The Owl?

February 24, 1931 - Ralph called up about 8 o'clock and wanted to know if I wanted to go to the dance.  I said "yes!"  About 15 minutes later "the Owl" called up.  I kidded him along and said if he'd called up about 15 minutes earlier, it would have been all right.  It wouldn't have been, but why tell him.  The music was marvelous.  Even better it seems to me than Geo. Lee's.  Ralph is working in the filling station now that Chris is sick and can't work.
February 25, 1931 - Dr. Haney spoke in chapel about her experiences as a student in the American Academy at Rome.  She said she saw men stomping out the juice from grapes for wine with their feet, and that it was better than any Temperance lecture!  Her talk was interesting.  This evening Rev. Luendin spoke about China before the Lutheran and International Relations Clubs.  His talk opened up a new side to this question about China and its fighting.  Florence S. stopped a few minutes at suppertime.  She came to Wayne with her dad.
February 26, 1931 - Got a letter from Loretta today.  She's had the chickenpox, no wonder she didn't feel good when I talked to her Sunday.  Went down town with Barbara and Jane after school.  They brought me back up the hill.  I had a narrow escape right out here in front of the house.  It taught me to "look out for the cars"!  Jane got her class pin and Barbara her ring today.  They're both real pretty.  Studied until 10 o'clock tonite.  Mrs. Smith, Aunt Mildred and I played 500 before supper.

Well, where to start?  Who is The Owl, I wonder?  And such a sassy thing for Grandma to tease him that way.  Oh, and speaking of which -- Mom and Nancy and Anna and I had a bit of a discussion about whether Grandma knew she left behind this diaries from her youth and whether she would approve of us giggling and marvelling at her exploits.  There wasn't too much that got past Grandma and she was pretty organized.  Organized enough to save the little slips of paper upon which her bridal shower guests wrote advice to the new bride.  And that is just one example.  So, I am willing to bet (and hoping to be right) that Grandma knew the diaries were in the trunk and knew they would likely be read.  And since this blog is not a world-wide phenomenon, I think I/we are okay continuing on.

Am I interpreting Dr. Haney's speech to mean the sight of men stomping grapes into wine was enough to turn her off of ever drinking?  If so, I find that rather funny.  I wonder how awful the scene was -- ugly men, dirty men, juice flying everywhere, flies flying everywhere?  Maybe baring bare feet in public was frowned upon in 1931.

Do you suppose Grandma was counting how many times she had thought of this or that young gentleman when she almost got hit by a car?

I can look it up, but does anyone know the card game 500?  I am pretty sure I have never heard of it.  Unless it is some game I know played to a winning score of 500.