THE HOUSE WAS ALWAYS CLEAN, AND THERE WAS A ROUTINE NECESSARY FOR A FAMILY OF

EIGHT. THE OLD DITTY WAS TRUE: "MONDAY WASH DAY (FROZEN SHEETS IN THE WINTER),

TUESDAY IRONING, WEDNESDAY SEWING, THURSDAY—AND SO ON ".

SUMMERS WERE BETTER, A BIT. THERE WERE BERRIES AND NUTS TO PICK (COMPETING WITH AN

OCCASIONAL BLACK BEAR). THERE WAS THE GARDEN TO WEED AND HAND WATER FROM A PAIL.

THE COW NEEDED MILKING AND LEADING TO PASTURE.

•

OUR CLOTHES CAME FROM THE COUNTY CHARITY COLLECTIONS MADE IN AND AROUND HD3BING.

THESE WERE NOT STYLISH, NOR DID THEY ALWAYS FIT WELL. SHOES SELDOM FIT EITHER. WE

EACH HAD SNOW PANTS AND A COAT WHICH WERE SO NECESSARY AGAINST THE MINUS 20 TO

MINUS 55 DEGREES COMMON EVERY WINTER IN THE 1930'S. MY COAT WAS A SPRING COAT

WITHOUT LINING AND WAS TORN, WHICH MAMA REPAIRED. IT WAS A TERRIBLE AQUA BUT WITH

OTHER LAYERS, IT KEPT ME WARM. THE SAYING OF THE TIME, "USE IT UP, WEAR IT OUT, MAKE IT

DO OR DO WITHOUT" SURELY APPLIED TO US.

ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR GETTING CLOTHES WAS WHEN WE RECEIVED A BOX OF DRESSES

FROM A BILLO RELATIVE IN UPSTATE NEW YORK. IT CONSISTED OF SEVERAL SILK TYPE DRESSES,

PROBABLY RAYON, MOSTLY WHITE BUT SOME WERE COLORED. WHILE TOTALLY IMPRACTICAL,

WE WERE DELIGHTED TO GET THEM. I CHOSE RED (OF COURSE), ROSIE CHOSE WHITE AND ANNE

GOT GREEN.

SHOES WERE VERY IMPORTANT ESPECIALLY IN THE WINTER HOWEVER, IN THE SUMMER WE

MOSTLY WENT BAREFOOT TO SAVE OUR SHOES. IT'S NO WONDER THAT WE PICKED UP WORMS

FROM TIME TO TIME DUE TO ALL THE ANIMALS WANDERING AROUND.

WE DID HAVE FUN IN THE WINTER. WE EVEN HAD A SET OF CAST- OFF ICESKATES AND WHEN

STUFFED WITH SOX, PROVIDED MUCH DELIGHT. WE ALSO HAD CARDBOARD SLEDS TO SLIDE

DOWN THE "LEAN-ORE DUMP" HILLS. WE OBTAINED THE CARDBOARD BOXES FROM DAN'S STORE..

IN SPITE OF WINTER HARDSHIPS, MAMA WAS GRATEFUL THAT HER BROOD WAS SHELTERED,

CLOTHED AND FED. SHE PRAYED EVERY NIGHT THAT SHE WOULD LIVE LONG ENOUGH TO RAISE

US.

FOR US, AS WITH MOST KIDS, THINGS DID NOT SEEM TO CHANGE MUCH. YES, SEASONS CAME AND

WENT. WE GRADUALLY OUTGREW OUR "HAND ME DOWN" CLOTHES, AND LITTLE BY LITTLE WE

MOVED UP IN GRADES, BUT IT SEEMED AN ETERNITY BEFORE WE WOULD GET TO HIGH SCHOOL

AND BECOME ADULTS. SO WE SPENT OUR DAYS DOING WHAT MOST KIDS DO. WE HAD OUR

NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS AND HANGOUTS.

-10-v

THE GOOD OL' SUMMER TIME

WHEN FZA KID, SUMMER TIME WAS OUR BEST TIME. HOWEVER, MINNESOTA SUMMERS WERE

VERY HOT AND IT WAS TERRIBLY HUMID TOO. WE WERE ALWAYS UP BY SIX O'CLOCK TO PICK

BERRIES AND DO CHORES WHILE MAMA MADE BREAD AND DID WHAT LITTLE COOKING THAT WAS

DONE ON THE HOT SUMMER DAYS. ALL THIS WAS DONE BEFORE NINE O'CLOCK WHEN THE HEAT

OF THE DAY SET IN.

AFTER HELPING MAMA WITH THE CHORES, WE HAD TIME TO JUS' BE KIDS.

WE EXPLORED THE FIELDS AROUND US. ONE OF OUR FAVORITE THINGS WAS TO LIE IN THE TALL

GRASS ON OUR BACKS AND LOOK AT THE SKY. THERE WE EXPERIENCED OUR WORLD WITH ALL

OUR SENSES. THERE WERE BIRDS AND INSECTS FLYING OVER. SOMETIMES WE'D SEE SPIDERS

SAILING WITH THEIR "PARASAIL" WEBS. THEN THERE WAS THE SILKEN MILKWEED AND

DANDELIONS RIDING ON THE BREEZE.

MOST REMEMBERED WERE THE SOUNDS, THE SOUNDS OF THE INSECTS HUMMING, BUZZING,

DRONING. THERE WERE GRASSHOPPERS, HONEYBEES, CICADAES, DRAGONFLffiS, BUMBLEBEES

AND MANY UNKNOWNS. WE HAD A MELODIOUS, AND AT TIMES A CACOPHONOUS MDC OF BUZZES,

HUMMS, WHIZZES AND CHERPS.

THERE WERE ALSO THE SWEET AND SPICY SMELLS OF GRASS, WEEDS, WILD FLOWERS, AND DAMP

EARTH. THE WARM SUNSHINE AND COOL EARTH PROVIDED THE FEELING OF A WORLD BEYOND

POOL.

AFTER LUNCH ON THE HOT DAYS, MAMA WOULD HAVE ALL OF US TAKE TOWELS AND SHOO THE

FLIES OUT OF THE HOUSE. WITH ALL THE FARM ANIMALS AROUND AND THE PILES OF MANURE IN

EACH YARD IT'S NO WONDER THAT WE HAD SO MANY OF THESE PESTS. YES, WE HAD RIBBONS OF

FLYPAPER IN EACH ROOM, BUT STILL THEY WOULD COME IN EVERY TIME THE SCREEN DOOR WAS

OPENED.

