"In the ranch, we gathered glass, flowered glass that was broken, little rocks and everything and we would play. For the broom, we would go and cut switches from the river. We would gather them and tie them with a wire. That is how we swept, the patio and inside the house. On the ranch, a woman who was the daughter of don Romulo made us dolls from socks. We would get together with his two daughters to play with dolls. We would gather fallen flowers from the trees like pomegranates. There was a whole row of pomegranates with the red flowers. We would put flowers everywhere and we played with the dolls. That is what we did. They would assign us to gather herbs like mint because my father would sell mint in Morenci. Watercress. That is what we cut at the edge of the ditch. My father planted flowers and don Romulo told him it was very good for whooping cough. We would gather the flower and dry it so he could take to don José. To him, he would take all that. My father would bring us candy, things that he sold, salt. Things that he could get there [at don José’s store]. Flour. He sold herbs, that gentleman. He also sold candy and things like that. My father traded.

On the ranch we would help. We would dig; gather the hay when he cut it. We had to pick it up, turn it over so that it would dry. We would put it on the wagon. My father pulled the wagon with the horses. My brother Sabino and I would be on either side with the rakes throwing the hay in [the wagon]. When the floods came, my father always had a place so that we could up and when the water started coming up to the trees, he made us get blankets and go up under the mesquite trees. We had to go up. My father would tie the wagons to the trees with chains because the river would take them. It [the river] got to the corner of the house. We would go up to stay there the whole night. During the day we had to be ready but at night we would go up to stay under the mesquite trees.

I used to go help an old lady in Newtown. She ironed people’s clothes. I went to help her iron and she gave me a canary. Afterwards I wanted to buy another one and she gave it to me also. I used to go help her because she gave me food and I ate very comfortably with her. She would send herbs to my mother. [Now} I have all kinds [of canaries]. I have yellow ones, painted ones, white ones. This year I had 67 canaries. Now I am selling them because they [my children] do not let me have so much work."