Trench chicken

Fri., September 27, 1935 - Warmer today.  Robert came after his assignments this morning.  He has trench mouth.  Howard came after me tonite.  We had chicken feed at lodge.
Sat., September 28, 1935 - Went to Norfolk with Irene, Helen, Mrs. Iversen, and Theola Nuss.  Got a new coat, dress, and slippers.  Annie and Ola here tonite.  Adolph and Alvina Nelsen stayed here tonite.  Uncle Hans here a little.
Sun., September 29, 1935 - Adolph and Alvina left this morning.  I went to S.S. and church.  Ray was home this afternoon.  Tonite Mom and I played Squeak and put a jig-saw puzzle together.

Poor Robert with trench mouth.  I had heard of it, but that was the extent of my knowledge until now.  As uncomfortable as the term may or may not sound, it is far better than the technical name, Acute Necrotizing Ulcerative Gingivitis.

From merckmanuals.com:

The term trench mouth comes from World War I, when many soldiers in the trenches developed the infection. Trench mouth is now rare, but minor gum infections involving just a few teeth probably occur relatively commonly. The severe form usually affects only people with an impaired immune system. Trench mouth is not contagious.

Trench mouth is a painful infection of the gums, causing pain, fever, and sometimes fatigue.  If the normal bacteria in the mouth overgrow, the gums can become infected.  The gums hurt, and people sometimes have extremely bad breath.  A professional cleaning, sometimes followed by hydrogen peroxide rinses and antibiotics, plus good oral hygiene are effective.

The infection is caused by an abnormal overgrowth of the bacteria that normally exist harmlessly in the mouth. Poor oral hygiene usually contributes to the development of trench mouth, as do physical or emotional stress, poor diet, and lack of sleep. The infection occurs most often in people who have gingivitis and then experience a stressful event (for example, final exam week or military basic training). Trench mouth is far more common among smokers than nonsmokers.

So there you have it.

I hope it was a chicken feed at lodge and not just chicken feed.  Gracious.

Not much to work with

Tues., September 24, 1935 - I put the curtains up this morning.  The children thought they were pretty.
Wed., September 25, 1935 - Robert absent today.  We got a load of coal at school tonite about 5:00.  The basement floor and everything else is black down there.
Thurs., September 26, 1935 - Robert still gone.  Rather cold today.  Corrected papers, averaged grades, and made out report cards tonite.

Grandma sure isn't giving me much to work with lately.  But, on we go.

I do note that it seems teachers spending their own money (I am guessing that is what Grandma did here) for classroom improvements and supplies is not a recent phenomenon. 

Over here, over there?

Sat., September 21, 1935 - Slept late.  Washed clothes and started making the school curtains.  Mom and I went down town tonite.
Sun., September 22, 1935 - Ray cut down a cottonwood tree over home this morning and brought it over here.  He left for Wayne about 1:30.  At about 2:00 Art Kahler, his wife and their baby came here.  We were surely surprised.  Art is working in Plainview.  He has a lovely wife.  Mom and I finished the school curtains this evening.  Howard brought me to Goodlings.
Mon., September 23, 1935 - I pressed the new curtains tonite after school.  Went to bed early.

I wonder what the distinction is between "over home" and "over here".  I assume "over here" is the house in Winside.  Did Grussfather and Grussmother own two properties in 1935?

The flag and a tea

Wed., September 18, 1935 - We said the flag salute outside this morning.  They finished grading past the school house today.  Irene and Helen came up after school.  We finished our orders.  Went to town with Goodlings for about an hour tonite.  Mom wasn't at home.  She was at the free movies.
Thurs., September 19, 1935 - We put the flag up and had the flag salute outside again this morning.  Hot today.  We played ball again.  Washed and waved my hair tonite.
Fri., September 20, 1935 - Partly cloudy this a.m.  Played Indian baseball with the girls.  Tonite Mom and I went to Hoskins to see the "Womanless Tea" with Howard and the girls.