IF WE'D FORGET AND HOLD THE DOOR OPEN MAMA WOULD REMIND US IN HER RUTHENIAN

TONGUE," ZADROITI VARATA",WHICH MEANS, "CLOSE THE DOOR".

ON THE HOT SUMMER AFTERNOONS, AND THEY WERE ALL HOT, MAMA INSISTED THAT WE

CHILDREN REST ON THE COOL LINOLEUM FLOOR. THE BREEZE COMING IN THE FRONT DOOR AND

OUT THE BACK DOOR DID HELP TO KEEP US A BIT COOLER, WE SELDOM SLEPT. WE WOULD

WHISPER AND LISTEN TO THE FLIES BUZZING; THOSE WE MISSED "SHOOING" AND THOSE CAUGHT

ON THE FLYPAPER.

-11-

MANY HOURS WERE SPENT IN DOLLY JASKEY'S "PLAY HOUSE" AND ON HER SWING, SUSPENDED

FROM LONG POLES NEXT TO THE PLAYHOUSE. DOLLY SOMEHOW HAD OBTAINED A COLLECTION

OF COMIC BOOKS WHICH WE READ COVER TO COVER.

OUR CREATIVE BENT WAS FULFILLED BY MAKING MUD PIES AND MUD CAKES. WE PUT ALL THE

CARE OF A PASTRY CHEF INTO THESE, THEN SET THEM IN THE SUN TO "BAKE".

*

PLAYING MARBLES WAS ONE OF OUR FAVORITE GAMES. WE HAD GLASSIES AND PRIZED "AGGIES"

AND PEEWEES AND STEELIES (PROBABLY BALL BEARINGS FROM THE PIT) AND THE BIG BOWLERS;

ANYTHING THAT WAS HARD AND ROUND. YES, WE EVEN PLAYED IN THE WINTER. WE'D DIG THE

"PERGIE" OUT OF THE SNOW AND WET IT SO THAT IT WOULD FREEZE AND KEEP ITS SHAPE.

WHEN NOT AT DOLLY'S OR LYING IN THE GRASS, PARTICULARLY AS WE GOT OLDER, WE HAD THIS

ROCK.

KINGS AND QUEENS OF THE ROCK

A HISTORIAN, WISHING TO GIVE A CONCEPT OF TIME, DESCRIBED A GREAT ROCK FAR TO THE

NORTH, TO WHICH A LITTLE BIRD WOULD FLY EVERY 100 YEARS TO SHARPEN ITS BEAK. WHEN

THE ROCK HAD THUS BEEN WORN AWAY, ONE DAY OF ETERNITY WOULD HAVE PASSED. WELL, WE

HAD OUR ROCK. NOT AS BIG, BUT WE DID LIVE FAR TO THE NORTH OR SO IT SEEMED. WE NEVER

CONSIDERED FROM WENCE IT CAME FOR IT WAS ALWAYS THERE. WE DIDN'T KNOW OF THE MILE

HIGH GLACIERS WHICH TORE GREAT ROCKS FROM THE LAURENTIAN MOUNTAINS OF CANADA

AND CARRIED THEM GROANING AND SQUEELING AND DEPOSITING THIS ONE BY DAN RAJACICH'S

STORE MORE THAN 12,000 YEARS AGO. WE NEVER CONSIDERED THAT, FOR IT WAS ALWAYS THERE,

THERE BY DAN RAJACICH'S "NEW" STORE, WHICH WAS ALWAYS THERE, IN POOL, WHICH WAS

ALWAYS THERE TOO.

FOR US IT WAS, "WHERE YA' GOIN'? TO THE ROCK" AND "LET'S GO! WHERE? TO THE ROCK." FOR

ANNE AND ME, ALONG WITH FANNY KENNEDY AND DOLLY JASKEY THE ROCK WAS OUR MEETING

PLACE, OUR TALKING PLACE, OUR GATHERING PLACE, AS IT HAD BEEN FOR MY SISTERS BEFORE

ME AND EVERY GENERATION OF POOL KIDS BEFORE AND AFTER. THE ROCK WASN'T VERY BIG,

PERHAPS 4' HIGH AND COULD ACCOMODATE A HALF DOZEN OR MORE KIDS. I'M SURE MY

BROTHER AND THE BOYS PLAYED KING OF THE ROCK AS ALL BOYS DO. IT WAS OUR ROCK!

IT WASN'T SECLUDED. AFTER ALL, IT WAS ON THE SIDE OF DAN RAJACICH'S "NEW" STORE, A

SORT OF GENERAL "7-11" WHERE THE "PAY BUS" TURNED AROUND AND WHERE THE POOL MAIL

BOXES WERE. THERE WERE ONLY ABOUT 110 HOUSES IN THE COMBINED POOL/ FRENCH LOCATION

.u.

AREA WHICH COULD ONLY SUPPORT ONE STORE OF LIMITED INVENTORY AND A TAVERN-STORE IN

SECOND POOL. BUT THIS WAS THE GATHERING PLACE WHERE PEOPLE CAME TO PICK UP A FEW

ITEMS AND THE MAIL, VISIT AND EXCHANGE GOSSIP AND CATCH THE "PAY" BUS TO HIBBING.

MAMA PICKED UP A FEW NECESSITIES THERE BUT DID HER MAJOR SHOPPING IN HIBBING WHERE

THE PRICES WERE LESS. SHE ALSO PICKED UP FOOD FROM THE "CHA'ITA" BOARD. WHILE SHE

USUALLY RODE THE "PAY BUS" TO HIBBING, DAN WOULD OFTEN OFFER HER A RIDE TO AND

FROM TOWN WHEN HE WENT FOR SUPPLIES. HE WAS A VERY CARING MAN WHEN IT CAME TO

MAMA.

ON THE ROCK WE COULD OBSERVE THE COMINGS AND GOINGS OF THE ADULTS AND SOMETIMES

THE BOYS OF THE AREA. OF COURSE WE PRETENDED THAT WE DIDN'T CARE ABOUT THE BOYS,

BUT WE DID.

