678: {NS} {NS} You know like he could whistle and the horse would come back Interviewer: Mm-hmm. 678: And he did come back but it scared me so Because I knew I couldn't have done anything had the horse kept going. Interviewer: Oh yeah 678: And the horse could have gone a hundred miles. {X} #1 {NW} # Interviewer: #2 {NW} # {X} Out in west Texas 678: {NW} Interviewer: {X} Or it could be worse {NW} 678: {NW} I decided horses were not for me and I haven't been on one since then my whole life. Interviewer: Yeah {NS} Well let's see what would you use to carry water what do you call that thing you use to carry water in? 678: A bucket. Interviewer: Okay what would it be made of particularly 678: Uh galvanized steel. Interviewer: Okay uh if a bucket was made out of plastic would you call it the same thing? 678: I probably wouldn't now I'd probably call it a plastic pail. Interviewer: That's interesting before when you were a kid would you have called it a bucket or what? 678: {NW} I would have called it a bucket. I picked up pail somewhere along in high school I believe. Interviewer: Well now finish your 678: Yeah Interviewer: Yeah I don't really use pail much I use it for something I can't think of what it is I guess if it's plastic but not if it's you know not if it's a bucket 678: No then it's just a bucket. #1 You know # Interviewer: #2 {NW} # A bucket is a bucket 678: Yeah a bucket's a bucket. Interviewer: Um 678: And then you always had your water dipper. Had to have a dipper. {NS} That was the thing you drank the water out of. Interviewer: Like what a lot of people drink? 678: {X} And it was the dipper was usually made out of uh {NS} a granite type uh. Interviewer: {X} 678: {X} Interviewer: Heavy 678: Yeah Interviewer: Yeah uh-huh. 678: But you know it's metal and actually it's the same principle as the bath tubs are made out of you know you might you got your glass coat. Interviewer: Uh-huh 678: And the {NW} And the granite was a like And you know they used to make granite pots a lot. Interviewer: Uh-huh 678: And always what would happen with granite pots was that they would chip on the inside. And particularly you know like you dropped or hit it real hard with a spoon or something. {NS} And while you were cooking in them they had a tendency well the heat would expand the metal. And it'd keep cracking and then you end up getting granite all in your {NS} Food sometimes. Interviewer: Ew yuck 678: That's what I remember bad the about granite pots. Interviewer: Yeah I guess so well what other kind of cooking utensils do you remember {X} 678: Well there was the The kettle {NS} Kettles they're making now not like they used to be all the kettles I remember as a kid were made of cast iron. Interviewer: Mm-hmm 678: Uh Interviewer: How big was it 678: Big old things. It'd hold about three or four quarts of water far as I remember. Interviewer: Uh-huh 678: Uh that's almost a half gallon in it. Interviewer: Uh-huh 678: {NS} Maybe about that big. Interviewer: Yeah 678: It'd hold a lot of water. And everybody had a big black skillet. Interviewer: Yeah 678: Yeah cast iron skillets they're always black and greasy Interviewer: Yeah 678: dirty looking. Interviewer: Yeah 678: And you know if you don't keep them greased they'll turn they'll rust. Interviewer: Yep 678: Uh so Interviewer: Yeah I heard you're not supposed to wash them 678: Well you have to wash them. #1 But then to keep to it # Interviewer: #2 I never knew # That 678: Uh well the reason why most people'll wash them and you wash the grease out of them and put them in in the in the uh well you put them in the in the cabinet. {NW} And if you don't use the thing in due time in a couple of days it'll just start to rusting. And it'll take you forever almost to get the rust out of there. {NS} Interviewer: Sure 678: So the key to it if you wash them is to grease it before you put it up. Interviewer: Mm-hmm mm-hmm yes {NS} Hmm let's see {NS} Is there a difference between a skillet and a frying pan or are they the same thing? 678: {NS} Well {NS} We made a distinction of skillet and a frying pan those serve the same purpose But then the skillet {NS} is usually to me was a {NS} about twelve inch skillet big black thing you know. Interviewer: Mm-hmm 678: Cast iron. A frying pan {NS} was usually a lighter pan uh made out of thinner metal uh with So like a {X} Uh As I remember you know we'd fry bacon and stuff like that in those uh in the frying pans. Interviewer: Yeah 678: But in the skillet you could well you could cook the skillet you know you can cook anything. Interviewer: Yeah oh yeah 678: You know a bowl of milk Interviewer: Uh-huh 678: Bread whatever you want to put in the s- #1 Yeah # Interviewer: #2 Skillet # {NW} 678: Not in the frying pan. Frying pan was too thin. Interviewer: Okay okay um when you set the table tell me all the stuff that you put out on the table when you when you had the table set? 678: {NW} That was always a big thing. {NS} Creamer sugar bowl. Salt pepper. Uh {NS} there was a jelly dish. {NS} Butter dish. Of course your knives forks spoons. Plates. Um we didn't use very many sauces though. {NS} You know like people put their bread on sauces Interviewer: Yeah 678: Usually you put your bread on the plate with whatever you're eating. Interviewer: Yeah 678: #1 You know # Interviewer: #2 Yeah # 678: Uh as like now go out and you get all these little serving dishes. Interviewer: Yeah 678: I hate all those little dishes. Interviewer: How come 678: You know but I think any. Interviewer: Cafeteria 678: Yeah Interviewer: Dish for everything 678: I think etiquette tells you that all your food is supposed to be separate. Now uh maybe it was Amy Vanderbilt that wrote that. But I don't think very much of it. Interviewer: All those dishes 678: Yeah I don't I don't think very much of having all these little dishes thrown around me you know. Interviewer: #1 Yeah yeah really # 678: #2 Like that # Yeah Interviewer: Besides that you got to wash them all 678: Yeah it's just I think it's a waste. Interviewer: Mm-hmm. 678: {NW} Interviewer: What kind of bread did y'all have what different kinds {NS} 678: Corn bread. Biscuits and light bread. Interviewer: Uh-huh did you uh get the light bread in the store or 678: {NS} We always got light bread at the store I remember. Somebody making rolls homemade rolls. Uh they were very good. Interviewer: Mm-hmm 678: Uh You don't find very many people making homemade rolls. #1 Anymore # Interviewer: #2 You don't # That's true. 678: Uh Interviewer: They're hard to make they take forever 678: Yeah but they were good. Store bought rolls taste nothing like those homemade rolls. Interviewer: No 678: Uh I didn't start eating whole wheat bread and stuff until I got much older. Interviewer: Yeah 678: As as a matter of fact {NW} rye bread French bread still don't sell well in a black neighborhood. Interviewer: Is that right? {X} 678: {NW} Interviewer: I hadn't started I hadn't saw stuff like whole wheat bread until I was probably in college 678: Yeah you know so and that's the reason why people don't eat as very much of it now. Interviewer: Yeah 678: Can't Interviewer: Yeah um what different ways did they have different corn bread That you remember 678: {NW} Well the best way was hot water corn bread. Interviewer: Which is what tell me about that 678: Well hot water corn bread is where you make little {X} {NS} Little cake like things Interviewer: Yeah 678: And drop them in hot in a skillet. Now that's what you cooked in a skillet. Hot water corn bread. Interviewer: Did