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I'm going to have to catch up first! :) I still don't have my life to the basics of the 1930s yet. I just got my new indoor, over-the-bathtub clotheslines, and we're going to put them up this weekend. December was instant winter for me, and I'm looking forward to any humidity that drying clothes indoors will provide. I just learned how to layer clothes for warmth too, and how much I love my soapstone! I use it as a bed warmer now, and it's pure luxury to have the warm bedding. 

I like the idea of a victory garden. Victory over high prices at the grocery store! :) I'll enjoy learning along with the study, but I have to finish my 1930's homework first. I'll hurry to the 1940s as fast as I can. 

The 1930s & 1940s appeal to me partly because it makes me feel close to my grandparents.  That's when they were raising their families and that time period lingered even when I would visit them in the 1960s as a child. A lot of things they had and did in the 60s were just as it was 20 - 30 years before- food, clothes, household items, etc.

It seems to make sense to shift to the 1940s and will be very interesting.  Here in Australia,  "All Creatures Great and Small" is back on free-to-air television. They have been experiencing WW2 for a short while. The message I'm getting from the show is that those who stayed behind had as much of a role to play in the war effort as those who went away.

Grandma Donna Wrote, 

Stephanie G, the good thing about the studies is that anyone can jump in at any time. I will be continuing to research the 1930s too,  but stay synced with the 1941 and 1942, It can be picked up anytime.  I was glad that we have done some studies in the 1940s because this is where I found the article about the soapstone.  The use of the soapstone came back because of the fuel shortage during ww2.  Sure has come handy today as well. :) I will post that link here so others can read it if they want to.    https://gdonna.com/living-like-the-past/soapstone/

My mother's cousin was on The Arizona battleship when Pearl Harbor was bombed. His body still rests in that ship under the water. I remember visiting his mother (my Great Aunt) and she had his Navy photo hanging on the wall over her bed; I always found it rather sobering, I'm sure she missed him terribly. I recall my mother speaking about rationing and coupon books during the 1940's.   Grandma Donna, is there a story behind your photo of that sweet and beautiful white, 2 story house? I love the fence around it. 

I've found it interesting how people were effected by the 1930s & 1940s especially women as they got older and away from that time.

I've known some who I think never quite got over having to do without, others who were always fearful of having to live through those times again and others who seemed to just adjust and continue on.

what books are you reading when you do your studies of times past? 

Grandma Donna Wrote,

Joy N, That house is at a place here in our town of Dothan called Landmark Park.  They have moved this farm house and buildings to this park to preserve them so that people can come to visit and see these pieces of history.  This house reminds me of my early years and different family members that lived in this type of house.  At one time we did live in a old farmhouse but due to a job change we moved away from our little 10 acre farm where we had chickens, hogs, two horses, a catfish pond.  I did raise a cow named Charley Brown. :)  

Grandma Donna -- I remember an article you posted from WWII about turning down the heat, saying that 65 degrees was good enough for anyone. I made that a goal of mine. At first it felt freezing, but now it feels comfortable with my layers. I'm sure there's a lot more overlap, and I'll get a lot out of it, but since the people in the 1940s had their 1930s' skills under their belts already, that's what I have to catch up. I think I now have all of my 1930s' tools for saving money by not using expensive conveniences or just replacing things, but since 1931 was a deepening of the Depression, we were planning to cut our budget back even more, and I think I'll stick with that plan. I always learn helpful things no matter what year the study is. :) And I think it's wonderful that Charles has time to study in depth! 

