Pecking order

Fri., November 22, 2002 - A home nurse came again.  I had Meals on Wheels today.  I called Jean.  Mary & kids came this evening -- they brought soup.
Sat., November 23, 2002 - Tom & Merilyn left Sunday a.m. for Laughlin.  A home nurse came again.  I called Ray.  Mary brought noon meal - a beef & vegetable mixture -- very good.
Sun., November 24, 2002 - I baked a pumpkin pie.  Nancy came & ironed for me.  Tom called from Laughlin to find out how I was.  Bill, Jenny & Patty came in p.m.  We had pie for lunch.

I wonder how it is Jean got called before Uncle Ray.  Maybe she had tried to reach Grandma or something.  Her birthday was in May, so it wasn't that.

I wish I could remember more of the fun sayings Jean tossed around often.  The only one I recall is "for crying out the window."

Here's the Christensen family.  I think Uncle Pete looks rather handsome here.  Jean looks waaay to serious for how I remember her.

Now what??

Sun., March 21, 1937 - Left for Pete's at 9:00.  Had a blow-out 3 miles east on the highway.  Met the folks at the South school & went with them.  Went over to Rews for supper.  Jensens, Iversens & we were the guests.  Had a very delicious meal.
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Wed., March 24, 1937 - Howard over to Holtgrews his a.m.  To Wayne this p.m. with Lettman.  Started to snow about 2:30 -- a regular blizzard by evening.
Thurs., March 25, 1937 - Clear and thawing.  Howard went over to Holtgrews to finish working on the tractor this p.m.

I wonder how, in the days before cell phones, that Grandma and Grandpa managed to meet up with Grandpa's parents (I'm guessing) after having a blow-out.  All sorts of ways how it could have worked out, but I'm curious nonetheless.  Problem is, I'll never know.

I titled this "Now what??" because I believe I am at the end of Grandma's diaries from the 1930's.  I know there's nothing more for 1937 in this particular diary because I paged through to the very end.  So, it is up to me to figure out where I left off when I diverged from when she was living in Lincoln to back when she was a young, unmarried lady.  Who knows how long it will take me to find the spot I need and then find the right journal to pick up there I left off.  I vow to try to make it sooner rather than later.

In the meantime, and I do hope it's a short break, here is a photo of Grandma's door tag from the Pioneer House.  As some will recall, she voluntarily took part in a little scheme to check on some of the residents living there.  In the morning, those with tags were to put them on the outside doorknob of their unit.  Then, a volunteer would check all the participating doorknobs to look for tags.  A tag showing would mean the resident was up and about and okay.  If one was not visible, the resident would be called or a knock made on the door just to be sure all was well.  The tag was to be brought back inside each evening.

When we were cleaning out Grandma's unit after she died, I decided to take her tag.  When I see it, I am reminded that everything is okay.  And I rather like that.

A Sunday recipe, finally

Fri., December 25, 1936 - I finished the holders while Howard baked peppernuts.  Were over home for dinner.  All the kids there.  Got some lovely presents.  Spent the evening at home eating nuts & candy.
Sat., December 26, 1936 - Cleaned up the house.  Invited to Jo's for supper.  Those there:  Rews, Iversen kids, Clara's, Margaret's, Alma & John.  Ate too much as usual.  Jean & Marjorie came home with us.
Sun., December 27, 1936 - We got up late.  Between spells we played 500 Rummy.  We all played tonite.  Irene went back to Sunol today.

How fun to imagine Grandpa baking peppernuts so Grandma could finish her handiwork.

I do not recall Grandma or anyone else making this recipe, but it's in her book and in her handwriting.  I'll gladly be corrected if she did make it often and I'm just not remembering.  It certainly is a possibility.  Also possible it was made for Christmas once or twice.

Fudgie Scotch Ring

1 cup (6 oz. pkg) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup (6 oz. pkg) butterscotch chips
1 can Borden Eagle Brand Condensed milk
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. walnut halves
Maraschino cherries, if desired

Melt chips and condensed milk in top of double boiler over hot (not boiling) water.  Stir occasionally til morsels melt and mixture begins to thicken.  Remove from heat -- add chopped walnuts and vanilla.  Blend well.  Chill 1 hour til mixture thickens.  Line bottom of 9" pie pan with a 12" square of foil.  Place 3/4 cup walnut halves in bottom of pan, forming a 2" wide flat ring.  Spoon chocolate mixture in small mounds on top of nuts to form a ring.  Decorate with remaining nuts.  Add maraschino cherries if desired.  Chill in refrigerator until firm enough to slice. Cut into 1/2 inch slices.

