KatyPonce

SPEAKERS

Victoria Almaguer, Katy Ponce

 

Victoria Almaguer  00:01

Can you say your first and last name, please?

 

Katy Ponce  00:05

Okay, my name right now is Katie Grijalva Ponce. When I was in San Elizario, I was baptized born Catalina Aracely Grijalva. Parents of , Francisco Grijalva and Anita Aranda. I'm the 13 or 15 children that they have.

 

Victoria Almaguer  00:28

15 children? Wow. That's insane. I can't even grasp

 

Katy Ponce  00:37

To having one poor mom poor mom. poor mom. She was a mother. Yes, she was a real good mother. Never cussed never just accepted life for her. It was it was tough, but she exited life. It was it was hard in those days to wash outside, warm the water outside. Make your fire to wash. She had a hard life.

 

Victoria Almaguer  01:04

Really. She was also from here?

 

Katy Ponce  01:07

No she was born in Aguascalientes. But her mother bar when she was an infant. Brough her brought her to El Paso and ended up here in San Elizario

 

Victoria Almaguer  01:20

My dad from Guanuajuato

 

Katy Ponce  01:22

 Really?

 

Victoria Almaguer  01:22

 Yeah,

 

Katy Ponce  01:23

she was she was an only child. She was an only child but then her mother married a very old man. And then they had a baby girl but the baby girl was always sick and she died at 10 So mother was the only child

 

Victoria Almaguer  01:43

Wow from an only child to 15 kids.

 

Katy Ponce  01:46

And she never thought she was going to be a long because for the last one got married. This is still in the same house in an apartment right next to the house attached to the house. But she never thought she was going to be alone. She said she will say I wish I would have more children shows you crazy. Russia just accepted life. My father was pretty strict when he got there. My mother had inherited some property and father started farming it and with a third grade education he ended up when he died he had already bought five fires. You had a lot of property a lot of acres

 

Victoria Almaguer  02:31

And that was around what time do you recall?

 

Katy Ponce  02:34

From third grade? Well well Father was born I think about 1898 and he died in 19. About 1960 It didn't really progress I just it's hard for me to believe that from third grade he learned Spanish he learned English learned right he learned math everything it was a little such a little education in I don't know how he did it. In being a very prominent farmer very rich ended up with five farms when he died. He had five I couldn't remember when I find out how many acres a lot. So when he died there was 20 of us living in the property was divided into all of us. We gave everything to mother because she dealt with that. I will give everything the mother and mother a mother gave us all our share everybody that equal share.

 

Victoria Almaguer  03:40

Okay. Well one of the questions that we have here is who do you remember was your oldest family resident here and send me

 

Katy Ponce  03:52

a resident knew like one kid

 

Victoria Almaguer  04:04

like the oldest person you encountered well the family member in your family

 

Katy Ponce  04:16

well this brother

 

Victoria Almaguer  04:19

he was the oldest in from your family.

 

Katy Ponce  04:22

Well while he was oldest I think it was all this what he was the oldest or newest to the oldest? I think my I think it was all this infant in in the one next year was killed in World War Two in 1944. And what I remember Efrain. When I think about it, I used to think they were so much older than me, but he was only about eight years older than us. But since he was an older guy we

 

Victoria Almaguer  04:58

rarely encounter Yeah, he really

 

Katy Ponce  05:01

he was thought she. She really thought he was bought some all of us because he was all this. Yeah. And then, when he got married, my father bought him a farm but bottom off in favorites. So there's four of us. Yet three children. He lived in favorites for many years. They were the opposite when his daughters went to UTEP. And then he came back to famous again, they wanted to help us again. After he retired, she moved to LA. Yes, it was okay.

 

Victoria Almaguer  05:37

And you said you said your mom was from Aguascalientes. Your father was from Mexico as well or he was from here?

 

Katy Ponce  05:44

I don't know. I don't know. I think father was. Father's father is from reom was from your mother. So I guess that's what father came from.

 

Victoria Almaguer  05:54

Yeah. My

 

Katy Ponce  05:57

father was from El Paso. But they usually refer to he was a Mexican. She was born in Rio, Maya is where his father was.

