WWII

Well Ralph joined the Navy. About a year later Ray enlisted in the Army. Vi asked Icel if she and her son could come and live with her in her little house. It made quite a houseful but they were all very happy making due and helping with the war effort anyway they could. Icel found a job in the shipyards marking metal plates with chalk on the assembly line. Vi stayed home and watched over the children and kept house.

Vi became pregnant when Ralph was home on furlough. A very vivid memory Barbara has of that furlough visit was that she was so excited to see her uncle she jumped into his arms just as he was bending down to give her a hug. Her head met his face and he developed a terrible black eye.

 Vi's baby, Linda was born while Ralph was away. Vi kept his picture on a small table and always talked to him so when Linda started her baby talk she would say "Daddy" every time she passed his picture. On his next furlough Linda was the first one to spot him even though she had never met him. Saw him and sped on her chubby little legs calling, "Daddy, Daddy!" Sadly, this was the only time Ralph saw his beautiful and lively young daughter as she contracted Diptheria and died when she was barely 2 years old.

Even though foods, especially meat, were rationed Icel and Vi never felt in need or as if they were suffering. They loved making due, making it stretch, being creative, being content with what they had. They knew their boys were living in harsh conditions and they wanted to have the best attitude they could muster. For meat they were given a stamp book. They could exchange  stamps for meat, providing it was available. Of course they still had to pay for it. The stamps just gave them the right to purchase the meat. Here is an awesome website I found that discusses rationing during WWII if you are interested - http://www.ameshistoricalsociety.org/exhibits/events/rationing.htm. They learned to make it last. They didn't have room to store more than that anyway. Their freezer was a tiny box section within the refrigerator.
Here is a picture of one I found on the Internet:

They were lucky that they lived so close to Icel's mother. She had a cow for milk, chickens for eggs, plenty of fruit on her trees and vines plus vegetables in the garden for all 3 families.

The girls were lucky because Ralph would send silk stockings home for them. Nylon could not be spared to make nylons here at home.

During World War II, women drew lines on the back of their legs with charcoal to give the appearance they were wearing stockings when they couldn’t afford the real thing.

Ray sold one of the busses before he left.

Vi shared with Icel one day that her own mother was longing to have her near and of course Icel told her she must go. Icel took a trip to California to visit her Aunt Esther and see Ray who was there for a time.