I am guessing once the mounds are in place, you spread the mixture out a bit to also make a 2" wide flat ring.

The lovely 1936 Christmas card is from:  https://the-light-keeper.blogspot.com

Being Danish

Sat., December 19, 1936 - Iny came home today.  Cleaned the house.  Irene, Helen, Bess, & Dorothea came over tonite for our slumber party!  Iny & Bess slept on the lounge.  Howard stayed over home.
Sun., December 20, 1936 - Up to Margaret's for dinner with the folks.  Had a grand dinner.  Tonite we & the Rews were over home and made candy.
Mon., December 21, 1936 - Made some candy.  One batch failed, but the other O.K.  Went to town tonite to lodge Xmas party.  Everybody brought candy or popcorn.  The lodge bought apples.

I can just see Grandpa's reaction to an upcoming slumber party at his house.  I wonder how quickly he beat feet out the door.  Haha.  First no birthday celebration, and now this.

I went to my first Danish Sisterhood of American function this weekend.  It was not a regular monthly meeting, but their annual district convention.  Which was very nice as there were people not in our local lodge there, meaning there were extra people to visit with.  I learned over supper (and it was news to most of us at the table) that back in the earlier days of Danish immigration, there were basically two groups -- Happy Danes and Holy Danes.  The Holy Danes were very strict due to religious beliefs.  The lady next to me at supper was probably in her 70's and she said she was not allowed to go to movies or dances, and there was not a deck of cards in their house until she was in high school when her mother apparently thought she was old enough to handle the temptations and evils attached to playing cards.  She said she played Solitaire, which I imagine was fairly safe.  From what I gathered, the Holy Danes were, for whatever reason, more likely to put aside their "Danishness" -- traditions and history, etc.

The Happy Danes liked to drink and dance and were eager to embrace and preserve their "Danishness".  Based on the above photo (Uncle Nels Petersen and Peter Iversen), and the thousands of hours spent playing cards in just my childhood, I am sure that we are descended from Happy Danes.  I think I will take the photo to the next meeting as my proof.

But back to Holy v. Happy Danes.  When the Danish Museum that eventually ended up in Elk Horn, Iowa was being contemplated, the nearby town of Kimballton thought they should have the museum because they were Happy Danes and were the ones already preserving their heritage.  However, someone gifted land in Elk Horn to the museum (in their will or otherwise, I didn't hear) and that clinched that.  There were hard feelings between the two towns (only about three miles away from each other = awkward) for quite awhile.

But, that is behind them now and the museum, genealogy center, and windmill are quite the big deal for the general area.

Slow down, already

Fri., September 18, 1936 - Raymond and Howard still cutting and fixing the binder each day. We went with Raymond and Helen to a party dance at Hoskins -- Gus Perskes and Ed Schellenbergs among those giving it.
Sat., September 19, 1936 - Howard, Raymond, and Dad ground fodder this a.m.  I went with Helen, her mother, Clara & kids & Jo to Wayne to 4-H Club fair and school exhibit.  Howard and I went to town tonite.
Sun., September 20, 1936 - Chris & Clara, Elmer & Myrtle, Mike, Peter, & the folks were here today.  The men made the silo bigger.  We were over to Lettmans awhile this evening.  Howard wanted to see Ed Heithold.

Seems everyone is quite busy, busy, busy.  Glad there was some down-time involved.

Interesting how Maggie is Helen's mother and not Grandma's mother-in-law or Mrs. Iversen or something like that.  Nothing to infer, but somewhat interesting.  To me, anyway.  Here's an undated photo with some of the many people mentioned in this post.  Who is that with their arms folded in the background?  For that matter, who is sitting next to Maggie/Little Grandma?

Off to western Nebraska

Sun., August 16, 1936 - Had the dinner with Bess, Dorathea, Irene, Raymond, Helen, Alma and John B. here.  Everything just fine.  Pete's stopped awhile late this afternoon.
Mon., August 17, 1936 - Howard away bailing.  Went over to the folks.  I ironed while they packed.  Helen & Mrs. I. are taking Irene to Sunol tomorrow.  They're going to visit relatives in Colorado, too.  Stayed home while Howard went to Lodge.
Tues., August 18, 1936 - Went to town to wash.  On my way home Stopped to see Florence.  Emelia, Marcella, and Dallas were there.