AS I SAID, THE STORE WAS HANDY, ABOUT 8 HOUSES AND TWO LOTS UP THE STREET. WHILE I DID

HAVE CHEWING GUM OCCASIONALLY TAKEN FROM UNDER FANNY KENNEDY'S DINING ROOM

TABLE, I HAD NO MONEY FOR ICE CREAM, POP OR CANDY. THOSE WERE NOT THE NECESSITIES OF

OUR LIFE. HOWEVER, IF I FOUND A PENNY, WHICH I OCCASIONALLY DID NEAR THE STORE, OR

EVEN A NICKEL, IT WAS TO THE STORE I'D GO. THEN BEGAN THE AGONIZING PARADISE OF WHAT

TO GET. IT ALL WAS SO TANTALIZING. THERE WERE JAWBREAKERS WITH AN ANISE SEED IN THE

MIDDLE, FLAVORED PENNY GUM (NOT LIKE KENNEDY'S UNDER THE TABLE KIND), LITTLE JUICE

FILLED WAX BOTTLES, AND MORE AND MORE. ONCE IN A WHILE, WE'D POOL OUR MONEY AND

BUY AN "ALL DAY" HOLLOWAY SUCKER WHICH WE'D TAKE TURNS LICKING.

THE ROCK WAS ALSO THE PLACE FROM WHICH WE COULD WATCH THE FIREWORKS ACROSS THE

PIT AT THE FAIRGROUNDS IN NORTH HIBBING. IF WE COULD GET ENOUGH MONEY TOGETHER

WE'D BUY A "12 COUNT" BOX OF MARSHMALLOWS. WE'D THEN MAKE A SMALL FIRE AND ROAST

THEM. WE'D ALSO BAKE POTATOES IN THE COALS. WE WERE TRULY IN PARADISE.

ALAS, THE ROCK, WHICH WAS ALWAYS THERE, THE STORE, WHICH WAS ALWAYS THERE AND EVEN

POOL, WHICH WAS ALWAYS THERE. ALL ARE GONE! ALL HAVE BEEN SWALLOWED UP BY THE PIT.

NOW, ONE CAN STAND ON THE RAMPART OF THE NORTH HIBBING SIDE AND IMAGINE WHERE

THEY ONCE WERE. NOW ONE ONLY SEES THE "TOOTSY TOY" SHOVELS TAKING A 20 YARD BITE

AND SPITTING IT OUT INTO "TOOTSY TOY" ORE TRUCKS. SEEN UP CLOSE, THEIR TIRES ARE

ALMOST TWICE AS TALL AS A MAN, BUT AT A HALF- MILE AWAY AND 200 FEET DEEP, IT'S A

LILLIPUTAN WORLD.

-

FOR THOSE WHO STAYED IN THE HIBBING AREA, THE CHANGE WAS GRADUAL. FOR US WHO LEFT

THE AREA AND CAME BACK, THE HOLE TOOK AWAY OUR PAST AND LEFT AN EMPTY HOLE IN

OUR HEARTS. THOMAS WOLFE WAS RIGHT, "YOU CAN'T GO HOME AGAIN".

-,3-

BUT HOW WERE WE TO KNOW? FOR US, TIME STOOD STILL. EVERYTHING WOULD ALWAYS BE THE

SAME; POOL, THE ROCK, THE STORE, THE PEOPLE. LITTLE DID WE KNOW THAT THE INEXORABLE

APPETITE OF THE COUNTRY FOR IRON WOULD CAUSE THE PIT TO CREEP CLOSER AND CLOSER AND

CLOSER.... AND THAT WE WOULD GROW UP.

NIGHT FRIGHT

" GOD PROTECT US FROM THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT"

(an old scotish prayer)

IN THE DAYTIME, WHEN I'ZA KID, I WAS GENERALLY WITHOUT FEAR MAMA WAS ALWAYS

THERE TO "SAVE" US; MOSTLY FROM OURSELVES. YES, THERE WERE RISKS OF THE PIT, INTO

WHICH WE VENTURED DOWN ON LONG LADDERS TO PICK UP COAL ALONG THE TRACKS, FOR OUR

HEATING STOVE. SOMETIMES, WHEN THE WATCHMAN WAS NOT AROUND, WE'D TAKE COAL

FROM THE COAL BUNKERS. BUT FOR THE MOST PART WE FELT SAFE.

POOL DID NOT HAVE ANY POLICE OR FIRE PROTECTION. HOWEVER, THE MEN OF THE LOCATION

SAW TO IT THAT THE LAWS OF THE CULTURE WERE ENFORCED AND WOE UNTO ANY WAYWARD

PERSON. WHEN THERE WAS A FIRE, EVERYONE BANDED TOGETHER TO HELP. AS FOR US KIDS, WE

PRETTY WELL BEHAVED OURSELVES AS WE COULD COUNT ON SOME NEIGHBOR INFORMING

MAMA OF ANY TRESPASS. TOO BAD THAT ATTITUDE DOESN'T PREVAIL TODAY.

NIGHT TIME WAS DIFFERENT. I, AS ALL KIDS, DID FEAR THE UNKNOWN BOOGYMAN, AND OF

COURSE, HE ALWAYS CAME AT NIGHT. I DECIDED THAT LOUIE, A NEXT DOOR RENTER OF

LORENZO'S, WOULD BE MYBOGGYMAN. HE WAS ACTUALLY A KIND MAN. ONE EVENING AFTER

DARK, HE STARTLED ME BY WALKING IN HIS YARD AT DUSK. HE BECAME MY BOOGYMAN.

I WAS A REAL "SCAREDY CAT'. MY PRINCIPLE FEAR AT NIGHT WAS THE GALLOPING OF

LORENZO'S HORSES. THE SUDDEN THUMPING OF THEIR HOOFS WHEN THEY DECIDED TO RUN IN

THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT STRUCK FEAR INTO MY HEART. I WAS SURE THEY WOULD COME

CRASHING THROUGH THE WINDOW AND TRAMPLE ME. HAD I HEARD OF THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF

THE APOCOLYPSE, I WOULD HAVE BELIEVED THAT IT WAS THEY. LATER, WHEN I WAS THIRTEEN

AND STAYING AT SISTER MILLIE'S FARM THERE WAS AN AGGRESSIVE COW, NAMED SLUGGER,

WHICH WOULD ALSO AGGRESSIVELY RUN AND MY OLD FEARS WERE REAWAKENED.

AND THEN THERE WAS THE ERICKSON BOY. I SAY BOY EVEN THOUGH HE WAS IN HIS THIRTIES

AND MENTALLY "DISADVANTAGED". HE'D MOSTLY WALK WITH HIS MOTHER, BUT IF HE WAS

ALONE IN THE EVENING, I WOULD BE AFRAID. HE WAS ANOTHER BOOGYMAN.

