Dear Folks, Born in 1931, the son of a dentist, in a poor northwest Wisconsin small town we lived often by barter. Teeth were pulled for vegetables, plates were made for half of a hog. Vegetables were often creamed, cooked with a white sauce. A few years ago I missed creamed vegetables, and realized that it was done to stretch them. As a result I've learned to make white sauce, no lumps, and cream the peas myself. Golden rod eggs on toast is another favorite. During the war we had moved to the cities, and dad took a job in a munitions factory eventually becoming a general foreman of a building. This entitled him to a C gas rationing sticker and about 72 hours a week at the plant. The gas sticker allowed him unlimited gas. The job kept us from abusing it. Once grocery shopping with Mom, a customer asked if they had any butter and was told "no". Mom uttered her disappointment as the customer turned and left. The butcher said, "We have some for you Mrs. Budd, you're a regular and that one goes from store to store just looking for scarce items." As I entered Jr. High I continued with Junior High Y, a YMCA group that met in members homes. Once when we met in our home Mom had each member bring a half cup of sugar so we could have a taffy pull. Those were the Days. And, we didn't even have TV:-) Bert

Good Morning Everyone, Not being born until the 1940's, I cannot profess to remember the depression. However, Mother remembered her father's (and their neighbors' and friends') extra carefulness with gasoline. She spoke of how whomever was driving did not stop to pick up his passengers. He would simply slow down, in order to conserve gas. The passenger would jump onto the runningboard and then somehow manuver from there. Luckily, this was small-town Missouri... so a lot of people were easily able to walk to work since it would be only a mile or two. BTW, I had a high school teacher (who had taught my mother when Mother was in the 6th grade!) who often recanted the tales of her getting to school as a child. She often spoke of the long walks to get there. This was even before the Great Depression. To hear her tell these tales, you'd swear that the lay of the land made the walking (both to and from school) up-hill..... BOTH WAYS! Leslie