Grandma Donna Wrote,

Rebekah G, I have all kinds of history books, that we have collected over time.  I also have many handwritten diaries that I have purchased over the years.  I have old journals and ledgers, I have found them in old antique and thrift shops and found people selling their old diaries from family members.  Some estate sales and some on ebay.  I am particular with the information that I am looking for when I purchase a diary.  I do not purchase the signature diaries or those that do a lot of travel.  I look for the ones that write about their daily home life.  I learn a lot from these. I also subscribe to newspapers to read the microfilms and Also go to the research room at the local library for their books and microfilms.  I have shared some of them on my blog, if you use a computer and go to the mail home page over on the right hand side is a list of diary readings.  I have some that are in posts that I have never added to that column and need to .  I also keep hoping for time to type them out to share them because that is my intention in the first place so people can learn more about the home during these years.   :)

I am reminded that when I was in elementary school, maybe around ‘66, we were approaching December 7 when my teacher asked us what day December 7 was in history. I was the only one who knew, after only 25 years or so. I was also the only one whose father had fought in WWII. My dad was 37 when I was born whereas my classmates had younger parents. My parents told my siblings and me lots of stories about the war times so the 1940’s are a time I have heard a lot about. 
I don’t mind the switch to the forties at all. I enjoy learning about our history, no matter the time. 
I have mentioned I want to learn to knit, that’s a goal. I just recently learned the old fashioned way to make sourdough and that is going well. No refrigerating the dough, special tools, fancy dough handling or preheating Dutch ovens for a long time. So maybe knitting is next.  And I am working to improve my sewing, hand and machine. 

Joan S, my father was in his late 30s when I was born so I too had an "older" father. When I started school he was in his 40s and 10-15 years older than other dads. He was a WWII veteran.  WWII was very much a part of our family growing up. Honestly, subsequent wars/conflicts really didn't permeate our world. My mother was 11 years younger so she was a child when my dad was off to fight in Europe. She had older brothers who served and remembered hearing her mom cry at night because she didn't know where her boys were. WWII was very much part of our family psyche.

I am excited for this new study. My Dad was in WWII and I just found the article in his hometown paper where it lists his name as having been drafted. My Dad was working on his Master's degree at K.U., when he was called to the military.

My grandparents had purchased a small grocery store in Lawrence, Kansas around 1937. It was a busy place during the war. I have an old grocery ad from the 1950's.

Thank you for another interesting study, gDonna.

My mother told of coming home from the movies to parents, neighbors and family all sitting in shocked silence listening to the radio about the attack on Pearl Harbor.  She was 20 at the time.

I am 82 so was born in 1943.  I have one memory of mom and dad walking 6 blocks to the movies to see the newsreels one carrying me and one my sister born in 1944.  That was the only visual information beyond newspapers and magazines of what was happening overseas.  

My mother saved my ration book in my baby book.  Also, V-mails from two of my uncles when I they heard I was born.

I have quite a few random snapshot memories from when I was two and three years of age.  I've read that people retain memories of something that makes you feel extreme emotions.  When I was between 2 and 3, I fell against the heating stove and severely burned the palms of both hands.  I have no memory of the accident nor the pain which I'm sure was extreme.  However, I clearly recall being in the doctor's office and him holding my hand and telling me he was going to trim the dead skin from my hand and that it would hurt ... I recall it did not hurt.  I don't recall the words but do recall my awareness of strong emotions from adults talking about the war. 

Not much changed in homes between 1930s and 1940s.  If something wasn't broken it wasn't replaced.  New appliances did not appear in the average home until a few years after the war when homes became more modern.  Starting in the 1930s wash boards were replaced by wringer washers.  Solid fuel cookstoves were replaced by gas or electric stoves and refrigerators were replacing ice boxes.  I recall my mother having an ice box until I was 4 or 5.  I was 11 before she had a washer and dryer.  I was in 4th grade when we got a TV, the first one in town.

If you know where your family/ancestors lived in 1940, you can get a good glimpse of their life by reading the 1940 U.S. Census.  The 1930 Census contains even more detailed information.  Sad to say, today's youth who are no longer learning cursive will be unable to read a census or any of our founding documents.

I am so glad that you are going to a 1940s study, since Charles didn't have time to be deeply involved in the earlier studies. I hope he can be fully immersed in it now. I am sure he will enjoy it.