The school flag, like the one above, would have had 48 stars.  And here's a little trivia about that from USFlag.org:

     On July 4,1912, the U.S. flag grew to 48 stars with the addition of New Mexico (January 6th, 1912) and Arizona (February 14, 1912).  An Executive Order of President Taft dated June 24, 1912 - established the proportions of the flag and provided for arrangement of the stars in six horizontal rows of eight each, a single point of each star to be upward. This flag was official for 47 years, longer than any other flag, through two World Wars and the emergence of the United States of America as the leading nation of the world. Eight Presidents served under this flag; William H. Taft (1909-1913), Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921), Warren Harding (1921-1923), Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929), Herbert Hoover (1929-1933), Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945), Harry S.Truman (1945-1953), Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961).

The flag aside, I see there was another Womanless Tea.  Must have been quite the deal at the time.

Grapes

Sun., September 15, 1935 - Ray was home this afternoon.  Tonite Howard took me to Charlie Jochens.  They told us yesterday we could have some grapes if we came after them, so we did.
Mon., September 16, 1935 - My glasses didn't come today.  Irene came up after school.  We got our order partly made out.
Tues., September 17, 1935 - I got my glasses today.  They feel fine.  We all played ball together this noon.

Grandma didn't give me much to work with, so here's some information on grapes from, of course, wikipedia:

     The cultivation of the domesticated grape began 6,000–8,000 years ago in the Near East.  Yeast, one of the earliest domesticated microorganisms, occurs naturally on the skins of grapes, leading to the discovery of alcoholic drinks such as wine. The earliest archeological evidence for a dominant position of wine-making in human culture dates from 8,000 years ago in Georgia. The oldest known winery was found in Armenia, dating to around 4000 BC. By the 9th century AD the city of Shiraz was known to produce some of the finest wines in the Middle East. Thus it has been proposed that Syrah red wine is named after Shiraz, a city in Persia where the grape was used to make Shirazi wine. Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics record the cultivation of purple grapes, and history attests to the ancient Greeks, Phoenicians, and Romans growing purple grapes for both eating and wine production. The growing of grapes would later spread to other regions in Europe, as well as North Africa, and eventually in North America.

     In North America, native grapes belonging to various species of the Vitis genus proliferate in the wild across the continent, and were a part of the diet of many Native Americans, but were considered by European colonists to be unsuitable for wine. Vitis vinifera cultivars were imported for that purpose.

I am guessing The Jochens grapes were the native versus, not the high-society cultivars import from Europe.  But . . . I might be wrong.  Adding to the mystery, if one wants to call it that, is the following from wikipedia.  Those varieties that might grow in the Midwest are notably absent from this list:

     Most grapes come from cultivars of Vitis vinifera, the European grapevine native to the Mediterranean and Central Asia. Minor amounts of fruit and wine come from American and Asian species such as:
     Vitis amurensis is the most important Asian species.
     Vitis labrusca, the North American table and grape juice grapevines (including the Concord cultivar), sometimes used for wine, are native to the Eastern United States and Canada.
     Vitis mustangensis, (the mustang grape) found in Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, and Oklahoma.
     Vitis riparia, a wild vine of North America, is sometimes used for winemaking and for jam. It is native to the entire Eastern U.S. and north to Quebec.
     Vitis rotundifolia (the muscadines) used for jams and wine, are native to the Southeastern United States from Delaware to the Gulf of Mexico.

Given all that, as long as there is wine on the shelf at the store when I'm thirsty for it, I'm good.

P.S.  I snagged the photo from wikipedia, too.

The answer to a question I hadn't thought of

Thurs., September 12, 1935 - Face better today.  Howard took me into town tonite.
Fri., September 13, 1935 - Had today off for the Fair.  I went to Norfolk with Howard and had my eyes tested for glasses.  Went to Lodge tonite.
Sat., September 14, 1935 - Mom and I went to Wayne this morning on the train.  Went up to Meta's until after dinner and went to the Fair with Ray.  Came home with Ola and Annie.  Jochens brought us some grapes.

I realize now that I never knew when Grandma started wearing glasses -- from peeking ahead, I can confirm she did get some after this particular appointment.  I do not recall seeing photos of her wearing any in her younger days.  So, either she did not have them prior to 1935 or always took them off for photos.  I can't see her being vain about that, so if she did maybe it was to prevent glare from the flash.