruler in the counter which would have been used when measuring fabric. By the time we bought it it was a post office and essentially a small convenience store.

I'm attracted to 1870's-1900ish. I absolutely love the series the Victorian Farm. Farms had plenty of workers and staff onsite. Each farm seems like it was their own mini-community. I wish that was the same now! Our farm is way too small to support staff in this day and age, but once upon a time we could have felled good hardwood timber, raised a small herd of cattle, kept pigs, chickens and a even a little dairy. Of course, we can still do these things, but not on the scale it takes to run much of a profit in this day and age.

Your new study sounds like it's going to be excellent!
Blessings to you both,
Emma xx

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Andrea wrote

We sure had fun figuring out when we would've been born. Brett keeps telling Scott and I that we were born in the 1900's so what was life like in the 1900's? The way he's been teasing us in all fun of course makes it sound like were from the dinosaur era. I'm going to try to Pasty recipe and see how it turns out. They look delicious and filling. :)

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Roselyn Fletcher wrote

Thankyou for continuing on with the diary entries. I enjoy reading them and wondering about the writer. I appreciate the effort you put into translating the handwriting and typing it out for us. I recall Sarah and her kuche. Was she the woman who wrote about the measle outbreak? I often think of those entries and wonder how it all went for the writer and her family.

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Grandma Donna wrote

I will repost the first part of Sarah's diary because I only posted part of her diary. The year I was posting that I did not post the diaries in a organized way and it was difficult to read. I have picked several diaries for this study and I will be posting them every week like I have done Lil and Bob and Lena and Richard so it will be a smoother post. But there will be another diary and possibly a fourth under each other because I want everyone to see both sides of the way people lived during this time. The steady and intentional and the busy, spenders. :) I am happy that you will be reading along. I will also do a regular post the day after the diary post just like usual but it will be a little different this year because we will show how we are living like the study. :)

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Pat Diane wrote

This is a long comment, so please feel free to not publish it or edit it.

I really like your blog GDonna. You write with a feeling of peacefulness and calm. When I visit, my anxiety levels instantly drop :)

My dad was born in 1923. His parents owned a small farm and raised mostly sheep and a small herd of cows to make their living. My dad recounted that when he was 5 years old, he had to watch the sheep in an outer field from being attacked by bears. Although all 9 siblings were taught how to use guns for hunting and protection, when a bear showed up he was so scared he ran and left the sheep, and the gun, behind. His parents were angry and he was severely punished for not standing watch and allowing some sheep to be lost. It was a 3 1/2 mile trek to and from the single room schoolhouse, and in the warmer months no shoes were worn as the money was saved to buy boots for the winter. They foraged from what was available from their land: wild nuts, various berries (most were preserved), and wild vegetables. They would fish from a stream on their property; and hunt the wild game. They had chickens, ducks and milk cows. A very large vegetable garden was set up every year and my Grandmother and the daughters would can and dehydrate it. He said that his parents would make a trip into the "big city" a couple times of year to do banking and stock up on supplies needed. In the winter, it was via horse and sleigh, and in the summer time by horse and buggy. It was a 3 day round trip. (This farm is still in the family, and this trip by car is now only 45 minutes each way.) My Dad very rarely spoke of his childhood. Most of the stories we got were from his sisters and even with much prodding, very little information was given. One good memory he had was of getting a few candies, nuts and an orange in their "socks" for Christmas. These were the only gifts they ever got. My Dad said life was very, very hard and like many people of that time, he left school young and hopped the trains to the Prairies out West (in Canada) to start a new life. He was 12.

My mom was born in 1930, the youngest of 3 children. She said they felt rich (her words) because they had shoes year round, and coats that, although patched at times, were at least warm. My Grandfather had a small farm and grew wheat and other grains for their livelihood. My mom always talked about her childhood and parents with great fondness. So many stories were told. She used to talk about how her Dad would take the kids to Christmas Eve mass in the horse and sleigh with the sound of the sleigh bells ringing, while her Mom had the Christmas meal prepared for after church service. Special foods like popcorn balls were made because her Mom was given corn seeds for popcorn. (Unfortunately over time, she lost those seeds.) Like with my dad's family, all the kids pitched in with the farm work, tending to the chickens, foraging, preserving, farm repairs etc. She said that although life was difficult, the fact that her parents had a small family during the Depression, made it easier to provide for them unlike many of the farmers with more children. She said it was common for some of the school kids in larger families to eat lard slathered between bread as their lunch. My mom heard of a family that was desperate and cooked their dog to survive. Although people helped each other, many families were ashamed to ask for help. It was harsh times.

That being said, I grew up eating many depression era foods, that I never realized were labelled such until I was an adult and saw these foods listed on certain websites. Foods such as: bread and butter with white sugar sprinkled on it; homemade jam mixed with cream, and spooned over buttered bread; molasses with bread; stewed tomatoes over toast; and of course baked beans and thrice weekly pots of soup...and many, many others we still eat today. I still make my Grandmother's Rolled Molasses Cookies each year for Christmas: it contains lard (I use shortening now), molasses, brown sugar, flour, baking soda and water - no eggs and no spices - because my Mom said that the eggs were sometimes brought into the "corner store" and swapped for money and the spices were sometimes hard to come by. It's made as a sandwich type cookie filled with softened dates.

This 1930's study will automatically help me to revisit memories of my parents. I'm looking forward to it.

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Linda wrote

I'm so excited your going to be studying 1930's. I remember when you started it last time and I missed it when things stopped because of the virus etc. As you probably know I will just enjoy reading along with it all. We live a very simple life at home as it is, so if I am able to incorporate a few 1930's ish things into my day I will try ~ Blessings to you and Charles - Linda

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I absolutely love the Depression era. It’s my favorite time in history. I know I can’t even imagine how truly miserable it must have been to actually live through it, but the fact remains that people persevered, adapted, were resourceful, not so wasteful, etc. I appreciate that aspect.

My favorite novel is The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck. It is set during the Depression and I highly recommend it to those who haven’t read it. I also enjoy watching The Waltons, as it starts during the Great Depression :) 

I am still trying to catch up on reading your blog, as I’ve done so for quite awhile but then got busy with life and stopped reading. I can’t wait until I’m finally caught up and to 2023 and your Great Depression study!