 

Victoria Almaguer  06:09

And then they migrated over here,

 

Katy Ponce  06:10

right? And ended up here so Sadio small town.

 

Victoria Almaguer  06:18

Yeah. Okay. Um, what is one of the memories, one of the fondest memories that you recall growing up in Santa beside you, you were talking about the German into the river and swimming and everything.

 

Katy Ponce  06:33

The fondest memories

 

Victoria Almaguer  06:38

are what was how would you describe your childhood? Growing up here?

 

Katy Ponce  06:47

Very, I don't know how to describe it. Whoo. Even though we were a big family, we're very peaceful, peaceful family, I guess. Because my mother was a very peaceful person. And she left the way it came in. That's it. But when I remember I know father was gonna strict. But then because we respected him. well respected voters. But the fond memories. I guess the fondest memories were, were were growing up. My mother used to take us. Huge we'll find out because we had a big property. She will find a big tree. We have picnics under a tree. You take a such righteous get whether she was cooking and put it in pens or whatever. It just took us out to picnics. She loved picnics. And my fondest memories. Also for Easter Sunday. We always got together with Jay, after we all grew up, we always got together. And we enjoyed the farm in Clint and we had easter egg class and we're gonna picnic all day long with football. We had enough time for a baseball, football, volleyball. There were so many of us. Because when I when I got married in 1956, I already had 50 nieces and nephews. So my best sisters just ended up having good families.

 

Victoria Almaguer  08:18

How old were you when you got married? 2020.

 

Katy Ponce  08:23

I was 20. And I didn't start having children to over two years later. But

 

Victoria Almaguer  08:31

oh, and your 30s you started in your 30s Having

 

Katy Ponce  08:34

late, late 20s.

 

Victoria Almaguer  08:37

I'll see you enjoyed your marriage.

 

Katy Ponce  08:39

Oh my goodness. We had a ball. All just to get as I was in North seven. I had children find him that fine wasn't upstairs. It was fine. You read you have children. You have people trying to have children, they get upset. No, I didn't even think of that symbol after a fight even that fight. were some very, very, very good use. Very good years.

 

Victoria Almaguer  09:03

And you moved away from

 

Katy Ponce  09:06

that maybe we will do passive because whereas before we remember has bought a house in El Paso. It will do pestle there will only lead in El Paso. And then we'd lead three different assets in our passage and then Moses was working at White Sands Missile Range. And then he was transferred to New Jersey, from New Jersey went overseas to a place called Kwajalein missile range was who is which is between Hawaii and Australia. And they were in there we came to Georgia, Atlanta, Georgia from Atlanta, Georgia. We came back to El Paso.

 

Victoria Almaguer  09:51

What was his occupation? Because he was in Whiteside

 

Katy Ponce  09:53

he also stuff he was he was Oh wasn't enough, enough was manager stuff. He was in charge of 30 female employees as secretaries. Supervisor, he was a staff supervisor, a quick supervisor. But there is the woman we got dressed for a lot because he was looking at White says he was working for butter for laboratories and Western Electric. And they had a contract with the government. So when the current jerk with the government sees in New Mexico then he was just in New Jersey. And then there was some missile range overseas and Kwajalein missile range. What are the Carolina islands they call them? And were there three years in initial numbers to Georgia, but it's because the government had a contract but cell phone had a contract with the government so but he was a government employee but belt cellphone worked for Western Electric.

 

Victoria Almaguer  11:02

Okay, wow, that's a lot of traveling.

 

Katy Ponce  11:05

All right. What's your electric would I couldn't explain. Bell Telephone. What's your liquor? Thank god yes. And butter for put into work. They both work together got telephone in Westerly.

 

Victoria Almaguer  11:25

Okay. All righty. One of the questions that we also have was, when you were growing up your son, it was really like an event that happened, an exciting event that happened here. And some of these

 

Katy Ponce  11:39

just disappear. So this and also for yourself, which was a reduced seventh. And then this is either fifth step, which was May 15. Those are big. Those are beautiful. Look forward to that. Those were the biggest six in our life setting the fiestas. What were they

 

Victoria Almaguer  11:56

like?

