Grandma’s Stories

Nov 8th “Pictures with People!”

Picture on left – Boys Wash Room – this picture gives a better view of the wall areas – so you can see each child has his number above the hook for his wash cloth  and hand towel.  On Saturdays you would receive a bath towel – when you were ready to take a bath – and the little children would receive help getting in and out of the bath-tub and even their backs washed by one of the eighth graders. Same procedure on the girls side . 

In all the years that I was at the Orphanage – there was one of the  –  girls, who had “six” toes on each foot.  The only way we knew this  – was each day after dinner – on the girls side and boys side – in the room where the bath-tubs were – along the wall – was a long “FOOT BATH”  and several  long benches in front – so each and or several children at a time  – could sit and wash their feet.  You would have thought someone discover  “GOLD”  – when the girl –  who was sitting next to the   “girl”   with  the six (6) toes – was discovered! In my “LIFE” this was the only person that I knew who had six toes?

The photo on the right – is of the “GIRLS Side” Dining Room  – and in this photo you can see  the back wall with the stainless steel cabinets – where all the dishes were kept – to set the tables. Also the long table were the large metal pots were brought in  – so that the older girls – who were the servers – could dish out a small portion of food on your plate. The girls and boys in the above photo have their “Sunday” best clothes on and  their hair is just so – so!  This  is not a regular sit-down meal – but for  “Photo Taking”   does a pretty good job – gives everybody an idea of what meals should look like?

Nov 7th “Boys Side Dining Room”

When I was writing about the “Boys Side Dining Room” – would this be the picture you  were mentally getting  – from my description?

Will have more to write – later!

Nov 7th “VISITING DAY” at Orphanage!

This is not the best picture – it is a “LONG SHOT”  – just to see how many Visitors we can see gathering together in “FAMILY CIRCLES” for the very few hours  – that they will have to share so much in such a small time frame! 

But, because I was writing about the  “Laundry”  yesterday and have no inside the “LAUNDRY” pictures – just thought an outside of the building will give everyone an idea  – for the size of the “INSTITUTIONAL” laundry!

The “two-story” building in the background and to the left of this picture is the laundry. The entrance for the “Laundry” can be seen – just past the people standing and looking this way!  There is a nice  large size door  –  on the corner of the building.  When you enter  and on your left side  – where you see the windows across the front of the building – on the inside  and along the window side of the building are the large “Washing Machines”  – and I’m guessing the size of the two were   – each  a   5,000 gallon-size. The clothes  – had a very  distinctive smell  – from the home-made lye soap that was used, back in those days – lots of cleaning products where made at home.

Almost and to the opposite corner of the building they had two large “Institutional”  Mangle Irons used for the folding and pressing of the large covers, blankets, sheets and  I guess – what you might call  – the large flat work .The older and taller  girls would work with these machines  – passing the  items into the machine  from this side  – and another two or three girls on the other side to receive the items and either pass thru the machine for further folding –  or if to the stage that they could finish the  folding and stacking the items in bins  – to be brought to the main building to whatever correct department for usage?

When I was in the Orphanage – I worked  in all these areas – and was a very good worker. Not all of us,  girls  – were created equal in strength and in being tall enough to reach and hold  the linens up and off the ground – after being cleaned   – You would hear about it – if you were a “SLACKER!”

Nov 5th “WORK” – Schedule

“WORK” is one of those 4-letter words – and probably the one that most people just cannot quite  get the hang of – it’s the activity that most people do not want to do without receiving “being paid – as if they are a KING?”

When I first went to the “German St. Vincent’s Orphan Home” – all children would learn how to “WORK”  – with everyday general cleaning – and then there were those jobs that with 350 children require – weekly and the same thing every week work and then every six (6) months – the down on the knees scrubbing and waxing clean!

Before we went to the “Orphanage” – at home – my Mother would iron clothes, using an electric iron, one that you would plug the cord – into the wall. So, was I ever in for a surprise when on Mondays and Tuesdays after school, the girls were assigned to work in the “Laundry” until done working or  almost 6:00 PM – which would be “SUPPER” time and we would run at fast as possible to be on time.

The “NEW” kid – that was me – was taken all around the Laundry area – so that – I would know where the “IRONS” were and shown how to handle these “HOT” irons. There was a rack of “IRONS” – sitting on individual metal plates – and all these irons were kept nice and “HOT” and ready to be used – immediately! You had an ironing board set-up for you to do your ironing. You went to one of the baskets, where you would find dampen clothes – rolled and placed together with a towel covering so that the tops of the clothes to be ironed – did not dry out – before being iron? You were given some “POT-Holders” to hold this “HOT” Iron – and you would already have your garment – ready to start the ironing on your board – and you would iron until the iron was not  – any longer “HOT” enough to continue. At this point you would take your “COLD” iron back to the rack and pick-up another “HOT” iron – and continue your work!

