I was 8 years old at the time and the country was still gripped in a world-wide depression. In casting about for someone to blame, we picked President Hoover. NO ONE has yet explained to me how one individual could cause a world-wide depression.
But at the time, food was a concern for everyone.
Across the street from the house where I was living (where I got spinal meningitis from my homemade swimming pool - but that's another story), was a beautiful orange tree orchard.
One day, I went through the fence and started picking oranges right off the tree.
After a bit, I saw the farmer come out on his porch with a gun.
I was already running for the fence in a flash. Before I got there, I distinctly heard a shot ring out. In my mind, I ran faster to get ahead of that bullet and was under the fence and long gone before the bullet could catch up.
Couple weeks later I had the nerve to go back. This time I knocked on the farmer's door.
He could have said no... but he didn't. He filled up a bag full of the oranges from the ground, ones he could spare because he couldn't sell them. The ones I had tried to take were those from the tree - the only ones he could sell.
Off I went with a bag full of lovely oranges.
This was a lesson I never forgot. Knock on the door and ask.
I have great admiration for the farmers that made it through those tough days, yet still found a way to give a bag full of oranges to a starving 8 year old.
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4 comments:
And now, there are so few farmers left. I wonder how the corporate farms and managers will handel this situation when the next depression comes.
Effelsl, why so pessimistic?. Why are you so certain another depression is on the way? I can see localized disruptions but nothing like the 1930's I grew up in.Congress picked our pockets to send Mugube over $100,OOO. When the dust had settled Mugube had squandered the money and South Africa was a basket case. My Canadian relatives say U.S.is like a big,friendly dog in a small room. Every time he wags his tail he knocks over the furniture.
Aristi, oh I'm not generally pessimistic. I do see some things that make me cautious about our economy. Particularly the reasons we print money. I don't see another '30's depression coming, but then I guess I could ask, did regular average Joes really see that coming?
The other reason I was being glum was that I don't like how few citizens are actually aware of what it takes to provide for the food they have. As for many situations, being unaware often causes indifference or distane.
ffelsl/ You mention in your Dec.4 post that we are uaware of what it takes to provide food. You are so right. I can compare the produce in my local Safeway with the Spanish market I visited. They pull plants up & dump them into bins at the store, roots, dirt and all. Then they have the nerve to hang a sign over the door: "SUPER MARKET"
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