Life in the Country

Life in the Country, Chapter 3 by Jean Castagno

LIFE IN THE COUNTRY
COVENTRY - HERE WE ARE
by
Jean Thibault Castagno
We settled into our new home, and it was new, by the way. It was built by Mrs. Hansen as she was getting on in years and had lots of land to spare. Spending the summers in 1939 and 1940 and 1941 were all much the same. The difference for me was that in 1941, when I was 11, I moved from Pond Hill to the North Street School for 7th and 8th grade.

There were several one room schools scattered around North Coventry. Keep in mind that North and South were severely separated. I never knew what went on in the south end saving its location for the Lake. Much of this might have been due to the lack of cars that could take us to any place other than necessary and the same thing might have been true of school buses.

Later I learned that the Polish refugees, who sometime during the war moved into a place on Grant Hill Road, were catholic and, so, they went to St Mary's in South Coventry.

With that one exception, all attended the Congregational Church. And unless the children in town were in my school, I really never knew them.

When I learned a bit more of our US history, I often wondered if Grant Hill was named for the general. But, I think not. There was probably a family by that name at one time.

And then, all too soon, it was December 7, 1941. It was a Sunday and the radio as usual was turned to WTIC, at that time a powerful station out of Hartford. The Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor! Where on earth was Pearl Harbor? Our geography classes had not yet extended much beyond the boundaries of the connected 48 states.

The War was in Europe so why would the Japanese attack us on the other side of the world? And why was it our concern? So many questions and so few answers. Our telephone was a 4 party line with our ring being J2. Now why I remember something like that when I can't remember the main number is interesting. In fact, if anyone reading this can tell me about the phone system back then, I, and others, sure would appreciate it.

We had an uncle in the service, one of the French on my mother's side. I might have told you that my mother's parents came from England, her mother died in child birth, and my grandfather raised her until she was twelve when he decided that she needed a mother. So, he married a French woman who had two sets of children by French fathers. The fathers had died of influenza during and after the First World War. The first set of children were off and married and, so, I really only knew the second set.

Again, transportation then was not like it is now. Cars were scarce and families large. It took some doing for Dad to pile all four children in the back seat of our Ford while Mother held Frances on her lap. And this car wasn't nearly as much fun as the Ford with the open back seat that we children used to ride in: no seatbelts - no anything. We had our orders. Do not move. Do not stand. Do not climb over your brother or sister. Mother held Teddy in her lap. But, with a fifth child, Dad had to move up to a four door sedan with a heater, yes. Air conditioning, no.

I diverge now and then. Back to December 7, 1941. The members of the four party line were all on at once and then all signed off so each could call their families. Luckily, Mother was a great reader and we owned quite a few books given our economic condition.

So, Mother took out the large size atlas from the bookcase - well, not really a bookcase, just a shelf against one wall - in the living room and searched for Pearl Harbor.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was our president at the time and announced that we would go to war - not against Japan only - but against Japan and Germany.

And, so, our lives changed dramatically. Mother had the radio on almost 24 hours a day and listened to every scrap of news. We had one newspaper; it might have been the Hartford Courant or the Times.

We were all expected to read as much as we could. Again, there is a huge difference between what was available then and television now.

My father joined the night watch squad and as soon as Mother had sewn all the black curtains for all the windows in the house, Dad and his neighbor men took turns walking the length of our street from the Bay's at one corner to the Orphanage at the other. Their job was to look for any airplanes or vehicles that might try to harm us. Again, keep in mind that we were miles out in the country with Manchester and Willimantic each being 14 miles or so to either side of us.

Also, keep in mind, that Dad worked in Hartford 25 or more miles away, ran a farm, looked after 5 children, and kept on adding animals to the mix.

In these first years in Coventry, he had built a small barn and added a cow to the horse all farmers have to have. He then bought a goat and gave the milk to one of the Bay children who was allergic to cow's milk.

Then he built a shed and fenced in an area for the pigs. Bobby milked the cow and goat and fed them along with our horse. My job at 6 am sharp every morning, no matter what, was to feed the pigs with the soured cream and some grain that we had just for them.

The car was never in the garage because that had the guinea hens. Why guineas, I don't know. There were always a bunch of them and when the door was open, they would scurry all over the yard. Why they always returned for feeding, I don't know, but it must be something innate about hens.

So, even before the War started, we were fairly self-sufficient.

In the summer, during the War, we could sleep out on our lawn pillow only when the men were patrolling the road. When they retired at daylight, we had to go inside, just in case.

As long as the black curtains were down, we could play Parchesi and Monopoly and card games on Friday and Sunday nights. We all learned to play Hearts and Pinochle and bid whist. We never learned bridge. No time????

Parchesi Board

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Parcheesi.svg

Mother drew our Parchesi board on the back of the oil-cloth that covered our large round kitchen table. And, while it wasn't as elaborate as this one, it sure made for a lot of fun.