you try to fry it 678: Yeah fry it. Interviewer: Uh-huh and make them little what like little patty something 678: Yeah we use a little something shaped like that. Interviewer: Like a rectangle or like a 678: Well an oblong looking little thing Interviewer: Yeah 678: You know looking like a football or a flat football. Interviewer: Yeah okay. {NW} 678: The round you know Interviewer: Was it it wasn't sweet was it 678: Some people could make it sweet. Depends on that taste put a lot of sugar in it. Interviewer: Yeah 678: Uh some corn buckets. I remember my mother used to make best blueberry muffins. Interviewer: Mm 678: Uh {NW} But the corn bread {NS} Uh Corn bread to me was always seemed like it was even baked in the oven in the skillet. Came out better. Interviewer: Oh well I see 678: You know. Interviewer: Uh-huh 678: In more recent years people started putting corn bread in pie pans and all that business. Interviewer: Yes 678: With corn bread in my house {X} Was usually cooked in the skillet in the oven {NS} Uh but for hot water corn bread was very good And there's crackling bread. Which was always good. Well crackling bread {NW} you know you see your pork skins {X} and and you know. Well these things were actually an offshoot from the {NW} the cracklings. {NW} Uh cracklings were {NW} made from {NS} usually from the belly or probably a top pork you know. Close to the hide perhaps the hog had been shaved and all this you know take all the hair off of him. {NS} There's not very much you can do with that top layer of skin that's there you've got a lot of fat that's there. Interviewer: Mm-hmm 678: Well this was cut down. {NW} And you'd come up with that it would be about that thick. Interviewer: About an inch 678: Oh about an inch Inch and a half two inches thick sometimes. Interviewer: Uh-huh 678: {NS} And what they would do is with {NS} cut it up into little squares and drop it. {NS} And like people will kill hogs that on the farm. {NS} They'd have a great big wash pot. You remember wash pots? Interviewer: We had them 678: Fill it up with fat. {NW} And it was usually animal fat you know. Animal vegetable fats back then. Interviewer: Yeah 678: And you'd fry these things. And what would happen A lot of grease would come from it so that's how they got their grease {NS} Cooking oil from it Interviewer: Uh-huh uh-huh 678: Uh then what some of them would do with that grease is instead of using it for cooking oil they would take the cracklings out and make rye soap. Interviewer: Huh 678: Now the cracklings are very hard things but they're good you know the salted. Interviewer: Uh-huh 678: Uh if you got good teeth they're good. Interviewer: {NW} 678: You know and if they're fried crisp enough you know they'll be real crunchy. Interviewer: Uh-huh 678: But some of them you know just like trying to eat a nail. Interviewer: Uh-huh 678: But if you bake it in bread in the corn bread. {NS} You can it's it's real {X} Interviewer: I bet it's good 678: You know corn bread beans and greens but crackling bread is always a big deal. Interviewer: Uh-huh 678: Big deal. Interviewer: I've never had any of that but it sounds good 678: {NS} I'll tell you what {NS} one of these days {NS} you give me a call oh you know like a Friday. {NS} And I'll cook you some crackling bread you and your husband can have some crackling bread. Interviewer: Fantastic. 678: And you know you may like it. Interviewer: That would be fantastic I'll do it. 678: Yeah you know like Interviewer: Love it 678: You can put it in the refrigerator and keep it and heat it you know. Interviewer: Uh-huh 678: And get it it it it is really good Interviewer: Oh I would love that 678: it's a matter of trying to find the cracklings then. Interviewer: Yeah 678: Occasionally Interviewer: I'll give you a little notice 678: Yeah Interviewer: Find some cracklings 678: {NW} They're hard to find you know I- I- I- know can I find them just a matter of knowing. Sometimes they come from Uh Cedar Springs have cracklings. Interviewer: Uh-huh 678: Uh but you usually cannot find it in stores in North Dallas it's #1 It's almost like looking # Interviewer: #2 Oh yeah # 678: Almost looking for chitlins and hog maws out there. Interviewer: {NW} 678: Don't carry it. Interviewer: {NW} Okay now that you said chitlins tell me about chitlins 678: Well {NS} What else can you say it's a hog's intestine. Interviewer: {NW} 678: Uh Interviewer: Have you had it is it good 678: Chitlins? Interviewer: Uh-huh 678: Had some the other day. Interviewer: How were they 678: They're good. Interviewer: They're good? I've had some people tell me they're really good stuff and I've had some people say {NW} 678: Well the people who don't like them it's psychological reason why they don't like it. Interviewer: Yeah 678: It's sort of like eating a little butt part off a chicken back. Interviewer: Yeah right 678: I can eat it. I know some people it turns their stomach. Interviewer: {NW} 678: Well you know Interviewer: {X} Throw it away 678: Yeah. Interviewer: {X} 678: {NW} Chicken better. Interviewer: Uh-huh 678: {NW} Interviewer: Let's see I've got some more stuff later I want to ask you about oh yeah um did you ever see them butcher a hog? 678: Mm-hmm. Interviewer: What do they do? Explain the whole thing to me. 678: Well {NS} The first hog I saw butchered was shot in the head. They shot the hog with a twenty-two. Interviewer: {NW} 678: Uh {NS} Then uh I remember going to the packing house where they would. {NS} It was this real gruesome thing. You know pigs would be you know as they come through this little chute. This fellow had a long knife you know and he was just. Just hit them right up under here you know. And pigs would just fall out. Interviewer: Ugh 678: Oh I just Interviewer: Oh 678: I couldn't even eat meat for a while after watching him butcher. You know if if I worked I know if I worked in a butcher shop or in a packing house I could not eat meat. Interviewer: I can understand that 678: You know that is a re- It was just you know like {NS} I don't know how to say this. {NS} But if I work you know If I lived on a farm {NS} I could not kill the animals that I'd raise. I just couldn't do it. {NS} And also it's a good thing I'm not a farmer you know I- I- I just can't eat. You know you take a little piglet and raise it up to being a you know a gross hog and it's just the same as my grandfather {NW} eating his pet rooster. Interviewer: Yeah 678: And then you know but I just and honestly I could not eat meat for a while after watching the butcher. {NW} They would you know like {NS} people who had just few hogs you know. Three or four five or six or ten {NW} And then butcher them in the winter time this is a good time you know like. Uh this kind of weather is the best weather to butcher hogs. Interviewer: When it gets cold 678: Yeah {NS} Keeps them from spoiling Interviewer: Uh-huh 678: You have to kill them while it's you know like in order to dress them and all that sort of thing if you kill them in the heat uh the meat will spoil real quick. Interviewer: Uh-huh 678: And people out there didn't have uh refrigeration. Uh after refrigeration so cold weather would keep the meat a long time I guess. {NW} But Shoot the hog either in the head in the head {NW} Or either just run a knife his long knife up under there in the throat. And then there was thing made like uh {NS} a pulley. Oh I guess it must have been eight feet high. And with a pulley and a wrench type thing. And he would tie a rope around the hog. And pull it up there and gut it