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Blizzard winds howled across the prairies of North Dakota rattling our windows as Jack Frost painted his cool designs. Temperatures dropped to twenty below zero causing 20 foot drifts of snow.

Heavy tan stocking tights, snow pants, a big stocking mask with just our eyes peaking through and a scarf around our neck kept us warm as we walked the 1/2 mile to school. The packed snow banks were ok to walk on until it started warming up. Then your feet plunged deep down and we would get stuck and someone had to come and pull us out.

The red brick two story school house had 2 classes in each room. Recess was building forts, throwing snowballs, and building the tallest snowman. We would make paths in the snow in a circle and a path to the center in the snow and we would play a game called fox and geese. The fox would chase the geese and try to catch them. I went my first 3 grades in this school.

We lived in a 2 story white house. The porch steps squeaked and announced our tardiness to supper as we slammed the screen door making mom yell.

We had a red rusty pump in the kitchen and a water truck came by weekly to fill our tank. Under the pump was a red porcelain wash basin and in a dish nearby was a bar of homemade lye soap. A crock pot with a tin cup as a dipper helped us get a drink.

My oldest sister made home made bread every day for 7 kids. She would come home for lunch and mom would have 2 bushels of clothes for her to hang on the clothes line. She also watched us kids when mom was in the hospital or went someplace.

For breakfast we had a hot cup of cocoa or sassafras tea with evaporated milk and sugar. A slice of hot homemade butter bread and a big bowl of oatmeal with raisins and cinnamon. Lunch was soup and butter bread and our main meal was supper with meat, potatoes and a vegetable.

Mom had a big long pantry where all the cooking pans, baking supplies, sugar, and a big old milk can that she used as a flour can. She taught my older sisters how to make pies, cakes, pull taffy, make sorghum popcorn balls and the best peanut butter fudge.

We had a big garden and the blackest dirt with big red potatoes, corn, fresh beans, peas carrots, and cabbages. We had a salad with coleslaw, shredded carrots and raisins. We had a lot of fried potatoes and beans. Sometimes just for supper we would have a big pan of hot cornbread with butter.

Mom and Dad always went deer hunting and we had plenty of venison steak and stew. Mom even canned venison meat. We had a attic that

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