Blue linoleum

This is a picture of some old blue linoleum found under a rug upstairs in a bedroom we are remodeling. When I uncovered it I remembered a story my mother and oldest sister had told me.

In the 1930’s when my mother was married to her first husband, Hollis my dad’s cousin, times were very hard. There was no work for a farm hand and if there was work the farmer had very little to pay. The farmer usually would try to provide a place to live and something to eat for labor. If money was paid it was very minimal. Hollis, my mom, and my oldest sister therefore moved from place to place to survive.

Ma holding my sis in the 30’s

My mother said she had a piece of blue linoleum that she had bought and that she treasured, so when they moved from one old homestead shack to the next she rolled up her treasured piece of blue linoleum and brought it along. Most of the old shacks had not been lived in for some time, so the first order of business was to sweep the mouse and bird droppings out. Next Hollis would fix the windows and doors and stop up the mouse holes as best he could. Then my mother would be on her hands and knees scrubbing with lye soap and a scrub brush. After all this preparation to the house my mother would proudly unroll her piece of blue linoleum to make the old homestead shack a home. Many times this process was repeated as they had to move to work and they had to work to survive.

Wow, think about that! How poor these good people were to treasure a piece of old blue linoleum. It makes tears come to my eyes.

Thank you ma for making me appreciate all I have been given.