you know like run his spine up take all this out. Interviewer: I bet blood was everywhere 678: Blood everywhere. Interviewer: Oh gross 678: Uh Interviewer: Bet it smelled bad too 678: Horrible. Interviewer: {NW} 678: {NW} Makes me sick to think about it. Interviewer: Sorry 678: {NW} Interviewer: Go ahead 678: And there was this big barrel I remember these people having a great big barrel. {NW} And they would put a lot of Firewood just you know well any kind of wood. And get this water boiling hot and then lower the animal off into the hot water. And this was to Uh {NS} I guess make the skin tender or something. {NW} That way they would scrape the hair off better. Interviewer: Oh uh-huh 678: {NW} The hair came off better after the after the pig had been boiled in the hot water Interviewer: Okay 678: {NW} Interviewer: Then what 678: Then they'd scrape the hair off {NS} Then they would take the entire you know they would gut the pig. Interviewer: Uh-huh 678: Uh take all the intestines out you know and everything Get the liver Uh heart out. And there were people who even ate the heads. Uh {NS} The actual stores you can go in now you you know like I don't know why Mexicans eat a lot of hog heads {NS} Interviewer: Just just 678: Yeah they cook the whole head you know black people don't do that anymore that I know of {NW} You know Interviewer: The whole head and then what do they do with it they can't eat like that there's not enough meat in there 678: Yes they do {NS} See poor people learn to eat everything on the hog except the hair and the hooves. And there's nothing that's thrown away. {NW} Even brains and all that business. {NS} You know. And {NS} I don't like brains {NS} Pigs pork ought to eat brains I don't eat them I just Interviewer: I can't have any it looks too gross 678: It looks gross really gross. But you know going on the market and seeing a whole hog head {NW} Staring {NW} Interviewer: Yeah really. 678: That's almost as that's almost as eating eating opossum You ever eaten opossum? Interviewer: {NW} 678: Now my brother my youngest brother you wouldn't believe that he was born and raised in the city. I don't know why he picked his country ways out from him. Interviewer: {NW} 678: Funny thing happened a few years ago. He knows every time I show up I'm going to eat because he's an excellent cook. {NW} But this friend of his {NS} Handed him a bake of opossum {X} Grossest looking little rat you have Interviewer: {NW} 678: seen. Interviewer: {NW} 678: {NW} Interviewer: I could never take a possum 678: {NW} Interviewer: Twice on the road you know that's 678: #1 {X} # Interviewer: #2 Okay # 678: #1 {NW} # Interviewer: #2 {NW} # I don't think I want to see one in the baking pan sort of like eating {X} 678: He hid this thing from me {NS} Because he just knew {X} We was going to eat some possum {NW} I had a friend of mine with me brought him from New York he's never eaten possum never seen a possum. Interviewer: {NW} 678: And I kicked the pan my brother had hid it under the bed Interviewer: {NW} 678: And I said what are you doing with the pan on the bed he said don't bother that that doesn't belong to me. {NW} Like he was protecting the king's ransom. Interviewer: {NW} 678: And he had possum and a big sweet potato all in the same pan. And there was this little thing with you know a possum looks like you know you ever seen a buck tooth person. Interviewer: Yeah 678: Cheeks stick out Interviewer: Yeah {NW} 678: Now he's a little gross looking little Interviewer: #1 {NW} # 678: #2 Teeth # Interviewer: {NW} 678: Hanging out of this little bitty ugly thing. Interviewer: {NW} 678: And he convinced me to eat some possum you know Interviewer: Well how was it? 678: It tastes good but I just could not eat it comfortably. Interviewer: {NW} #1 That # 678: #2 Uh # Interviewer: Is so funny 678: Now {NS} Uh They even set opossum traps. {NW} Um {NS} I know people eat coons. Interviewer: Yeah I've heard I never had any of that either have you had it 678: I hate to admit it but I've eaten coon too. Interviewer: How was that? 678: {NS} It was an experience. Interviewer: Yeah 678: Uh Interviewer: What sort 678: I don't remember how it tastes so psychologi- {X} Just I must have a mental block I don't even want to know how it taste. Interviewer: They're so cute 678: Yeah they are cute. Interviewer: Little little cute little eyes little ears sticking up. 678: There's a man there's a man over Oak Cliff Call him coon man. He raises coons to sell people to eat and I just I just couldn't believe anybody in the city was raising coons. Interviewer: Yeah 678: And he's got a thriving business over there. Interviewer: {NW} 678: My brother took me by there to pick up coon with him Interviewer: {NW} 678: And he was Interviewer: You take that lobster I'll take that 678: He says a lot of coon s- Interviewer: #1 {NW} # 678: #2 {NW} # I just didn't believe it Interviewer: Where is this place #1 We need to # 678: #2 At # Uh I don't know the name of the street Somewhere in Oak Cliff Interviewer: Uh-huh 678: But you'll have to meet my brother. He weighs a ton he weights at least three or four He he weighs over three hundred pounds. He drives a truck for Sears But I'll tell you that that man he eats armadillo. I remember my stepfather bringing Interviewer: That's something I couldn't eat 678: Armadillo. Interviewer: Armadillo 678: Bear meat. Interviewer: Yeah what about snake you ever had grass snake that's supposed to be good you know 678: #1 Yeah # Interviewer: #2 I don't think # I'd eat that 678: I've eaten snake one time. Interviewer: How was it? 678: Tastes like chicken. Interviewer: What was the snake? 678: Uh Interviewer: If I knew it was snake I would 678: Well I didn't know it was snake when I ate it. Interviewer: Probably be the only way I could 678: There was a lot of horse meat floating around one while or two Interviewer: {NW} 678: {NW} Interviewer: You know I was in Hawaii I had this friend who moved to Hawaii I went there to visit this fall and uh I went to a local bar with a Japanese girl okay Japanese girl takes me to a Japanese bar okay so we go in and we order some Japanese beer okay so we're sitting there drinking our beer and they bring us all this stuff you know and I didn't know what any of it was but it looked pretty good {X} There was one cup that I'm sure had to be fried fish that was pretty good you know and they bring in these chopsticks and you break the chopsticks apart and eat the stuff and there was one bowl that was full of cucumbers and what I thought was tomatoes it was red stuff {X} And so I was {X} Cucumbers were good and then I think they have more tomatoes they didn't and it wasn't even tomato it was raw fish 678: {NW} Interviewer: I could not believe it I went this is not a tomato and I managed to choke it down you know but I- I knew I could tell I put it in my mouth it was raw fish 678: Oh Interviewer: Ugh I couldn't believe it that that was the last one I ate I did eat some more cucumbers. 678: While I was down in Mexico I had some goat. Interviewer: How was it? 678: {NS} I don't want any more. Interviewer: {NW} They say it's supposed to be real tough. 678: It is it was tough. It wasn't seasoned. And it was cooked open fire. Interviewer: Yeah 678: Yeah you know {NS} Wasn't my cup of tea. Interviewer: No I don't think it'd be mine. 678: No Interviewer: Um back to hogs they ever make anything out of hog blood? 