 

Katy Ponce  11:56

Oh, very enjoyable, very enjoyable, very. Just very, very enjoyable. And a lot of we had a lot of parades and the church, a lot of it took off when the church goes. I forget the word. The chair had a lot of where you walk from church to church as with us, okay, I can't remember anyway. But that's what I remember is all those faces, because we'd get new clothes, and we'd dress up and everything. Everybody was very dressed in that like nowadays and no shorts. Were all dressed up for everything. Fight or not, would you? Would you think about that, whether it was so hard. We didn't even ever conditioners? Okay, those were the big things. And growing up as a child, I remember where I was used to play with mud and farmland. The word water so I started role was to play with my wish to make a lot of characters with mud, airplanes and soldiers and everything. So often, I had my girls engineer one touch. I don't know what to get dirty.

 

Victoria Almaguer  13:24

You grew up and very outside. And

 

Katy Ponce  13:28

right now, we should help pick cotton but there was just for fun. picking cotton for fun making their own pills will confer upon taking the seats off or whatever. And find the light for us to play in the car. In trailer for the con but we were he wasn't they were always there.

 

Victoria Almaguer  13:49

Because it hurts right when you pick the cotton, sometimes.

 

Katy Ponce  13:52

plain cotton. But then if some object falls through the curtain, there's no God.

 

Victoria Almaguer  13:58

Yeah, you can't you can't work with

 

Katy Ponce  14:01

a lot of doors. Okay, a lot of doors after dinner. Because in those days, we didn't have TV.

 

Victoria Almaguer  14:10

So, yeah, there is nothing interrupting that. No. Do you remember if there was like a scary resident antenna beside you? Somebody that was known? Like

 

Katy Ponce  14:22

they used to say they used to say that there was ghosts? No, not really. They claim that your mother's in my in my house and years. years from now, they claim that there was the piano play by itself and all that but we never believe you. But that's what they say. Yeah.

 

Victoria Almaguer  14:44

There's always a lot of scary

 

Katy Ponce  14:45

and not just not the house was remodeled, and my sister remodeled the house and everything is still there. And they claim it's haunted but I don't know which way because my sister remodeled the house. She and her husband appeared on A lot of married women in the house they do it and then she dies she never got she got to see the heart but she never got to live in the house and she she never wanted to sell it after she died her husband sold it and it goes or spirits are there yeah so right

 

Victoria Almaguer  15:21

now the house is sold to somebody else is

 

Katy Ponce  15:25

sick what happened is it the house was was in the middle of we're just stronger but can feels lots of acres okay and fills in the window itself and then father died my brothers started selling property to different people so they could build so right now the house is right here in the middle of nowhere it's right next to that center because right across the high school the school schools and okay so of course the school soccer is a has right across in this there's houses all around it now. No, I don't think it's even an acre I think it's seven acre real now it's in the middle of nowhere. So my sister in my life hoping that some married the family would buy it. But nobody was interested because it's in the middle of nowhere I mean it's in the middle of thing it's not it doesn't have any property it's a beautiful house but anyway your property or just the house memories there has never been none nobody. I felt like kept it. I wonder my grandchildren. I wonder my good I wanted to show it to my grandchildren but the bad people they would allow it because when my former sister remodeling it was kind of the same or very rushed. You change a lot of things because he knows this house is in him always. And she made it to her head Oh into other rooms. In my days we have to cross Orion Rhonda will another Oh my left across one room to go to the bathroom. But she Mauldin Well, good but she never lived in it because she and her husband live downtown.

 

Victoria Almaguer  17:12

Okay, that's a that's a big change from suddenly study

 

Katy Ponce  17:15

to downtown. Well, because firms today people get married when they when they get away from the phones they go downtown. Almost almost sisters, except the ones that were farmers stayed here. They were farmers. Someone quit farmers. I have a have about 50 nephews and only one is a farmer. Wow. He's already my God says he's already 5959 He's the only farmer. One of my brothers says. Everybody left the farmer side works everybody left the farm Yeah, this only one he's doing okay cuz his father left him I didn't know that he continued fire because he liked it. There was really were farmers because they had to listen Listen, your father cooled off from farming. But after father died, I let him just lift the fires when it was wrong.

 

Victoria Almaguer  18:18

How many brothers and how many sisters? Did you

 

Katy Ponce  18:21

sir brothers how many girls would they be? No

 

Victoria Almaguer  18:30

eight. Seven brothers.

