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Directions:My Grandma & Grandpa Wolf were very dear to me growing up as I was around them more than Grandma & Grandpa Carter but I loved all four of them very much! Of course me being the oldest and only one for 4 years before my brother Robert came along, I may have been spoiled somewhat, but don't think so. One thing you learned real early was discipline. It was not time out or telling you 3 to 6 times before you did what they said, I knew it meant right now!, or else, a slap on your bottom!, but Mom always said I would say, "Well", and did it! Only one thing I did and they both got tired of it, I'd put the pans out of the old kitchen cabinet door and leave them on the floor, as the next time I did it, they shut me inside! I cried so they let me out. I never did that again. Mom said they had company, cousin Minnie came over and I was outside playing, guess Dad told me to quit something and I kept on so he spanked me once. I went in crying and said Dad spanked me and my bottom is red! How I knew that at 3 or 4, don't know, but those are the only times they or I remember. As the children were born, I seemed to be the one to help care for the little ones. I took care of the house and Mom & Dad worked outside in the garden. I've always been so allergic to all outside, so guess that was a good job for me. I never cooked tho, Mom always put beans on the old stove kitchen range and they were so good, that was our Monday meal always, as we washed on Monday. During summer, it was always wilted lettuce, radishes and onions, added to whatever else we had that day. I think you already had the recipe of tomato gravy ,and probably Grandma Wolf's brown gravy: She'd brown flour in meat fryings, which was grease poured off of good fried meat and kept in a can and brown the flour how ever much we made, then add milk to proper thickness. Was so good on bread, biscuits or white rice. Grandma Wolf always had a bowl of honey on the table in a beautiful glass bowl, honeycomb and all! Grandpa had bee hives and would always have that good fresh honey. Grandma would let me sit on her lap after we ate and get a song book and we'd sing songs, then she'd read the 23rd Psalm to me before going to bed. I always played their records on their old victrola, what fun to stay there. She'd make me bracelets and rings out of crepe paper and I'd play like I was a school teacher, used her old sewing machine for my desk. We had to play like we had kids there, as didn't have near the things the kids have now, so different! A whole new world! When I stayed with Grandma & Grandpa Carter, was so different as it was Thorntown and had to dress up each day, as Grandma wanted us to look nice when introducing us to their neighbors. My cousin Daisy and I stayed 1 week. She made us bathe once every other day in an old fashion bowl that you had to carry water to it, then she said use talcum powder to our body so we'd smell good. They had no bathroom and they were in their sixties or seventies. Grandma had a nice house, but Grandpa didn't believe in spending money foolishly even tho they should have had a bathroom in town. They had an out house like Mom & Dad did until after I married and left home. Grandpa & Grandma Wolf never had a bathroom inside either. Grandma Carter had such good things in her basement. They were so good to us too, took us to buy a big watermelon in their Model T Ford they kept in their little barn at the back of their lot.
I am so glad I came up when I did. Life was so peaceful, didn't hear of so much terrible things as now. Seemed people were more Godly then, afraid to do the things that you see now. We were just satisfied with what we had didn't know other people may have lots of money and we were just glad to have what we had. I remember one time when we were staying at Grandpa Wolf's he wanted to cut Charles and Roberts hair, so Charles got up on the stool and Grandpa just took the clippers and clipped it close all over. He looked bald as Grandpa did. Charles looked in the mirror and cried, Robert loughed at him then Grandpa said, "Robert, you're next." Robert knew better than to say no, so up he got on the stool, when Grandpa finished, Robert looked in the mirror and cried too. Grandma said, "Charley, why did you do that?" She was so sympathetic as always. He just said, "They won't need a haircut for a while." Grandma & Grandpa still worked hard. She helped a neighbor with housework and Grandpa worked with them to plant the harvest. Grandpa Carter still tried to work in town mowing yards as he was used to farming all of his life. Grandma Carter was always frail and usually had a lady help her with her work when Mom and all her brother's and sisters were little. We sure did miss both sets of Grandma & Grandpa's, as they were a very important part of my life. Their lives were so different but so good, and learned so much! I think seeing how Grandpa & Grandma Carter lived made me want to live in the city rather than the country. I enjoyed my childhood, but can see now I never liked to be outside working as the Dr. told me later in life I was so allergic to the outside. Lots of funny stories, but can't think of many. I do remember when I got married to Richard Zook at 16 years old we got a model A Ford, had a rumble seat and my brothers wanted to go with us. Richard pulled Kenneth out of the rumble seat and his bare feet was in black oil and left foot marks clear down Richards white shirt. Quite a commotion for a while. Had another old car Richard had sold it and Kenneth didn't know it, so that when he saw it parked by the old Clinton Theator he crawled in it thinking we were in the movie, so waited to go home with us, but heard it strike 10, 11 then he got out and walked to our house to spend the nite. The kids used to stay with us quite a bit, as they and my kids were close in ages. Charles & Kenneth both skated, so one nite one of them walked in their sleep, think Charles, started across the living room in shorts & skates hung over their shoulder in the wee hours of the morning. Had to go after him to get back to bed. When my kids were little just had Don & Bill, we took them in the ice cream shop to get ice cream, as we usually did on Saturday nite. Richard and I kept saying , "Billy eat your ice cream", he was so slow. Finally I told Richard just eat it, so he did. After he got thru, Billy said, "Daddy ate my ice cream"! We were so embarrassed, got out soon as we could.
