A play?

Sun., February 17, 1935 - Slept late this morning.  Howard brought me to Goodlings tonite.
Mon., February 18, 1935 - Mr. Mann visited school today.  He posted the notice that school meeting to elect teachers would be March 5.  Practiced at North School tonite.  Read all three acts.
Tues., February 19, 1935 - Practiced just the first act tonite.  Walked up to school tonite and was there about 15 minutes before anyone came.

I admit I peeked ahead but did not find the name of the play or anything at all about it, other than the performance went off as planned.  Major bummer -- I would have liked to have known what it was.

For no particular reason, here is a photo of Aunt Irene and Grandma with some admirers.

Bustin' a move at the dance

Thurs., February 14, 1935 - Had our Valentine party at school this afternoon.  I got some pretty valentines.
Fri., February 15, 1935 - Roads in a terrible condition.  Went to card club at Davis' tonite.  Walkers, Frances, and Hank weren't there.
Sat., February 16, 1935 - Colder today, so roads are solid.  Not very many at our dance at Carroll.  Had a good time anyway.  It was pretty cold in the pavilion.

Glad to hear they had a good time with a smallish, but obviously fun-loving dance crowd.

Gosh darn, but that's cute

Mon., February 11, 1935 - Fred and Herb N. at school before me this morning.  Went to town with Irene and Helen tonite.  We wrote out invitations for our dance this Saturday nite.
Tues., February 12, 1935 - Foggy today.  I felt more tired today than yesterday.  Studied my part this eve.  Howard stopped a few minutes "to see how I looked" he said.
Wed., February 13, 1935 - Rained this p.m.  We were going to practice tonite but it was too rainy.  I studied my part and worked on the maps.  Irene stopped on way home from Pete's to see if anyone had come to practice.

Oh, be still my heart, Grandpa.  What a sweet guy.  My only frame of reference as to Grandma and Grandpa is as an -- ahem -- older couple.  They were grandparents and only grandparents to me.  What I wouldn't give to have seen them at this young age.

Alright, who's chopping onions around here?

Who is that?

Wed., February 6, 1935 - 
Thurs., February 7, 1935 - 
Fri., February 8, 1935 - Ruby treated with candy for her birthday.  Went to Lodge tonite.
Sat., February 9, 1935 - Played lazy today.  Tonite embroidered and played cards.
Sun., February 10, 1935 - Slept too late to go to S.S.  Uncle Harry, Aunt Mary, and Walter were here this p.m.  I worked on maps.  Howard and I went to Hoskins tonite to get music for Sat. nite and then to Chris & Clara's to get the watch Irene left there today.

I know sometimes the titles of uncle and aunt were used rather loosely, but loose or not I am not coming up with any Harry or Mary to go with a Harry or a Walter.

With nothing else coming to mind, I will end here by sharing two photos I found of kids at 28S, but not when Grandma was teaching because these photos were taken in 1922 when Grandma was still in school herself.  Perhaps I should, but I am not recognizing any of the kids except Grandpa clear on the right in both.

Questions, questions

Sun., February 3, 1935 - To S.S. and church.  Taught Mrs. W.'s class.  Slept all p.m.  We had oyster soup for supper.  Howard and I saw Will Rogers in "The County Chairman" at Wayne tonite.  Irene & Helen gave me an apron and Ray gave me hankies for my birthday.
Mon., February 4, 1935 - Very tired today.  The kids are glad to have the question books which came Fri.  Went to bed early tonite.
Tues., February 5, 1935 - Somewhat colder today.  Had rice for hot lunch.  The eighth grade started tonite to review history after school.

Did Grandpa not get Grandma a birthday gift?  Was it not appropriate for him to do so?  If he did get her something, what was it and why didn't she mention it?  So many questions -- including the plot of the movie.  This is the extent of what I found:

Based on George Ade's play which, in part, was based on an incident in a 1902 election in Wyoming, with women's-right-to-vote playing a large role. Here, Jim Hackler, local party-boss in a Wyoming county, has to decide to do what's right and lose the election, or what's wrong and win it. [from IMDB]

And that's it for now.