There is a Sunol, California but, after confirming with Mom, I can say with confidence that Grandma is talking about Sunol, Nebraska.  It is in the Panhandle and therefore, close to Colorado.  And, Aunt Irene taught there.

I am not confused about that, but now I have Grandma calling her grandparents and her in-laws "the folks" so I may be confused every now and then about that.

Photo is of Sunol, Nebraska.  There's not much to say about the town, I suppose.  The population as per the 2010 census was 73.  It was platted in 1909 and a post office was established at Sunol in 1910, and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1973.

Credit:  By Ammodramus - Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14957510

Getting closer

Fri., May 29, 1936 - We baked today.  I had to go down town this p.m.  I was to meet Alma to buy a shower gift for Lena Nieman Miller but she went to Norfolk.
Sat., May 30, 1936 - Decoration Day.  We went out to the cemetery at 6:30.  Came home, had breakfast and went out to "the place" and painted.  Came home at noon.  Aunt Emma, Hilda, Roland, and Seigfreid here in p.m.  Mom and I hemmed napkins.  I went after Ray tonite.
Sun., May 31, 1936 - Ray, Howard, Marian and I went out to the place and painted a while.  Sunday evening Ola brought Willie down.  Howard and Marian took Ray to Jones', Willie to Hamer's and Irene to Pete Christensen's.  It rained a very little bit around 11:30.

Any readers out there will immediately note the use of "Marian" in the May 31 entry.  There's nothing in Grandma's diary for that day, but there's a folded up piece of paper stuck in there with Grandma's handwritten notes for May 30, and Grandma Anna's notes for May 31.  Grandma Anna also comes to the rescue on June 1 and I'll post that next time.  I guess Marian had a lot on her plate coming down to the wire.

The newspaper clipping from the wedding (also stuck between the pages of the diary) reports Grandma's bouquet contained blue delphinium, and white sweet peas and roses.  I can't get much from the wedding photo regarding the delphinium, but here's a photo of some that may or may not resemble the type she had.  Photo from outsidepride.com.

Radium treatment

Thurs., October 24, 1935 - Nice warm day.  Margaret and Allen Christensen visited school this afternoon.  Grandmother had another radium treatment today.  Aunt Emma is going to stay here until Saturday nite.
Fri., October 25, 1935 - Cloudy and sprinkled a little this morning.  Went to lodge tonite.  Howard brought me up the hill.
Sat., October 26, 1935 - Drove out to Florenz Niemann's to have Irene's and my order signed, took the orders to Irene, stopped at Wagners to tell Edna I couldn't have card club this Friday.  Went to Norfolk about 11:00 with Helen and Irene.  They had been to Wayne and cashed my order.  Went to the Masquerade party at Uncle Hans' tonite.  I got first prize for the girls.  It was a picture.

I am not sure why Grussmother had radium treatments, but I researched a little bit and found the beginning of the end of such treatments.  From wikipedia:

     Concerns about radium were brought up before the United States Senate by California Senator John D. Works as early as 1915. In a floor speech he quoted letters from doctors asking about the efficacy of the products that were marketed. He stressed that radiation had the effect of making many cancers worse, many doctors thought the belief that radium could be used to cure cancers at that stage of the development of therapy was a "delusion" — one doctor quoted cited a failure-to-success rate of 100 to 1 — and the effects of radium water were undemonstrated.

     Around the start of the 1920s, new public health concerns were sparked by the deaths of factory workers at a radioluminescent watch factory, later referred to as the Radium Girls. In 1932, a well-known industrialist, Eben Byers died of radiation poisoning from the use of Radithor, a radium water guaranteed by the manufacturer to contain 2 μCi of radium. Cases sprung up of the development of carcinoma in patients who had used conventional radium therapy up to 40 years after the original treatments.

     The Radium Girls were female factory workers who contracted radiation poisoning from painting watch dials with self-luminous paint. Painting was done by women at three different sites in the United States, and the term now applies to the women working at the facilities. The first, United States Radium factory in Orange, New Jersey, beginning around 1917, at Ottawa, Illinois, beginning in the early 1920s, and a third facility in Waterbury, Connecticut.

     The women in each facility had been told the paint was harmless, and subsequently ingested deadly amounts of radium after being instructed to "point" their brushes on their lips in order to give them a fine point; some also painted their fingernails, face and teeth with the glowing substance. The women were instructed to point their brushes because using rags, or a water rinse, caused them to waste too much time and waste too much of the material made from powdered radium, gum arabic and water.