I am looking for a 1942 calendar on eBay now. There are many nice ones for under $20.

Becky Sue

Here in the UK, my late husband was born during an Air Raid in WWII!  His mother was very malnourished and had to stay in hospital, being fed chicken (something that didn't enter her diet at home, being a real luxury).  Meanwhile her son was looked after by her sister in law, and had the drawer from a chest of drawers for a bed.  His mother spoke of being sold Whale meat sausages at the butchers, with the comment "Cook 'em well Missus".  Well, her anxious side got the better of her.  She thought they must be contaminated in some way and would you believe, WASHED them in TCP (which is a foul-smelling liquid for cleansing cuts etc).  In the end, she so convinced herself that her family would be poisoned if they ate the sausages, she threw them away!  I mean - that was food, if tough (which is probably what the butcher meant). If you look at how little a family got because of rationing, you used every last squeak from the pip of a piece of fruit, should one happen to come your way.  Her husband was in a protected job (making aircraft) but still had to go and be an Air Raid warden at night.  They had an Air Raid shelter sunk into their small back lawn, and when the sirens sounded, would have to grab a hurricane lamp and the children and make their way down to it.  We still have the battered small aluminium pan she used for boiling up water for tea (on a primus).  She just had a couple of pans for cooking, all the rest having been sent to the war effort - they were melted down for aeroplane manufacture.  Below is the rations for 2 people in WWII. Milk, bacon, cheese, lard, butter, sugar, tea and jam.  Folk living in rural areas fared much better of course.  Before 1939 Britain imported 2/3 of its food - but when the German U-boats showed up there was a huge effort to grow food at home, and allotments were made on playing fields, parks and every spare inch of ground.  

If you are interested in the WWII diaries of the UK,  some of the Mass Observation diaries have been published - Nella Last's diaries are particularly good and believe me she could make something from nothing in the kitchen!

As for your soapstones, here in the UK a hefty stoneware foot warmer was made - imagine something semicircular at the ends and about a foot or so long (12 inches).  It had a stopper made of vulcanite and was filled with boiling water.  These warmed the beds too.  Hot water bottles are still made and used here in the UK.  In fact, on cold nights, although I have the electric bed warmer on, a "hotty botty" is still welcomed by cold feet!  The foot warmers turn up still as "antiques" now and still do the job well.

I make patchwork quilts, and have them for beds, for laps and for daytime naps on the sofa.  My kids had a hexagon one (my first attempt at patchwork) as a "poorly quilt" when they were laid up on the sofa when off school with a cold or something.  I love to hand-quilt where possible, it is very mindful and satisfying.  

You mention Charles reading old newspapers: is he reading them online? If so, where? Or do you have a collection of actual newspapers from that period? I'd be very interested to read news from the 1940s.

My mum was a Wren-they are no longer a group as women can join the Roya Navy now, but short for the Women's Royal Navy-as a medic. My family in England got through WWII and luckily no one in our family was lost.. My uncle was in Italy and North Africa against Mussolini and Rommel; my mum stationed all over Great Britain with medic services. My granddad had been in WWI and wanted to rejoin, but was told he was too old. My grandmother kept the house and everyone together emotionally: rationing was very strict but she was determined that "the Germans would not change our way of life", as she put it. The table was set just the same as it was every other day but for six years they were disrupted by war planes and bombs. There was a farming family across the road who helped though; they provided the bit extra of milk and eggs that city people were not privy to. One of my aunts took in twenty three refugees (not all at once of course) but serially. These were children from London, Liverpool, Coventry, and other heavily bombed cities. I met one or two of them a few years ago who had grown up and still visited occasionally.  They were quite grateful to my aunt after all those years. I remember my grandma making rice pudding when I visited and I asked my mum why she did not make it for us as it was so delicious. She replied that she had certainly had enough of it during the war and we would never have it in our house!  Interesting times indeed, and we can learn a lot from those back then. 