-14-

BUT MY GREATEST FRIGHT CAME WHEN I WAS APPROXIMATELY SIXTEEN. IT WAS EARLY WINTER

AND DARK WITH LIGHT SNOW ON THE GROUND. OUR OUTHOUSE WAS THIRTY FEET FROM OUR

BACK DOOR WHILE I WASN'T GENERALLY FRIGHTENED TO MAKE THE "RUN" THERE WAS ALWAYS

A FEELING OF CONCERN. ONE EVENING, ON THE WAY BACK FROM THE OUTHOUSE, I SAW THE

FIGURE OF A MAN CROUCHED UNDER OUR KITCHEN WINDOW. HE WAS ONLY A FEW FEEET AWAY!!

THE ADRENELIN FLOWED! SHOULD I LOCK MY SELF IN THE OUTHOUSE OR RUN FOR THE HOUSE,

WHICH I DID DO. MAMA WAS ASLEEP, ROBERT IN THE NAVY, THE OTHER SISTERS WERE MARRIED

AND GONE, MARILYN WAS ONLY SIX. SO I TOLD ANNE, WHO WAS STILL AWAKE.

WE PULLED OUR DRAPES DOWN TIGHTLY AND HUDDLED IN FEAR THE NEXT MORNING WE

FOUND A MAN'S FOOTPRINTS IN THE SNOW UNDER OUR WINDOW AND UNDER THE KITCHEN

WINDOW. IT WAS SHORTLY AFTER THAT HAPPENING THAT MAMA ADDED BOLTLOCKS TO

AUGMENT THE SKELETON KEY DOOR LOCKS. LATER WE FOUND THAT THE "PEEPING TOM" HAD

MADE THE ROUNDS OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE THERE WERE TEENAGED GIRLS. IT TURNED

OUT THAT IT WAS JOHN KOSOMOVITCH, A RETURNED SOLDIER WHO LIVED 5 HOUSES NORTH. THE

WORD GOT OUT AND THOUGH PROBABLY HARMLESS, HE BECAME A PERSONA NON GRATA IN

THAT PART OF POOL; ANOTHER OF MY BOOGYMEN.

FIRE IN THE NIGHT IS PROBABLY THE MOST TERRIFYING HAPPENING THAT ANYONE CAN

EXPERIENCE. ONE AFTERNOON RETURNING HOME FROM SCHOOL ON THE SCHOOL BUS WE SAW

SMOKE ACROSS THE PIT AT POOL. I WAS SURE IT WAS OUR HOUSE. ALL THE KIDS ON THE BUS HAD

THE SAME PANIC, AS WE COULDN'T TELL WHICH HOUSE IT WAS. WE HAD NO FIRE DEPARTMENT.

WHEN I GOT HOME, THE NEIGHBORS WERE ALREADY TRYING TO PROTECT OUR HOUSE BY

THROWING SNOW ON THE ROOF. THE FIRE WAS ALREADY TOO ADVANCED TO SAVE OUR NEXT

DOOR NEIGHBOR'S HOUSE BELONGING TO LORENZO. IT WAS WINTER AND THE SUN SET SHORTLY

AFTER I ARRIVED HOME. WE SPENT THE EVENING AND EARLY INTO THE MORNING HOURS

DRESSED TO LEAVE, HUDDLED IN THE LIVING ROOM. WHAT WOULD BECOME OF US? NO HOME! NO

FOOD! NO POOL! NO ANYTHING! MAMA KEPT US TOGETHER AND CONSOLED US AS BEST SHE

COULD. I'M SURE THAT HER THOUGHTS WERE AS DISPARING AS WERE OURS, BUT SHE DIDN'T

SHOW IT. SHE HAD ALREADY SUFFERED THROUGH SO MANY DISASTERS IN HER LIFE.

WELL, OUR HOUSE WAS SAVED. WE WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION, AND

PEOPLE HADN'T TRUSTED THE BANKS. LORENZO HAD PILES OF COINS IN HIS PANTRY. AFTER THE

EMBERS HAD COOLED IN A FEW DAYS, SOME PEOPLE BEGAN FINDING COINS. MANY WERE

MELTED TOGETHER WHETHER OR NOT THEY RETURNED THEM TO LORENZO, I DON'T KNOW.

MAMA WOULDN'T LET US TREASURE HUNT.

ONE OF THE MORE DRAMATIC NIGHT EVENTS WAS NOT AS FRIGHTENING AS IT WAS AWESOME;

THE AURORA BORIALIS (NORTHERN LIGHTS). ITS OCCURANCE WAS USUALLY ON WINTER NIGHTS

-15-

AND THOUGH SILENT, YOU COULD "HEAR" THEM SWISHING AND AT TIMES, SINGING. THEY

APPEARED AS RIBBONS, AS SEARCH LIGHTS, AS BANDS, AS SCARVES GENTLY UNDULATING AND

SWISHING IN THE NIGHT SKY. EVERY TIME I SAW THEM, I FELT WAVES OF LONELINESS SWEEP

OVER ME. AGAIN I WAS SURE THAT THE NORTH POLE WAS JUST OVER THE HORIZON.

AT NIGHT, WE HAD A POOL OF LIGHT PROVIDED BY THE STREETLIGHT IN FRONT OF OUR HOUSE.

THIS PROVIDED MUCH COMFORT ON THE NIGHTS WHEN WE WERE ALLOWED TO GO OUTTO PLAY.

WE WOULD PLAY SUCH GAMES AS TAG, HIDE AND SEEK, RED ROVER AND ALL THE OTHER GAMES

THAT ALL KIDS PLAYED. OUR PLAYMATES WERE THE KIDS OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD; HERBY

PASCHE, DOLLY, DESSIE, FANNY AND OTHERS. IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SUMMER, THE SUN DIDN'T

SET UNTIL MY BEDTIME, AND THE STREET LIGHT WAS NOT NECESSARY.

CATCHING FIREFLIES WAS ANOTHER SUMMER ACTIVITY AT NIGHT. IT REQUIRED A MASON JAR

WITH LID. THE CONTEST WAS TO SEE WHO COULD GET THE MOST LIGHT FROM NATURES

LANTERNS.

AND SUCH WERE NIGHTS ON THE IRON RANGE.

HOME ON THE RANGE (PART 2)

WHEN I'ZA KID, AS WITH MOST CHILDREN, I THOUGHT THAT MY HOME ALWAYS WAS. I THOUGHT

THAT POOL ALWAYS WAS. AS I LATER LEARNED, THERE WAS A BEGINNING...AND AN END. AS AN

ADULT, I LEARNED THAT POOL BEGAN 1908 WITH THE BEGINNING OF THE BURT-POOLE MINE,

LATER THE HULL-RUST MINE. POOL ENDED IN 1970, WHEN POOL WAS CONDEMMED TO THE PIT.