     Five of the women in New Jersey challenged their employer in a case over the right of individual workers who contract occupational diseases to sue their employers under New Jersey's occupational injuries law, which at the time had a two-year statute of limitations, but settled out of court. Five women in Illinois who were employees of the Radiant Dial Company (which was unaffiliated with the United States Radium Corporation) sued their employer under Illinois law, winning damages in 1938.

She's an Energizer Bunny -- more canning

Thurs., August 22, 1935 - Canned 2 quarts and 2 pints of tomatoes.  Boiled some apples for apple butter.  Meta and Melvin, Alma, and Mrs. Loebsack were here this afternoon.
Fri., August 23, 1935 - Felt punk today.  Boiled apples for jell.  Uncle Hans here in p.m.  He, Grandma R., Lillie and Hans are going to Dalton this weekend.  Alma and I went to lodge and came home from lodge together.  Rebekah picnic at Pete Christensen's September 8.
Sat., August 24, 1935 - Canned 4 quarts and 2 pints of tomatoes, 3 quarts of apple juice and 4 quarts of apple pulp.  Ola here a few minutes at noon.  Rained tonight but Howard came up anyway.  Got a card from Aunt Emma saying we could have pickles if we wanted them.

I think it's time for some Winside history, this installment is for 1911:

     January 5, the Halstead stock of dry goods and groceries has been purchased by George Gabler.
     January 19, Fred Bright bought the Lloyd Prince interest in the Winside Dray and will take possession February 1.
     February 2, T. A. Strong has taken over route No. 2 succeeding Dick Waddell.
     February 9, Mesdames Grace Cavanaugh, Lydia Needham and Lute Miller of the Woman's Club, went before the town board to present the Free Public Library idea to them.  The board will act on this next month.
     February 11, Helen Hoffman's school, the Rew District, made $58.00 clear on their box supper.
     February 16, the band played a few selections in the band stand this afternoon.  The day was warm and just like summer.
    February 23, W. D. Whitaker is the new agent of the railroad.
     March 2, H. O. Sipp and family have moved to Gordon, Nebraska; Godfrey Shabrum and family to Sheridan county; Art Larken and wife to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; W. J. Templeton and family to Wessington, South Dakota.
     March 2, Fire destroyed the Wm. Thies pool hall.
     March 16, Mrs. R. B. Crawford was granted a divorce claiming non-support.  Her husband owned the business section of Winside from 1884 to 1886.
     March 23, Library benefit play, "Grand Opera at Persimmon Ridge," was given to a packed house.
     April 13, J. R. Mundy moved to Aurora, Illinois.
     April 14, Sam Reichert drove home his new International automobile.
     May 4, George Gabler is the first merchant to deliver his groceries by auto.
     May 25, most of our autoists can get up enough speed to go up a hill on "high" except when they are accompanied by a young lady.  Then for some reason they are obliged to use the "low."  This is said to be no fault of the machines.
     June 8, Walter Gaebler has a new Mitchell auto.
     June 23, those taking the 8th grade examinations today are:  Gladys Mettlen, Naomi McDaniels, John Mettlen, Clarence Henderson, Minnie Stamm, Mary Von Seggern, Katie Dimmel, Caroline Dysart, Leo Farran and Alta Prince.
     August 10, the horrible looking telephone wires on main street will be placed in a cable this month.
     September 14, depot platform has been taken up and is being replaced by brick.
     October 12, rummage auction sale was held to benefit the library.
     November 2, Champ Clark spoke three minutes from the rear of the train to an unusually large crowd.
     November 2, Prof. Bicknell arranged a debate in the opera house on the question, "Which has done more to determine the destiny of a nation, Lincoln or Jefferson."  A .W. Stockham and M. H. Boyle supported Lincoln and Walter Gaebler and Dr. B. M. McIntyre, Jefferson.  Mrs. I. O. Brown sang two selections and Tot Chapin rendered a piano solo.  Jefferson debaters won.

A few findings --  I found a very short summary of the play: "Wax figures" with vacant stare and jerky movement sing killing songs. Uproariously funny.  I guess we'll take them at their word.  Also, from wikipedia:  James Beauchamp "Champ" Clark was a prominent American politician in the Democratic Party from the 1890's until his death.  He represented Missouri in the United States House of Representatives and served as Speaker of the House from 1911 to 1919.   I read elsewhere in the Winside history book a piece about Dr. McIntrye.  It portrayed him as quite the good person.  I'll get around to adding some of those biographies once I've finished with the year-by-year information.

