Author Delores Mixer was ten years old when her father came home one day and announced he'd lost his job. It had taken a few years since the stock market crash of October 29, 1929, before the Great Depression came to Saint Paul, Minnesota.
In this collection of uplifting short stories, Delores describes the period when her family lived in a house on Glendale Street, in the Midway District, as the "We Can Make It" time, as they go on to face the challenges of trying times together.
A testament to the all-American optimism and "can-do" spirit our country was built upon, Growing Up in the Great Depression shows what is possible when a family pulls together, engages their resourcefulness to support themselves-even having some fun along the way.
Original poems, both haiku and free verse, as well as lyrics to several popular songs from the era are included to help convey the sentiments of the day.
While providing intriguing historical context, this book is all about ingenuity and enjoying life's simple pleasures, such as a little red wagon-which, as the lapel pin worn by Colin Powell symbolizes, can carry a child's dreams.
About the Author: Born July 1, 1922, Delores Mixer is the wife of a wonderful husband, Harry W. Mixer, MD, mother of five, grandmother of six, and great-grandmother of seven children. She attended the University of Minnesota and graduated from the Globe Business College.
During the time when she was raising her children, she was an active volunteer with scouting organizations and Sunday school, and she served as the president of Fairview Hospital Auxiliary.
Additionally, she's visited every continent on the planet with her husband. Their travels include four archaeological digs in Israel and three mission trips in Ecuador.
Her autobiographical stories have been published in the Saint Paul Dispatch Bulletin Board and the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and she was the third-place winner in Garrison Keillor's first annual love poem contest in 2013.
She currently lives at the senior living facility Waverly Gardens in North Oaks, Minnesota.
