Bill and Susie Stringall on their wedding day  Sept 16th 1928.

Oleo (Margerine) and Butter

Remembering that during the 2nd world War we couldn't get butter like before, so they came up with a product called Oleo and it was white in color with a orange colored ball in the center in a plastic bag that we had to break and knead it to make it look more like butter. It was not all that tasty either, as it was actually like lard that you colored. At first we had to punch, squeeze, stomp, or what ever to get the entire mess to turn yellow in the pkg. Then my mom came up with the idea to put it in the mixer so it wasn't as hard to get mixed up, but the only bad part of that was getting it off the blades after. At first we had to do it by hand, and that was a lot of work.
I remember mixing it a good deal of the time, so think mom got out of that slick.
Every so often my Grandfather would come to visit and bring us real butter that had been made on the farm that he worked on. Oh, what a treat we thought, but then the taste test and it was so strong tasting that I had a hard time eating it. Mom would say we should appreciate it as it was real butter, and not to turn our nose up at it. I don't know what they fed the cows to make it so strong. I guess you could get a taste for it but it would take a bit for that.

Mom and her crochet hook.

One of my favorite memories of our mom is when she would be sitting crocheting something. The 2nd photo is of motifs that she worked on during the war, and made a big table cloth eventually with them, and this piece was a scarf for the buffet to match. She used that table cloth for special occasions. I thought that is was really neat, and at that time I didn't know how to crochet but it fascinated me. The 1st. photo and 3rd have varigated flowers types that she made a lot of and never put them on anything so I used a few of them for neck pieces for some of my bears and also and making a scarf eventually with a few of them. She made a lot of doilies also. I wanted to learn how to do it later in my teens, so she taught me to make a chain and the rest I learned on my own.

Our Dad was very giving.

I should add to that last blog about our Dad. Where Mom was very thrifty Dad would go out and blow the whole thing and over spend when he could. I remember the year that I got a really pretty compact that Dad gave me. I still have it and its a nice memory of my Dad's love. He didn't ever say he loved us, but you knew wth the things he did for you. Another year when I was older he paid for a car that I had to have, and gave me the paid slip as a gift at xmas. He bought mom a lot of nice thing during the years also.

Our Mom

Our Mom was raised in a different time when things were not as plentiful as today, so she was a saver of everything. Then World War 11 came along and everyone saved, as things were even scarcer being the troops had to have cloths etc.. We had to save tin foil, rubberbands, and just about everything you can imagine. I remember the big balls of string that we save. At xmas we used the same paper and bows from year to year, so we couldn't tear open our wraped gifts, but open very careful in order to not tear them. Actually that wouldn't be such a bad idea now that everyone is thinking green. Everything was rationed and when we wore a hole in our shoes we put in cardboard or what ever so we could still wear them. Mom and Dad made what they could for xmas, but on occasion we did get something bought from the store. Mom was really big on regifting up until the day she died. One year she gave my son a stappler that my dad had appropriated from his job which was an OK gift. and the same year she gave my other son old flash bulbs for a broken camera she had given him many years before. She was big on anything cheap and some things were very useful. Bars of soap were a biggy for her, and she did make nylon scubbers that were great. The thing I loved that she made for my kids, were PJ's and they loved them, but that was many years after the war. During the war it was hard to get fabric so we appreciated anything that we could get. I remember buying curtain chintz for a skirt that was stiff, but it was the only thing available, but it made a pretty nice summer skirt. Mom sewed everything she could when she got hold of the fabric, or took old cloths and revamped them. I remember she even made jeans for the boys. Times were a lot harder then and she did the best she could, but sometimes i had wished she wasn't so thrifty. Dad on the other hand was not so thrifty and he would go out and get nice gifts. I still have a really nice compact that he bought for me. On Valentines Day Dad would buy us girls a heart box of candy and Mom always got a giant heart box. After Mom moved to OR. near me she was still saving, and she had empty bottles, jars and little bitty boxes that she saved, plus string, rubberbands, etc. All this we found when cleaning out her home. To this day I have a little of that saving inbreaded in me, and some of it is good, but having to move so many times with the navy I do clean stuff out a lot where I don't think Mom ever did.

