Dog in the flour bowl.

My parents had it pretty hard growing up, but so did most everyone else so they didn’t really know how bad off they were. As an example, Mom said they usually got one small bag of sugar each Christmas and it had to last them all year. Had they known how bad the odds were against them they would probably have given up!

Another story she told was about their trip from DeCalb, Texas to an area near Caddo, Oklahoma. The trip was made in a covered wagon. I recall Mom telling the story of one cold night spent on their way.  They woke up the next morning to find their dog sleeping in the large, wooden flour bowl! They also said their matches had absorbed moisture so they had to go to someone’s house and borrow a few hot coals to start their own fire.