What a splendid idea, Grandma Donna. You're right - our today is starting to mimic the 30s and the 40s seemed to bring out community and a sense of purpose. I think we could all use a good dose of that! 

I hope we can share ideas on recipes and other tips that center around rationing. The cost for food keeps rising and I'm always looking for ways to cut costs.

I just purchased this book to get a better idea of home front life - thought I'd share the link in case anyone else is interested.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1399059238?ref=ppx_yo2ov...

Yes, I mean to add that as well. It is a familiar theme: those who have get more. This is happening today. 

I am not ordering however, anything from Amazon, Walmart, Target, or any large corporation. It just helps Jeff Bezos and his friends all that much more. 

I am enjoying these discussions on 30s and now 40s. please will Joan S share her recipe for sourdough without refrigeration .. sounds old fashioned.  I have wasted so much flour etc over the years trying to make sourdough. I learn from Gdonna and all of you  Thank you .

I was just thinking yesterday how I like the 1930's but I am still more drawn to the 1940's. I have done studies on the great depression and really am finding more interest in the world war two rationing times at the moment. 

There is not a whole lot I can do at the moment to live like the 1930's or 1940's but here is one thing I am doing that was common in those times. I am studying how to teach the McGuffey readers in preparation for homeschooling my daughter here soon. She is only 20 months old but already knows many of her letters/numbers and can sort multiple colors. She is likely going to be an early reader.

They taught kids very in depth when I comes to reading. I don't remember being taught all the pronunciation marks when I was taught to read! But these book teach that so I am brushing up on that knowledge in order to teach her.

These books often will have slate work exercises! It is incredibly hard to find real slates anymore. In fact, when I did find them I got at least ten in each size just so when they go extinct I will have plenty. They come in bare, raw wood but I like the aged look so I lightly sanded them, stained them, and polyurethaned them. My sister found the closest thing to slate pencils that I can find these days too. I like them and have stocked up on them also. 

I plan to read the Little House on the Prairie books to my daughter so these slates and readers will help her immerse herself into history and learn it in a way that simply reading back can't convey.

We will be living like the past through homeschooling. We even have a wood stove in our kitchen and an oil lamp on our kitchen table if we really wanted to immerse deeper during study times (especially in the winter). Soap stones would come in handy because there are times in deep winter where the floors get quite cold. Having a soap stone at our feet during study time would likely be very beneficial.

The thing that makes me sad about our present time is the fact that skills have been lost to the point of people not knowing how to take care of themselves and get through a hard time in their lives.  We also expect too much.  Children's birthday parties are not a simple cake and party games but have to be held at an expensive venue.  We have been talked into thinking our homes are not good enough so we don't ask friends in for a simple cup of coffee anymore.  Life just made more sense in the past.  

Not sure if it’s “1941-2” specific, but one of our latest ventures is to preserve meat without refrigeration. This would have been common knowledge back then but we’ve struggled to find good information. There were different methods for different regions and climates of course.  
I look forward to your studies no matter what year. I always seem to learn something.  
Also, Jennie C - I believe mine is ceramic but for those who’ve not seen one :-

I second this. 

Grandma Donna wrote,

Patricia S, when we started researching we went to our public library and used the research room to read the newspapers online from microfilms. They have a printer room where we could print out information and I made research books and reference to them during our studies. We can still use the library but there is a waiting time to get a spot to use the microfilms.  We decided to subscribe to Newspapers.com for $19.90 per month so we can read the paper online at any time we want and this has been our best luxury. :)

My father was born in 1922 and my mother in 1926. Teenagers during the Depression, father on a dairy farm and mother a city girl. Both enrolled in service when the War broke out, my father's plane shot down over the Netherlands and he was hidden by the Dutch Underground until the Americans and Russians showed up. They rarely talked about their years growing up and almost never about their service. I can tell I was raised by Depression era parents by the food we grew up eating, their very frugal lifestyle, and what I saw them doing on a day to day basis. I can still hear in my mind when I am doing something at home my mother's admonishments If she would have thought something I am doing is "wasteful". I am firm on no food waste, taking care of the things I already own instead of chasing the newest 'thing', being as prepared as possible for whatever life throws at me, saving money and choosing value above all. We hosted 40 people for Thanksgiving, and 10 people stayed with us for 6 days prior. Our home is well equipped because I learned the lessons I was seeing daily. I still pause before I throw away a jar, then remind myself I have enough and not hoard. 

