History, continued 1930/1940...32º

For approximately the next 10 years, the new family lived in Diamondville Wy. where Joe worked for a ranch and later went to work in the coal mines...The houses (more like shacks) that were provided with the job, gave them a roof over their heads, but not much more...Winters were brutal, and the wind was constant year round...The town was a rough mix, mostly Italians...Survival was every families aim...The kids went to one room school houses and learned that life was tough... Loraine and Barbara fought daily battles with the kids who teased George because he stuttered...They were a force to be reckoned with and soon the teasing stopped...Ham and beans (very little ham) were a staple of their diet...The 3 kids and a dog named Duke would trudge to the store, where they asked for soup bones for the dog...The "knowing butcher" would pick out the meatiest bones to put in the flour sack, that the kids carried with them...On the way back home, walking along the railroad tracks, each child filled their pockets with coal, that had fallen from the boxcar, as the trains rumbled through town...Every scrap of coal was picked up as coal heated their house and cooked the soup.

Joel arrived on the scene, a happy baby and soon a precocious child...He walked and talked early and at the age of two seemed to have a language all his own...Unlike his brother George, who was a tender hearted boy, Joel was made of sterner stuff...He was often heard to say (when George was crying), "Bawl Georgie, Bawl," then gave his brother a big hug and they were off playing again.

Joels' untimely death sent their world into a tailspin, but with a new baby in the house, and mouths to feed, hard work was the answer, with no time to grieve...Joe finally hired on with a mining company and with a steady paycheck, life improved, but only for tragedy to strike again...An accident in the coal mine left Joe with broken vertebrae in his back, weeks in a hospital, a train trip back to Mayo Brothers Clinic, no money coming in, his back didn't heal properly and he finally got a lump sum settlement from the company...It was time to move on...Porterville, Utah would be their next home...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

PS...I'm writing most of this from memory of what was told to me and I thank Aunt Peggy and her  book "Precious Gems." as my go to place for dates.

 Better years to come?