THE 100 MILE LONG "PIT" WAS NOT JUST ONE LONG MINE, BUT A SERIES OF MINE PITS, MANY OF

WHICH WERE JOINED TOGETHER. "LOCATIONS" WERE THE SMALL HAMLETS OF HOUSES CLOSE TO

EACH MINING AREA FOR THE MINERS OF THAT PARTICULAR MINE. THESE LOCATIONS DIDN'T JUST

GROW. THE STREETS AND LOTS WERE PLATTED BY THE COUNTY/TOWNSHIP, AND WHILE THERE

WERE NOT STREET NAMES, THE HOUSES WERE ASSIGNED NUMBERS. OUR HOUSE WAS "206 FIRST

POOL". WE WERE THE LAST HOUSE ON OUR STREET IN THE SOUTH END OF FIRST POOL, ABOUT

TWO BLOCKS AWAY FROM THE EDGE OF THE PIT.

THERE WERE TWO PRIMARY STREETS AND AN ALLY IN FIRST POOL. ADJACENT "FRENCH

LOCATION" WAS REALLY THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF FIRST POOL, DEFINED BY A LOOP ROAD.

JUST AS "FINN LOCATION" WAS SO CALLED BECAUSE IT WAS POPULATED BY FINNS, PERHAPS

"FRENCH LOCATION" WAS SO NAMED IN THE EARLY DAYS BECAUSE OF FRENCH MINERS. WHEN I

LIVED IN FIRST POOL THERE WERE 40 PLUS HOUSES INCLUDING THE NINE IN FRENCH LOCATION.

SECOND POOL JOINED FIRST POOL ON THE NORTH AND HAD ABOUT 65 HOUSES. IN ALL, THERE

-16-

WERE ABOUT 110 HOUSES. IT WAS REALLY CONSIDERED ONE COMMUNITY WHICH WE JUST

CALLED POOL. WE HAD A CLUBHOUSE IN SECOND POOL AS WELL AS A WINTER SKATING RINK. THE

"NEW" ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, BUILT IN 1920 WAS RIGHT BETWEEN FIRST AND SECOND POOL BUT

IT WAS CLOSED JUST BEFORE I TURNED SEX.

THE PIT BORDERED POOL ON THE SOUTH BY THE "OLD" RAJACICH STORE WHERE THE MINERS

WENT DOWN THE LONG LADDERS INTO THE PIT; AND WHERE WE SNUCK DOWN TO SCROUNGE

COAL. DAN BUILT HIS "NEW" STORE AT THE SITE OF OUR ROCK WHEN I WAS ABOUT NINE. IT WAS

APPROXIMATELY EIGHT HOUSES AND SEVERAL VACANT LOTS NORTH OF US.

THE PIT WAS ELL SHAPED AT THAT TIME; ABOUT A HALF- MILE TO THE EAST. BY THE TIME I WAS

IN HIGH SCHOOL, THE PIT HAD CREPT TO THE EAST EDGE OF POOL CLOSING THE "NEW

ROAD" WHICH, IN TURN, HAD REPLACED THE "NORTH BRIDGE" ROAD TO NORTH HIBBING WHICH

EXISTED BEFORE MY MEMORY. HIBBING TRAFFIC NOW HAD TO TAKE THE NORTHEAST ROAD

TOWARD CHISHOLM TO GET INTO HIBBING WHICH WAS ABOUT SIX MILES SOUTH OF POOL.

/

OUR LOCATION DID HAVE SIDEWALKS AT ONE TIME; WOODEN ONES. I REMEMBER THE REMAINS

WHICH WERE GRADUALLY BEING USED FOR STOVE WOOD. THE SCHOOL BUS REGULARLY

STOPPED IN FRONT OF HERBIE PACHE'S HOUSE "KIDDY CORNER" FROM OUR HOUSE. HOWEVER, IN

THE WINTER, OUR STREET WAS NOT PLOWED AND WHEN THE BUS COULDN'T GET THROUGH THE

SNOW DRIFTS, WE HAD TO CATCH IT IN FRONT OF KENNEDY'S HOUSE WHERE THE PAVED STREET

WAS PLOWED. SOMETIMES, WE CUT ACROSS YARDS TO GET THERE. MR. CHICKA WOULDN'T LET

US CUT ACROSS HIS YARD. SOMETIMES WE'D WALK AROUND TO THE ROAD ON THE SOUTH. IN A

SNOWSTORM, ROBERT WOULD LEAD US WHILE WE HELD ONTO A ROPE SO WE WOULDN'T GET

LOST IN THE WHITEOUT.

THE "PAY" BUS TO HIBBING ALWAYS TURNED AROUND IN FRONT OF THE DAN'S STORE, SITE OF

OUR ROCK. IT WAS THERE THAT I PICKED UP THE HIBBING DAILY NEWSPAPERS WHICH I BEGAN

SERVING WHEN I WAS 14. IT WAS THERE THAT WE'D MEET MAMA EVERY SATURDAY NOON AT

12:20 TO HELP HER CARRY THE GROCERIES WHICH SHE BROUGHT FROM TOWN.

OUR HOUSE WAS APPROXIMATELY 750 SQUARE FEET. IT HOUSED MAMA AND US KIDS; UP TO

SEVEN FOR AWHILE; A WOOD/COAL POTBELLY STOVE WAS IN THE DINING ROOM, AND THE COOK

STOVE IN THE KITCHEN. ALL MADE IT COZY. WE HAD A LONG FRONT PORCH ON THE STREET SIDE

AND A "POPEL" TREE IN FRONT. OUR "RUNNING" WATER WAS A STAND PUMP ON THE STREET. IT

WAS POSTED, "CONTAMINATED. DO NOT DRINK". DRINKING WATER WAS DELIVERED TO OUR

WOODEN BARREL WHICH COLLECTED GREEN ALGAE. WE STILL USED THE PUMP FOR GENERAL

WATER.

-17-

THE LIVING ROOM RAN ACROSS THE FRONT WITH MAMA'S TWO-BED BEDROOM ON THE SIDE, THE

DINING ROOM PARALLELED THE LIVING ROOM WITH OUR BEDROOM ON THE SOUTH SIDE IN BACK

OF MAMA'S. ANNE AND I HAD A DOUBLE BED. THERE WAS ALSO A TRAP DOOR WHICH LED TO THE

CELLAR. THE KITCHEN AND PANTRY WERE ACROSS THE REAR OF THE HOUSE. THE BACK PORCH

LED TO THE OUTHOUSE, GARDEN, BARN, GARAGE AND SMOKEHOUSE. THE ALLEY WAS IN BACK.