678: {NS} Yeah. {NS} But they don't do that here now In Louisiana there's a sausage called blood boudin. Interviewer: Blood what 678: Blood boudin. Interviewer: Yeah 678: And these people take pig's blood. And let it congeal {NS} and they stuck it. Interviewer: {NW} 678: Yeah {X} Real gross in the mean time as a matter of fact it's against the law. To make it in Louisiana. It was I don't know if it still is You can't buy it it's against the law to sell it. They don't I don't think they can prevent people from making it. Interviewer: #1 Yeah # 678: #2 And eating themselves # Interviewer: Yeah 678: But then I think in one time it was believed that the blood boudin was used in some sort of court rituals and so forth. Interviewer: Oh 678: Uh {NW} They do have a uh Uh another boudin And it's {NS} It's a sausage it's a sausage that's cased in stuffed with rice and either pork or beef in it. Interviewer: Mm-hmm. {NW} 678: It's pretty good. Interviewer: Yeah 678: But I don't {NS} I couldn't stomach that blood boudin as a matter of fact a fellow last year told me {NW} Uh he was an old cook from Louisiana. {NS} He was a Cajun. He told me how to make blood boudin. {NW} #1 And # Interviewer: #2 How do you make it # 678: {NW} Well you have to get fresh blood. And I've forgotten what he told me to put in it. {NW} And he let it set and you know how blood will gel. {NS} And {X} Another thickener you know sort of like a gelatin thickener put in there. Interviewer: Okay 678: And let it set and it just it forms a mold right then. And just scoop it out and either mixed uh {NS} Uh might raw meat just cooked just a little bit. And you stuffed sausage casings with it and seasoning. Interviewer: Okay alright 678: Yeah I don't. Interviewer: I uh want to avoid that 678: {NW} Interviewer: If I ever see any I won't eat it. {NW} 678: Now you know like American sausage is a is a real is a uh is an art. Interviewer: Did your mother used to make sausage? 678: Uh {NS} I remember my grandmother making sausage. I remember other people making sausage more than I do inside of my family. Interviewer: Yeah 678: Uh {NS} To make to make good sausage {NS} you have to have a good portion of lean meat. {NS} And the lean meat would usually come from {NS} The shaped portions right off the ham Interviewer: Mm-hmm 678: Uh {NS} Old areas where you get the pork chops from. Which is up around close to the uh away from the rib area {NW} And trimming away all you know like the fat and the uh lean portions of meat the ribs and things like that And {X} From the ham The shanks. The lower area And using Right amount of a Usually people hide a sage seasoning. {NS} Black pepper. {NS} Um Instead of using cayenne pepper they would use uh Crushed peppers after it dried. You know I'm thinking I'll make me some sausage one day I got the {X} Interviewer: {NW} 678: Uh Interviewer: {X} 678: There's an Italian seasoning. Very spicy but very good if you ever want some good sausage. If you like Italian spices Italian sausage is very good. {NW} Uh {NS} And the people at good store places It's a matter of uh if they can smoke it Smoked pork sausage is very good. It's hard to find and it's very expensive. Interviewer: Mm-hmm. 678: Uh but then when people at the smoke houses. They can do that. Interviewer: Mm-hmm 678: And I don't still don't understand today how meat would keep like it did back then. Interviewer: Mm-hmm 678: You know no refrigeration. But in that smoke house that meat would stay. Interviewer: {NW} Yeah I know it did. I don't understand it either. 678: Well you know I know what it was. Pack it down in salt. That's what it was. Interviewer: What does the salt do? I mean I know they do that. 678: Well Interviewer: But I don't understand what it does. 678: {NW} Let me explain that. Can't really you see uh uh {NS} That's how meat is cured meat is cured with salt. Salt tend it does something like cook the meat is what salt does. Interviewer: Oh. 678: Uh Interviewer: {X} 678: As a matter of fact {NS} {NW} I could tell you the whole story it's not. It's not with me right now. Interviewer: Well 678: Not with me right now. Interviewer: You could make it all up and fool me. {NW} Let me ask you about um I've got another major section here I need to get to um did y'all ever have a garden here in Dallas or in O'Donnell or 678: Not in O'Donnell Yes we had a garden but it it wasn't our garden. Uh in Calvin where my grandmother was there was a garden. Interviewer: Uh-huh 678: And {NS} There was always okra {NS} Tomatoes squash Peas uh watermelon Watermelon will grow anywhere you can take a watermelon seed and throw it in the street it'll grow. Interviewer: {NW} 678: {NW} Interviewer: {NW} 678: {NW} Interviewer: I love it that's a good #1 quotable # 678: #2 Yes # Interviewer: #1 Line # 678: #2 {NW} # {NW} Interviewer: {NW} I don't know when I'll use it I'm going to use that line. {NW} 678: Cantaloupe Interviewer: Uh-huh 678: Uh {NS} Eggplant Interviewer: You grew eggplant? 678: Mm-hmm Interviewer: I never knew anybody grew eggplant 678: Uh {NS} There was always a berry tree or something around Just growing wild. Interviewer: Uh-huh what kind of berries 678: Uh blackberries Interviewer: Uh-huh 678: Uh we had a fig tree About three or four plum trees Um Some people had pear trees And pears make the best darn preserves of any. Interviewer: Huh 678: You ever had pear reserves? Interviewer: I don't recall 678: We can't buy it at the store I've never seen it in Interviewer: #1 I've had peach # 678: #2 A store # Interviewer: Preserves but I don't think I've ever had pear 678: We had peach trees. Uh but pear preserves you can't I've never seen them sold in the store. Interviewer: {X} 678: Uh if you want pear preserves you'll have to find some old person that knows how to do a can of them. There's a few young people that know how to do a can Interviewer: Mm-hmm. Uh What else did we have {NS} Corn {NS} 678: Always had some corn I remember making scarecrows trying to scare Interviewer: {NW} 678: The birds away Interviewer: Corn is hard to grow I tried to grow it last year and it got it got some kind of crud I don't know corn crud. 678: Yeah yeah. Interviewer: It just wiped it out. 678: Yeah Interviewer: Good though for birds 678: My brother had ten twelve foot okra stocks this year. {NW} In his backyard in Oak Cliff. Interviewer: Ten foot high okra stock 678: That's right Interviewer: Incredible 678: Really incredible That was just Interviewer: {X} 678: Up as high as that. {NW} Interviewer: Sounds like it yeah {NW} 678: He grows tomatoes okra and peppers. Green peppers. Interviewer: Uh-huh 678: Often and peppers will grow very easily too but I remember that pepper was so hot that it would parch your mouth Interviewer: Ooh 678: I've had a pepper so hot that it swelled my lips. Interviewer: {X} 678: Yeah Interviewer: You're getting me all inspired I think I'm starting to get into it 678: It's really had a I had I had a pepper plant in here Interviewer: Uh-huh 678: And Oh last year when I got sick It was often I didn't water my plant But I still had some Dried peppers at home {NW} And you know like you can dry you you. A pepper tree a pepper plant they reproduce five or six times a year. Interviewer: Hmm 678: You can pull the peppers off of it Interviewer: I didn't know that 678: Keep it at a you know like peppers have to be If you take care of them just keep them {NS} In a lighted area Take the sunlight {NS} Interviewer: Okay hey we're almost out of tape here 678: Yeah Interviewer: Okay um where were we kind of dark 678: {X} Interviewer: Oh the pepper plant 678: The pepper plant Interviewer: Did you ever have a whole garden yourself 678: Never had time Interviewer: Yeah 678: But I Interviewer: Takes a lot of time 678: Takes a lot of time. But tomato plants they're easy to grow . Interviewer: Yeah 678: Uh okra plants are easy to grow. You like okra. Interviewer: Yeah I had okra one time and it seemed like that year I left town for a while and I ignored the garden everything but the okra died everything died this okra was in there 678: Yeah there's many {NS} That's the reason why I think my brother's plant Once it starts growing it'll just grow. Very durable plant. Hard to kill. Interviewer: And I had some little okra pot and I just left all year. 678: Yeah Interviewer: But about this time of year in the winter they were starting to rot 678: Yeah #1 But the season is good # Interviewer: #2 {X} # Yeah yeah 678: Yeah Interviewer: {X} {NS} To the work I agree individually. 