My Mom made the best potato salad ever! Since it was so delicious, I make mine the same way. I 'm going to share her recipe with you but I don't have the exact measurements for anything.
Rosie's Hot Potato Salad
-Russet or Red potatoes, peeled and cubed (enough to fill a 2 quart sauce pan) add water and boil
-6 boiled eggs, peeled and chopped - you may save one for garnish if you wish
-chopped red onion or yellow onion to taste
-mayonnaise to taste (you may use light mayo)
-red or white vinegar to taste
-salt and pepper to taste
Once potatoes are cooked, (I like mine semi-firm) mix with chopped eggs, copped onion, mayo, salt, pepper, and vinegar. I always add the vinegar last.
You may use a potato masher if you want your potato pieces a little smaller, but don't mash too much. You still want your salad chunky.
You may want to garnish the top of the salad with one of the boiled eggs, sliced and sprinkle with a little paprika.
Serve salad hot. Um-um Good!
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Thursday, March 23, 2017
The Term "Okie"
Californians Coined the Term "Okie"
According to this article published in the Santa Cruz Sentinel, Santa Cruz, California on Friday, May 12, 1939, it was the residents of California that coined the term "Okie".
We call them "migrants," scarcely hinting that they are Americans.
One hundred thousand! Two hundred thousand! Three hundred thousand! The ill-clad and ill-fed migrants poured into California in broken down jalopies.
Californians looked scornfully on this procession of human misery, "Migrants" was not the word to express contempt, and, and so Californians originated the word "Okie"
The article goes on to discuss John Steinbeck's relationship with the migrants, the camps, the "Grapes of Wrath", etc.
Please see attached article below. My family experienced all of the "Okie" wrath. They hung in there and rose above it. They were still impoverished and lived simple lives, but their lives were better than the one they had before.
We call them "migrants," scarcely hinting that they are Americans.
One hundred thousand! Two hundred thousand! Three hundred thousand! The ill-clad and ill-fed migrants poured into California in broken down jalopies.
Californians looked scornfully on this procession of human misery, "Migrants" was not the word to express contempt, and, and so Californians originated the word "Okie"
The article goes on to discuss John Steinbeck's relationship with the migrants, the camps, the "Grapes of Wrath", etc.
Please see attached article below. My family experienced all of the "Okie" wrath. They hung in there and rose above it. They were still impoverished and lived simple lives, but their lives were better than the one they had before.
Thursday, March 16, 2017
Tudy and Me
This is Tudy (Doreena) and me at our Grandma and Grandpa Smith's house on Rd 198 in Poplar, Ca. I was about 7 or 8 here and Tudy was 5 or 6. We were born almost exactly two years a part.
The house was still two rooms at this time. The front room served as a living room/bedroom combination and the back room served as the kitchen/dining/bedroom combination. Our Grandpa built the house himself.
Tudy and I spent more time here than we did at our own house since Grandma took care of us while our parents worked. I thought it was the most wonderful place in the world and felt very safe and secure there.
As you can see, our skin was tanned from playing outside so much. Tudy would always get much darker than me since she inherited the skin tone of our Father. I would burn first and then get a little tan. In the summertime, it would get so hot we wouldn't stay outside for too long unless we were in the shade. We would run around in the sun a bit, back in the shade, and back into the house to cool off.
Grandpa only had a swamp cooler in the front room that had to be sprayed down with water from the outside periodically, but it did a pretty good job of keeping us cooled down.
I don't know how my parents, Grandpa, and other family members stood the heat to work in the fields to support us. Thinking about it now, I have a whole new respect for them and what they had to endure.
The house was still two rooms at this time. The front room served as a living room/bedroom combination and the back room served as the kitchen/dining/bedroom combination. Our Grandpa built the house himself.
Tudy and I spent more time here than we did at our own house since Grandma took care of us while our parents worked. I thought it was the most wonderful place in the world and felt very safe and secure there.
As you can see, our skin was tanned from playing outside so much. Tudy would always get much darker than me since she inherited the skin tone of our Father. I would burn first and then get a little tan. In the summertime, it would get so hot we wouldn't stay outside for too long unless we were in the shade. We would run around in the sun a bit, back in the shade, and back into the house to cool off.
Grandpa only had a swamp cooler in the front room that had to be sprayed down with water from the outside periodically, but it did a pretty good job of keeping us cooled down.
I don't know how my parents, Grandpa, and other family members stood the heat to work in the fields to support us. Thinking about it now, I have a whole new respect for them and what they had to endure.
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
My Old Tulare County Pics
This blog has lots of wonderful photos of the Tulare County area. This was an area where many of the families and people (referred to as Okies) migrated to during the dust bowl days and shortly afterward.
I grew up in Tulare County until I was 11 years old. My sister, Doreena Lynn aka Tudy, was born in Porterville, Tulare County, CA in 1957.
https://oldtularecopics.blogspot.com/
I grew up in Tulare County until I was 11 years old. My sister, Doreena Lynn aka Tudy, was born in Porterville, Tulare County, CA in 1957.
https://oldtularecopics.blogspot.com/
Smith Cousins - Mama's Side
Uncle Don and Aunt Betty's Girls
My Grandma and Grandpa Smith had six kids. Uncle Don was the first one to marry, although, he was the third one born out of the brood.
In this photo is Edna Mae, (the oldest out of thirty Smith grandchildren) Donna, and Barbara. I'm not sure where the photo was taken. I thought it might have been taken in Poplar, CA at the left front of my Grandma and Grandpa's house; but after looking at the surrounding background, I have determined it wasn't. It might have been taken somewhere in Stockton, CA.
I always thought Edna Mae was so wonderful and so pretty. She was such a sweet person. I miss my big cousin.