ANIMAL FARM

THE HOUSE LOTS, AS WELL THE EMPTY ONES OF POOL AND THE OTHER "LOCATIONS" WERE LIKE

MINIFARMS; CROPS AND ANIMALS EVERYWHERE.

COWS, DOGS, AND CHICKENS WERE THE HALLMARK OF THE POOL NEIGHBORHOOD WHEN I'ZA KID.

ALMOST EVERY ONE HAD A COW, EXCEPT LORENZO. HE HAD HORSES TO PULL HIS TIMBER

WAGON. ALSO, THE KENNEDYS DIDN'T EITHER THEY SEEMED NOT TO NEED ONE AS THEY WERE

ALWAYS "BORROWING" MILK FROM MAMA. I REMEMBER THAT MRS. KENNEDY ONCE GAVE ME A

PIECE OF CHOCOLATE CAKE MADE WITH OUR MILK. THIS WAS A TREAT AS WE SELDOM HAD SUCH

LUXURIES.

I BELIEVE THAT MOST COWS WERE GIVEN NAMES SUCH AS BOSSY, DAISY, ROSEY, BUT OURS WAS

JUST "COW". AFTER MORNING MILKING, "COW" WAS TURNED LOOSE AND JOINED THE OTHER

COWS THAT AMBLED PAST DAN RAJACICH'S STORE TO A GRAZING AREA AT THE SOUTH END OF

SECOND POOL. IT WAS A THINLY WOODED AREA WHERE THEY COULD FIND GRASS AND SHADE ON

THE HOT SUMMER DAYS. ABOUT FIVE IN THE EVENING, OFTEN ACCOMPANIED BY DOLLY JASKEY

WHO ALSO WAS GOING FOR HER COW, ANNE AND I WOULD GO TO RETRIVE "COW". WE WOULD

CALL "HERE COWCOWCOW HERE COWCOWCOWCOW". EACH SEEMED TO KNOW THE VOICE OF ITS

OWNER SINCE THE COWS WERE AWARE OF EVENING MILKING TIME, WHEN THERE WOULD BE

RELIEF FROM THE DISCOMFORT OF A FULL UDDER, "COW" WOULD COME AMBLING TO US AND

FOLLOW US HOME.

WHEN VIOLET'S HUSBAND, WILLIE, WENT INTO THE SERVICE, SHE CAME BACK HOME TO LIVE—-

AND BROUGHT HER NEW BABY JEANNIE AND THEIR COW. SO NOW WE HAD TWO COWS. VIOLET

HAD A JOB AND WOULD MILK HER COW EVERY MORNING BEFORE GOING TO WORK IN TOWN AND

IN THE EVENING WHEN SHE RETURNED..

I REMEMBER MAMA KILLED A HEN ONCE WHICH FLEW AT HER AND KNOCKED OFF HER GLASSES.

WITHOUT HER GLASSES, SHE COULDN'T SEE TO FIND HER GLASSES, AND SHE HAD TO GROPE THE

GROUND WHILE GIVING THE HEN "DOWN THE ROAD" FOR ITS ANTICS. SINCE THE HEN WAS NOW

HEADLESS, MAMA'S PROTESTATIONS WERE USELESS.

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IT IS SAID THAT A DOG IS MAN'S BEST FRIEND. SO WE HAD "PAL". PERHAPS IT WAS ROBERT'S PAL

BUT I DON'T REMEMBER ANY AFFINITY THAT I HAD FOR "PAL". I SUPPOSE THAT HE WAS TO BE A

WATCHDOG, BUT HE SURE DIDN'T DO ANY WATCHING WHEN WE HAD THE PEEPING TOM COME

PEEPING. THE ONLY BITING HE EVER DID WAS TO BITE MY FRIEND, DOLLY JASKEY. THAT SO

INFURIATED HER FATHER THAT HE CAME OVER TO THROW A STONE AT THE DOG, BUT IT NEARLY

HIT MAMA INSTEAD. NOW IT WAS MAMA WHO WAS UPSET. DOGS WERE NOT FAMILY PETS AS

THEY ARE TODAY. PAL GOT TABLE SCRAPS, IF ANY, AND THE LEFT OVER SOUP BONES WHICH

WERE DONATED BY THE JOHNSON MARKET IN HIBBING. THEY KNEW OF MAMA'S PLIGHT. DOGS

WERE ALWAYS JUST AROUND, SCRATCHING, SNIFFING, MARKING TERRITORY, BARKING AND

SLEEPING.

CATS? YES. LORENZO HAD CATS FOR MOUSERS. AND OF COURSE THERE WERE ALWAYS TOMS

AROUND TO HOWL IN THE NIGHT AND PERPETUATE THE SPECIES. WHENEVER LORENZO'S CATS

HAD A LITTER, IT WAS INTO THE BURLAP SACK WITH A ROCK AND INTO THE WATER.

THERE WERE RABBITS AND THERE WERE PROBABLY WILD ANIMALS AROUND THE EDGES: DEER,

SKUNKS, RACOONS, POSSUM AND FOX, BUT I NEVER WAS AWARE OF THESE. THEY PROBABLY KEPT

THEIR DISTANCE BECAUSE OF THE DOGS. ONLY THE OCCASIONAL BLACK BEAR THAT COMPETED

WITH US FOR BERRIES IN THE SUMMER IS DOMINANT IN MY MIND.

DOWN CELLAR

WHEN MY HUSBAND, KIRK, WAS A KID, HIS FATHER TOLD HIM A LITTLE DITTY THAT HE HAD

HEARD AS A BOY: "WHERE WAS MOSES WHEN THE LIGHT WENT OUT? DOWN IN THE CELLAR

EATING SAUERKRAUT." WELL, WHEN I'ZA KID, WE HAD A CELLAR, A LIGHT AND SAUERKRAUT,

WHICH WE CALLED KUPUS. THE DIRT FLOORED CELLAR, CALLED A "ROOT CELLAR" BY SOME,

WAS ENTERED BY A TRAP DOOR IN OUR BEDROOM. IT WAS NOT LARGE BUT WAS SUFFICIENT TO

STORE THE CANNED PRODUCE FROM MAMA'S GARDEN FOR OUR LIVELIHOOD DURING THE

WINTER MONTHS.