Thanksgiving Dinner

When I was 12 Mom was sick on thanksgiving and couldn't get up to make our holiday dinner, so I was called upon to make all the fixings if we were going to have anything. Now this was my first really big meal to make, so even though mom was sick I went in and asked her a lot of questions while I was getting the meal together. I worked really hard on that meal, and surprise, surprise it turn out really well all except the gravy which I burned, so I felt terrible and consequently have never forgotten that meal.

A Day at the Beach

It was always fun when we were able to go to the beach which wasn't often even though when I was young it wasn't to far away. Mom would take me down to play in the sand every so often at the beach in San Francisco, and I even remember a little of it. If I was really really lucky I even got to get a ride on the merry-go-round which I dearly loved and I still have fond memories of that. This picture was when I was a bit older with my two brothers. It was in either SF or in Santa Cruz.

Dad at 14 years of age

Looking through my pictures I did find this of my Dad at age 14. I have no ideal if that was regular wear or some sort of uniform. I am posting it for those that might want a copy of it. It was probably taken in about 1917 and in northern CA. If he was still living he would be 104 on Nov. 19th.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!!

Christmas Spirit

Now that it is getting close to Christmas I am starting to get in the Xmas spirit and thinking about the days when I was still living at home with my folks and working. All the stores would decorate their windows really beautiful with xmas scenes and Christmas music played everywhere you went in town shopping. Along the streets there were plenty of decorations on the light poles and elsewhere. Some going over the street all the way through the downtown area. I use to love to go from store to store looking at all the displays that made it a winter wonderland. I lived in San Jose CA. so there was no real snow but you still had the feeling of snow with the way the windows were decorated. Some had Santa's workshops and others a scene with snow. A lot of them had moving parts that actually pulled you into the scene when you stood there gazing at them. Sadly I don't have any pictures from then, as it was in the late 1940's, and it was black and white film plus I never thought to bring a camera to town. The picture shown is one I found on the webof a Marshall and Fields store. Some displays had trains running through the scene and Santa at work which was neat.
At work we had a contest of building little ginger bread and candy houses, so during our breaks and before and after work we would work on them until they were finished. We put a lot of detail on them with paths, little fences and trees out of candy. It was also time when busnesses would send over goodies for us to eat such as all kinds of candies and cookies. I was a long distance telephone operator so we had to work on all holidays, so the extra spoiling was nice as we really worked hard on those days. It is quite different now, but then if we didn't work then no one could call their families.

Good ol'days of Radio

Before the days of TV all we had was the radio for entertainment, and it was on all the time. They had variety shows, scarey shows, soaps, family stories and music and news of course. I use to like the mystery theater, soaps and family hour the best that I remember. I was home most of the time because of illness so it was great for me. Of course I would never miss a soap if I could help it and the same for today. One of them that I listened to before is still on today, but on TV. One time my radio fell on the floor and broke and I was devestated until Dad fixed it for me.
My Bro still kids me about listening to the soaps like Stella Dallas and Back Stage Wife. Nice memories though, as it was my world at the time.

The Secret!!

We had a secret in the family that all the time I was growing up I tried to figure out what two sets of initials meant. To my Dad my mom always signed herself as GG and Dad would sign himself BB to anything he gave her. I asked and asked but could never get an answer. It was a secret between the two of them that they had since they were going together, and they weren't going to tell us. I would try and think of all the possiblities like for instance could it be Girl Girl for her and Boy Boy for Dad. Mom would never say yes or no. Finally over the years I sort of forgot about it being i was busy raising a family and not living at home anymore.
After Mom passed away we had to go through everything and we came across a card that Dad had sent to mom and he signed it Billy Boy and addressed it to his Gypsy Girl. Finally the dawn of what the initials were for. After all that time it was neat to have it figured out finally.

The Pranks

In a home with 4 kids there is always some thing that sparks a prank. I know I was guilty of a few of them especially on April Fools day. One time I thought it would be funny to put dog food in my Brothers cereal. We ate grapenuts and the dog food we had looked a lot like the cereal. Of course I had one brother who got picked on, as he was really good natured and wouldn't kill me after. Pay backs are hell sometimes though as you never knew when it was going to be. Another time I made chocolate covered cardboard wafers for a treat. LOL Not to tasty!!!
Still another time there was a glass that had the bottom busted out of it, so I set it up in the cupboard until the right time to put it out on the table for dinner. We always set the table ahead of time and just befor meal time poured the water in all the glasses. This night my sister had that job of pouring the water, and you guessed it water went all over the table. I was out in the kitchen having a hard time containing myself, but then the payback, as I had to clean it up. My Brother was a prankster himself and He still tries to get me and I am pretty gullible so I usually fall for it. At least at first. It took him a few years to get back at me for the dog food incident.
After I had been married quite a few years, my brother was up visiting us in his voltswagon van, so his girl friend and I decided to decorate the front of his van. We had a blast and like alway I could hardly keep a straight face, so he knew something was up when he came out to move it. He thought it was great though, and never did change it. A few years later he was driving in the mountains and a big rig came around a curve and hit him, so that was the end of the van. He was hurt and it was many years before his neck was better. He was in the hospital when Mt. Saint Helens blew its top, and on a lot of pain meds so seeing the TV with all the coverage of the mountain doing its thing, he had some weird thoughts.