Here’s what happened to me – I was in the 3^rd or   4^th grade – and had no idea about the differences in materials? There was a nice “Girls Blouse” in the basket – looks like it had been refolded several times and put back into the basket – for someone else to iron?   Like I said -this material – to me – was the same as any other item – to be iron? So, I laid  this item, out on my board – left to get my “HOT”  iron – when I returned to my board – I set the “HOT” iron – smack dab on the center of this blouse – that –  red “HOT” –  iron  – marked that blouse so fast with the nicest dark-brown spot !  “YOU ruined that blouse!”  ‘What are you going to do about it?”

This is one of those days – when all I wanted to do – “was to find a hole and crawl into it – as fast as I could!”  How in the world would a poor little kid get treated like a “MONSTER KILLER”  in an “ORPHANAGE” – what could I do? Materials that needed special care should never have been out in that basket – for kids not knowing how to “CAREFULLY” iron them?  All of the garments worn by anybody in the “Orphanage” were marked with your  –   number –   and everybody was known more by their “NUMBER”  than their name! So, this is what I think about this situation;  That blouse belongs to one of the “PERKINS”  girls – and somebody wanted to ruin it   – but couldn’t   do it their selves   – figure to have it done by someone who is “NEW” to this whole rival “pecking” order operation   – and so – I was the “fall guy” for this accident   –   that just happened so nicely   – for all???    “But,   not for me   – I never forgot  it!”

Nov 3rd “Sister Michael is our Favorite!”

If you were to  “VOTE”  on who would be your  “FAVORITE”  Nun – “Sister Michael”  would receive the highest number of   “VOTES!” In the years  – that I was at the St. Vincent’s Home  – that was the number  “ONE” piece of gossip to go around – which Nun  was  the most respected – for “Fairness with all the children”   – some of the Nuns had “favorites of the children”  – and those favorites never got into any kind of trouble – even though   – they were the “Ring-Leaders” of  the situation causing something to be investigated?  So, very early for a new child – you did need to keep your eyes on the look-out  as to who was stirring up the trouble and  keep the ears open – to hear who was  reporting on who – then watch and see how the “JUSTICE” was handed out???

The above picture shows the boys really enjoying what they were doing under the supervision of   Sister Michael.   There was one thing that you knew    – that is  — when you were  doing something with   Sister Michael –   that she was your best  “FRIEND” – you could trust her   –  to direct you to do the correct thing – and her advice was the best.  More of the NUNS   – could have taken a little training under her guidance – and would have been  –  much better  NUNS!

Sister Michael was assigned to the “BOYS-SIDE” – and my brothers were always saying how great she was   –  and the few times that I was on the Boys-Side   – she was always just exactly as my brothers indicated she would be.  Even, after my brothers left  St. Vincent’s  – they did continue to keep in touch with her  – so I guess that is the proof  – of something good and reliable – good “FRIENDSHIPS”   last – forever!

Nov 3rd “7th & 8th Grades – Girl’s Sewing Circle!”

This picture is of the girls in the 7th and 8th grades –  in the year 1947 at German St. Vincent’s  Orphan Home. This room was called the “Girls Sitting Room” – but was only used for something like the above picture – as all the girls had their “PLAY Room  – downstairs and there was one “NUN” in charge of all the girls –  for one hour per day  –  each hour a different “NUN” would show up for duty – that was another way you knew what time it was – as  certain NUNS had preferred hours. So, if this room also had girls in it  – at any time – there would have to be a “NUN” there to supervise.  There were only 27 “NUNS” in the HOME  – and each  NUN had assigned duties that had to be done  – and there were  no spare NUNS for extra assignment duty???

The girls in this picture would have been  living at the HOME for most of their lives and when in the lower grades – first started  learning to do the various sewing skills   – that you see them doing in the above picture.

Sitting at the table on the left front – are the Whitney Twins –   as you look close – you will see that they have “identical dresses on”  so easy to pick them out of a group ! Sitting across from them on the right  side of the table, and first is Ester Bone also another good friend of mine! Looks  like a small throw type  rug, that she is making. On the right side of this picture – along the wall and the second girl is Marie Anna, and crocheting is her trademark – no matter where she was – she always had something  – that she would be working on. She could probably  “crochet ”  in her sleep???

There may have been a lot of things that we kids did not like when living at St. Vincent’s – but if you stopped wasting your time complaining  – and paid some attention to learning something –  that you just might kike doing  –   maybe – many years  –  later. That’s what  – LIFE is all about  – learn to do something that you will enjoy –  so,  when you have free time  to really enjoy doing something – just for yourself – or even for family and friends  –    and the special pleasure it gives you – when you can share your learning with someone else!