 

Katy Ponce  18:34

There was 12 because mother lost one baby. And then she she had a miscarriage and then wonder but that it will work too. So there was Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and five sisters. The breast will go away before before the sisters. But now this only took us left to sister our sister this ad nine in a major six. Will with this only two left in the family. But there's over 300 of consistent classes because everybody continued carrying baby babies. Except today some of us had for 1012 Eight, nine the whole family. That's great. Well the two of us went over had one and I had three in there is a six and etc.

 

Victoria Almaguer  19:30

They continue to play and galore.

 

Katy Ponce  19:33

This word 300 right now.

 

Victoria Almaguer  19:35

That's great. Wow. My mom had 12 siblings. And my dad had seven siblings. Oh, and now my dad only my dad and my uncle are the only living ones right now. Oh really? Yeah. One of my aunts sadly passed away in during COVID Because a COVID Yeah, but we

 

Katy Ponce  19:57

for this lesson.

 

Victoria Almaguer  19:58

I'll Maga

 

Katy Ponce  20:00

See what we're doing now mcginnity high school because I was a wondrously the high school, but I remember that name

 

Victoria Almaguer  20:08

it all. It's very I can't find it anywhere.

 

Katy Ponce  20:12

You know when I was in this letter 90% Well, again goes and goes, there was only 10% Spanish speaking Mexicans, and now it's the left. I don't even know why they are. Because we used to go to church and there was just towards Allah and Wilson I even knew Sam. I don't know where they are. I hear where they live.

 

Victoria Almaguer  20:38

I think we took over his bed

 

Katy Ponce  20:40

but where are they? You know awesome. morphin day a little babies and they moved away from from El Paso. El Paso isn't what it used to be.

 

Victoria Almaguer  20:50

No, I think they mostly laugh because

 

Katy Ponce  20:53

I guess you read for the baby. They knew. They were like Nope. Because she was real word. That is what I had. 90% angles. Gringos 10% And now you don't even see it. Not even a church. I don't know where they are.

 

Victoria Almaguer  21:10

No, we took over. You were talking about the picnics that your mom had made?

 

Katy Ponce  21:16

Oh, she should just fix sandwich or anything and boiled eggs. Fried whatever it took a Sadra pregnant was just like to be just like premix

 

Victoria Almaguer  21:29

Was there a specific food that you liked that she prepared? A specific dish. Like my my dish that my mom makes is Chi listen Allah that they don't really

 

Katy Ponce  21:42

know my cooks at Liberty. I don't even know where she learned how to cook because she Junior sisters maybe I don't know how to cook but she will cook a lot thanks for they didn't have names but now. Now you got Irish Oh managed to cook there but didn't have a name mother's to cook that managed to cook a lot of differences breakage where we think specifically but she also said she also said good chili with meat. And she also had beans. She made her own tortillas every Saturday she made tubs of us bread. She made us a Daniels she made cheese. She milked cows. She did everything she raised chickens, your rates turkeys in this order for Thanksgiving. She raised dogs. She just loved everything. Besides children. He loved everything.

 

Victoria Almaguer  22:40

Is there is there a something that I don't know was passed down to you from a family? Like an item?

 

Katy Ponce  22:51

No. See what happened is when mother died, my and this is surely will my mother or your father died. She got a divorce and she reminded for many years. So her mother died my eldest sister was living with her so she took care of everything. And I never got it. Like I said that time I had my two girls. They were only 18 months apart. So I didn't even care for my children were was my life. And after they grew up to teenager not realize it for mom. Years later I got one. I got a cup and a saucer from our China. Did I bought her by but no, I didn't get anything for father. He left us a lot of property. But for a mom. No, because my sister kept everything. She was only with it. I didn't fight for anything. They didn't care. So happy children. I didn't care.

 

Victoria Almaguer  23:59

Is there a question that you wish you could have asked a family member of your family passed away?

