TOYS WERE NOT A PRIORITY Toys were not a priority with our children. Our family did not have many toys. They did have one bike that was shared among five of the children. It was orange in color, and had a banana shaped seat, so two could ride on it at once. The boys were always adding something to what already existed on the bike. On one occasion, they thought that the bike should have a horn. They managed to save enough money to make the purchase and Blair was designated to put the horn in place. The horn was a great novelty, and they took turns driving the bike around the yard, while tooting the horn continuously. Now this horn did not sound like an ordinary car horn. Instead it sounded more like a fog horn. The children were delighted with the sound and continued to circle the area for hours at time. They nearly drove Gram out of her mind with their honking. The older children had the privilege of driving the bike on the road. If they had been riding a Cadillac they would not have felt more honored. They did not have a swing that came from the store already assembled. Instead they had a home-made one that Joe made for them. It consisted of two posts placed in the ground and attached to a crosspiece. Two sets of ropes tied to the plank made up the swings. The swings were well used, and the children never complained about its appearance. A bought swing seemed to have so much more character. The children's grandfather, Alex Mooney had great hands, and delighted in making articles to amuse his grandchildren. One such item was a homemade cart, which was merely a painted, wooden box mounted on two iron wheels. It was equipped with two wooden handles. The children thought it was a masterpiece, and spent hours transporting each other around the premises. When the snow appeared Alex arrived with a homemade sleigh complete with runners, and a rope to pull the vehicle. It was often used to transport wood from the wood pile to the house. One Christmas, when Patsy was very young she received a small doll from Santa. It was merely a stuffed ragged doll with very few added features. It had a few sprigs of yarn for hair, and eyes that neither opened or closed. It did not say ma! ma! Its clothes were attached, and so it did not have a wardrobe. The only cute detail about this doll was her smile, and a 77