I've used the photo before, but here's a nice one of the Pete Christensen family.

Another birthday

Tues., February 26, 1935 - Warmer today, thawed some.  To practice at South school with Walkers and Howard.  Put up stage.  Howard went back to Pete's again tonite.
Wed., February 27, 1935 - Warm and thawing today.  Marjorie C. treated with homemade candy for her birthday.  Practice again.  Vaudeville entertainers there tonite.  Howard went to Pete's again.
Thurs., February 28, 1935 - We had mashed potatoes and macaroni for hot lunch.  Dress rehearsal tonite.  Went to practice with Walkers and Howard.

I looked it up and little Marjorie was 7 years old in 1935.  I thought I had a photo of when she was a young girl, but after several days of thinking and looking and finding nothing suitable, I am going with the above photo of the Christensen family; Marjorie, Jean, Pete, Margaret and Allen.  A fine looking bunch.

A bit of 1934 after all

Thurs., January 10, 1935 - Have quite a bad cough today.  Went to Carroll to installation tonite with Helen, Irene, Margaret C. and Howard.  Treasurer wasn't there and Helen didn't have to say her part.  Lucky girl!
Fri., January 11, 1935 - To Wayne for installation tonite and dance afterward.  Had a flat tire on way home three miles east of Winside.  Didn't get home until 3:30.
Sat., January 12, 1935 - Rained this p.m.  Slept until 10:00 a.m. and napped in p.m.  Mom and I went down town this eve.  Annabelle was here last nite until this p.m.  Read until about 10:00 tonite.

I am going to guess that Margaret is Aunt Margaret Christensen and so I'm adding her to the labels on this post.

As alluded to earlier, so far as we know there is no 1934 diary of Grandma's available, but I do have the Winside history book so I'll add some 1934 news even though it is not as personal as a diary.  There's enough that I'll split it between this post and the next.  Off we go:

     January 2, 96 applications for corn-hog loans to date in the county.
     January 30, Guy Sanders, local trucker, was hit by the afternoon passenger train near the Benshoof feed yards.  His cab was badly smashed and when the man was found, he was bleeding quite badly.  First aid was given and the train took him to a Wayne hospital -- He passed away February 1.
     February 1, Mrs. Minnie Morrow was reappointed postmaster for another four years.
     February 4, Ed. Krause, a resident of Wayne county since 1882, was called to rest.
     February 15, Mrs. David Koch passed away.
     March 1, Weible Mercantile Co. is remodeling their store -- the store will be operated on a cash basis hereafter.
     March 4, Walter Gaebler threw his hat in the political arena when he filed for state representative on the Democratic ticket.
     March 22, Glen Hamm has been organizing a Rural Baseball League of which he is president.
     March 28, Citizens State Bank pays out first dividend, or 25 per cent.
     April 12, bonded indebtedness in Winside, $24,000; Carroll, $71,200; Wayne, $445,000.
     April 12, CWA died a natural death -- FERA took its place with 113 men in the county at work.
     April 26,  small fire in the St. Paul's Lutheran garage did about $100 worth of damage.
     April 29, the high school girls' glee club under Miss Rachael Bracken gave a delightful program over WJAG at Norfolk.
     May 16, Steve Porter filed for sheriff.
     May 24, Tribune issued a special school edition.
     June 16, the Winside Bakery, under the management of Wallace Brubaker, quit business.  He had leased the shop the past 18 months from Anton Vondra.

I like that the baker's name was Brubaker . . .

Here is a little about FERA (courtesy of wikipedia), something I had previously heard nothing about:

     The Federal Emergency Relief Administration was the new name given by the Roosevelt Administration to the Emergency Relief Administration (ERA) which President Herbert Hoover had created in 1932. FERA was established as a result of the Federal Emergency Relief Act and was replaced in 1935 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA).

     FERA's main goal was to alleviate household unemployment by creating new unskilled jobs in local and state government. Jobs were more expensive than direct cash payments (called "the dole"), but were psychologically more beneficial to the unemployed, who wanted any sort of job, for self-esteem, to play the role of male breadwinner. From May 1933 until it closed in December, 1935, FERA gave states and localities $3.1 billion (5.54 billion in 2017).  FERA provided work for over 20 million people and developed facilities on public lands across the country.