678: Yeah Interviewer: Hmm well oh I know {X} What did your brother do to the soil does he have this little white did he stuff 678: Yeah Interviewer: {X} It's horrible 678: Well but you know that black soil is very rich. Interviewer: Well it's rich but you can't get a shovel through it. 678: Well big as he is he's probably going in and stomps the ground. Interviewer: {X} 678: {NW} Interviewer: #1 {X} # 678: #2 But # Usually what he does though {NS} Is he gets uh he told me what he did this year that's the reason why now He got some fertilizer. Interviewer: Uh-huh 678: And he spread that fertilizer. All over the area there where he was going to plant his garden Interviewer: Mm-hmm 678: And then he watered the stuff down and raked it up. With a rake. Interviewer: Uh-huh 678: You know and like the ground was moist and the fertilizer was all mixed in. Interviewer: Right 678: And then he put some rows down. And he said it had phenomenal growth out of his uh tomatoes. I already told you about that uh okra plant. Interviewer: Yeah 678: #1 You know # Interviewer: #2 Yeah # 678: They just grew everywhere. Interviewer: Huh that's great 678: You know And but he used fertilizer Interviewer: Yeah I used let's see did I use yeah I used a commercial fertilizer once last year and I started out early spring put down a bunch of cow manure like before you know before planting seed put that down you know like a month or two before and then I got two rows and I was throwing stuff over there figured it won't hurt {NS} But that's how it kind of {X} 678: Yeah I remember one year there was a A drought a long drought Interviewer: Uh-huh 678: And The ground around me just cracked You know it was a real that was a real trip back then I- I remember that very well because water was rationed Interviewer: Oh yeah. 678: And the ground the ground around the house {NW} Just cracked in great big holes {X} Interviewer: Yeah yeah how long did it have to be before you called it a drought 678: I would imagine when you don't have any persistent form {NW} any precipitation Interviewer: For 678: Three months like that. Interviewer: Okay if it was just if it was a shorter time than that what would you call it 678: Well that would be a short drought. Interviewer: Okay 678: But I but During this time I don't think we had an inch of rain No more than three inches of rain in about six months or something like Interviewer: {NW} 678: It was a real that was a real bad time. Interviewer: When you're facing 678: Yeah Interviewer: A drought yeah um 678: As a matter of fact that year even white rock lake Was almost dry. Interviewer: Oh really 678: That's right. Interviewer: I have never even heard of such never heard it that dry what about {X} Um what about beans you ever grow beans 678: Yeah Interviewer: What different kind of beans did you grow 678: Well it was more peas more than beans. Interviewer: Uh-huh 678: Black eyed peas. Interviewer: Yeah oh I love #1 Black eyed # 678: #2 Yeah # Very #1 Good # Interviewer: #2 Um # {X} 678: Uh Interviewer: Always had those 678: Then there's the uh what we called snap beans. Interviewer: Yeah 678: Uh what your green beans. Interviewer: Yeah 678: Uh Interviewer: Well great okay let me ask you about this next snap beans are what you used to call them but but they're the same thing as green beans 678: Yeah Interviewer: Is that what you're saying 678: Yeah. Interviewer: Okay any other kind of bean? 678: {NS} I know there was none of the pintos. Uh I just remember the black eyed peas. The uh what they call a {NS} There was a shell bean too blue shell. Know like they dry. You just Pull this thing apart. Uh Interviewer: I don't know what that would be well um 678: They grow same same way as black eyed peas they look like black eyed peas. Interviewer: Uh-huh you had the 678: Yeah Interviewer: Yeah 678: That was all that was all the beans I remember. Interviewer: Oh I know what other thing I was supposed to ask you 678: Oh we had potatoes too. Interviewer: Oh mm-hmm 678: Potatoes Interviewer: Um regular potatoes or 678: Irish potatoes white potatoes Interviewer: Uh-huh uh-huh 678: They were very good they used to grow too. You can #1 Take # Interviewer: #2 Never # Tried never tried that take a lot of {X} You know 678: No Interviewer: No maybe I'll try that 678: Tell you what you can do. {NS} You can get maybe five or six potatoes. You can get ten if you want to {NW} and just let them sit there until they start to sprout when those little sprouts come up Interviewer: Yeah 678: And cut them This cut little pieces like this. Interviewer: Yeah 678: And just drop it in the ground Set them by the {D: foot parlor} {NS} Interviewer: Huh I may try that I guess 678: They're good Interviewer: Try potatoes 678: Yeah Interviewer: Never tried it you know what I'd like to have are those little red ones you know those little red kind of round potatoes 678: They'll grow you know you do them the same way yeah. Yeah Interviewer: Nice to eat you know 678: Yeah we used to call those russets Interviewer: Russets uh-huh 678: Yeah Interviewer: Let's see oh what kind of um different stuff 678: We got sweet potatoes. {X} Interviewer: Did you grow sweet potatoes 678: Yeah. {NS} Always had sweet potatoes. {NW} Interviewer: I love sweet potatoes. {D: potatoes at Thanksgiving} 678: I actually you ever had fried sweet potatoes? Interviewer: No never had fried 678: Fried sweet potatoes baked sweet potatoes. Interviewer: What did you slice them up 678: Yeah Interviewer: And fry them in just what bacon grease or something 678: Mm-hmm. Interviewer: How thin did you slice it. 678: About like that. Interviewer: About an inch 678: Yeah Interviewer: Three quarters 678: About like yeah. {NS} Interviewer: I have to try that I haven't tried that 678: {NS} About a half inch. Interviewer: About a half inch. #1 {NW} # 678: #2 {NW} # Yeah Interviewer: You know I have a let's see I've I've seen them mashed and uh steamed like you know you get one of your little feeder things you put at the top of the pot 678: Yeah Interviewer: Slice it and you put it in there and it comes out real soft and you just put butter on it 678: Ever tried a baked potato I mean baked sweet potato. Interviewer: Baked sweet potato I have never feels like my mother eats sweet potatoes I don't think I ever. 678: Well just put them in an oven {NS} And grease them you know like you do uh. Interviewer: Yeah 678: Irish potato Uh Interviewer: I bet it takes forever to bake one 678: Oh it normally takes to bake for a white potato forty-five minutes at four four fifty four twenty-five. Interviewer: Mm-hmm 678: Ought to do it. And you just take them out and split like you do a baked potato. Put butter in it and you're talking about something good. Interviewer: Mm-hmm 678: They are good. Interviewer: Oh I love them I talked to a lady one time who said she makes them with uh like at at Thanksgiving when she when she makes them she mashes them up puts a bunch of butter in there you know and she puts beer in with it now I've never tried that she said it's real good 678: {NS} Probably is got a lot of different ways that people might eat it. Interviewer: Mm-hmm mm-hmm um oh what kind of things did you uh grow for greens what kind of different different kinds of greens? 