It took some research

Thurs., January 31, 1935 - Warm again.  Mud tracks in easily these days.  We had mashed potatoes and macaroni for hot lunch.
Fri., February 1, 1935 - A letter came from Mom today saying that Meta's baby had died and was to be buried tomorrow.  Howard took me to card club at Iversen's tonite.  After others had gone, we talked about the play until 2:45.
Sat., February 2, 1935 - Ray came home this a.m.  Ordered play books.  Went to funeral this p.m.  Uncle Hans, children and families were at our place afterwards.  Attended S.S. teacher and workers' meeting tonite at Niemann's with Alma.

Without Grandma's 1934 diary, I had a bit of trouble finding out what baby died.  I am glad I called Mom to ask what she knew, because her information pointed me in the right direction.  The Meta is Meta Rose Brogren.  She was married to a Lyle Shipley and had three children (that I've found so far anyway) before they divorced and she married Robert McDonald.  The baby was Vernon Ray Shipley born November 11, 1934 and he died on January 31.  I could not find a photo of his tombstone.

I know Grandma was an adult with a job and everything, but living at home and keeping some of the hours she kept just keeps me shaking my head.

Another day at school

Mon., January 28, 1935 - Nice today, kids could play outside.  Both Marjories absent with colds.  Finished making out report cards tonite.  Mom was to mail an order today for question and answer book and question books.
Tues., January 29, 1935 - Another warm day.  We had baked beans and mashed potatoes today.  Got a letter from Evie, she's in Chicago working for her uncle.  Answered the letter tonite.
Wed., January 30, 1935 - Still warm.  Donald W. treated today with popcorn balls for his birthday.

I found this photo when I was organizing my sewing room, or trying to organize it at least.  I do not know the year or who the kids are, but that's Grandma for sure.  I found lots of other treasures while I was organizing, but of course not the one thing I wanted most to find.  Oh, well.  Today is another day.

Phineas T.

Fri., January 25, 1935 - Lovely warm day -- even thawed.  Everybody out at noon.  Mr. Goodling took me to town after school.  To Lodge tonite.  I was to have Card Club next Fri. but Grandma is going to have the cancer under her arm treated Tues. so will have it later.
Sat., January 26, 1935 - Snowed a little.  Mom and I washed clothes.  Went down town tonite, bought a dish pan to use at school.  Ray came home about 10:00 and we talked until 12:30.
Sun., January 27, 1935 - Didn't go to S.S. - slept too late.  Ray and I teased each other all day.  Saw Wallace Beery in "The Mighty Barnum" at Wayne tonite.  We (Howard & I) saw Alma and John after the show and we had lunch together at the Palace.

As one would guess, "The Mighty Barnum" is about P. T. Barnum.  Wallace Beery must have looked a lot like the man, or else he just did a good job, but he played ol' P. T. four years earlier in "A Lady's Morals", a highly fictionalized biography of singer Jenny Lind.  I had to look up Ms. Lind and found the following, courtesy of wikipedia:

     Johanna Maria Lind (6 October 1820 – 2 November 1887), better known as Jenny Lind, was a Swedish opera singer, often known as the "Swedish Nightingale". One of the most highly regarded singers of the 19th century, she performed in soprano roles in opera in Sweden and across Europe, and undertook an extraordinarily popular concert tour of America beginning in 1850. She was a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music from 1840.

     Lind became famous after her performance in Der Freischütz in Sweden in 1838. Within a few years, she had suffered vocal damage, but the singing teacher Manuel García saved her voice. She was in great demand in opera roles throughout Sweden and northern Europe during the 1840s, and was closely associated with Felix Mendelssohn. After two acclaimed seasons in London, she announced her retirement from opera at the age of 29.

     In 1850, Lind went to America at the invitation of the showman P. T. Barnum. She gave 93 large-scale concerts for him and then continued to tour under her own management. She earned more than $350,000 from these concerts, donating the proceeds to charities, principally the endowment of free schools in Sweden. With her new husband, Otto Goldschmidt, she returned to Europe in 1852 where she had three children and gave occasional concerts over the next two decades, settling in England in 1855. From 1882, for some years, she was a professor of singing at the Royal College of Music in London.

Oh, and P. T. stands for Phineas Taylor.