 

Katy Ponce  24:05

Galis is software there's so many things anywheres mother. And I can think of one thing right now but this isn't a new issue because mother was very she was a very proud person. Mother was a very proud person. She didn't talk really anything about herself. She had third fourth cousins in our work colleges but she only went to Western was indeed she didn't like the poor life so she never went back. Father dubernard Mother. But what was the question? Did they give me anything? I get it from her. Know I just learned to be patient and loving and accept life for what it is because she also be an entrepreneur. Same drill under 500%. To my father. She was just there when he died. She was so alone. And nurse, it's our mom now you can give whatever you want. Nora wasn't the same. She just worse. Really?

 

Victoria Almaguer  25:20

Wow. And you don't see that nowadays?

 

Katy Ponce  25:22

No, this is the next thing I got from Mom is to be obedient and accept life for what it is. Period. She was very submissive. You will find it. She was none of us. I don't think any of us follow then I've been submissive in except life and everything because things changed. In those days, a mother was a mother and she stayed home. And that's it. And her mother was a mother and obeyed her husband blah, blah. You don't see that anymore. And I don't think any of my sisters would fit in the category. They say she was like, Mom. No, she wasn't. I have a sister. They were very religious. But But no, there's no way that she's like, wow, because I'm used to the submissive and everything my dad said.

 

Victoria Almaguer  26:29

I don't think I could ever

 

Katy Ponce  26:30

know she was very, it was always he also his father knew farmers or I will sit on Windermere farmers because farmers come home at any time. You have to have their coffee ready their food barrier. At any time. You're always there for them. Wherever she was doing. She had time for the shoe. So make us clothes used to sew for our grandchildren. She had time for birthday. She used to like take care of animals. Milk the Cow should do everything. And every night. Oh one thing one thing I remember. Every night we all went to her bedroom and Nilda Rahner bed and had said the rosary every single night. Every single night we would say the rosary. And it was so funny because she would receive our father to feed the cow or the heavy halibut Halloween. Are you sure the ducks are in another day she will rose? Did anybody really close? In who art in heaven hallowed be thy name and furnish the home? All the person with the family? So I guess the families were involved in inside the prayers. Within there was some fun in the gym. After a Hail Mary, did you milk a cow? Or did you bring the Kassandra? Did you bring down the chicken? Did you close a chicken coop?

 

Victoria Almaguer  27:55

That's amazing though.

 

Katy Ponce  27:57

She used to order she used to she was only one they used to order checks, the post office. So post office all of a sudden we had a lot of chicks and they were moms Jake's she wears a lot of chicks to share time drivers family and chicks and jokers and everything. And to sell for Thanksgiving.

 

Victoria Almaguer  28:16

Wow. So your Thanksgiving we were all for

 

Katy Ponce  28:19

this game when everything went so we always got together to mother dying every year for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter Sunday for the delight, the whole family got together. But after mother died and two father die will continue. But after mother died, everybody was ready to be with your family. So we never got again together again. That that's Saturday, it was very sad. Because we used to afford to just get together. But four times a

 

Victoria Almaguer  28:50

year. And I imagine like since there were so many people.

 

Katy Ponce  28:53

Like I said we should have volleyball teams and baseball teams and any kind of team we hadn't.

 

Victoria Almaguer  29:00

Yeah, you could do that. You were talking about? How about World War Two earlier? How was it like around that time where your brothers? Well, that

 

Katy Ponce  29:11

was a little I was only eight years old. I remember seeing this man they would come. My brother was even my brother but I remember he would just come and visit with a uniform and everything. But it didn't affect me because I was very young. I was eight years old. But I do remember that in I don't remember why but everybody was in school they would give us peanut butter. who take a judge though he was peanut butter. What else was to give us? I remember the other item but this was a given us a school but we didn't know why but two years later I found out it was because he was during World War Two where everybody was more poor or whatever. her kitchen for the day was anyway, my brother was killed in France in 1944. Belt as day. Right?

 

Victoria Almaguer  30:14

And how did your mom take that?

 

Katy Ponce  30:16

Oh my goodness. She never said that to you. She never said to her death. I remember I remember I will that that I heard you my brother was killed in I remember that. The meters braids with black ribbons and put everywhere black ribbon on the door. But it took real hard mother lost him. World War Two he never accepted it. And then he'll she lost her 21 year old also when she was in the hospital, she never accepted this. She never saw her two children then

 

Victoria Almaguer  30:57

you weren't able to bury them or anything? No.

