<Begin Segment 7>

RP: Tell us about the farmhouse that the family lived in. Did you have electricity, indoor plumbing?

GK: No, no, we did not have inside plumbing, and we did not have electricity, and we always had those chimney, those lamps, the oil lamps, and always needed cleaning because the wick would somehow get in and it'd get black inside, so of course that was my job to clean those. And then we had the ones that were made out of nickel or brass or whatever that had the tall chimney with the net, I don't know what you would call that now, but that would be my job. And trying to get that clean, so thin on top, yes. And so, you know, I have those lamps, funny enough. When my folks broke up the farming, I got a couple of those oil lamps, and have electrified them. And got pretty lampshades on them and I've gone, actually, I've gone back where I like those things, antiques.

RP: That you used to take care of.

GK: Yeah. It's, now they're electrified, but I do like the old things. And I've gotten some of Mother and Dad's furniture, yeah, and the old still. [Laughs]

RP: The old still. Well, now that you brought it up, Gladys, share with us a particular talent that your mother had.

GK: Well, yes, this is Mother's talent, and like I say, she may not like me telling about her, but yes, she did have a still in the basement where she made sake. But that wasn't, my dad was not a drinker, and she made it mostly for, for bachelor friends or friends that drank. And she would put 'em in gallon jugs and friends would come by, and she'd give it to 'em. And yeah, I have the copper base for that, and I didn't realize at the time what it was. So I have, I use it as a plant stand at home now, but, and she had all these tubes and rubber tubes and glass tubes, and they'd be going, and go into the gallon jug. And the only time we ever had sake was we always had, New Year's Day, we always had a ceremony, and we always had the traditional mochi, that's that, you pound the rice in these big old vats, and that was always quite a, quite a fun thing, because you would have neighbors and friends, and would come and would do that. But whenever we had, New Year's was a special time for us. And they made the traditional mochi and they'd have the different sizes, and then for breakfast, though, we would always bow to each other and say, "Shinen omedetou," "Happy New Year." And then Mother would have these little sake containers with the little dish, and she would serve my dad three drops, and then he would drink that, and then she would give it to my oldest brother and the next brother, and then I have, the younger brother, older than, but the men always got that first. And then my sister would give my mother the three drops, and then my mother would do the rest of us. So when we were little, we thought that was a big deal for us to be able to taste three drops of sake on New Year's Day. So, you know, that was, Dad would always say, "Okay, now don't cry and don't get scolded and wear your best clothes, because that means if you cry the first day, you'll be crying for the rest of the year. And if you get scolded, you'll be in trouble all year," so boy, we just always tried not to do that.

RP: You shared with us a little saying that you remember seeing every day of your life growing up on the farm. Can you share that with us?

GK: Oh, that, yes. On the wall we always had this sign, and it's funny, you know, my sisters and I would talk about this and how it has affected our lives, and it says, I think, I forgot how it went.

[Interruption]

GK: "When a task is once begun, never leave it 'til it's done. Be the labor, great or small, do it well or not at all." And it's amazing how that has always stuck with me, because not long ago, I have windows up there, and I went up there because I have some stained glass things up there and it lost its suction and it fell. When I went to put it up, I realized how dusty and the cobwebs were up there. And I thought, "Uh-oh," so I went back to this, I got the ladder, I did the whole thing, it was like three. But this has always been our motto. It's funny how that just sticks with you.

RP: Did you pass that along to your kids, too?

GK: Oh, yes. I say this, and you just don't leave things half done, you just do it right the first time. And I, in fact, remind my husband. [Laughs]

<End Segment 7> - Copyright © 2008 Manzanar National Historic Site and Densho. All Rights Reserved.