678: Turnip greens are probably the best greens to grow. There was collard greens. And mustards all those grew. {NW} But turnips were always seemed a little better. Interviewer: Mm-hmm you like greens 678: Oh yeah. Interviewer: What's your favorite 678: I like turnips. Interviewer: I like turnips but I don't like the greens 678: Well I like turnip greens. And I like turnips. Interviewer: But they're bitter aren't they aren't the greens bitter 678: Not turnip greens. Interviewer: Maybe my mother didn't know how to cook 678: Now. Interviewer: {NW} 678: There are a couple of greens that are mustard greens are bitter. Interviewer: Oh that's the worst 678: Mustard and collards. Interviewer: Yeah 678: Collards are tough Some people can cook them where they don't be tough and not bitter either. Interviewer: Yeah 678: Uh I know a lot of people that mix turnips and mustards and collards together and you come up with a you know different kind of green. Interviewer: Yeah I bet that's good good you know only if you like that sort of thing {NW} But I've had mustard greens and they were good never had collard greens had turnip greens and they were you know they were bitter too maybe just weren't picked right 678: I have a friend of mine who uh picks turnip greens he always put uh sugar in them. {NS} Interviewer: Well that might help eating them 678: Maybe that you know I of course I never course no matter what you put Uh sugar in the greens And mustard then {NS} She didn't have the same taste that you got. Interviewer: Mm-hmm 678: Must have been different. Interviewer: Mm-hmm maybe so 678: So I was the person that grew up putting sugar in their greens Interviewer: Uh-huh smart well if I ever if I ever decide if I am ever so foolish as to decide to try greens again 678: Well you like spinach. Interviewer: Yeah oh spinach is alright 678: Yeah I I really like I like spinach boiled eggs and you know chipped bacon and spinach. Interviewer: Yeah that's good 678: Wish I had some now. Interviewer: Oh yeah me too 678: {NW} Interviewer: I like spinach fresh 678: Oh yeah I like fresh spinach. Interviewer: With uh like bacon crumbled on top you know and that's so good 678: But I only started eating fresh spinach after I got grown. Interviewer: Yeah me too oh yeah that's right I don't think I ever had uh fresh spinach cooked even when I was a kid it was always canned spinach which isn't anywhere near as good and I didn't like it when I was a kid 678: Oh I hated spinach when I was a kid {NS} and my sister started making you know fixing spinach with boiled eggs and the bacon. Interviewer: Mm-hmm 678: Man I sure wish I had some little liver now too. {NS} Calf's liver and spinach. Interviewer: Mm-hmm 678: share with the big kid. Interviewer: {X} 678: {NW} Interviewer: {NW} #1 We'll have to go somewhere and get something to eat # 678: #2 {NW} # Interviewer: {NW} Continue 678: Yeah that is one of my favorite foods and I haven't eaten it in a long time Interviewer: Uh-huh 678: And you just made me think of it I Interviewer: Corn bread with it 678: Yeah Interviewer: Yeah 678: That would be good Interviewer: That would be good wouldn't it? 678: {X} {NS} Interviewer: {NW} Let's see what else can I ask oh yeah what do you call that stuff on the outside of corn that you have to pull off you know 678: Oh we call it the corn shuck. Interviewer: Okay and what do you call that stuff fix you up a pot it had little white and yellow stuff. 678: Oh that was some kind of hair we used to call that stuff. And I can't tell you the name of it I- I haven't used the word such in a long time I've forgotten what it is Interviewer: {X} 678: Yeah Interviewer: But you can't remember 678: Corn silk. Interviewer: Huh u-huh 678: Yeah Interviewer: And you had to pull all that off 678: Yeah. Interviewer: too. 678: Yeah. Interviewer: Uh what all different kinds of nuts did you have when you were growing up? 678: {NS} Peanuts. Interviewer: Mm-hmm 678: Pecans. I thought it was the darndest thing when I heard pecans. Interviewer: Oh yeah oh gosh 678: Now really Interviewer: I have heard people say that that's uh 678: but you know like here in Dallas pecan trees just grow wild all over Dallas County. Interviewer: Yeah 678: Uh {NS} But Peanuts pecans Brazil nuts we used to call them nigger toes. Interviewer: Yeah yeah 678: Uh Interviewer: You all called them nigger toes too 678: Didn't know what else to call them. Interviewer: {NW} 678: {NW} Interviewer: That's funny {NW} 678: After all you know well way we learned to talk. Interviewer: That's right 678: #1 {NW} # Interviewer: #2 That's right # 678: {NW} Interviewer: I figured maybe y'all called them monkey toes or something 678: {NW} No it's nigger toes {NW} And there was the walnut Interviewer: Yeah 678: Walnuts were good too #1 Uh # Interviewer: #2 Okay # Well a walnut you know it drops off of trees got this green thing on the outside what do you call it it falls off 678: I don't know what that thing is. I know I remember it's it's looked like a green thing that comes around the pecans. Interviewer: Yeah 678: Uh There was this other little fuzzy looking little nut {NS} You know The shell wasn't real hard almonds. Interviewer: Oh yeah #1 Yeah yeah yeah # 678: #2 Yeah # Interviewer: Yeah yeah yeah 678: Uh {NS} Just about all of the nuts I can think of that we have. Speaking of pecans I was going to ask you a tree question too what kind of trees grow around here wild you know except pecan trees? {NS} Uh There's a tree that I we call a hackberry tree Interviewer: Yeah 678: A chinaberry tree Interviewer: Yeah 678: Uh {NS} There's a {NS} An oak tree around here that grows wild Is that an oak? It's an oak. {NS} Not very many met this oak tree here. {X} Any maple trees around Interviewer: {NW} 678: Maple trees were brought in you know Uh I remember sagebrush {NS} Mesquite trees Interviewer: Oh yeah 678: Now y'all out In the urban Going toward D-F-W Interviewer: Uh-huh 678: There are so many mesquite trees out in that area. Interviewer: Uh-huh 678: And it just surprised me because then you usually find mesquite trees in west Texas far west Texas. Interviewer: Yeah 678: Because I haven't seen a mesquite tree Back South Dallas County anywhere no no mesquite trees that I've really seen Interviewer: Yeah 678: but out there is just Interviewer: Yeah 678: You know Interviewer: I know 678: just looks like you know hundreds of acres of mesquite trees. Interviewer: It looks like Wichita falls looks like my home town 678: That's right that that is the strangest thing when I go out there Interviewer: Just sort of a big patch of them 678: Yeah Interviewer: I don't know why 678: And people ask me why are you so fascinated about the trees. I say you just don't see that many mesquite trees in north Texas. Interviewer: Right 678: Uh like out at cedar hill. Interviewer: Yeah 678: Well this is not really an area where cedar trees would grow. Interviewer: Yeah 678: So my theory is that perhaps pioneers or something must have come through and planted some cedar trees. And the cedar uh Seeds might have blown all over that area because it just doesn't make sense. that just in one great big area of Dallas county there's a bunch of cedar trees. Interviewer: The only one 678: Only one Interviewer: Uh-huh bet it smells good 678: Yeah Interviewer: Oh a lovely smell {X} And there were cedar trees all over the place down there and uh especially at night oh it smelled so good and when it would rain and it smelled like cedar it would give people what they called cedar fever people with allergies. 