Rabbits and Chickens

During the 2nd WW the folks decided to raise some rabbits and chickens, so we would have enough meat to eat, and it would help stretch the meat coupons that they got for all of us. I don't remember if we ate any of the chickens, as I think they just used them for eggs which were really large double yolk eggs much of the time. It was another matter with the rabbits as mom would fix them for sunday dinner, and she had a way of fixing them that they were really good, and I wouldn't have missed that meal for anything. Mom was a rather plain cook but with that rabbit she did a great job on it. None of our meals were terrible but she didn't use a lot of seasoning. It was fun to go out and gather the eggs and feed the animals, but I didn't think thier messes were fun to clean up. One thing we had lots of fertilizer for the veggie garden. There was a vacant lot in back of our yard and the owner said we could use it for a vegetable garden, so mom and we kids helped with that. The thing I remember most about that is the golden Bantom corn she raised. It was wonderful.

Gma Stringall in her Garden

I have found another picture of my Dad's Mom in her veggie garden. The cabbage looks great, and makes me think of all the good things to be made with it. I doubt they made saurkraut with it but you never know. I don't remember us having it while we were growing up, but after getting married I did, and like it pretty well. We even made it while we were in Idaho and one batch turned out really good. Gma Stringall looks like a good ole country gal.

Mom Stringall in her buggy w/ Dad

I was looking through the few old photo's that I have and thought these were neat. One is just of mom and the other of my mom and her Dad pushing the buggy with her in it. I know this type of buggy wouldn't be very practical now days, but I love the wicker style, and to think it is all hand made. My sister inlaw made an ink drawing of it one time that was really beautiful. I hope someone in the family has that inking. This photo was probably taken in 1905 sometime, and was probably taken in Gerneville, CA.

Sunday at a Friends

Here is a picture of the 4 of us siblings. I believe we were visiting an old friend of the folks when this was taken, and I vaguely remember it. This was In San Jose CA. I am sure glad we don't have to wear hats and dresses like in those days to visit a friend.LOL

Old Pictures

I thought this picture was kind of interesting. They are of Dad, Mom, Bro Bob and myself. They must have been taken in 1934 or there abouts in San Francisco, as that was where we were living at the time. Love the car and find the style of mom's cloths a little weird, and a bit over done, but that was the style then.
She may have made them as she did a lot of sewing, as she did all the time we were growing up. She even made the boys jeans during the 2nd world war, as you couldn't buy many of them.
When I was young you didn't go to San Francisco without hat, gloves and dressed to the hilt. That was in the late 40's and early 50's. No long pants, shorts or what ever like it is today. The 60's sure changed that with the hippy movement.

Mom and Dad when courting

These are pictures of Mom and Dad in 1924 when they were courting. The women on the left is my Gma Ruddock, and Mom and Dad Stingall on the right. They looked like they were having fun and enjoying each other. I love the old car too. It is fun to see pictures of them when they were young lovers. Often wonder how it was when they were getting together.
The pictures aren't very good but I have to remember that was a long time ago.

Dad's Dad and Mom

This is one of two pictures I have of my Dad's mom, but have several of his Dad. I never knew her, but she looks like a real homey type person that would have a big heart and would have bread and cookies baking for any who came to visit.
I did get to know him to a point. He believed kids should be seen and not heard, so never really talked to him in depth. He passed away when I was in my later teens.

Mom's Dad and Mom

Here is a picture of my mom's mum and papa. He was a Dr. and she was a seamstress. She was a rather stern looking women. She did have a very tiny waist that any of us girls would die for. I saw a vest that my mom had saved of hers, and it looked like a very little girls, but she was a little bitty women.