2/22 interview

2/22

On this day Joy started talking about her home as a child. She said her house was right next to the city dump and the railroad tracks. She also said that hobos used to come to the back door and ask for food. Joy also said that hobos back then were always men, and that they weren’t always homeless, sometimes they were just jobless. Joy said her mom was kind hearted and would always leave food on a bench that was by the back door. Another thing Joy mentioned was that hobos always left gifts, and Joy’s family still has them to this day.
Next Joy talked about what crops were grown in the farms she lived on. She said the crops that were grown were corn, alfalfa, hay. She also said they raised animals and the animals were: chickens and cattle. Something Joy recalls is that all she ever ate was bacon, ham, and sausage. And she thinks it’s strange how culture has gotten healthy over time.
Next Joy talked about holidays and how she spent them. She started talking about birthdays first. She started off with saying that no one ever received birthday presents. And she had her first birthday when she was sixteen. But the only reason she had that birthday party was because her friends threw the party for her because her mom was in the hospital with cancer. Something she always got on her birthday was a cake, but it never had any candles. The gift they would receive from their mom was that they were able to pick their favorite food to have on their birthday. Joy’s favorite food is meatballs that have sauce made of ketchup and sugar, with baked potatoes, and green beans with bacon boiled in with them. Christmas was always the biggest holiday tradition. They always had very little gifts, and she carried that tradition to her children. Joy also talked about how her mom’s ancestors were candy makers. So her mom would save up candy ingredients all year long to be able to make candy for Christmas. Their Christmas dinner wasn’t huge or fancy because they were poor, but it was always formal. After dinner women would clean up while the men played cards, and the children were sent outside to play. For Fourth of July, her family would always go to Morning Sun Iowa. For the Fourth they would always have potlucks, parades, and family gatherings. And to this day, Joy and her family still go there to celebrate the Fourth. For thanksgiving, dinner always consisted of turkey and bread dressing with gravy.
After that Joy started talking about dating. She wasn’t allowed to date until she was 16. But she had her first kiss when she was 14. The guy that kissed Joy was a friend of the guy her sister was dating. The guy French kissed her and she had no idea what was going on. Then Joy said how she got asked to prom when she was 15 and how her mom made an exception because the boy was a family friend. Joy said she got to wear her sister’s dress that had been worn to a wedding, the dress was baby blue. It was also the first date for both of them. Joy then talked about how dating was back then. In the summer a date would mean going to a drive in movie and getting food. During the winter a date would consist of going to a school event, school dance, or just going cruising.
Something Joy mentioned was that she started school when she was 4 yrs old. So her senior year she was only 16. Joy then proceeded to talk about her mom. She said that at her mom’s funeral people showed up that she hadn’t seen in more than 20 yrs. Joy also mentioned that her family only lived at the house by the dump for 6 yrs, and after that they moved to a trailer across town.