     Faced with continued high unemployment and concerns for public welfare during the coming winter of 1933-34, FERA instituted the Civil Works Administration (CWA) as a $400 million short-term measure to get people to work. The Federal Emergency Relief Administration was shut down in 1935 and its work taken over by two completely new federal agencies, the Works Progress Administration and the Social Security Administration.

Welcome to Post No. Four Hundred . . . One

"April 3, 2002:  Mary here at noon so I could shower.  Book Club meeting in evening.
April 4, 2002:  I called Myrtle in a.m.  Baked dilly bread.  Tom here for supper.  We played Rummikub.  Bill called -- he has made an appointment at Dental Clinic for me on April 17.  Tom took my laundry home.
April 5, 2002:  An uneventful day.  I called Raymond -- all okay with him."

I missed announcing the last post was Number 400.  But, the sun came up this morning, so it is all good.

Ah, Dilly Bread!  One of life's greatest pleasures in my book.  Especially lightly toasted with a bit of butter.  I was in a little shop some time back and the two ladies working there were talking with one another.  As it turns out, and as they shared with me, one of them is a big dill fan.  I asked if she had ever had Dilly Bread.  Not only had she not had the pleasure, she had never heard of it.  I promptly got the recipe from Mom and took it to her a few days later, much to her surprise.  The last time I checked, she had not made it yet but I will stop in again some time and check.  Of course, I have forgotten her name now but if I just ask for the Big Dill Fan, I should be okay.

Here's a great photo of some family picnic.  I know I wasn't there since I wasn't born yet, so I don't know if anyone brought Dilly Bread.  That's Aunt Margaret, Aunt Myrtle, Little Grandma, Aunt Kate (I think), and Aunt Clara in back.

Lots of 'Cubing going on

"November 15, 2001:  Myrtle called in a.m.  Started reading new book.
November 16, 2001:  Nancy came for supper.  Then my shower and some Rummicube.
November 18, 2001:  Nancy came a little after 12:00.  Went shopping.  Went to Sears to get bathroom rugs.  Saw Kenneth Jaeger.  Had a real nice visit with him.  Ate at the Village Inn -- then home and played a game of Rummicube."

As previously mentioned, Grandma wanted the paint in the bedroom and living room of her new place to match the old place as closely as possible.  I was given free rein to pick the color for the bathroom.  Not that there was much wall space to paint, but I went with a light lavender.  I didn't think I could go wrong with that.  And now I can't remember what color rugs she got for in there.  Oh, well.

I looked just now at Amazon.com to see if it was Grandma or I who was spelling "Rummicube" right.  Turns out neither of us were; she consistently put Rummicub and I thought for sure that should have an "e" at the end, given the way we pronounce it.  In truth, it is Rummikub, so I'll endeavor to be correct from now on.  Interesting to note, but not enough for me to purchase, that there are miniature versions, Attache Rummikub and Travel Rummikub.  Both sound way too little to mess with, but in a pinch I guess all bets would be off.

Speaking of Aunt Myrtle, here's this great photo of (l. to r.) Aunt Margaret, Aunt Myrtle, Little Grandma , Aunt Clara and . . . Aunt Kate?

Chillin' and then not

"August 7, 1992:  In the last two days we've had a good 1 1/2 inches of rain.  Still using two blankets to cover with at night.
August 9, 1992:  Greta, Dorothy, Helen and I went to Stanton church for joint services.  Then to Norfolk and took Irene to eat at the Village Inn.  Hot today -- no rain for 2 days!!
August 11, 1992:  Rain and wind last night.  Put the border on Jayson's quilt top."

I wonder what temperature Grandma considered hot given the days and days of cool.  As my one science teacher taught me, temperatures are constant but "hot" and "cold" changes with a person's perspective.  I can't remember his name.  He was very funny and wore cool shoes.

Here's a cool photo I found.  I recognize Aunt Margaret, Aunt Myrtle, Little Grandma, and Aunt Clara.  The woman on the right with the purse on her lap and the one standing with her head turned I am unsure of.  The one standing could be Mom but I wouldn't be the farm on it.  Maybe half the farm.  I really like Aunt Clara's smile.