We always had decks of cards and Mother and Dad played all the card games with our close neighbors, the Conklins, on Saturday nights. Sometimes in their house, sometimes in ours.

Mother's favorite radio soaps, not known by that appelation in those days, were Stella Dallas, Ma Perkins, and Mary Noble: Backstage Wife. These three programs were usually on when we returned from school.

We children listened to The Flight of the Bumblebee as it introduced the Green Hornet and Kato, his faithful sidekick. Sidekicks were very popular in those days. The Lone Ranger had Tonto and Roy Rogers had his wife, Dale.

Another cowboy was Gene Autry with his sidekick, Pat Buttram, and like most radio cowboys, Gene and Roy sang lots of songs and played guitar.

Kate Smith, with a regular radio show, was a big woman with a big voice who sang "God Bless America" at a ball game and then later was remembered as the one referred to in the saying, "it ain't over til the fat lady sings". I didn't know this part until I heard Mother discussing it with a friend much later in life. Mother was an avid Boston Red Sox fan and I don't think she ever missed a radio broadcast of their games.

We were allowed to listen to The Inner Sanctum that opened with the sound of a creaking door and The Shadow Knows with Lamont Cranston. Mother would put out all the lights in the kitchen where the radio sat on a tiny shelf near the door to the stairs. No wonder I was afraid to go up those stairs in the dark!

We had all the Sherlock Holmes books and could listen to the Adventures of Ellery Queen, the author. Well, it was all show but great stuff.

As for real knowledge, we learned all the Mother Goose rhymes and the fables of Aesop. We all knew the Ten Commandments by heart though we sure didn't understand most of them. We also learned all about the Greek gods and goddesses and only later in high school did I learn that the Romans had many of the same gods with Latin spellings.

In one of those years, we offered a play about Emily's (?) Dream and I was the star. I had an excellent memory and easily learned not only my part but that of all the others. This had to do with children visiting from foreign countries and in this way we learned all kinds of things.

I have not been able to get the name of this play as my memory is no longer as sharp. Perhaps one of you readers will know my reference.

In seventh and eighth grade we walked to and from the school to Grant Hill to get the bus. Why it didn't come to the school remains a mystery to me.

The War created all sorts of shortages and, in the years 1941 to 1943, the boys collected the foil from cigarette packages and rolled it into balls. For what? I don't remember. The girls all knit scarves and gloves and socks for our soldiers and sailors and marines. The boys might have had other duties. Once again, our tasks were strictly delineated. I will write more later.