Grandma Donna Wrote, 

Kieva A, I am glad that you brought this up about the older books and the slate boards and chalk.  As we do these older studies we need the knowledge from much further back in time to learn the skills to be able to handle these difficult times that our countries go through.  As Lana wrote about skills being lost to the point of people not knowing how to take care of themselves to get through a hard time.  

This is a very serious problem, our ancestors were much better off than we are today because there were still many farms and old devices that did not require electricity because there was no electricity.  We are just one bad decision away from another serious war.  The most horrible thing about war is humans being forced to fight against other humans they do not want to fight. I will not go there with this but we all understand. (I kindly ask,please do not make this political, it will not help us)  We need to learn the old skills and then teach them to others.  We cannot stop those that make the bad decisions but we can do something by those of us reading this forum to learn skills and teach skills so our younger generations can learn the skills and then teach the skills when we are no longer here.  It is our fault if we do not do this and it does not have to be something that difficult as the simple way was the best way should we have blackouts or shortages.  I have found that the most difficult part of learning the old skills is learning to live with the silence of modern items. I have gotten used to it and now the modern is almost intolerable. Hugs to all

When the UK entered the war in 1939, my Grandad was immediately  conscripted into the army so my Grandma took my Mum and her brother who were 2 & 3 at the time and moved in with her sister who kept a country pub. She figured that they would all be safer in the country and they certainly made the most of having more space by growing veg and keeping chickens so that way they could supplement the strict rations. My Grandma often spoke about the day that some evacuee children arrived in the village, all from London, and how thin some of them were.

Funnily enough the town that Grandma moved from never got bombed in the end but a Doodlebug did land in the village, killing a woman who heard the whistle and thought it was her husband whistling as he come down the lane for his tea

I don't mind the change at all. I find all history interesting, I'm sure I still have much to learn from the 40's. Here's to a New Year learning new things about the old times!

Greetings,

Longtime reader. 1st time commenter.  

I do so adore the 1940s era.  I am a big fan of the1940s house video from the early 2000s. Watch it yearly for inspiration.

I have a book recommendation for Charles. December 1941 by Craig Shirley. (31 days that changed America and saved the world) blurb from the book. Written about the Pearl Harbor attack. Each day of December is a chapter discussing what was happening in both the homefront, government and military.It was written 2011.

Thank you so much for all the pearls of wisdom you provide and the forum for all of us to learn and grow in this troubling times.

Blessings,

Tammy

Lady L - yes, that's the beast!  They really held the heat well too.  I even have a copper tummy-shaped warmer that was used in stage-coaches in Victorian times.  Love your quilt.

I had to laugh although sadly it is true: that about the birthday parties for children. It seems that things get more and more extravagant needlessly. Look also at weddings: expecting people to buy tickets to fly to some foreign place for the ceremony. I see it all the time, as a friend of mine was invited to Mexico to attend one.

Grandma Donna Wrote,

Tammy_K2, we welcome you to commenting here in the forum, happy to know that you have been reading along for a long time and have now joined in the conversations. :) (Jumping up and down, clapping hands)  I wish we had icons here but this is an old fashioned blog.  However, we can type our feelings. :)

The thing about the old-fashioned skills is that they take time. When I first started cooking everything from scratch, I was surprised at how much time it took. I know how to do things more quickly now, and I know to have someone help me clean and chop vegetables, but it actually physically exhausted me at first! The Christmas commercials this year are about how exhausting the holidays are and how you should buy their products or services to save time. That's what I think is sad. That everyone is rushing through life with no time to enjoy it. We've scaled Christmas down quite a bit this year, and I think it's more fun this way. One of the skills I think we are missing today is how to manage our time to go at a comfortable pace. 