678: Yeah Interviewer: Horrible about this time of year I think people get cedar fever and you know {X} Something 678: Well pine trees are pretty trees. Interviewer: Yeah yeah 678: You don't see them around here close you go a hundred miles way down in Tyler. Interviewer: Yeah 678: You know. Interviewer: Yeah 678: Pine tree country down there Interviewer: Our next door neighbor had a couple strong ones that he planted you know and during this like ice storm they were bent all the way over their heads very top of the trees touched the ground 678: They didn't break with it. Interviewer: No they didn't break 678: Pine trees are hard to bring down. Interviewer: Did y'all have any tree damage with the ice storm? 678: Oh yeah yeah Lot of tree damage. Interviewer: Hmm my husband was standing out in the front yard and all I heard was it sounded like an explosion {NW} And he looked one of our neighbor's trees had just kind of exploded it split in like three places it just went {NW} 678: Yeah that would be a strange. You know what's frightening about that whole thing Is you think about you know everybody wants to build their houses under trees. Interviewer: Yeah 678: Well that's very dangerous too. A tree fall on your house. Interviewer: Yeah sure ugh can't think of it. 678: I know a fellow used to play uh one of S-M-U's greats basketball stars Jim Krebs a tree fell on him I've forgotten a tree fell and killed him. Interviewer: Yeah 678: Yes it happened a few years ago Interviewer: Gosh what so he walked by or 678: It was the real freakiest thing I don't know if the tree fell on his car or something like that. Interviewer: Yeah 678: You know. Interviewer: Ugh you know I was driving home this was in the car right {D: in the four lamps} I guess yeah and you know it depends um may have been the the {X} But anyway that night I was driving home and uh it was about this was about eight thirty or nine and uh it had been above freezing {X} But anyway it was above freezing all day that day you know and I didn't think about there being ice around and they had gone down below freezing this was in the hour and I didn't know it was below freezing and so I went through this uh puddle that was about a block from my house puddle had been there for weeks I just went through it and {X} {NS} Back end of the car totally turned to ice {X} Actually but coming up out of the puddle you know the the water 678: Yeah Interviewer: Jeez I I didn't know it was there couldn't see it the back end of the car started coming out on {X} What's happening and then it it took me like half a block to do this it swung all around {X} Fish tail me around like this and I was up here wasn't nobody coming I ended up going the other way you know and finally 678: #1 Yeah # Interviewer: #2 Stopped up # Against the curb and I just just well I shook all the home I thought for a minute I had a blow out or something but I didn't feel anything just dissolved everywhere 678: Well you know that it's uh. They can catch you by surprise. Interviewer: Oh yeah 678: #1 And # Interviewer: #2 Another # Car just pulling off you know 678: Yeah you have to uh when it's cold like this anywhere that you might see a puddle of water you know . Almost now that's going to be thin sheet of ice now Interviewer: Now I know 678: #1 Yeah # Interviewer: #2 Oh yeah # {NW} 678: Very dangerous. Interviewer: Oh it is 678: Uh Interviewer: {D: believe me I wouldn't stand a chance} 678: Like Interviewer: Melt below freeze 678: As an example {NS} when it thaws out you know from a freeze and the streets seem to be all clear and it's still freezing you know weather's still freezing {NW} you have to be very careful going you know under bridges {NS} or over bridges. Interviewer: Yeah 678: You know. Interviewer: Right 678: Uh and going through a tunnel because then it stays cool in there and it's still it's still frozen water. Sometimes And it's and it ices over Interviewer: Mm-hmm 678: I've seen a lot of people have wrecks like that Interviewer: Mm-hmm yeah yeah well I was just lucky there wasn't anybody coming I have a couple major sections that we can get through here that I missed and that'll be it um let's see what's next um {X] ooh I still have something I want to ask you about um when I was interviewing {X} There was a section death and and disease stuff like that cheerful subject {NW} but what um when I was in San Antonio uh you know I was trying to find people to talk to and I had like here I had four white people four black people and I was trying to find a black minister because they told me that Reverend Jones would help me and sure enough all four of the people that I got all went to the same church but anyway I was trying to find 678: #1 Yeah # Interviewer: #2 Where to go # Super helpful okay so they said go out there to the church and um he should be there so I went up there and there are all these people around and there seems to be some sort of celebration going on okay fine everybody looks happy they were uh about noon or not about one or two o clock I guess they were having seemed like a buffet lunch and a big spread and everybody's standing around on the lawn back of the church was serving plates talking laughing eating you know so I found Reverend Jones. {X} Introduce myself and uh he was very nice and I I was very nice I looked at him and I said hmm it look- looks like you're having a party what what kind of party is it and he said A funeral I was so embarrassed I could have died too. 678: {NW} Interviewer: You know so let me ask you about that is that customary with blacks or was that just weird for San Antonio or just that church what do you know about that 678: Well eating {NS} Is sort of part of the ritual Interviewer: Yeah you do this in church usually or is that unusual. 678: Not at church {NS} Um how big was this church Interviewer: It was small pretty small. 678: Yeah well in small churches they'll do that. It could be that the person who has expired a place they had a lot of friends lot of relatives. Interviewer: Yeah 678: Um but that place would have been too small Interviewer: I've got to replace 678: {NS} Hmm Interviewer: A short section of stupid stuff and then we'll be through pretty pretty uh not much left. You were talking about eating when there's a funeral. 678: Yeah well you know like. {NS} I think what really. The reason why that came about was when you have a lot of relatives come in {NS} and people {NS} probably well you know there were no restaurants and that sort of thing a long time ago. Interviewer: Yeah 678: And uh people have traveled miles. And it was sort of like uh family reunion at the wedding. I mean at the funeral. Interviewer: Mm-hmm 678: {NW} Interviewer: We should 678: Uh {NS} And that's sort of a time that the family doesn't feel like cooking so what happens friends and you know distant relatives cook the great big dishes of food. Because they know there's going to be a lot of people there. Interviewer: Mm-hmm 678: And uh that's part of the fun of going to some funerals. Is after the funeral everybody gets around and eats. Interviewer: Mm-hmm 678: You know and like uh they reminisce about old times and {NW} what's been going on and uh what's they're going to do you know. {NW} And that's the only time a lot of people get together is at a funeral Interviewer: Yeah yeah my husband's family is off in Nashville Tennessee the only time that we've been there in the last I guess two or three years there was one wedding and three funerals. {X} To the funerals. 