My Grandma and Grandpa Smith had six kids. Uncle Don was the first one to marry, although, he was the third one born out of the brood.
In this photo is Edna Mae, (the oldest out of thirty Smith grandchildren) Donna, and Barbara. I'm not sure where the photo was taken. I thought it might have been taken in Poplar, CA at the left front of my Grandma and Grandpa's house; but after looking at the surrounding background, I have determined it wasn't. It might have been taken somewhere in Stockton, CA.
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Polk County Genealogical Society
The folks at the Polk County Genealogical Society have been so helpful in my search for records of my ancestry. They have one of the best if not the best system I have run across so far.
The Society is run by volunteers and their president, Susan Sparks is absolutely wonderful and a goldmine of information.
If your ancestors were in the Polk County, Missouri area, I highly recommend the Polk County Genealogical Society as your first stop for research. They are physically located in Bolivar, MO. Please see below for link.
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mopolkgs/
The Society is run by volunteers and their president, Susan Sparks is absolutely wonderful and a goldmine of information.
If your ancestors were in the Polk County, Missouri area, I highly recommend the Polk County Genealogical Society as your first stop for research. They are physically located in Bolivar, MO. Please see below for link.
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mopolkgs/
Monday, February 27, 2017
It Was Hot So We Cooled Em Off
We Cooled the Ladies Off!
The population of Poplar, CA in the 1950s and 1960s was about 800-1,000 people at the most and I think that included the population of Cotton-Center and outlying areas.
My family lived in a two room house, (my Dad later added another room). We lived between the Short family and the Glory family on Imperial Rd.
It was a warm, uh, lets make that a hot as hell summer day in the Central Valley of California. My sister, Tudy and I were home with our Mom and we were playing outside. I was about six and Tudy was about four years old.
We were playing on the side of the yard next to the Glory's because they had a couple of big old shade trees. It was at least a little cooler under those trees.
Mrs. Glory and some of her women friends were sitting under the shade trees visiting and talking about how hot it was. They kept carrying on about the heat and fanning themselves with paper fans and homemade fans made from pieces of paper. Some of them were fanning themselves with their dress-tails. Now Mrs. Glory and her lady friends were not a petite bunch. These ladies loved their fried chicken and starches!
Tudy and I had been playing in the water earlier so I knew that running through the sprinkler helped to cool one off in the heat. As I listened to the ladies complain about the heat nonstop, I came up with a brilliant idea!
I enlisted the aid of my little sister and told Tudy to go into the kitchen and get Mama's bottle of dish-washing liquid. Tudy went and fetched the bottle and I proceeded to fill it up with water.
I told Tudy that we were going to cool the ladies off. We hid behind the tree and I started squirting them with the water. The ladies started jumping all around hoopin' and hollerin! They were causing quite a commotion! They made so much noise that Mama came out of the house and caught Tudy and me red handed cooling the ladies off.
Mama said, "Helen Jane, what are you doing"? I was trying to explain to Mama that we were just trying to cool the ladies off. She took the bottle away from me, and made us go into the house. Of course she threatened us with "Wait until your Daddy gets home"!
Mama apologized to Mrs. Glory and her friends for our bad behavior. She kept threatening us with Daddy for the rest of the day. We got our little butts beat when Daddy got home.
I later caught our parents laughing about us cooling Mrs. Glory and her friends off. I don't recall Mrs. Glory ever getting out in the yard like that again and complaining about the heat.
I was just trying to help the ladies, and Tudy thought it was a good idea too. I was in total agreement with them that it was really, really, hot.
The population of Poplar, CA in the 1950s and 1960s was about 800-1,000 people at the most and I think that included the population of Cotton-Center and outlying areas.
My family lived in a two room house, (my Dad later added another room). We lived between the Short family and the Glory family on Imperial Rd.
It was a warm, uh, lets make that a hot as hell summer day in the Central Valley of California. My sister, Tudy and I were home with our Mom and we were playing outside. I was about six and Tudy was about four years old.
We were playing on the side of the yard next to the Glory's because they had a couple of big old shade trees. It was at least a little cooler under those trees.
Mrs. Glory and some of her women friends were sitting under the shade trees visiting and talking about how hot it was. They kept carrying on about the heat and fanning themselves with paper fans and homemade fans made from pieces of paper. Some of them were fanning themselves with their dress-tails. Now Mrs. Glory and her lady friends were not a petite bunch. These ladies loved their fried chicken and starches!
Tudy and I had been playing in the water earlier so I knew that running through the sprinkler helped to cool one off in the heat. As I listened to the ladies complain about the heat nonstop, I came up with a brilliant idea!
I enlisted the aid of my little sister and told Tudy to go into the kitchen and get Mama's bottle of dish-washing liquid. Tudy went and fetched the bottle and I proceeded to fill it up with water.
I told Tudy that we were going to cool the ladies off. We hid behind the tree and I started squirting them with the water. The ladies started jumping all around hoopin' and hollerin! They were causing quite a commotion! They made so much noise that Mama came out of the house and caught Tudy and me red handed cooling the ladies off.
Mama said, "Helen Jane, what are you doing"? I was trying to explain to Mama that we were just trying to cool the ladies off. She took the bottle away from me, and made us go into the house. Of course she threatened us with "Wait until your Daddy gets home"!
Mama apologized to Mrs. Glory and her friends for our bad behavior. She kept threatening us with Daddy for the rest of the day. We got our little butts beat when Daddy got home.
I later caught our parents laughing about us cooling Mrs. Glory and her friends off. I don't recall Mrs. Glory ever getting out in the yard like that again and complaining about the heat.
I was just trying to help the ladies, and Tudy thought it was a good idea too. I was in total agreement with them that it was really, really, hot.
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