Oliver Henry Wickerd, born November 11, 1895 in Eagle Rock, Los Angeles County, CA. Died September 19, 1960, at Hemet Hospital, Riverside County, CA.
Ina Pearl Wickerd, born March 5, 1906 in Eagle Rock, Los Angeles County, CA. Died November 3, 1956 in Hemet Hospital, Riverside County, CA
My parents were very hard working people. Many times it was struggle to keep 6 children fed and clothed. I am thankful for the things my parents were able to provide for us and I am also thankful for the sense of humor passed on to us. When we learn to smile at ourselves instead of feeling totally abused if someone laughs at us, we will find this world a much brighter place.
I remember putting large stones on the wood stove, to warm them, and then wrapping them in newspaper to put in the foot of our beds to keep our feet warm. If you weren't careful, you could kick the stone off the end of the bed and it would drag the blankets off! During the coldest of winter, my mother would bring a bucket of hot coals to our room to help keep some of the chill away. Most people looked at us as being the poorest of poor, but I never did see us that way? No, we didn't have toys that came from the stores, but we did have the knowledge of how to fashion a kite, using cane pieces from the patch of bamboo and tissue paper. My mother would make us bows and arrows from a willow tree to play with. That was when I learned that if one was careless, they could get a painful burn from the string. We also fashioned sling shots out of a branch and used an old inner tube for cutting the strings and old shoe tongues for the pockets. We also used the one stick method of making sling shots. My Uncle Ralph was very helpful in teaching me how to hold my thumb directly over the top of the stick, for a sight! Oh my! That did hurt!!! The lesson? Well I learned where "not" to put my fingers! We didn't have wagons, but we sure did have a lot of fun sliding down our hill in a card board box! Those boxes held together for several trips down the hill. I think they must have made them stronger back in those days?
Holidays at our house was a huge event! Cousins, Aunts, Uncles and others would come from far and near. After a huge meal, sides were chosen for a lengthy game of softball. We kids would play dodge ball, hopscotch, jump rope and other fun games, while the adults wore themselves out running the bases and complaining of skinned knees. LOL! After dark, there was hide-n-seek and a hefty game of "Kick the Can". I am sad to say that Progress has stolen so much from us. Even our health.
I think our family as being one of the richest!! We learned how to be survivors no matter how tough the times and to make do and be happy with what we had.
Sincerely,
Evelyn Hanks |
