Evidently the older I get the more I appreciate the stories my elders tell of life long ago. I am blessed to have loved ones with great longevity; so there are tales from World War II and even before that are fascinating to hear. When my mother re-married (long after I was an adult), her new husband’s mother was still alive and close to 90 years old. Visiting her in the nursing home often meant stories of her taking the train to Chicago to see a picture show. Her father was in the early film business. She told the stories in such a way that I could, feel the steam from the train breaks and picture a young girl all dressed up and riding.
War isn’t a pretty thing, but there is something fascinating about the soldiers and the attitude of the 30’s and 40’s. I don’t know if life was simpler, every generation has their challenges. But living was different. My father doesn’t tell many stories of his time in the service (WW2), but he did tell me that when they came home, people respected the soldiers and their service to the country. Are we too busy to appreciate this anymore?
My father grew up in the 1920’s in a town next to the Ohio river. He shares stories of messing around the river all afternoon with his brother; taking the trolley downtown to see a baseball game for a nickel! How fun!
My favorite shows to watch are set in other times. Ok, so I know these are cleaned up “Hollywood style”, but there is an element of truth to them.
Tell me your story of days gone by, did you grow up during the depression or during economic boom in the 50’s or the free thinking days of the 60’s or the 80’s when all women wanted was a corner office?
All the best,
KK
KK's Candor 
Reblogged this on lcwriters and commented:
From our VP. I’m playing catch-up to reblog posts from our members. Be sure to read this one and then reply with your own story about inspiration from relatives sharing history.
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My Uncle Sam was a WW 2 war hero. He saved a wounded soldier under fire and dragged him and hid him in a cave where they stayed till they were captured by a German platoon. He was in a prison camp for two years. He said he worked for Hilter for two years, meaning they made the prisoners do work detail in their factories. They were fed rotten potatoes. He would never eat potatoes after he came home. This came out in an interview when he was living in a nursing home. He never told family about his war stories, except about the potatoes.
Laquita
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Oh, wow, what a story Laquita. I think you should copy and paste it to Karen’s blog on the LCW group page. I think others would enjoy reading it too.
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My story: My grandparents were born in the early 1900s, and I was privileged to spend some of my growing up years living with them and learning about bygone eras. I actually made a video of my grandfather telling stories about times when both cars and horsedrawn buggies were on the roads at the same time. I loved his story about trading a jenny (female mule) that he purchased for fifty cents for his first car, and I used it in one of my older novels for NaNoWriMo. My grandfather also worked for the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) traveling around the U.S. and building fences along our highways. Lotsa great historical stories there. I guess I should go back and watch that video before finishing my historical novel. I can’t wait to hear some of the stories from others in our group.
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