Surviving The Depression

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Surviving the Great Depression As my wife, Kristin, opened the door to look at the crops and how they have been dying more and more, I grew scared. The Great depression had stuck here in Oklahoma very much. We have been eating sparingly, one small meal a day at most. We are trying to save food because our crops are dying and our money is running low. No one is buying our crops anymore so our money is limited.

My cousins helped us out a little until they went bankrupt from the crash of the stock market. Their family is starting to eat the almost dead crops that we had given to them.

We received a few gallons of water that had been bottled from neighbors. We had been given 6 gallons. Our neighbors were generous and we are the only ones around here, besides the Smiths. We kept 3 and used 3 on the crops to last us through the winter.

We did save about 3 rows of carrots and 1 row of potatoes, which needed water badly. That would give us some food through out the winter. Kristen decided to use another gallon to water another row of potatoes. Since we know we won't be able to supply that much heat we need to supply food. I got 4 new blankets from my mother for my family. We have 3 kids and then us two to keep warm.

After my wife and I began to think that we might pull through the winter, a sand storm blew through. It destroyed everything but Half of one row of potatoes and a row of carrots. It also almost choked our youngest child to death. Another sand storm blew through right after my wife collected the potatoes and carrots that we had saved. We stored them well so we will have food over the winter.

After winter was over , we began worrying about food again. The potatoes and carrots had run out after sparingly eaten over a month and a half. We had to kill a stray rabbit that my daughter caught to eat. We used the skin to keep my son's feet warm. We hadn't eaten for 2 days and I can tell my kids are struggling to get through this. They had lost weight and my wife has too. I decided I needed to do something.

Kristin and I decided we had to kill a cow that the Smiths' left behind after deserting their house. It would have supplied food for at least a month. But right as Kristin , and our middle child, Margaret started to cook it , we lost gas and could no longer cook.

I went to my neighbors the next day and had a long conversation with him. After that, we walked for an hour and a half into town and received hand outs for seeds and water to regrow crops from the Red cross. Even though we felt pathetic, I realized a lot of people are suffering from the depression and people are just trying to help.

I took the new seeds and water and moved my family into an abonded house closer to town. I waited till winter was completely over and planted new seeds. Meanwhile my mother and father had shared their remaining food with me and my neighbors. When the new crops came we were overwhelmed with carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, celery, corn, radishes and onions. Our family has never been so happy. We shared with my parents and new neighbors that lived a few minutes away. We regrew more crops after that with seeds from the old crops. We got more water from Red Cross. My children and wife looked healthy. We were starting over, and for once in a long time, We saw hope in the future.