Texas Gardening: Depression gardens, 1 by Sheila_FW

Sheila_FW wrote:
Jay.... I am not as old as you, but due to going summers to a Stepfather's place in Alexandria,LA, I got to experience the hog slaughtering one year. What you said about it was just about everything that happened there. Neighbors, family and friends all came; doing their part and sharing the bounty. I don't remember helping out, but I remember seeing the goings on. I may have been about 4 or 5 at the most. I can remember the smell of the smoke house and wondering how that meat didn't go bad. I lived in the city you see and we had refrigerators. LOL!
I wouldn't take for my country experiences there or in Atlanta TX where my Aunt lived. I got to stay one place or the other on summer vacations every year. ( Momma needed a vacation) LOL!
In Atlanta my Great Grandpaw had a store with a counter and a couple of tables. If I have that picture I will show it. Anyway...he would run tabs for a lot of the town people during those times Momma said. Unlike today, back then as soon as people could pay on their bills they did. Good credit was something everyone took pride in, and a handshake was as good as a signature. People would bring eggs or produce in and trade them for things they needed. Pappaw would then resell them.
They served things like soup, stew, & chili. One story that was told to us was that a man used to come in almost everyday to the counter and order a bowl chili which came with a few crackers and cost 10 cents. He would crumble all of his crackers in his chili and then ask for a bit more chili because it was a "little dry". Then when that was "given" to him...he would request a few more crackers to eat it with. At least he wasn't stealing from them, and I suppose he had too much pride to ask for a free meal.