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.

Working during WW11 in the summers

The first real job I remember doing was picking cucumbers in the field when I was 12, and between putting my fingers through rotten ones and sitting on them so they would squished all over me, I couldn't eat a cuccumber for 50 years because of it. The smell would to get me.
I also did baby sitting jobs also at 10 cents an hour, but not sure how old I was when I started. The thing I rememer most about them is trying to stay awake until the parents got home which was really hard. One lady decided that 10 cents an hour was to much and went around to all the other parents trying to get it down to 5 cents. I didn't just do babysitting as I would do the dishes and little things that needed to be done, so I was pretty pissed to say the least. Thank goodness she didn't get the rest to agree to the 5 cents, so it work out fine. Can you imagine 10 cents an hour now? Pretty pathetic.
The boys, Bob and Dick, had paper routes that they ran everyday, so they had a way to make money. I remember helping Bob collect on his a few time, but don't know if I ever helped Dick. It was a job I really didn't care for.
Other jobs were cutting cots, picking prunes and then I was old enough to work in the cannery, Barron and Gray. I think that I was about 13 as they lowered the age limit to get enough workers so they could get the fruit canned. Most of the time I worked on the pear machine, which wasn't bad. It was a lot better than working on a belt picking out the bad stuff that came down. I, for some reason, disliked the grape belt the most. I know I worked 3 summers there, and once I went over to Dole for a short time. When a gal cut off her finger tips on to the the fruit cocktail belt that did it for me as couln't eat fruit cocktail for quite awhile. I was still working in the cannery when the war ended, but the next years were not as easy to get on as the guys started coming home from the war. The jobs for kids and women dwindled after that.
My next job was a full time one working for the phone company as a long distance Operator and that lasted around 4 years. I disliked the broken shifts though, and getting off late at night. Sorry to say but I took off quite a bit because of it.
About that time I decided i wanted to go back to school, so went to see about getting my GED and then about entering San Jose State's junior college. I ran out of money after the 2 semester, and quit thinking as soon as I made the money to continue I would go back. I didn't go back to the phone company as found a job at Gousha's Map company, and i really liked that job. Being a cartogapher was more to my liking and it was day hours. I never did go back to college as I met my hubby to be about the same time I started working again. In the mean time I went over to the college and they up graded my status to 4 year college because my grades were so good the two semesters that I went.

A Family Picture.

Here is a family picture that Dad took of us when I was in my later teens. He was into taking pictures and developing them himself, as he, I am sure, enjoyed learning all about photography. He was a man of many talents, and if he wanted to know something he went about teaching himself. This one is of himself, mom, me, Bob, Dick and Mlee. He dabbled in photography for quite a few years. I remember when we went to the San Francisco World Fair he took a lot of slides, but I don't remember a lot except it was a huge place and I was only 9, almost 10. If i remember right Gpa and gma Stringall went along also. Dad and Mom also went to the ice Follies several times and of course Dad took a lot of slides. They were beautiful, and often wondered what happen with the all the slides he took. Dad even got into tinting some pictures himself and that interested me too.