Audrey: Oh, you don’t know that! The front of our house was so important because the door is a very special front door. The door was very valuable as an antique. The front door was always there, but seldom used. I remember some people wanted to buy the house because of the front door. They stood there the whole day arguing as both wanted the house. I laugh now as they stood there with their scissors (tool to take off the door) to take out the front door. The old folks are easily turned to do things they didn’t want to. I’m glad I was there.

When Aunt Edith would come with little babies, I was the number one baby keeper.

Audrey: Alice in Wonderland! I always did like stories. I like to read. Mother always read in bed. She didn’t want me to read at night. She thought it would hurt my eyes. I got a flashlight so I could read in bed. Grandpa was always reading a newspaper. Grandma was always reading a story.

Audrey: They hung a can with a lid and handle down the well which was the only cold place in the summers. In the winter, we had a bench on the outside of the window sill. We set the can and food on the shelf outside the window. We just open the window and get food or can of milk.

Later we had a wooden ice box. The bottom half of the ice box was shelves for food and top of box goes up (lifts up) and put ice in the top.

Audrey: We had a big square building called the ice house. It was filled with something like saw dust. Grandpa would go to Carr’s Pond with horses and wagon. The horses could walk on the ice pond. Grandpa would cut squares of ice out. He would cut as large a square as could be cut and bring ice back to the ice house and throw it in (to store the ice). Neighbors would come down because they needed ice.

Audrey: I don’t think so. Later we had an ice man after a while who would come in and throw ice in the box and leave. The ice man had ice in the wagon. He would bring ice around with a team of horses. After a while, he had a truck that he brought ice. It is hard for me to remember whether it was a truck or horse and wagon.

I don’t remember when we first got an electric box. My life (span) is when everything started. In the 1900, the changes began. I’ve lived through it all! I’m an important person. I’ve lived through it all. I’ve lived through all the changes.

Audrey: Yes, once Ed got a white rat and let it loose in the crib where we stored all the grain. The crib did not have air tight sides so air was let in but it had a good roof.

Audrey: We never did much talking about things like that. I guess we just didn’t like talking about war.

Audrey: I don’t ever remember talking about it. Someone in there was against war. Maybe, it was Grandma’s father. I can’t remember. But someone.

Audrey: We didn’t have any trash to throw away.

Audrey: No, but I wasn’t crazy about it. He told me he didn’t want to smoke, but he needed to feel grown up. I remember saying to Dad when we walked by a 14-15 year old smoking, “When we have a son, he’ll have to smoke like that”. Good grief, can you believe that?

I remember when Dad came to the door, he had a cigarette in his hand and looked so grown up and wore a big heavy winter coat. His mother bought him clothes. Oh yes, she was working then and Dad was the only one home. She dressed Dad up in fine shape. Dad, he had everything real nice.

I tried to smoke so I would look grown up. It hurt my nose and I couldn’t do it. I’m surprised it didn’t hurt my throat. Maybe it did. I don’t remember. Anyway, I never got started. It hurt my nose and was awful. My mother was against it anyway.