Birthdate:
Edith Carlquist Reed
(when do you remember the earliest?) When I was 12, my family moved from our home in
During war years, gas was rationed. The one family car was driven by my father. For piano lesions in the summer, I would go in, in the morning with him and spend the day at my g-parents and take the street car, too bad we don’t have the street cars now :D, to my teacher’s home. In the winter, when I was in high school, I would leave
We may have not had cash, but with barter or what we raised, I never did have a sense that we were poor. We made all our clothes. One blouse, my suit, my best suit from high school was made from my fathers blue suit that had gone shiny, by turning it inside out, I made a skirt and a chanel type jacket. I had a very small amout of a peppermint-stripped silk. I made a sleevelsess front with ruffles, made with a flour sack, but I put a little bit so people see only peppermint this shows you about the depression.
The Christmas I was 15, my principle gift was a length of flanal material to make a robe, that was it. At Christmas, we had a orange at the bottom of the stocking. We didn’t have oranges any other time, that was special. (One thing I wanted to know was how did the depression effect how you deal with money now?) Absolutely, absolutely. I still live by depression standards. Changed everything because I learned how to manange. When I was in the University, I’d keep a nickel in my purse in case I got stuck for car fare to my sisters house. (shakes head) To this day, I do my own work, I was mowin my lawn last night and a neighbor asked “this is arobic exercise and it’s good for me, people don’t like the way I like it, I pull out the dandelions first” yes it effects how I live it effects the way we all live. I have the same furniture in my home that I bought for my mother with my first teaching salary. One is in the parlor, the other in the upstairs sitting room, still the same 2 pieces. For me dep didn’t mean lack of quality, I bout best material knowing it was last for my children. You should have known your great grandmother ethel… she was the best at that. It’s good I learned how to live that way because I married a school teacher, and I lived like the depression all my life on a school teachers salary!
When the war came, it was difficult to see the young people leave home for battle, and Brian Carlquist was the first casualty in draper of Vietnamese war. But in WWII there was this serge of patriotism that carried us through, but it was a time of where, oh, you didn’t expect things to be permanent, you had to wait and see what would happen with relationships. In WWII, I had saved my school teaching salary, I was lucky to get a job, and my annual salary was 500$ for a year of teaching. But out of that I was able to live like a king because I knew how. And I saved money, I went to school in NY city,
(perception of life) I don’t know that my perception of life has changed, because the depression created my perception of life, but in my home, education was our goal, school was of the essence, it was the way of the future. I had a scholarship, I graduated, No sorority in my life. I spent Saturday in the alta area walking to capital building or wall street, teaching lessons 50 cents a lesion. I spent Saturday earning money… 4 $, and those 4$ got me through the week expenses.
(Young) Don’t buy anything on credit. Do a lot of walking, that’s the reason I’m so healthy w and w and w. There are some things you have to buy… a home, we bought a home and didn’t buy furniture till first mortgage. Looking forward to and planning for something is better that anticipation greater than satisfaction. when you have something you think… now what’s, what’s next. I never bought a piece a furniture unless I could pay for cash. I have one credit card, and I only use it when as a matter of convienience for buying things. There was the laughed at slogan, I can’t say it now because it’s not one of mine, but I have 2 “when a job seemed incermountable, I say, you eat an elephant a bit at a time”, and along with that “most of this world’s work, is done by people who don’t feel like it” (I really like that) But there is great joy and satisfaction in personal accomplishment, in doing a task. This isn’t a perfect garden but look what I can do, look at my fingernails, I couldn’t clean them today. It isn’t that I love the work, but I love what the work accomplishes. (You’re such a wise woman) I made these covers for these chairs, they aren’t professional, these furniture, I piano lessons and they built them from trees because he as a carpenter. I often trade what I do for someone else that does something for me. But yes, we are who we are because of our learning experiences, I never said that one day things will be different, I love things not for cost, I love my flowers, I love my trees, I can have my same furniture and have it for ever if I loved it in the beginning, I love old things. On my furnature, I just say, I’m going shabby shick. It made me that way, it was life, I didn’t feel depressed, I felt wonderful. The music was amazing, the movies were amazing, there was this great sense of being who you were, it was your shot, so it was great. I got my masters from colombia not money, goals. I studied at Juliard, I didn't want to be concert, and I just wanted to be the best pianist I could be. I left because I had a stron testimony of the BOM and I had the conviction that I was a convert. There is a time in your life where you have to be a convert Taylor, my prayers were answered in an unmistakable way. That's why I left Juliard with the money I saved, my brother helped me when I ran out. It wasn't that it was cheap, even being a missionary, I was prepared by the way my life was. The depression wasn't a trial to me, I'm sure it was a difficulty. I don't think I'd have accomplished anymore in my life, what do they advise you to do now, walk... walking is good for you, blood pressure, good for emotional, we had to walk and walk and walk and walk, but you have to walk your thinking.
