When There Were NO Computers, What Did We Do?

Part Three:

One of the things we liked to do most was "Play House". Whenever we could get a brother or a cousin to play the Dad role, that was nice. That meant we could have a complete family with kids and dolls and stuffed animals. Our favorite place to play house was under the big plum bushes near the end of our pasture. We had a cherry tree, some plums, and some blackberry bushes all growing in a small grove. It was under these bushes that we worked and cleaned, removing twigs and debris and ending up with a beautiful mud floor that got

Carla and me at Grammie's and Grampie's

hard-packed by our feet and swept faithfully every play day. Of course, the boys got tired of the cleaning and comforting crying dolls and teddy bears. So they would leave the mothers to tend to the home and children and go off hunting or playing cops and robbers.

We spent a lot of time at Grammie Muriel's and Grampie Ellery's. We lived down over a small hill from them and so we couldn't see their house less than a half mile away. On one side of our grandparents was Uncle Lawrence's family -- and that was three cousins. On our side of Grammie's and Grampie's house was Aunt Iola's family -- and that was two more cousins. I was the eldest cousin and found myself often being "too old" for what was going on. But Andrea was only two years younger and the two of us were best friends and more like sisters than cousins. We had so much fun -- things like dressing cats up in doll clothes and taking them for rides in the doll stroller. Our creativity was only limited by the limits of our imaginations. 

I remember life being SO peaceful for the years that I was an "only child". All my toys were beloved and kept in good shape. Mom was my constant companion and spent time playing games with me and including me in much of her day. When I was 5 1/2, God sent me a little sister and I adored her. Then in the following 3 years came two brothers -- and I adored them, too. Often blessings are accompanied by sacrifice -- and in my case it was great sacrifice. My nearly pristine stuffed animals and dolls became victims of my siblings ... mostly brother number one! It was heart breaking to see things like a stuffed bunny ripped out under his arms or a doll with her hair cut almost totally off. But even then I knew that people were better than stuffed toys and so I rather quietly endured the trauma. 

It was necessary for me to think back and have a little empathy for the clumsiness of little children. After all, I had broken the two front teeth from my mother's one and only baby doll. She had graciously allowed me to play with her and when I was using the thermometer from my "Nurse Kit" to take the doll's temperature it got stuck!  When I pulled the thermometer from the doll's mouth, out came the teeth. Mom was heart broken. Growing up in the depression meant life without many luxuries and so her doll was cherished. And I have always sorrowed over ruining her!

We always had enough to eat and we dressed in hand-me-down's a good share of the time. We were warm for the most part. That is, we were warm except on winter mornings before the stoves were turned up and the skim of ice was melted in the water bucket kept by our kitchen sink. By today's standards, we were poor, but we didn't know it. We were happy. 

We manufactured our own fun and we knew little of what it meant to be entertained. We entertained ourselves. If there was nothing else to do, we would lie on the hay in the barn and watch a spider diligently build a web. And we loved to see them kill the flies they trapped. It was amazing to watch them wrap the murdered flies in a silken blanket -- a burial shroud. 

Chores were always part of our lives. There were house chores and there were barn chores. I preferred the barn. There were usually pigs to feed, cows to feed and water, chickens to care for, eggs to gather. In the garden we pulled weeds, helped harvest the produce, and had tasks related to preserving enough food for the following winter. We were a team. We survived together, and we usually did so happily. Though I absolutely hated dealing with the flatware when we washed the dishes. NO, we didn't have a dishwasher. Everything went into a pan of warm, sudsy water and scrubbed clean. That was one person's job. Another would take the washed and rinsed dishes and wipe them dry. Someone tall enough to safely reach the cupboards put the stack of clean dishes away. 

God was uppermost in our lives. We talked about Him and about the Bible. And we talked to Him. We prayed at every meal and at bed time. I remember the lengthy prayers of little siblings who didn't know what else to say, so there was quite a list of, "God bless Mommy and Daddy . . . God bless [this one and that]" until they couldn't think of anybody else. And when they finished blessing the people they would sometimes start in on the animals. Another long list was "Thank You. . ." It was because of those times, we learned that God is real and that He loves to hear and answer prayer. 

All of that beats TV and the internet! Many times I have said this and I will say it again: I am SO thankful for growing up in a Christian environment and a loving family. And that is why I consider myself wealthy -- rich in good memories and in knowing my Lord and Savior. I have an amazing future waiting for me, blessings that my effort could never obtain. And if I had all the money in the world I could never purchase salvation. It is the gift of God's grace.