I remember two events that occurred during the depression years. One Christmas I received a small radio as a gift from Santa. The cost of the radio was $15.00. My parents had to withdraw all the savings I had in a small bank account to pay for the radio.

Secondly, I had two ducks that I named “flip” and “flop”. One night we experienced a severe lighting storm. The next morning my parents told me that my ducks had been hit by lightening. Years later I learned that “flip” and “flop” had been killed by my father and we had eaten them for a Sunday dinner. Times were tough but I was not aware of how difficult things were.

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Many neighborhoods had a corner grocery store. I still remember that the owner of the Ninth Avenue grocery store (Mr. Day) Always give us a grape fruit when we were ill. During the depression Mr. Day’s grapefruit gift was very much appreciated.