This collection of stories for school age readers chronicles the everyday life of a California family during the Great Depression of the 1930's. Each story is based on and inspired by the memories of Marian Louise Moore Wolfe as she and her brother, Hibbard, grew, explored, and played against a backdrop of poverty. Being a gold miner, Marian's father held onto the dream that one day they would strike it rich. Marian's mother, having grown up in a successful farming family, had a perspective that was rooted in worry and embarrassment. Through it all, the family hangs on waiting for better times, allowing us to witness the strength and resilience of the human spirit.