I'm not living the 30's study, but I did read about it.  I love reading about housekeeping and just lifestyle from the 30's - 50's.  But I found the 30's-early 40's era incredibly depressing. And since this era is depressing I just couldn't go there.  Since I've done that no tech month in October, I've not gone back to social media, other than to a couple favorite blogs and you-tubes, mostly that are vintage in nature.  So I take what is good, learning from how they did things without all the techy stuff, and frankly, I've just gone back to as much analog living as possible.  Learning again to sew, do other hand crafts, not spending time on the dumb smartphone, cooking more and more by hand and by whole food, and utilizing vintage items I can still use, just "being" as a break; taking those ways and ideas, without the depression of it. It gives me a happy medium and a better frame of mind.  I just went antiquing looking for older items for functional use.   

Edited to fix typos, but also to say that I am along for the ride and continue to learn so much from this blog, Grandma Donna.  Because of you, I've dumped most of my internet use, none of which was good and am living more old-style.  So much more healthy.     

Gr.Donna I am so pleased that we are "melding" the study. I need the feeling of hope and community of the 1940's. 

My dad served in the Army-Air corps at 17 years old at the very end of the war and spoke very little of it except he was fond of saying "pay attention to what is going on around you because history cannot be allowed to repeat itself. "

I have always tried to teach my family the old ways and while the grandchildren do more things that I wouldn't with time and money, they are coming along. I believe they don't see the Great Depression and wars in the same dimension. It seems very removed from their life today.  But I do believe they have the basis if needed if not the attitude at this time.

I decorated for the holidays as if it were the 1940's, no garish decor and a lot of natural decorations, handmade or simple. Gifts will be the same. 

Holidays are very hard for me anyway, and I have SAD which doesn't help. We have been very cold and lots of snow for this time of year here in northern third of Indiana. Cooking, cleaning and caring for my home and animals as well as reading about the past fill my days. 

I am happy that you and your Charles are able to read and research so the rest of us can learn and remember from you.

I think this is a wonderful idea! Whatever you study, I am along for the ride no matter what! I truly believe when we don't learn from history, we are doomed to repeat it. I also think we are at a point of being so disconnected from each other, despite having more ability to connect technically than ever before, that we don't feel we can support each other and band together to make things better for most. Exactly the same sentiment, the more some have the more they take. I am setting the intention this year to truly try to not buy from the big corps, I am well aware of just how difficult this is. My grocery store is a big corp and that is my only local choice to shop for food. I do grow what can, but I would starve if having to live on it. I find it is the quick fix to order online from these places and get what I am looking for, but sometimes I really don't need what that thing is. I am also cutting my phone scroll time down even more. I don't do it much comparatively speaking, but I can get it down to basically none if I want to. It helps not having social media accounts.  I want to just stop and take a breath at this point. It is becoming far too much to take in, even accidentally.Thank you for being a space of joy and connection. 

Lana D wrote:
The thing that makes me sad about our present time is the fact that skills have been lost to the point of people not knowing how to take care of themselves and get through a hard time in their lives.  We also expect too much.  Children's birthday parties are not a simple cake and party games but have to be held at an expensive venue.  We have been talked into thinking our homes are not good enough so we don't ask friends in for a simple cup of coffee anymore.  Life just made more sense in the past.  

Totally agree with this, I was just reading how children's birthday parties can cost anywhere up to $10,000 AUD - totally off the planet.

They also have a homeschool course based on the Little House books. You can search on eBay for The Prairie Primer: Literature Based Unit Study Utilizing the "Little House.

