Here we are middle of our second month of our history study of the year 1943. World war 2 is going on, people have been asked to ration food on their own and some things have been already rationed such as sugar, coffee, fuel oil, gasoline, rubber and tires. The newspaper is warning that food rationing is coming and people need to start practicing at home how and what they will do to feed their families.
People were asked to save their used cooking grease and turn it in at locations such as butchers and grocers so that it could be turned into gunpowder for rifles and cannons, vaccines, sulfa drugs, salve to treat burns. People were asked to save every tin can for the war effort, buy war bonds, and use less of most everything so that the government would have what they need to fight this war.
Victory gardens programs started popping up all over the nation as the news was that people needed to plant gardens in any space available for their own use so more food could be sent to our fighting soldiers. With transportation problems and food rationing beginning folks were looking for ways and means of conserving their ration points, producing essential food items and thus helping the war effort. The paper read, while the average city garden will be small and its production not large, yet, multiplied by millions of gardens, the gross of total production will do much to feed America.
Australia had already started the Dig for Victory campaign, Britain called theirs Digging for Victory and small gardens and growing areas were found most anywhere. Ornamental gardens were changed to vegetable gardens and I read that even space along railroad tracks were used.
But what about today? This study shows Charles and I how much we waste and it also makes us question why did we stop doing things that we did in the past.
Sometimes it takes a reason to make us look at ourselves and the things we do. This study is our reason and it makes us wish we had done this a long time ago.
Many of us go through life and everyday there is not a lot a thought of why we do what we do. But then something like this, a feeling of this feels right comes along. When have you last had that feeling? At this moment, this feels right. A calmness a slow down a feeling that this is how it should be.
When did we ditch what makes sense?
When did we give up wood and metal for plastic?
When did we give up lamps with a night light at the bottom?
Why did we stop hanging our laundry in the sunshine?
When did we start replacing instead of repairing?
Why did we start accepting synthetic instead of cotton and wool?
A study like this puts most everything we do into a different perspective. Before we purchase something, we should ask, does this make sense? Does this have purpose? Will this last as long as I will need it?
Will what I am buying gas off something toxic? Is this good for me? Do we really need it? Or do we just want it?
Maybe this should be the year to start a Victory garden? Knowledge is power and we cannot have the knowledge unless we study and then do what we study.
I can always see in my mind my grandmother tending to her garden. And today it just makes sense to me.
This is a simple post today, Charles and I have been doing a big clean up helping a family member and we are sore and I have let things go here, so today I will put our home back in order.
I will be posting more ration notices for the 1943 study as soon as we get ready for the point system of rationing which starts the beginning of March.
To me it seems that what is going on in our real time of 2022, this is a needed study because of shortages and prices increasing. Coming soon there will be more about how we are living this 1943 study.
Grandma Donna