THERE WERE BEANS AND BEANS AND BEANS (GRAH). THERE WAS SOURED CABBAGE (KUPUS)

WHICH WAS KEPT IN BRINE BARRELS. THERE WERE BEETS AND OTHER CANNABLE VEGETABLES.

WHATEVER WAS STORED ON THE FLOOR AND LOWEST SHELVES WAS EATEN FIRST, AS THE SPRING

THAW BROUGHT WATER INTO THE CELLAR. WE HAD TO BUCKET IT OUT.

WE HAD TOMATOES, BUT WHEN THE WINTER CAME MOST OF THESE WERE MOVED TO THE ATTIC

WHERE IT WAS WARM AND THE TOMATOES COULD RIPEN. .MAMA ALSO GREW POTATOES BUT

THESE WERE MOSTLY STORED IN THE BARN.

-19-

.THE CELLAR HAD ANOTHER PURPOSE, NEFARIOUS AS IT MIGHT SEEM, TO BE A PRISON. ON

SATURDAY MORNINGS ANNE AND I WERE TO CLEAN THE HOUSE WHILE MAMA WAS SHOPPING IN

TOWN. WE WERE ALSO TO WATCH MARILYN AND GET HER TO HELP. SHE NOT ONLY REFUSED TO

HELP BUT CREATED A PROBLEM. FORTHWITH, SHE WAS RELEGATED TO THE CELLAR, KICKING

AND SCREAMING, OF COURSE. WHEN WE GOT OUR WORK DONE, SHE WAS FREED.

THREE SQUARE MEALS.

LITTLE BY LITTLE OUR FOOD SUPPLY SEEMED TO INCREASE. PERHAPS AS AN INDIRECT RESULT OF

FDR'S DEPRESSION HELP PROGRAMS. WHATEVER THE REASON, NO MORE GARBAGE CAN

PANCAKES. NEVERTHELESS, OUR THREE SQUARE MEALS STILL CONSISTED OF PLENTY OF

PALENTA, OATMEAL, MAMA' S SOUPS AND STRING BEANS (GRAH). I KNOW THAT THEY WERE

GOOD FOR ME BUT I HAD SO MANY THAT I DON'T EAT THEM TODAY. WE HAD AMPLE POTATOES.

OF COURSE THERE WAS CABBAGE; CABBAGE IN SOUP, BOILED CABBAGE, SOURED CABBAGE,

ESPECIALLY FOR SADMA, WHICH WAS RICE ROLLED ALONG WITH SOME MEAT IN CABBAGE

LEAVES. MAMA PLANTED PLENTY OF LETTUCE IN THE SUMMER, BUT IN THE WINTER WE HAD NO

FRESH GREENS. WE ATE ONLY WHAT THE CELLAR PROVIDED; OF COURSE MORE BEANS. THE

CHARITY BOARD OCCASIONALLY PROVIDED SMALL AND VERY SOUR GRAPEFRUIT AND ORANGES.

I COULDN'T EAT THESE - TOO SOUR

WE HAD SUFFICIENT DAIRY PRODUCTS WITH THE COW, AT LEAST WHEN SHE WAS FRESH. TO BE

"FRESH" SHE HAD "TO BE WITH CALF". "COW DID HAVE A CALF EVERY YEAR. FUNNY, I DON'T

REMEMBER WHAT BECAME OF THE CALVES. MAMA MUST HAVE SOLD THEM OR TRADED THEM

FOR FOOD. WE DIDN'T HAVE THE MEANS TO KEEP FRESH MEAT. I NEVER SAW THE BULL BUT I'M

SURE IT WASN'T A VIRGIN BIRTH. WE DID HAVE A SMOKEHOUSE AND A PIG WHICH ENDED UP AS

SMOKED PORK. THE CHICKENS KEPT US IN EGGS AND OCCASIONLY CHICKEN SOUP OR ROAST

CHICKEN, ESPECIALLY FOR THE HOLIDAYS.

MAMA CAREFULLY METED OUT OUR MEAL RATIONS. THERE WERE NOT SECONDS EXCEPT AT

CHRISTMAS AND PASCHA (EASTER). THEN WE HAD A CHANCE FOR LARGER SERVINGS AND MORE

MEAT. OF COURSE WHEN WE PICKED BERRIES AND NUTS THERE WAS A CHANCE TO PURLOIN A

FEW ON THE SIDE. THOUGH OUR DIET WAS NOT EXCITING, WE WERE HEALTHY, EATING NURISHING

"ORGANIC" FOOD. NONE OF US GOT FAT. WE WOULDN'T DARE UNDER MAMA'S WATCHFUL EYE.

'

-20-

"I REMEMBER MAMA"

I REMEMBER MAMA AS THE CENTER OF MY UNIVERSE, WHEN I'ZA KID. I DON'T REMEMBER HER

SPENDING A LOT OF TIME WITH ME OR BEING LOVEY-DOVEY. HOW COULD SHE WITH ALL SHE HAD

TO DO. BUT THERE WAS NEVER A QUESTION OF HER DEVOTION TO ALL OF US. WE ALWAYS FELT

SECURE THAT MAMA COULD "HANDLE IT" NO MATTER WHAT OR HOW DEMANDING THE

CIRCUMSTANCES. AT FOUR FOOT- TWELVE AND ONE HALF INCHES TALL, SHE WAS OUR GIANT.

ONE DAY IN THE FALL, I WAS OUT FRONT WITH MAMA WHEN MR. LARSON, A WOOD SUPPLIER

CAME BY. THIS WAS BEFORE BROTHER ROBERT WAS ABLE TO SUPPLY ALL OF OUR WINTER WOOD

NEEDS. IN THE NEGOTIATIONS, MR. LARSON OFFERED A TRADE OF WOOD FOR MAMA'S

"AFFECTIONS". MAMA SHOWED HER METTLE BY SHOWING HIM THE METAL OF HER SHOVEL AND

BY CHASING HIM FROM THE PROPERTY. MAMA WOULD NEVER PUT UP WITH ANY IMPROPRIETY.

WHILE MAMA WAS NOT RELIGIOUS IN THE TRADITIONAL SENSE, SHE WAS DEDICATED TO HER

FAITH IN GOD. WE WERE AWARE OF HER PRAYERS EVERY NIGHT IN RUTHENIAN DIALECT. WITH

HER EASTERN ORTHODOX BACKGROUND, SHE AND TATA (PAPA, IN CASE YOU FORGOT) WERE

MARRIED ORTHODOX; HE WAS BURRffiD ORTHODOX; WE KIDS WERE ALL BAPTIZED ORTHODOX.