 

Katy Ponce  31:00

They wanted to bring my brothers. But if I felt if my father didn't believe in it, they'll bring you in. It's gonna be your party. So they didn't want anything like that initial picture where did it look? Just you know, picture my father's pillar of it is

 

Victoria Almaguer  31:24

you can take a look at it. Anyway. Wow. That's I just I just I just think it's it's so sad though. Especially around the time because war are we always separates family.

 

Katy Ponce  31:39

Right? Except, you know, since I was so young, I don't remember anything. Yeah, well remember this soldier coming to visit us in all the newest game ever?

 

Victoria Almaguer  31:51

And that was your oldest brother. That

 

Katy Ponce  31:52

was I think it was second. I think it was second. No, I think it was a second brother.

 

Victoria Almaguer  31:59

Okay. Um, another question that we have is when when you drive to Santa Fe Sadio do you stop at a certain spot or is there someplace that you really want to go to or you just visit family?

 

Katy Ponce  32:16

Just the house. It is so sad that the house is in the middle of houses and stores it's right next to the dollars what is their Family Dollar the house this year the high school is here the pizza place is here. The family dollars here and my one of my nephew's is here in this house is around so it's very sad. It's very sad because suddenly you say I love trees in the highway and others know trees. I don't know why they got rid of all the trees and put electric poles or whatever. Today, are you it's so funny this people like the olden days or whatever, but I felt really proud as an outsider anymore. Was that this is kept up it's just a bunch of junk replace. As soon as you come in as soon as you hit the high school. There's Junko lowered

 

Victoria Almaguer  33:22

it's not the same

 

Katy Ponce  33:24

historical people like it another they like all dance I guess because I was born and raised here. I guess I feel like it should be pretty pretty clear. But Lillian Lily, She's my niece and Lilian last of this or this and that me and her I don't even care you know she shows me all these things and we're gonna do tours with her here and she likes all that I guess. History gentle gentle as your whatever. It to me. I don't know where it came from, I guess. Because I feel like we It wasn't that's it. It is sad that's in

 

Victoria Almaguer  34:06

and it's not the same.

 

Katy Ponce  34:10

It is not the same. It is isn't just a different place. Because he was very few there was very, very small community. We only had one school grade school we had grad school newsletter or Clent now there's so many schools were happy with just one school. Neither one school is so beautiful as modernise is correct conditioner. In those days we didn't even everyone didn't me.

 

Victoria Almaguer  34:37

Did you have to drive all the way to

 

Katy Ponce  34:41

no does another stereo bus would take us all our newsletter. But if you want to claim to find your own transportation, but do you swear in the bathroom by your house so we were very lucky you didn't have to walk the bus with a different took us every day at seven o'clock in the morning and bring us back by 233 30 Every single day

 

Victoria Almaguer  35:02

with a different like for Clint, any slit that are usually at a

 

Katy Ponce  35:07

very big prestigious school included was just a little school. So people went to Clint just, they claimed it was easier to study. But because the classes were smaller than this later, this says layout classes were 4050 Children clean, maybe 10, or 20 or less. But my, my, my mother, my father dinner in caribou and dry school or not, because my father always believed that he was going to take care of us. We didn't have to educate ourselves as women, you know, but by the document, so all of us who went to high school except to have dropped?

 

Victoria Almaguer  35:48

And did you enjoy high school? Did you like it?

 

Katy Ponce  35:51

Did you? Oh, yes. But I feel very, I didn't feel comfortable because he would. We're all we all spoke Spanish. It was just I heard Mexicans here. And over there, it was all angles. I felt out of place. It wasn't until about the fourth year did I belt felt comfortable. But I never did because because you know, all the single Look, look, I used to look down at you because I knew every accent or because you weren't and go. Yeah. So but but I enjoyed high school because I got education because a mother Mother is pushed further into this girl is school. But I really don't enjoy high school didn't draw husband was I was very shy. People have fun in high school. I didn't have fun. I was very shy. But we did my sister and I belong to the band. We marched for four years. For us, we will be long the banner will load about three, four parades a year downtown. I mean, you know, pass around the city. Why did you play so there was the bell bell in Mississippi to saxophone. And there was only out in the fall used to let us go to WWE, which go to the parties or print next. If it had to do with the band. We're allowed to do that.