Just stuff

"March 8, 1992:  Rained during day -- heavier in evening turned to sleet and snow during night.
March 9, 1992:  No school.
March 11, 1992:  LCW meeting.
March 13, 1992:  Pinochle Club at Leona B.'s"

Seriously, that is what Grandma had for March 8.  Even I noticed several sentence structure mistakes there.  But, she wasn't writing a novel, just recording events. 

Funny how she commented on school being out when she hadn't taught for several years.  Old habits.

Here's a photo of me from 1969 wearing a "school is called off for today" smile and holding an umbrella that might have been useful on March 8, 1992.  I am also wearing one of my most favoritest dresses.  The jumper was fake leather and had fringe on the bottom.  I think I saved it and brought it home when we cleaned out Mom's house.  The occasion of the photo was Grandma's birthday.  I see Dorothy Jo, Grandma Anna, Grandma and Mom.  Is that Aunt Margaret to the left and Aunt Clara with her back to the camera?

Something from Aunt Irene

Here's Aunt Irene at her typewriter, a caricature she had done at Disneyland some time or other.  I have copies and/or drafts of some of the speeches she gave to Chatterlings, a women's speaking group sponsored by Bank of America.  I thought I would give Grandma a little rest and instead put together two versions Aunt Irene typed out about this event, taking what I thought was the best from each.  It's a bit long, but I found it quite charming to read. 

Madam Chairman, Madam President, Fellow Chatterlings and guests,

I am going to ask you to let your imaginations run rampant and come with me as I take you to Denmark to be present at a golden wedding celebration. This was one of the most memorable incidents on my trip to Europe a few years ago. It appealed to me so much, I believe because of the "down-to-earthness", if I may coin a phrase, the sincerity and the genuine joy and enthusiasm that predominated the entire round of festivities.

The honored couple were Nels and Nelsigne Christensen, brother and wife of my eldest brother-in-law who with my sister had gone to Denmark for this auspicious occasion. Peter, Margaret, my cousin who lives in Copenhagen and I drove up to the little village of Skjorring where the event took place. We drove out through some of the most beautiful countryside and scenery that one could imagine. There were the farms, many of the buildings with thatched roofs, storks’ nests on the chimneys, the well-ordered fields and all the things I had read and heard about but really couldn’t imagine existed. We had to cross a rather large body of water, the Stort Balt, which translated means "the large body of water", it was on a ferry-type thing but actually looked like an ocean liner to me. It seemed that everyone on board was in a gay and festive mood and the people so friendly that I became even more elated at the thought of attending this wedding anniversary. Our arrival was quite exciting as there are very few cars in that area; people either walked, rode bicycles or buses to reach their destinations. The daring modern young folk had bikes with putt-putts. Imagine this little village, houses with thatched roofs, everything immaculate and the friendly inhabitants all of whom were looking forward to this big event. We parked the car at the barn which had housed the cattle and walked up to the house. The walkway was lined with the brightest and largest calendulas I had ever seen. I took time to notice the lawn which appeared to have been cut and trimmed with a precision tool, here and there were other bright and colorful flowers. Our greeting was most enthusiastic and of course, tearful. Nels and Nelsigne had planned more than two years for this, they had even raised the hogs and beef that were slaughtered, had budgeted their pension so that he could have a new black suit and she a new black dress.

They lived in a duplex, the son with his family in one part. We arrived late afternoon and were asked to come in to the house, made comfortable and first thing were offered a drink. The preliminaries took place in the tiny living room of the honored couple. We were then invited to go over to the side where the son lived. There was a table laden with more food than I thought could be concocted. We had to partake of everything as that is the way to show your appreciation to your host and hostess. After that we went back to the small living room for more talk, about all I could do was listen as I hadn’t become very proficient in speaking the language. Sensing that I was looking rather drowsy, someone suggested that my cousin and I might like to go to bed. We slept at the prest’s home, that is the minister. The bedroom was upstairs, a large room devoid of any furniture other than two beds stacked to the ceiling with feather mattresses and pillows. A single light bulb hung from the ceiling in the middle of the room and I have never disrobed so quickly as I did that night so I would not have to be the one to turn it out and crawl in to the stack of feather beds. I had with me the pair of red flannel pajamas that had been give me by one of my bosses and with them on, I scrambled to bed. I beat that undressing race, incidentally. I heard my cousin giggling as she crawled in to her bed, she spoke Danish to me and I tried to answer but whether it was right or not, I’ll never know; she laughed harder than ever. It seemed I had just gone to sleep when I heard a voice, "Irena, Irena". I came out from under the feathers and realized that it was time to get up and join the festivities. I fell out of bed, washed my face with water that I do believe had a thin coating of ice on it. There was a silver pitcher with water and a bowl standing on the washstand and the most beautiful hand-loomed and hand-embroidered towels to use. We dressed, ran down the hill and joined the villagers who were at the back of the house waiting to sing. And sing we did. I sang as lustily as the rest as the man who had a radio shop in the village led the singers after giving us the pitch. The shuttered windows opened and there were Nels and Nelsigne. They bade us come in and have coffee and rolls. That is one of the customs, they do not leave the bedroom until these songs are sung. There must have been about thirty of the townspeople there. It was about six in the morning. Then the gifts began to arrive. I had purchased what I thought was a lovely bit of ceramic art and carried it all the way with me from Alhambra and if you know what the Danish ceramics are like, you can appreciate how I felt. They were very gracious about it and let it have a place of honor since it was from America.

