Audrey Mae SpencerSpencer Historical CemeteryHenry Straight / William Spencer Family Cemetery
Vaughn Historical CemeterySpencers of East Greenwich, RI

Monthly Archives: June 2004

5 June 2004

Heather: Hello, Mother. Tell me more about life on the farm.

Audrey: They hung a can with a lid and handle down the well which was the only cold place in the summers. In the winter, we had a bench on the outside of the window sill. We set the can and food on the shelf outside the window. We just open the window and get food or can of milk.

Later we had a wooden ice box. The bottom half of the ice box was shelves for food and top of box goes up (lifts up) and put ice in the top.

5 June 2004

Heather: Where did you get the ice?

Audrey: We had a big square building called the ice house. It was filled with something like saw dust. Grandpa would go to Carr’s Pond with horses and wagon. The horses could walk on the ice pond. Grandpa would cut squares of ice out. He would cut as large a square as could be cut and bring ice back to the ice house and throw it in (to store the ice). Neighbors would come down because they needed ice.

5 June 2004

Heather: Did they pay?

Audrey: I don’t think so. Later we had an ice man after a while who would come in and throw ice in the box and leave. The ice man had ice in the wagon. He would bring ice around with a team of horses. After a while, he had a truck that he brought ice. It is hard for me to remember whether it was a truck or horse and wagon.

I don’t remember when we first got an electric box. My life (span) is when everything started. In the 1900, the changes began. I’ve lived through it all! I’m an important person. I’ve lived through it all. I’ve lived through all the changes.

5 June 2004

Heather: Yes, Mother and it is only a matter of time before a cure for CMT and all the other diseases will be found. You will probably live to see much of this.

Audrey: I’m afraid I will live that long! (Laughter)

Oh, here are the mourning birds! They walk around. They move all the time. They make a mourning noise. I thought it was morning birds at first. Then I read it was mourning birds. They make a sad, mourning sound. There goes a robin hopping along. Oh, the robin is walking too. I guess he does both?

5 June 2004

Heather: Does that mean that in addition to flying, the mourning dove only walks while the robin hops as well as walks?

A: Oh, I think so.

5 June 2004

Heather: Who is your new roommate?

Audrey: I do not know yet.

I’ve seen the outside of Amber’s new house. I’ll see her sooner or later. She gets in here every other thing.

5 June 2004

Heather: Did you love animals when you were little?

Audrey: Yes, once Ed got a white rat and let it loose in the crib where we stored all the grain. The crib did not have air tight sides so air was let in but it had a good roof.

5 June 2004

Heather: I remember Aunt Jeannie’s corn crib next door to our house on East Greenwich Avenue.

Audrey: They would pull corn up by roots and stack the corn in the corn crib. A person goes in the corn crib and pulls the corn off the stalk. They shell the corn outside the crib and cook the corn inside.

Oh there are two squirrels jumping back and forth. They are either playing or fighting. I do not know which. Now they are just looking at each other! (Laughter)

They weigh me here at Alpine in my chair! I always weighed 110 or 115 lbs. I like to be 110. I made sure I never got over 112 lbs. Now I am 129 lbs! That walker. I never use it! The caretakers are all very nice. I can’t find any fault with any of them.

5 June 2004

Heather: Did you talk about the Civil War with your mother or father?

Audrey: We never did much talking about things like that. I guess we just didn’t like talking about war.

5 June 2004

Heather: Was Grandma’s father in the Civil War?

Audrey: I don’t ever remember talking about it. Someone in there was against war. Maybe, it was Grandma’s father. I can’t remember. But someone.

Pages:  1 2 3 4 5