Samuel Grounds Tammy Davis Composition 1 4 September 2013 Autobiography My amily is originally rom Te!

as" but #e have lived in $er%ins" &%lahoma or about ten years' ( graduated rom $er%ins)Tryon *igh S+hool in 2013' ( am +urrently enrolled at ,orthern &%lahoma College and live at home #ith my mother and ather and have one younger brother' My ather is a land surveyor and my mother is an optometri+ assistant' ( met -oy and Delsa Grider #hen my mother began health +are #or% or them on the #ee%ends' They are a +ouple #ho live outside o $er%ins that have been married .0 years' ( have been ortunate enough to meet them' They are un to tal% to and have interesting stories to share' (t is a great opportunity to be able to learn about them and hear their li e stories' /iography o -oy and Delsa Grider Delsa Grider #as born in Granite &%lahoma in 1030 and -oy #as born in Sulphur" &%lahoma' Delsa #as the middle +hild o seven +hildren' She ma1ored in 2lementary 2du+ation and -oy ma1ored in Animal S+ien+e' The +ouple met #hile attending &S3 on a blind date at the 4inter)4onderland /all' They #ere married on September 5th" 1053 and have been married or .0 years' They made a living as armers and have al#ays %no#n the arming li estyle' They both gre# up on arms in the 1030s and +an tell stories rom the Dust /o#l to hearing 44(( ne#s on the radio' ( #as

privileged to learn #hat li e #as li%e or them in 1030s &%lahoma and #hat their +hildhood #as li%e' Their stories are interesting and emotional and give a good insight to their li e e!perien+es' (6ve heard stories o 20th +entury &%lahoma" Stories o the events that un olded over time" but ( #as privileged to go deeper into these stories as ( intervie#ed Delsa and -oy' ( have heard these stories se+ond)hand rom my mother #ho spends time #ith the +ouple every #ee%end" but it is a di erent eeling and emotion hearing the stories irst) hand rom the people #ho a+tually e!perien+ed them' (6ve met Delsa and -oy on o++asion" but have never been able to get to %no# them' Their story is as+inating' Delsa and -oy Grider irst met at &S3 in 1052 on a blind date' She had been set up by her +ousin or a date at the #inter)#onderland ball' This is #here Delsa met -oy or the irst time and they #ere married a year later on September 5th" 1053' 4hen ( intervie#ed the +ouple they had 1ust +elebrated their .0th #edding anniversary' They have t#o +hildren three grand+hildren and seven great grand+hildren' Delsa remembers e!perien+ing the era o the dustbo#l #hen she #as a little girl gro#ing up in 1030s &%lahoma' The +ouple remembering ho# the air smelt li%e dirt and ho# the bla+% +louds made it appear dar% outside' Seeing visions o the s#arms o grasshoppers on trees" one ne!t to the other" and -oy remembering ho# the grasshoppers #ould eat the onion plants all the #ay do#n to the roots' Delsa had three brother and three sisters and games #ere o ten played or their entertainment' Among other +reative games" Delsa admitted to sometimes playing do+tor #ith her brother using the overabundant grasshoppers' They #ould play baseball #ith a home made bat and t#ine ball' /eans and +ornbread #eren6t un+ommon oods as Delsa remembers' She

remembered having these or lun+h and dinner #ith bis+uits or brea% ast' ( there #as ever a ni+%el available" Delsa +ould go and buy a Mr' Goodbar +andy bar and -oy remembered getting 10 +ents a #ee%' They #ould save anything they +ould" but there #ere rarely le tovers' 4hen Delsa #as little her amily had ni+%named her Dub' &ne day" during a sand storm" she #as playing by hersel #ith the beads that she had %ept rom her mother' She never had any dolls to play #ith so she #ould use her beads as +hara+ters' That day she #as playing behind a door #ith her bead +hara+ters #hen the storm +ame up' 7rightened" the amily +ame loo%ing or her yelling 8Dub9:" but #ere unable to ind her' *er ather #as prepared to have to go out in the storm to loo% or her in the dit+h" #here she o ten played" using the sand as a home or her bead +hara+ters' *e #as putting on his +oat and hat to prote+t rom the sand and #ould have to hold on to the en+e to support himsel in the #ind' 2ager to end the +ommotion" Delsa 1umped out rom behind the door nervously yelling 8here ( am9:' -elieved" they sat and #aited through one o many horri i+ dust storms' During this time Delsa and -oy both e!perien+ed the arming li estyle' They both gre# up on arms and ended up being armers themselves' Delsa told ho# she tended to the baby du+%s" +hi+%ens" and the +alves' They remembered milo being armed and ho# A neighbor #ould bundle the milo #ith a binder' They tal%ed o seeing a bit o +orn" but never mu+h' -ain #as s+ar+e in those days' -oy6s ather #as a dairy armer and be ore 44(( had 50 +o#s" #hi+h 8#as a lot in those days: said -oy' -oy has been a dairy armer his #hole li e and Delsa raised 100 +hi+%ens a year and sold eggs or 50 +ents a do;en'

Delsa6s amily got their irst +ar in 1035 but she remembered people going to the gro+ery store in #agons' 3nimaginable is a #ord that des+ribed the gas pri+es they remembered seeing' 810 +ents per gallon: said -oy" the se+ond +heapest being 81. +ents per gallon': said Delsa' Delsa6s mother #ould #ash +lothes in a bla+% %ettle over a ire' 4hites irst" shirts" to#els" then rugs' She des+ribed the +lothing she #ore that her mother +ra ted or her' Dresses #ere made out o old salt sa+%s or Delsa' &ne thing Delsa remembered being o interest #as the old i+e bo!' She told about her 1ob emptying the bu+%et that #ould +at+h the melted #ater bello# #here the i+e blo+% #as %ept' Delsa and -oy still live in their house #ere they have spent many years' They live together in +are or ea+h other' (t is a privilege to hear the stories o their +hildhood and the memories they have to share' Meeting them has been a great privilege'