678: Yeah Interviewer: Everybody everybody brings food over and after one of them everybody got smashed. 678: {NS} Yeah Interviewer: {NW} 678: That's always part of that too. Interviewer: Yeah 678: I guess there's always some booze around. Interviewer: Yeah 678: But you see now I'm trying to think about the family that had The uh I guess you might call it the feast after the funeral {NS} at the church. It was probably because the house that this person might have lived in was too small. {NW} And none of the relatives really had any place where to go {NW} and you know it was a matter of people getting together so they usually used they would use the church. Interviewer: Mm-hmm 678: #1 Yeah # Interviewer: #2 {X} # 678: #1 Of course I remember # Interviewer: #2 {X} # 678: When uh A friend of mine grandmother passed last year uh They had all the food around to the church after the funeral. Interviewer: Mm-hmm mm-hmm 678: Because and that was the situation with them. Interviewer: Mm-hmm 678: Nobody had a house large enough {NS} to accommodate all their relatives and friends who were going to come back after the funeral. Interviewer: Yeah yeah only certain 678: Yeah Interviewer: Well um oh what what uh what diseases and stuff did you have when you were growing up? 678: Hmm I had asthma Interviewer: Oh you did 678: Yeah Interviewer: Huh well I had that still have it 678: Yeah Interviewer: But it's not real bad 678: Uh {NS} I don't think that I didn't ever have chicken pox. I might have had the measles. Interviewer: Yeah 678: I had the measles never had the mumps. No whooping cough. {NW} I just wasn't a I wasn't very sick. Other than with asthma. Interviewer: Yeah yeah if you have asthma it's the same as having. 678: {NW} Almost died with it though. Interviewer: Oh really? 678: Oh yeah. Interviewer: What happened I've never had it that bad? 678: I've known personally people to die. Interviewer: Oh really? 678: {NS} That's when you have a real acute problem with asthma. Interviewer: Did you try to go to the hospital? 678: No I walked to Bell Hospital I was so sick I couldn't breathe uh. And that was the last real bad attack I had. Interviewer: How long ago was that? 678: Has to have been ten years ago. Interviewer: You walked? 678: Oh yeah. Interviewer: To the hospital when you had asthma? 678: I didn't have a car. Might have been longer than that twelve thirteen years ago. {NS} Buses weren't running. {NS} About five o clock in the morning. I couldn't get a cab. {NS} And I wasn't going to sit still and die. Interviewer: Yeah. 678: I said if I die I'm going to die on a walk. {NW} Interviewer: Really? 678: Not on a run I'm going to make it to the hospital. Interviewer: Mm-hmm 678: And I remember. That shot I coughed up. {NS} Stuff that was just golden yellow. Interviewer: Ew 678: #1 You know # Interviewer: #2 Gross # 678: It was just. {NW} And it had coated my lungs. You know but after I got a good shot it just broke all that stuff out. Interviewer: Yeah yeah 678: Uh but I was really sick. Interviewer: You were okay after that? Mm-hmm 678: I- I've had I've had you know light attacks shortness of breath. Interviewer: Yeah 678: That's a little thing. But uh nothing as severe as that Interviewer: Yeah 678: My mother was an asthmatic also. Interviewer: Yeah they say it runs in the family my mother is too. 678: And when I look {NS} my doctor bill here {NS} last year I went recurrent right serious otitis media out allergic basis. I was dealing with my ear. Interviewer: Mm-hmm 678: {NS} He put a uh post myringotomy tube The granulation {NS} Occluding tube for nasal allergy {NS} And what he did then is when he put some cortisone {X} Interviewer: Oh yeah 678: Yeah Interviewer: Sounds fun 678: {X} And nasal allergy And all these coming from sinus problems. Interviewer: Uh-huh uh-huh 678: And uh I think that's as much as what I've had {NS} {NW} The seldom attacks attacks of asthma but I mean that was {X} Interviewer: Oh yeah #1 I do too # 678: #2 Yeah # Interviewer: Because I mean well if they're not too bad at least you're not going to be overcharged 678: Yeah Interviewer: After a while I've never had one bad enough yet so um if you get a cut on your hand you at the doctors you know you put the reddish brown stuff that stings like crazy and it's skull and cross bones on the bottle you know like what do you call that medicine stuff? 678: Uh there was Merthiolate. Interviewer: Okay 678: Mercurochrome. Interviewer: Yeah 678: Iodine. Interviewer: Okay um you'd see when people would uh take a tonic for malaria or sometimes they'd take it in little capsules for a cold uh white bitter powder stuff what do you call that stuff do you even know what that stuff is I just know that? 678: Hmm Interviewer: But that's I think that's before our time I'm not sure uh uh if people get old and their their joints are stiff and ache and stuff like that you'd say they've got what? {NS} 678: Arthritis. Interviewer: Okay anything else you ever heard it called? {NS} 678: Rheumatism. Interviewer: Okay and used to be children would get a real bad sore throat with blisters on the inside of their throat and they kind of died in the middle of the night with with a bad cough or you know they'd choke to death I think is what really happened 678: Yeah {NS} Interviewer: What'd you call that what did you call that? 678: Strep throat. Interviewer: Okay now I'd like two stupid things that we save for the very last because people will never sit comfortably if I get it first but these are numbers and pronunciation and stuff {X} 678: Mm-hmm go ahead. Interviewer: Okay uh would you please slowly for me count just from one to twenty 678: One to twenty? Interviewer: Mm-hmm 678: Slowly. Interviewer: Yes just what I told you it was stupid. 678: Yeah one two three {NS} Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine Ten Eleven Twelve Thirteen Fourteen Fifteen Sixteen Seventeen Eighteen Nineteen Twenty. Interviewer: Okay the number after twenty-six is 678: Twenty-seven. Interviewer: Okay and after twenty-nine is 678: {NS} Thirty. Interviewer: And after thirty-nine is 678: Forty. Interviewer: And after ninety-nine 678: One hundred. Interviewer: Okay and okay and here eleven people standing in line the last person in line is the eleventh person so the one in front of him would be the 678: Hmm tenth person. Interviewer: Okay and the one in front of him would be the 678: Ninth person. Interviewer: And then 678: Eighth. Interviewer: Uh-huh 678: Seventh Sixth Fifth Fourth Third Second you know first {X} Interviewer: Okay and see why we don't do that first uh the months of the year can you say the months of the year 678: Hmm {NS} January February {NS} March April May June July August September October November December Interviewer: Okay the days of the week. 678: Hmm Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Interviewer: Okay and that's it. how about that? 678: Finish with a bang. Interviewer: Yeah and that's all the tape well we have some extra tape. {NS}