 

Victoria Almaguer  37:15

Okay, and how did you meet your husband?

 

Katy Ponce  37:19

When my one of my brothers got married? He was a he was the best man. And that was one that made me the one what are the dogmas? And I said that I just liked him for the beginning. And I gotta fit on my door talk and we don't get it together. Go now with my sister Heather, in your boyfriend. So that's when and after two years. We got married after you after a few months was very engaged. And after another year, we got married.

 

Victoria Almaguer  37:53

And he was from Sunday to Saturday.

 

Katy Ponce  37:54

So Clint. He also clicked into Europe. It's so awful. It's bad because we used to play a lot of different kinds of sports with Clint. It I never noticed it because I found out when I made fun of I didn't notice it because he was very dark complected. And I like the gringos. But he wasn't agreeing about when he but after that when she went in the Army in the Navy. She was lighter. But when he was including high school, I never even I don't even remember him. He used to play the football game with us. And basketball games and everything and not remembering at all.

 

Victoria Almaguer  38:38

Well, maybe you bumped into him during band and you know.

 

Katy Ponce  38:43

No, no, I didn't notice it until my brother when a brother got married. And I liked him from the beginning. So I made sure it was gonna remain. Yeah, so I had my sister's boyfriend invited him to double date. And so we we

 

Victoria Almaguer  38:59

dated and how was dating during that time?

 

Katy Ponce  39:03

My father was very strict. Where'd you lie? You become liars. When when you Father Mother you every place we went because there was three girls. Your brother would take us out but we all had different things. When I was go to the movies I would go bowling different things by the used to say as long as you're here. As long as you're here to see today. She mother knew because we even went to watch us a few days. Which I said no no. We're thinking father knew him but they say Father was now he knew that's what they say they knew. But it wasn't necessarily father Neverland regard with him. Not even forward engaged to be married. Not even a month before we got married. I had to carry my head take either my small brother mother sister with us everywhere you want she he will let us date that even before that is true though because I He was very strict in that department. Mine too. And mother would cover up for us. She was good. She would just say, just be sure it be here at the same time. So my brother would leave us your different places and pick us up and then we'll came home. Same time. And Father was sleep sipsey. But the cliff father wasn't dumb. He knew what was going on. He was like, No, he was he was a very, very good aspirin. But there was no room for too much to me because of all the children. I guess he was too busy making, making and making money for Indian dining. They live in everything. They work for their children. Yeah. Does that well, that's sad because he used to go to Mexico City was the is promise was to go to Mexico City and visit Vista, a leader with a loop with the IRS. Every year. He says everyone knows great, it's the Hydra the customers muchas cosas. In other words, Mexico City. He had a promise to do that. And he did for about 20 years. Wow. As he would take us, such as he would take us because there was three of us. She would take one or the other one or the girls just with him.

 

Victoria Almaguer  41:20

And you ended up going one

 

Katy Ponce  41:23

way they're going twice and my other sister twice. And my oldest sister, Marina Mexican from our colonists, who was a policeman. And we came when he came to this do, the passages are nearly done. Those are nearly he learned how to work with tractors and everything. He learned everything that farmer knows. In a murderer about five years. He was a very smart policeman.

 

Victoria Almaguer  41:52

Wow. That's very interesting. She meant someone over there.

 

Katy Ponce  41:57

It was what I was interested in. Once he came here. He didn't go back home. And he was a breadwinner of his family. But he just didn't know he just liked it so much. And he just stayed here. Yeah, it remembers my phone. This server had to be a real farmer. Because he didn't know anything about farming.

 

Victoria Almaguer  42:24

I barely visited one on Pato for the first time in my whole life with my dad in February. Yeah, and I didn't know I had like 20 cousins.

 

Katy Ponce  42:35

Oh, yes, it is

 

Victoria Almaguer  42:36

amazing going.

 

Katy Ponce  42:38

We have a few naugus mothers his mother was the only child she had second classes or whatever. So but we weren't they were second third cousins. Though it was very nice. But they were real poor and now they're doctors. They're lawyers. They have pharmacy milk whatever pastures their very mother only saw the poor side. Yeah, so she knew I wanted to go back.

