Phoenix, Arizona 1935 Sue Poag

We moved to Phoenix when I was 5. I started to school. Wes was supposed to walk with me, but I could never keep up with him and usually ended up walking alone. My first grade teacher was great and encouraging. She told me I was a good artist. I believed her. She told me I was a good reader so I read everything I could find.

One day Mom took me over to the church to take a nap in the basement. It was cooler there. She asked me if I had a baby sister which name did I like better, Dorothy or JoAnn. I said Joann.

We had a sleeping porch in Phoenix. Dad rigged up a big fan and somehow fixed a pump to pump water over some porous substance he had in front of the fan. It really created cooler air on that porch.

We had a Chinaberry tree in the front yard with comfortable big limbs. I had a spot on that tree where I lounged with my book.

My first memory of depression was there, lying on the couch and wondering how the other children could go out and play if they felt like I did and I thought everyone felt like I did.