"WE WERE SO POOR....." (part # 1)

[Bruce Matthew Gatten]

"We were so poor, we had to window-shop at the Dollar Store."

[SETH BENDFELDT]

Hi Bruce,
Hay, it's cool, I realize everything on the net should be taken with a grain of salt, and the funner the better, I was kinda telling a story... I'm happy happy... I did get married at 17, and joined the USAF at 17, time I was 21, and working on third kid... With that kind of start,, most of my stories were a little down... But had a good life, workedd at L& M Hosp for 28 years in computers.. Have 9 grandchildren, and 3 great grand children.. Love photography, can see some of my stuff on www.ctconnecticut.com
I have 5 other web pages out there with my grand kids, and www.artsofine.com with stuff.. Thanks for the note.. I just found out this year that the building we moved into had been the former turboclus sanatairem... We lived in the basement.. Was great being next to the beach.. Then moved up to Roxburry road, next to the quarrys, by the Niantic town dump.. Learned to swim there and never wanted for toys... 3 out of 4 boys joined the USAf as soon as possiable, 4 out of 6 sisters graduated from college... I lived with my sister at yale next to the peabody museum. Used to go in with air rifles to shoot the dinosours... Dont think could do that today.. Then lived in Priceton NJ at the college.. Saw every football game in 2 years, and iced scated on there rink.. was great.. Then moved back to Niantic in 8th grade, Will skip that part...
seth

[Bruce Matthew Gatten]

Seth,
I was not trying to belittle the poor, just make light of my (past present) financial situation. Got to laugh to keep from crying...have you read (or seen the movie) "Angela's Ashes"? Extraordinary tale of poor Irish family. They were so poor that, since the father drank all his daily wages, the mother (Angela) would be forced to serve her children tea, and she would keep the tea bags and use them day after day. Frank McCourt was the author and it is a superb novel (touching yet greatly humorous) and extraordinarly well written and very powerful. Thanks for the comment, bruce

[SETH BENDFELDT]

We were so poor.. in 1945 When my divorced father moved out of the country, federal service job, and left us with a family of 7 kids, mother working nights at the Niantic mill.. Niantic CT shipped us to Poquonock Bridge low income housing for melitary familys.. My father was not in the service, so Groton put us in a town truck and shipped us back to Niantic.. Things sure have changed..