October 2007


Life in the Country, Chapter 3 by Jean Castagno
		LIFE IN THE COUNTRY COVENTRY - HERE WE ARE by Jean Thibault Castagno We settled into our new home, and it was new, by the way. It was built by Mrs. Hansen as she was getting on in years and had lots of land to spare. Spending the summers in 1939 and 1940 and 1941 were all much the same. The difference for me was that in 1941, when I was 11, I moved from Pond Hill to the North Street School for 7th and 8th grade. There were several one room schools scattered around North Coventry. Keep in mind that North and South were severely separated. I never knew what went on in the south end saving its location for the Lake. Much of this might have been due to the lack of cars that could take us to any place other than necessary and the same thing might have been true of school buses. Later I learned that the Polish refugees, who sometime during the war moved into a place on Grant Hill Road, were catholic and, so, they went to St Mary's in South Coventry. With that one exception, all attended the Congregational Church. And unless the children in town were in my school, I really never knew them. When I learned a bit more of our US history, I often wondered if Grant Hill was named for the general. But, I think not. There was probably a family by that name at one time. And then, all too soon, it was December 7, 1941. It was a Sunday and the radio as usual was turned to WTIC, at that time a powerful station out of Hartford. The Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor! Where on earth was Pearl Harbor? Our geography classes had not yet extended much beyond the boundaries of the connected 48 states. The War was in Europe so why would the Japanese attack us on the other side of the world? And why was it our concern? So many questions and so few answers. Our telephone was a 4 party line with our ring being J2. Now why I remember something like that when I can't remember the main number is interesting. In fact, if anyone reading this can tell me about the phone system back then, I, and others, sure would appreciate it. We had an uncle in the service, one of the French on my mother's side. I might have told you that my mother's parents came from England, her mother died in child birth, and my grandfather raised her until she was twelve when he decided that she needed a mother. So, he married a French woman who had two sets of children by French fathers. The fathers had died of influenza during and after the First World War. The first set of children were off and married and, so, I really only knew the second set. Again, transportation then was not like it is now. Cars were scarce and families large. It took some doing for Dad to pile all four children in the back seat of our Ford while Mother held Frances on her lap. And this car wasn't nearly as much fun as the Ford with the open back seat that we children used to ride in: no seatbelts - no anything. We had our orders. Do not move. Do not stand. Do not climb over your brother or sister. Mother held Teddy in her lap. But, with a fifth child, Dad had to move up to a four door sedan with a heater, yes. Air conditioning, no. I diverge now and then. Back to December 7, 1941. The members of the four party line were all on at once and then all signed off so each could call their families. Luckily, Mother was a great reader and we owned quite a few books given our economic condition. So, Mother took out the large size atlas from the bookcase - well, not really a bookcase, just a shelf against one wall - in the living room and searched for Pearl Harbor. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was our president at the time and announced that we would go to war - not against Japan only - but against Japan and Germany. And, so, our lives changed dramatically. Mother had the radio on almost 24 hours a day and listened to every scrap of news. We had one newspaper; it might have been the Hartford Courant or the Times. We were all expected to read as much as we could. Again, there is a huge difference between what was available then and television now. My father joined the night watch squad and as soon as Mother had sewn all the black curtains for all the windows in the house, Dad and his neighbor men took turns walking the length of our street from the Bay's at one corner to the Orphanage at the other. Their job was to look for any airplanes or vehicles that might try to harm us. Again, keep in mind that we were miles out in the country with Manchester and Willimantic each being 14 miles or so to either side of us. Also, keep in mind, that Dad worked in Hartford 25 or more miles away, ran a farm, looked after 5 children, and kept on adding animals to the mix. In these first years in Coventry, he had built a small barn and added a cow to the horse all farmers have to have. He then bought a goat and gave the milk to one of the Bay children who was allergic to cow's milk. Then he built a shed and fenced in an area for the pigs. Bobby milked the cow and goat and fed them along with our horse. My job at 6 am sharp every morning, no matter what, was to feed the pigs with the soured cream and some grain that we had just for them. The car was never in the garage because that had the guinea hens. Why guineas, I don't know. There were always a bunch of them and when the door was open, they would scurry all over the yard. Why they always returned for feeding, I don't know, but it must be something innate about hens. So, even before the War started, we were fairly self-sufficient. In the summer, during the War, we could sleep out on our lawn pillow only when the men were patrolling the road. When they retired at daylight, we had to go inside, just in case. As long as the black curtains were down, we could play Parchesi and Monopoly and card games on Friday and Sunday nights. We all learned to play Hearts and Pinochle and bid whist. We never learned bridge. No time???? Parchesi Board http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Parcheesi.svg Mother drew our Parchesi board on the back of the oil-cloth that covered our large round kitchen table. And, while it wasn't as elaborate as this one, it sure made for a lot of fun. We always had decks of cards and Mother and Dad played all the card games with our close neighbors, the Conklins, on Saturday nights. Sometimes in their house, sometimes in ours. Mother's favorite radio soaps, not known by that appelation in those days, were Stella Dallas, Ma Perkins, and Mary Noble: Backstage Wife. These three programs were usually on when we returned from school. We children listened to The Flight of the Bumblebee as it introduced the Green Hornet and Kato, his faithful sidekick. Sidekicks were very popular in those days. The Lone Ranger had Tonto and Roy Rogers had his wife, Dale. Another cowboy was Gene Autry with his sidekick, Pat Buttram, and like most radio cowboys, Gene and Roy sang lots of songs and played guitar. Kate Smith, with a regular radio show, was a big woman with a big voice who sang "God Bless America" at a ball game and then later was remembered as the one referred to in the saying, "it ain't over til the fat lady sings". I didn't know this part until I heard Mother discussing it with a friend much later in life. Mother was an avid Boston Red Sox fan and I don't think she ever missed a radio broadcast of their games. We were allowed to listen to The Inner Sanctum that opened with the sound of a creaking door and The Shadow Knows with Lamont Cranston. Mother would put out all the lights in the kitchen where the radio sat on a tiny shelf near the door to the stairs. No wonder I was afraid to go up those stairs in the dark! We had all the Sherlock Holmes books and could listen to the Adventures of Ellery Queen, the author. Well, it was all show but great stuff. As for real knowledge, we learned all the Mother Goose rhymes and the fables of Aesop. We all knew the Ten Commandments by heart though we sure didn't understand most of them. We also learned all about the Greek gods and goddesses and only later in high school did I learn that the Romans had many of the same gods with Latin spellings. In one of those years, we offered a play about Emily's (?) Dream and I was the star. I had an excellent memory and easily learned not only my part but that of all the others. This had to do with children visiting from foreign countries and in this way we learned all kinds of things. I have not been able to get the name of this play as my memory is no longer as sharp. Perhaps one of you readers will know my reference. In seventh and eighth grade we walked to and from the school to Grant Hill to get the bus. Why it didn't come to the school remains a mystery to me. The War created all sorts of shortages and, in the years 1941 to 1943, the boys collected the foil from cigarette packages and rolled it into balls. For what? I don't remember. The girls all knit scarves and gloves and socks for our soldiers and sailors and marines. The boys might have had other duties. Once again, our tasks were strictly delineated. I will write more later.