 

Victoria Almaguer  43:08

Yeah, I know you were talking about the city. The improvements and everything. Is there something that you wish they could do different suddenly Sadio

 

Katy Ponce  43:20

Well, the main street coming in the main street you know, give me a hold those junky cars or or or houses are falling I don't know. Well, right because it's it used to be a nice family and community but now it's getting towards to junkie and I don't even know all of it because I just found out last year to deselect a property on that side. Oh, let me see on that side, luckily as for layers, layers grandfather foster used to live the three years there's a rapper period and that said that I didn't even know there was it's clearer cleaner. But real reals nearly I don't know. I don't know what they can employ. Just to make it more attractive by people's come anyway. This hysterical people I don't know what they see in it. But that's how I'm pretty cynical people are they like old places. Yeah, they do. But But this the Senate, it used to be just very few houses in a lot of land. And now there's very few. There's not any land. There's just houses and houses and houses. You'll see a big piece of property anymore. You really don't know maybe those cybernetic design. How can they improve you know, everything you say wouldn't be improved.

 

Victoria Almaguer  45:00

Um, well, one of the last questions that I have is you personally, anything else that you want to add from your childhood, anything else that you want to add from growing up?

 

Katy Ponce  45:16

Well, the best thing that I remember is going through midnight mass. And after midnight mass coming home, and we all knew what kind of instrument will classes that played instruments, so there was about 10 of us that will get together and plickers the skills after the benign mass for about an hour or two, there was Mother mother mother, she was always at a game. She was very close to the teacher and the music teachers and they, so I think that's what helped her a lot. But we all we all played some kind of instrument. There was the cousins from the north from El Paso. They lived in a person they they live two years and they live for about five years. And we all had just kind of instruments so we'd get together and play Christmas carols right after midnight mass. But during those days never even know for chocolate. I remember cookies I remember it is only remembers playing you have to play you have to play that song.

 

Victoria Almaguer  46:26

That was Christmas. That was

 

Katy Ponce  46:28

the best Christmas or Fourth of July great picnics. Great fell in. My mother was alive. Big bricks was a thing. Every special occasion. Thanksgiving was got together Christian we got together picnics were July 4, and Easter Sunday with a lot of cars gun owners a lot of Tech's were there in the farm in the middle of nowhere and claimed in the farm law this food all day long. And we never got sick and unlike the main is another No. We hit the foot there all day long. It was not a long picnic with any refrigerators or ice or anything. And I don't think anybody died.

 

Victoria Almaguer  47:16

What was your mother's name?

 

Katy Ponce  47:18

Anita? Let me tell you something very much and it was Anna Maria. You won't believe in my one of my daughters named her girl, Annie Murray. And we didn't even think that there was Mother's Day I suggested it my mother baptize the mother of this golden cup. Anna Maria. It was so weird that it was two years later, we realized leisten and new Marie was Anna Maria. My my 59 year old daughter has a girl by the name of this 25 year old girl. Her name is Eddie Murray. But we didn't realize it at the time that she named her that it was mother's name.

 

Victoria Almaguer  48:16

Alright, sweet. All right,

 

Katy Ponce  48:18

but they're not taking over but anyway.

 

Victoria Almaguer  48:22

And your father's name?

 

Katy Ponce  48:23

What was it for that? Shoe? He was just Francisco, Francisco. But other former friends called him Frank. Frank Mexicans, Colin Kiko. But my other farmers friend, because he learned a lot from from the gringo farmers for college. He learned a lot. That's I think that's why he wouldn't have and then there was the only real meal in the afternoon. It was Ralph Gonzalez, Raul Gonzalez. And he was my father's friend. So he taught him also a lot of this. But first president learned so much. I just can't believe he learned so much with a third grade education.

 

Victoria Almaguer  49:12

My dad too. He just got two fours they think and he loves to read. He didn't know how to read and write and he liked Dudley. But he writes

 

Katy Ponce  49:23

I don't know how father, subtract and the money and the money and everything. But he became a very prominent, rich farmer.

 

Victoria Almaguer  49:34

Well, those are the questions that I have Miss Johnson