WE ONLY ATTENDED CHURCH OCCASIONALLY WHEN AN ORTHODOX NEIGHBOR WOULD OFFER

MAMA AND ONE OF US A RIDE TO THE CHISHOLM CHURCH. ONCE A YEAR THE PRIEST WOULD

COME TO BLESS THE HOUSE. ANNE AND I WE'RE INTIMIDATED BY HIS LONG BACK BEARD, BLACK

HAIR, BLACK ROBES AND BLACK HAT. WE WERE SURE THAT HE WAS THE DEVIL AND WOULD HIDE

UNDER THE BED. BUT MAMA ALWAYS INSISTED THAT WE COME OUT AND KISS THE CROSS.

MAMA DIDN'T SPEAK OF HER PAST VERY OFTEN AND WHEN QUIZZED, SHE RESPONDED, "I DON'T

REMEMBER". HOWEVER, THERE WERE THREE STORIES SHE TOLD WHICH WE CHILDREN

REMEMBER. THE MOST DRAMATIC TOOK PLACE DURING WORLD WAR I WHEN SHE WAS A

TEENAGER. THE RUSSIANS HAD ADVANCED INTO THE AREA TO DISPLACE THE AUSTRIAN-

HUNGARIAN TROOPS. SHE HID UNDER A HOUSE FOR THREE DAYS WITH ONLY A CHUNK OF BREAD.

WHEN THERE WAS A LULL IN THE FIGHTING SHE CRAWLED OUT, HOPPED OVER BODIES AND

WADED ACROSS THE SAN RIVER WHICH WAS IN FLOOD. SHE WAS SWEPT AWAY BUT DEPOSITED ON

THE OPPOSITE BANK. SHE WAS SO UPSET THAT SHE WISHED THAT SHE HAD BEEN SHOT.

THE OTHER TWO STORIES INVOLVED HER "FOSTER MOTHER". MARY WAS "FARMED OUT" AFTER

THE BILLOS HAD LEFT FOR AMERICA. MAMA WAS APPARENTLY SUBJECT TO STRONG AND

SOMETIMES ACTIVE DREAMS, AS AM I. ONE NIGHT SHE PICKED UP THE WOODEN BENCH ON WHICH

SHE SLEPT AND THREW IT, HITTING THE WOMAN. WOW! THE OTHER MEMORY WAS OF STEALING

"WHITE" BREAD FROM THE KITCHEN. SHE ONLY RECEIVED THE COURSE DARK BREAD OF THE

PEASANTS AND IT WAS LIKE CAKE TO HER. IN BOTH INSTANCES SHE WAS SEVERLY PUNISHED.

-21-

I REMEMBER SEEING MAMA SITTING ON HER KUVAR (STEAMER TRUNK) OR ON HER ROCKING

CHAIR, STARING PENSIVELY OUT OF OUR DINING ROOM WINDOW. SHE WOULD LOOK UP THE HILL

TOWARD HER FRIEND, HELEN TINTER'S HOUSE. SHE NEVER DID HAVE TIME TO SIT FOR LONG, BUT

SHE DID SIT LONG ENOUGH FOR ME TO REALIZE THAT SHE WAS LOST IN THOUGHT.

WAS SHE NASTALGIC? FOR WHAT? HER PAST WAS NOT HAPPY. WAS SHE MOROSE, AS MANY

RUSSIAN PEOPLE ARE? WAS SHE REGRETFUL OF HER HARDSHIPS AND SEVEN CHILDREN? SHE

NEVER EXPRESSED THAT. SHE NEVER TALKED ABOUT HER FEELINGS. SHE NEVER COMPLAINED.

WHEN I NOW THINK OF HER COMING TO AMERICA, I AM AMAZED. AT AGE 21, PROBABLY HAVING

NOT TRAVELED MORE THAN 10 OR 20 KILOMETERS FROM BAL'NYAJA IN HER LIFETIME, SHE LEFT

THE CARPATHIAN AREA USING THE MONEY THAT UNCLE MICHAEL HAD SENT. SHE NO DOUBT

TRAVELED BY TRAIN ACROSS POLAND, GERMANY AND FRANCE, BY FERRY TO ENGLAND AND BY

TRAIN TO LIVERPOOL WHERE SHE EMBARKED TO TRAVEL "STEERAGE" TO CANADA. SHE WOULD

HAVE CROSSED AREAS WHERE THE LANGUAGES OF POLISH, GERMAN, FRENCH AND ENGLISH

WERE SPOKEN, NOT HER NATIVE RUTHENIAN TONGUE. PERHAPS SHE TRAVELED WITH OTHERS OF

HER AREA. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN EASIER, BUT SHE NEVER SAID.

HER SHIP ARRIVED AT THE ONLY WALLED CITY IN NORTH AMERICA; QUEBEC, CANADA. FROM

THERE BY CANADIAN PACIFIC, SHE CROSSED INTO THE USA AT SAULT STE MARIE, MICHIGAN AND

ON TO THE MINNESOTA IRON RANGE. WHAT AN ADVENTURE! THEN, WITHIN SIX MONTHS, SHE

WAS "MARRIED OFF" TO A SERBIAN SPEAKING SERB FROM BOSNIA, YUGOSLAVIA.

THEN IT WAS ... PREPARE THE MEALS, CLEAN THE HOUSE, GET PREGNANT, MILK THE COW, TEND

THE GARDEN, GIVE BIRTH, NURSE THE BABY PREPARE THE MEALS, CLEAN THE HOUSE, GET

PREGNANT, MILK THE COW, TEND THE GARDEN, GIVE BIRTH AND NURSE THE BABY, TAKE CARE

OF THE LITTLE ONES AND SO ON AD INFINITUM.

WHAT DID MAMA THINK ABOUT??

MAMA'S TWO MYSTICAL BOXES

ANNE AND I USED TO SIT ON MAMA'S KUVAR, HER STEAMER TRUNK, AND TALK OR LOOK OUT OF

THE WINDOW TO SEE IF ANYONE WAS COMING DOWN THE STREET. THIS WAS NOT OUR ONLY

SPECIAL PLACE. OUR SPECIAL PLACE TO TALK WAS IN BACK OF THE KITCHEN STOVE. SOMETIMES

WHEN I WAS SORE AT MAMA FOR "NOT UNDERSTANDING ME", ANNE WOULD CONSOLE ME THERE.

OR IF SHE'D HAVE A CONCERN, WE'D TALK ABOUT IT THERE, BEHIND THE KITCHEN STOVE.

-22-