Catherine experience the Dustbowl and its effects when she was still a little girl. This event happened last April 14, 1935, when she was with her mother and grandmother. She described it as death clouds that surrounded their house. She was so afraid of this sight and felt that death was on its way. However, she obeyed what her grandmother told her, to pray to God asked Him to make it go away.
All the following days were stressful for their family. Her mother kept everything under a cloth, to keep things from dirt and tried to keep their food, water, and milk clean. Catherine thought that it would never end. Still, they managed to survive the DustBowl.