A new beginning, determination.

  “We didn’t sleep much the rest of the night and were very unsure of what would happen at the meeting, but your Dad didn’t sign any papers or pick up a rake the next day at the meeting, and after the meeting, we hired a lawyer to advise us further. We did get a settlement from the mining company eventually and we were always so thankful to Billy Ball, a man who dared to speak out.

With the settlement from the mine company, bills that had accumulated during the past three years were paid off. Daddy and Mom went in search of a small farm to buy. With the hope that a small farm with a few milk cows would bring in cash for food and clothing. They could raise chickens, sheep, pigs and beef along with a large vegetable garden for most of their food. As Daddy’s health improved a small farm would be doable. The family moved to Porterville, Utah in the spring of 1941.

  

In 1941 the average cost of a new house was $4,075.00, average yearly wages $1,750.00, gasoline 12 cents a gallon and houses rented for $32.00 a month.  Europe was at war and the US soon to follow. December 7th 1941, the United States, after being attacked by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor, entered WW ll. More than 2400 American servicemen were killed in that attack. Until that time the US had remained neutral, but now tanks were dispatched to Britain along with food, trucks, guns and ammunition. For the next five years all of America was affected by the war. 

The war touched our family because many of my parent’s nephews served our country overseas. Their daily living changed when the government issued stamps for gas, tires etc. In 1942 the US began to ration some necessities to guarantee that everyone would receive a fair share and to help prevent inflation. The following items were rationed; tires, sugar, gasoline, bicycles, footwear, fuel oil, silk, nylon, coffee, stoves, meat, cheese, butter, canned foods, dried fruits, jam, and many other items. Production of new automobiles and appliances stopped. Books of rationing stamps were issued to each person in a household including babies and children. Ration stamps had an expiration date to prevent hoarding. Automobile racing and sight seeing were banned. Unemployment that had continued through the years of the depression ended with the start of the war as wartime production created millions of new jobs. As the young men were drafted, women stepped into the workforce to replace them. This started the trend as women left traditional roles of homemaker and mother and moved on to a career. 

In 1941 Daddy settled into farming like any other job, working long hours, trying to eke out a living for his family. He plowed a garden spot, amended the soil and he and Mom planted raspberries, strawberries and a vegetable garden. They purchased a few sheep, pigs, chickens and milk cows to supply their food and bought only sugar, flour, paper products and clothing, from the grocery store. They worked side by side. Both of them milked cows while the kids gathered eggs, and fed the animals. Daddy always helped with the supper dishes before he relaxed in the living room after a full day of work.  In their spare time they made the house more livable, again papering and painting. While Daddy worked in the fields, harvesting hay and grain to store for the winter, Mom planted flowers, weeded the vegetable garden, cooked meals, baked bread and persevered fruits, vegetables and meats to fill the cellar for winter.