All of these stories were written by John J. Rice Jr., our Great Uncle,
who was the older brother to our Grandfather, James Patrick Rice.
John was born in 1906 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

My Lucky Brother Jimmy

                                              My Brother Moving a Piano Through an Upstairs Window

     My father was in the trucking and moving business in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
 On one occasion my brother Jimmy was moving a piano wrapped with padding and
straps through an upstairs window frame.  Just as my brother was standing in the frame
of the window and about to pull the piano through the window frame, the frame, piano and
my brother fell to the sidewalk and grass.  However, my brother was always very blessed.  
When the piano in the padded covering hit the grass, my brother bounced off the padded
piano and landed in the grass.  Neither the piano or my brother was hurt or damaged
by the fall.  However, when the piano owner asked my brother to try another window,
my brother rejected and replied that all of the window frames may be the same.

A Letter to Jim
                                     ~July 25, 1984

   Dear Jim,
             Sorry I have not written for a while or made a trip to see you.  
Played golf with Kate and Dan and we talked about playing again with you and
Margie but something always happens to postpone it.......
Did you know that our home on Lincoln Ave. was sold for $42,0000 last year.  
Last year I was reading the Sentinel and they had homes listed that were sold in the
last week and included was ours - $42,000.  that must be almost 100 years old.
It was 20 years old when Pa and Ma bought it.  I was between 10 - 12 and I am 77 now.
     Many times I think of all the different things we did in our life and enjoyed.  
One thing I did not like was auto races.  I went with you and Toby once.
 I never liked taking caster oil and I did not like smelling it all afternoon either.
Also I did not like breathing the dust.  Do you remember working at the Auditorium,
                 ushering fights etc.?  I sure enjoyed ushering for all the different things there and at Davidson Theatre.
I saw all the great starts and entertainers and I would not spend the time much less pay
anything to see or hear Michael Jackson scream.
     Do you remember getting polly wogs in cans down at the Illinois steel dump and picking
pig iron and getting 3 cents a can - 2 cans 6 cents to go to the Monday night serials?  
Or pedaling Shuster's sales papers on Sat. morning for 50 cents.  Or turning off the power
switch on Kohl's Store making the lights go out and Max Kohl running out of the store?
     Sometimes I feel guilty about driving the Ford to work and then sharing it with you in the
evenings and charging the gas to Pa.  I feel guilty that I did not do or help Ma or Pa when
I came home from work.  I did a few things but I could have done much more.  
Many times I tell my Grandchildren about this and warn them they will feel the same as me if
they neglect to help their parents when they can.
     That's one worry or thought should never bother you.  You did much more than your share.
 I was very happy that you were given complete ownership of the business.  
You paid for it many times with all othe hard work and 1000's of extra working hours.
     God Bless You,                                                                                                                     
Your Big Brother Sylvest, he takes a big ship on his chest.  He kills a 1000 Indians out West,
your Great Big Brother Sylvest.  One of Ma's favorite songs.            
                                                                                                                          J  (John)

When I Was A Boy

      My Mother's Organized Way to Operate a Home and Family

     My parents were married in 1903 and lived in Bay View, on the southeast side of Milwaukee
and on the shore of Lake Michigan.  My sister, Marian, as born in 1904, and I was born two
years later.  After that, there were five more children.
     My father was the Railroad Freight Agent on Lincoln Avenue.  He worked from 7 am to 6 pm.
 He came home at noon every day for dinner.  About 5 pm, my mother prepared our supper,
and after we finished eating, we were allowed to play until she finished the dishes and had the
baby ready to rock to sleep and singing her songs.  then we all had to be in bed.  
When the baby was asleep, all of the children were asleep, and then my father came home.  
My mother and father had the whole evening to enjoy each other.
     Most of the grocery stores delivered in those days with horse and wagon.  My mother had the groceries
delivered three times a week.  As the delivery boy brought in one day's order, he received the list for
the next time.  The butcher's orders arrived twice a week.

The Following is the Daily Program for the Week
Monday was wash day and since my mother could not leave a baby alone to do the laundry,
she hired a wash lady for 50 cents.

                   Tuesday - My maternal grandparents came.  My grandfather sawed and chopped wood for the stoves.
     My grandmother helped mymother with the mending.  they usually left at 2 pm to return home.
             Wednesday - My mother had a sewing lady, Mrs. George, come and make clothes for the children.
 She also received 50 cents.  She arrived about 9 am and left after supper about 7 pm.  
Mrs George had five families whom she helped.  When any of the five mothers had a baby,
she would stay with that family until the mother was up and about.
Thursday was for special projects.
Friday was cleaning day and every room received the necessary attention.
       Saturday - Morning was baking all the breads (7), coffee cakes (5), pies (2) and a large cake.  
  By Monday morning , all the baked food was gone.  Also on Saturday morning, the boys had
various seasonal jobs such as cutting the grass, removing storm windows or screens,
washing windows, sifting ashes, chopping wood, shoveling snow, and cleaning stove pipes
for kitchen and living room stoves.  The girls helped mother with baking, washing dishes,
making beds, etc.   On Saturday afternoon, all the children had the baths scheduled and
dressed in their Sunday  clothes with instruction:  Stay Clean!

     My father was paid at the end of each month.  When he came home on payday, he
always put all his change in the children's bank.  when relatives visited, they also put
some change in out bank. On the Wednesday afternoon following payday,
mother would take one or two of us with her to pay the grocer and the butcher while
    the others stayed at home under Mrs. George's watchful eye.  When mother paid the butcher,
he always gave her two rings of baloney sausage.  When she paid the grocer,
he gave us a bag of candy that we selected.  Next, mother stopped at the dry goods store
to purchase the materials needed for Mrs. George's next projects.  If someone needed
new shoes, that was the next stop (shoes were $2.50 a pair).  The last stop was the
bank to deposit money for our future home.
     When mother sang and rocked the babies to sleep, she always sang sad songs which
                were popular at the turn of the century.  Among her selections were: "Hello Central, Give Me Heaven,"
    "I'll Tell My Mother When I Get Home, the Boys on the Corner Won't Leave Me Alone," and
"I Don't Want to Play in Your Yard, I Don't Like You Anymore."
(outside link to the web pages of www.melodylane.net/whitestar2.html)
     In 1916, we moved into our own home and some of the routine changed.
 However, Mrs. George was still our sewing lady for several more years.  
She was like a member of our family.