Dominic J. Wiatrek
Farm Life Was Work Work Work
What was your daily routine on the farm?
My daily routine chores were to feed the chickens, Turkeys, Guineas, pick eggs and milk the cows before going to school and also after school had to repeat the same chores, adding any work in the garden and then homework was done before bedtime. My sisters had to make the lunches for all the siblings for school every day, because my parents couldn't afford to pay for school lunches.
How did you get to school?
We were fortunate to catch the school bus for school and didn't have to walk, because it was five miles for elementary or middle school and fifteen miles to high school.
What was your entertainment on the farm?
In any spare time which was rare during the week, but on Sundays we would go fishing, play volleyball, baseball and Annie over.
What's Annie over and how is it played?
The game Annie over is about having an even amount of players for two teams and one ball, we had an old barn to play the game and each team would stand on the opposite side of the barn, the two teams couldn't see each other to whom is throwing the ball to the opposite team side. The object of the game was each member of the team would throw the ball over the roof of the barn to the opposite team if you catch the ball three times you get to go around the other side of barn and hit any person with the ball from the opposite team to become part of your team, the last person of the team that stand alone is the winner of the game, my parents on Sundays would watch us for hours because it took a long time to complete the game.
When did your family get a TV? My family didn't get their first TV until 1964?
It was a Zenith TV 12 inch screen black and white. Unfortunately, it was broken most of time than it worked. It spent more time in repair shop than at home.
Do you remember any hard times on the farm?
When there was no rain meant hardly any crops and it would cost more to feed the animals. When there was no rain we had to haul water from Cibolo Creek to water the garden and farm animals.
How did your family wash clothes before the electric washing machine?
My mother always did the household washing on Saturdays, first had to build a fire to boil water for two very large wash tubs, one with soap with hot water and the other just only hot water for rinsing the clothes off to hang on the clothes line. This was an all-day affair from dawn to dust.
When did your family get a modern washing machine?
In 1963 my father purchased our first washing machine for the household. My mother was afraid to use it, due to she thought it would use too much electric to operate it. But, the truth of the matter it was more cost efficient and used less water.
When did your family have an indoor bathroom?
Finally, in 1964 my father added an indoor bathroom for the family. This provided not only a toilet but also a tub to take a bath. How did you bathe? Before, the indoor bathroom the family had to bathe in the back of the house either in a wash tub if you could fit in it or with a water hose and a bar of soap. Of course, the girls and my mother when first then my brothers, I and my father were last. Also, the water we used was cisterning tank (rain water), because we didn't have city (Sunko Water Supply) yet installed. In the winter my mother would boil the water on the stove, and then mix it with soap in a wash tub so we would take a sponge bath.
How big was your family's home?
The family home had only six rooms, that consist of three bedrooms, one for the my sisters, one for myself and brothers and one for my parents, one kitchen, one family room and one bathroom.
What was your source for water?
We live off of water well for drinking, gardening and farm animals. When the water well was low we had to haul water from the Cibolo creek.
When did your family get city water for home usage?
When our water well when completely dried in 1974 my father had the family farm tide into the only city water source, which is Sunko Water from Stockdale, TX.
When school was out for the summer what did you do?
Summer time was harvest time, meant hay hauling time! We harvest "milo" maze, corn from the fields, helped my mother and sisters canning vegetable from the garden; and if the neighbors needed any help harvesting their crops my father would send me and my brothers to go help.
What was planted in the gardens?
We would plant a large garden to feed our family, Dad would have us plant in the spring and summer a bunch of tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, corn, squash, okra, watermelon, cantaloupe, and green beans and in the fall greens, cabbage, broccoli, lettuce, onions, garlic, carrots, turnips, bell peppers, radishes, pumpkins. My mother would can tomatoes, corn, cabbage, okra, green beans. Also, with cabbage she would make chow-chow which is cabbage and onions in vinegar with pickling spices.
How was it working in the gardens?
It was very hard work and long hours.
What else did you plant and can?
My father would graph trees, like a grapefruit tree to an orange tree to save water; you only had to water only one tree instead of two trees. Also, would plant peach trees, my mother would can peaches and make pies. In the summer, we would go to the Cibolo Creek to pick wild grapes to make grape jelly. The best thing to eat with Mom's homemade bread and my mother would bake six loaves of bread a day.
What items did your family buy from the grocery store?
Salt, pepper, vinegar, corn meal, flour, tea, sugar, pickling spices, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, flour, and soap.
Would you go back to living the farm life again?
I would definitely go back to living the farm life again, because it's better than city life. But, due to the economy is going and climate changes it would cost more to live on the farm. Also, with the rising gas prices, lack of rainfall and the feed prices for farm animals. There wouldn't be a profit only a deficit.
And do you have anything to add?
The young of today would be in great physical shape doing this kind of work and I would do it all over again. I treasure my memories of farm life.
Pawelekville, Texas. Born and raise in Pawelekville
Czestochowa Catholic church The church my father family went to.
Uranium Energy Corporate as Uranium operator. Where my father process uranium.
Guineas Wild game bird that was made domestic.
Zenith TV 12 inch screen black and white. The tv that never work for my father family.
Photographs on this website were provided by Dominic J. Wiatrek Jr they were all recent photographs. These photos were taken on the farm. Some of the photos has my father in them and some of the farm animals that are on the farm today. One photo shows the family home and one shows the barn where it used to stand and the cibolo creek where my father and siblings used to haul water.
