KAREN: So, in 1965 when you started as the health aide did you get paid for that work?

TRUDY: Uh-hum (negative). You know we didn't get paid for quite some time and when they did pay us it was very little. But it was pay, so we didn't care. We liked our jobs - Barbara and Marge and I.

KAREN: That's Barbara Johnson, Marge Adams, is that who you're talking about?

TRUDY: Uh-huh (affirmative).

KAREN: Do you remember how much you got paid?

TRUDY: No, I never paid attention to it. Never, even now, even before I got sick I didn't know how much I was getting when I was working. Didn't care. Money means so little to me. Now, I'm by myself, I can verify the fact that we have such a hard time by our self. We're living in a home, but that's it.

My little boy says: “Oh, my mom's coming, my mom's coming. I am so happy, my mom's coming.”

“Why are you so happy?”

“Well, my mom always come with money.”

I told him: “What do you think I am?” I said: “I'm not working over there, I'm living there, I just live there. I don't get paid to live there.”

“Oh, now I'm not gonna ever ask you for money again.”

KAREN: So, when did you stop being a health aide?

TRUDY: I knew that was gonna come up and I didn't --

KAREN: Remember how long you did it for?

TRUDY: Not too long ago.

KAREN: So, you've been retired five years, ten years?

TRUDY: That was a bad question to ask me.

KAREN: Okay. Well maybe you'll remember it as we go along.

TRUDY: Yeah. My daughter will know.

KAREN: Ok. Yeah, partly just to know how long you did it, so how it changed along the way.

TRUDY: Well, I lived in the Sitka Home for three years, four, five, maybe about six years.

KAREN: You've been retired about six years?

TRUDY: I think.

KAREN: You think. Okay. That's close. That's about 2000.

TRUDY: Because when I went to the hospital, I asked to be transferred to the Sitka Home and they transferred me to the Sitka Hospital.

And I said: “I said the Home.” And they said: “Well, the Home is in here.” I said: “That's for the birds. I don't want to stay here.”