The main thing I can remember Dad always telling us we'd go some place then change his mind. I tried to remember never to do that to my kids. One of my favorite memories is coming in from school and Mom and Mrs. Keck , our neighbor, making those big cinammon rolls, the kitchen smelled so good and of course we were starved. I used to love it when Aunt Em would come to stay a few days with us and Grandma Wolf would come over and they'd bake Crumb pies. They were so good too, made with sorgham molasses. That's all I know. Wish they'd left how to make them. When I was little we moved a lot, as Dad said each time we moved, had a new baby. I was born in Thorntown at Grandma Carters as we lived in a house out of town, then, Robert was born in a house by Uncle Alfred Carters, and Mom & Aunt Clara canned together, corn, green beans and pickles. Charles was born on the Bane Place up by Rossville. That was when down the lane from us Grandpa & Grandma Wolf lived. Dad & Grandpa farmed together. Aunt Gernie came to stay all nite and our dog Buster kept her awake running after the moon when it came out barking all nite, so she said. Uncle Barney had to come pick her up. Kenneth then was born on the Hibbard farm. We had an old buggy Mom could hitch up and drive years before when we lived there. One horse pulled it, in later years they wondered whatever happened to it. Grandma Wolf always came to help out when one of the babies were born. What the old homplace is to our grandchildren, our children and Jerry & Martha now is known as the Ruch place as Charley and Emma Ruch lived there when I was little and I remember visiting them when I stayed at Uncle John & Aunt Velma Wolf's house. They'd play cards together. I think Dad's Uncle Charlie Ruch had it built. It's a very pretty place, but not as pretty now as when our folks had it. They kept the yard mowed so nice and flowers in the garden. All the flowers around the house really always looked nice around there, even barn always painted and kept up nice. Many a happy reunion of us all when we came from Texas. Jerry lived down the road so saw all the little ones, but didn't get to enjoy the growing up as we moved away and missed a lot. Of course we met friends and always found a church to go to. Life has been good to me, even thru the many valleys I've gone thru but having the Lord Jesus with me at all times, is worth all the valleys and the mountain tops! Long as we can keep well and see the beauty of life we'll be alright! Wouldn't change what I've lived for anything! Love you all, Waneta
P.S. Mom & dad were great parents as they didn't have an easy life at all raising 6 kids and in the depression things were really bad! This was when pennies meant something to us, very different now, in what they're calling one like back then, I dont' think so at all!
(This portion was actually sent to me months before the above) Dear Kim, Didn't know it would take me so long to get with you on some things I remember about Grandma Wolf! Have lots of good memories of Dad too! When I was little we visited Aunts & Uncles quite often, Robert remembers too as we were 4 years apart. My cousins were very close as we were together lots in my early years, 1 to 10 years old. My Aunts canned together, cooked dinner for the men that came to each farm to thrash the grain. Our Moms were always saying "Now you kids go on out and play"! We'd play hide & seek, spin the bottle, house, make all kinds of play houses, with dolls, even dress Daisy's kittens up. We never had expensive toys like today. At Christmas I'd get a doll, a baby buggy, boys wagons, toys to push on floor, candy, oranges and nuts, only at Christmas! We were always content with what we had. Charles, and Kenneth were born south of Frankfort then too, but very small when we all moved up north of Frankfort where Jerry & Martha were born. The closeness of Uncles & Aunts stopped when we moved as that was quite a distance in the late 20's & 30's. We had a buggy and a horse on the last place we lived, when I was 3 or 4. Mom would hitch the horse up to go to one of the Aunts house. Dad would be busy with the crops a lot and had lots of hogs and cows too. Always had chickens, ducks and geese. My Grandma & Grandpa Wolf lived up by Rossville north of Frankfort too. It seemed so far so we never got to see them much. I really loved them a lot too. Our other Grandpa and Grandma Carter lived in Thorntown, pretty far then too as money was very scarce then. Grandma Carter was always very quiet and our folks would tell us kids to be quiet when we visited them as Grandma didn't feel goodl Such good memories. Anyway, as time went on I remember so well Mom's good wilted lettuce and all of the garden vegetables were so good. After we'd all left home, Mom would try to fix the things we all liked so well that she made. If she knew we were coming home she'd try to have something we each liked so well. I think all we mothers do that no matter how old we get! Pam likes Mom's old fashinon cream pie. The boys all loved the cobblers I made like Mom, also her potatoe salad and butter scotch pie. I used to make them too. They all liked breaded tomatoes like Mom made. Dad was always a kind and good personality. He loved his family. They both loved a nice garden and pretty yard and flowers and always looked so neat and nice around their farm. They worked hard. |
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