jonniangel
One of the Regulars
- Messages
- 119
- Location
- CA & FL
My mother was born in 1922 and will be celebrating her 89th birthday next week. She was in her 40s when I was born but I don't remember thinking anything about her being about 20 years older than the other mothers because she was always so modern and stylish, always up to date. Our furniture was always the latest style too, she hated antiques. I always thought this was strange because I've always been drawn to antiques and couldn't understand why she didn't see the beauty but I've just recently realized that it was because of her experiences during the Depression.
My grandfather was a salesman in Wichita and doing pretty well so he'd just bought a whole apartment full of new furniture for his little family - my grandmother, mother and aunt. Then the Depression hit, his company went out of business and he lost his job with no hope of finding another. He had to move the family back to his father's ranch in Oklahoma.
Somehow all the new furniture ended up in my great-grandmother's house and my grandparents were put out in an unused outbuilding and given some old furniture. My mom doesn't like to talk about that time much, apparently my great-grandfather didn't treat my grandfather well, didn't pay him for ranch work and the family felt very impoverished even though they at least had a roof over their heads. I've finally come to realize that this period in her life affected her more than she knew and over the years she's equated antiques with poverty and want and that's why she always wanted new furniture and to be completely modern.
My grandfather was a salesman in Wichita and doing pretty well so he'd just bought a whole apartment full of new furniture for his little family - my grandmother, mother and aunt. Then the Depression hit, his company went out of business and he lost his job with no hope of finding another. He had to move the family back to his father's ranch in Oklahoma.
Somehow all the new furniture ended up in my great-grandmother's house and my grandparents were put out in an unused outbuilding and given some old furniture. My mom doesn't like to talk about that time much, apparently my great-grandfather didn't treat my grandfather well, didn't pay him for ranch work and the family felt very impoverished even though they at least had a roof over their heads. I've finally come to realize that this period in her life affected her more than she knew and over the years she's equated antiques with poverty and want and that's why she always wanted new furniture and to be completely modern.