You can read some newspapers from the 1940s at archive.org. You can also see old photographs, cartoons, and videos, and read old magazines, cookbooks, gardening books, and catalogs there. I enjoyed the book Thrifty Tips from the War Years.

Here are some books I'll be using and enjoying during the 1940s study. The first one I got for just $3 a few weeks ago. It is from the WWII years. I was sort of surprised that it has nice colored pictures. There is also quite an interesting section on nutrition in the book.

Someone had mentioned the 1940s House movie. I didn't know if they were aware that there is a book that goes along with it, explaining it in more detail and helping you better understand the whys and wherefores of what is happening in the movie.

I always appreciate it when others share the books they are enjoying, so I wanted to show you mine, too. I have many others besides these, also, as I like to keep quite a library of actual paper books. I have Kindle books also but there is nothing like real paper books especially old ones.

I've always liked The Seven Food Groups. I think it's a very healthy way to look at eating because it puts the vegetables into different groups, like the vitamin C group and the dark green leafies. I'm not sure why we changed. 

Becky Sue K:

That pic of a Woman’s Home Companion Cook Book took my breath away. I have one exactly like it that belonged to my Mom.  It was the only cook book she owned and if there were any questions regarding cooking she turned to it for answers. She was never much of a cook, much preferring to read a good book! She totally embraced all the processed foods that came along later. My grandmother, however, was a true homemaker.  Thank Goodness for her teaching me how to sew, cook, iron, garden. My Mom couldn’t, or wouldn’t, sew on a button!  My Gran was born in 1917 and was a young wife in the mid 1930s.  She never threw away so much as a button salvaged from old clothes!  I’m retired now and finally have time to cook from scratch, garden, sew, knit and read good books!  I find I’m constantly thinking about my grandmother and how she lived back during some very trying times, but managed to survive quite handily.  That cook book is still a cherished member of my books and it always reminds me of how my Mom hated anything domestic.  And how thankful I am to have had a wonderful, loving and very practical Grandmother! 

I love reading GDonna articles and especially all the wonderful comments.

Rebecca

Rebecca,

               It is funny what you said about your mother because mine was just about the same in some ways. If she could have afforded it, we would have eaten all pre-packaged foods. On holidays, everything was pre-packaged except the meat. The cranberries and sweet potatoes came out of the can, the stuffing came out of a box, the pie was one of those frozen ones you thaw, the special candy came out of a bag, and I bet the mashed potatoes came out of a box, too. When she got a job, TV dinners and pot pies were abundant. When she had to cook, she made one-pot meals like Spanish rice or spaghetti.

She was also an avid reader and taught me to read when I was about 4 years old. Besides reading, my mother loved watching The Guiding Light. The only time I remember her holding me on her lap was when that show came on. I bet she probably listened to it on the radio before it came on TV.

She hated all things domestic but sewed crazy quilts out of necessity. She tried to pawn the ironing and child care off on my older siblings and me. She would never have considered having a garden. She didn't have a domestic or maternal bone in her body. She felt trapped by circumstances.

Becky Sue

Hello Kellie,

Are you familiar with Trove, the national library archives (https://trove.nla.gov.au)? It's an amazing resource for newspapers, magazines, journals, etc. etc. for Australia. I'm following along reading the newspapers (mostly the Adelaide Advertiser) for the date, and I also have a look at magazines like the Women's Weekly. It's all completely free.

Hi there,  Linda E, yes I am familiar with Trove! Not very well versed in all it has to offer though.

I like your idea of choosing one newspaper to focus on. Thank you for your message. I think I'll do the same. The Women's Weekly will hopefully provide insights into day-to-day life at home, which is what I'm keen on.

Grandma Donna - My grandfather was at Pearl Harbor on Hickham Field - perhaps he and your father knew one another, or at least walked past one another on some occasion. He was wounded and spent some time in the hospital after the attack. I never knew him, as he died nearly ten years before I came along, but I always think of him in particular on this day. I will think of your father as well