Today is my Dad's birthday! He turned 71 this year. That means that he was born in 1934 - during the Great Depression.
My dad tells stories about his childhood - he was 1 of 10 children - and he was the ruffian of the bunch. He grew up in rural Alabama where the Great Depression probably didn't have as much of an impact as it did in the north. His family grew much of what they ate - although they didn't live on a farm, they seemed to have a garden and fruit trees. And since he was one of the older kids, he had the job of climbing on the roof three times a day during the summer to lay out fruit for drying. In the morning, he put the fruit on the tin roof of the house to dry. At noon, he had to climb back up on the hot tin and turn the fruit. (he didn't wear shoes in the summer --ouch!!) Then in the evening, he collected the fruit.
Although his family didn't have much in the way of material goods, it didn't seem to be an issue. Maybe most of the folks back then didn't have much. So, no one knew any different.
I'm so lucky that I still have my dad. I have watched him age in the last couple of years, and I know that I don't have a lot of time left with him. So, I plan to try and enjoy what I do have.
Happy Birthday, Daddy.
My dad tells stories about his childhood - he was 1 of 10 children - and he was the ruffian of the bunch. He grew up in rural Alabama where the Great Depression probably didn't have as much of an impact as it did in the north. His family grew much of what they ate - although they didn't live on a farm, they seemed to have a garden and fruit trees. And since he was one of the older kids, he had the job of climbing on the roof three times a day during the summer to lay out fruit for drying. In the morning, he put the fruit on the tin roof of the house to dry. At noon, he had to climb back up on the hot tin and turn the fruit. (he didn't wear shoes in the summer --ouch!!) Then in the evening, he collected the fruit.
Although his family didn't have much in the way of material goods, it didn't seem to be an issue. Maybe most of the folks back then didn't have much. So, no one knew any different.
I'm so lucky that I still have my dad. I have watched him age in the last couple of years, and I know that I don't have a lot of time left with him. So, I plan to try and enjoy what I do have.
Happy Birthday, Daddy.
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