Jan. 22, 1894 - Jun. 19, 1961
- George Joseph Waurzyniak
On Gray Ave. during the depression years, mom and dad could only pay the interest on the morgage of our home. Not one cent could be applied to the principal. They didn't have enough money. I remember one year dad was given five hundred dollars for a years work. They did not lose our home as so many others did.
Uncle Cass, moms brother and his family lived on grandma's farm. Cass ran the farm. Mother would drive up to Ubiy to visit, during the depression and
bring
back eggs by the case, vegetables, and potatoes by the sack, on the fenders
of their old Buick. She brought back food for all her relatives. Mother
said it helped all her folks in the city to eat during those hard times.
Over loading the car in this way, broke many sets of springs, but it was
well worth it.I stayed at the farm all summer. Mother would take me up when school let out in June and picked me up just before school started in the fall. I was always amazed at how big Patty grew during the summer. Although I liked being there, I would get very lonesome. It was great when Aunt Kay and Aunt Agnes, moms sisters, would come up. They would bring the latest record releases. We would play them on the old wind up Victrola. There was no electricity
On Sunday, after
chores and church, we would have breakfast of fried ring bologna, a special
treat, fried potatoes, and a table full of eggs, bacon, and great home made
bread. Aunt Anna made wonderful bread, and we had fresh churned butter.We would shop at the store owned by moms sister, Aunt Jenny and her husband Uncle Joe Gliniecki. They always tossed in the ring bologna, for free!!
Hilary and I would have our childhood scraps and disagreements, but we were best friends all our lives. I remember one time, we were fooling around, and he got mad at me. He picked up a ice pick and threw it through the window. He took off down the alley,
When I spent the summer at Bushas farm, I was appointed cat chief executioner. She told me to put the kittens in a burlap sack and toss them in the lake. This kept the cat population down! A more enjoyable task was taking the cows to pasture. As soon as I got to the farm, my shoes came off. They didn't go back on until it was time to go home again. So walking behind the cows in the cool of the morning was made a little more comfortable by stepping in the warm cow pies!
Busha was very fussy about keeping the kitchen floor clean. You had to wash your feet before coming into the house. But with all this, the floor was mopped each night after supper.
I'd stay a week with Aunt Jenny, at Cooks Comer in Parisville. Charlie, Elmer and I would play at the combination gas station and black-smiths shop on the opposite corner. We would make rings out of the horse shoe nails, and have wonderful fights with the Cook kids. After the fight we would all go to a farmers pond and go skinny dipping.
Hilary, Patty, George
One hot summers day, mom loaded up the car with all the kids in the neighborhood and took all of us to Waterworks Park. We played in the wading pool. When it was time to go, mom loaded us up again, but on our arrival home we discovered we forgot Hilary!!
Hilary and I were youngsters and were wrestling on the bed. We were tossing each other around when one of us landed against the wall creating a hole about the size of a saucer. I guess an elbow made contact.
Mom didn't like the big empty hole under the back porch. Each spring she would plant canna bulbs. I think it was the way she watered all her plants with 'chicken poop tea' that made they grow , I think they wanted to get away from the smell! She would scald
the droppings with boiling water, cool then water the plants, with her
special tea. I must admit, it worked.