At noon the relatives were entertained at a sumptuous luncheon at the town hall. This meal was prepared and served by the ladies of the village. This was the time for toasts and each toast was followed by a straight shot of Akavit. Since I was from America I was given a place of honor among the family and unfortunately I was seated between their son and son-in-law. My sister Margaret had cautioned me before we got to the dining hall, "Irene do be careful, they think it is great sport to get a foreigner slightly inebriated." I toasted merrily along. I was asked to make a toast and in my faltering Danish I really don’t know what I said, but it brought a big round of applause and I noticed some of the hardy ones took about three Akavits to polish that one off. Following that repast we went back to the home again and there we met the press. They had come out from Randers, a town about 25 miles away where the largest paper of that area was published. My brother-in-law gave them a detailed resume of industry in the States and agriculture in general and then he thought I should tell them something about the Bank of America. But in my Akavit stage I begged off with a few facts, frankly I didn’t trust myself as I thought I might divulge some secrets that would give some enterprising young man or woman in the crowd an idea of founding a bank.

The evening was the gala affair. I believe everyone in the village was there along with all the relatives who had come quite a distance. Everyone was dressed in his best. The ladies wore formals, formals which had seen many other parties and no doubt would see many more. One of the women of the family had married well, a Swedish industrialist. She was most striking in her formal and he a giant of a man in his tails, but most gracious. I could hardly manage Danish and completely flopped when I tried to understand what he was saying in Swedish. There were lovely flower arrangements and the china and silver were beautiful. The cooks had outdone themselves, I finally lost count of the courses that were served. This was again a time for toasts and more Akavit, I was beginning to wish I had acquired a taste for something other than a good dry martini, but I stuck with them. By that time I didn’t mind that I didn’t have a formal, but just a polished cotton, cut rather low and daring.

Following the speeches and the poems that the family had written in honor of their parents, the room was cleared for dancing. There was a three-piece orchestra with a real beat and as is customary the honorees dance the first dance with no one else on the floor. Nelsigne had a heart condition so they took one slow turn around the floor for the opening waltz and drew a big hand. She was escorted to a chair where she sat the rest of the night and watched. She fairly beamed and I wish you could have seen that round face, lined with wrinkles but just beaming and her eyes twinkled through the little gold-rimmed glasses. Nels however, had the time of this life, he hardly missed a dance. His blood pressure was getting out of line, his face was flushed and his daughter said he should stop, but he said he had not danced with "den lille Amerikaner", imagine me being called little, so she consented and he took me whirling around the room. I don’t know whose blood pressure was higher, I do know his hearing aid flew out of his ear, but he traolled merrily on.

The party ended about two in the morning, 20 hours of celebrating. The next day the Danish flag was not flying from every residence as it had on their day, but I am sure Nels and Nelsigne were left with many wonderful memories and certainly it left me with some of the pleasantest memories that I still enjoy. It proved to me that it is not always necessary to have big and costly things to entertain us, the simple appreciated things such as this golden wedding celebration, are really worthwhile in this hectic world of ours.

A birthday party

"June 30, 1990:  Rick, Mary and Nancy came in p.m.
July 1, 1990:  Greta had a birthday dinner.  Rick, Mary, Nancy, Irene, Raymond, Marina, Helen, John, Dorothy Jo, Howard and I were there.  Visited all afternoon."

Quite the birthday party, I would say.  Grandma didn't say so, but I am sure Lester was there, too.  I can believe with that group we did visit all afternoon.  Bet there was quite a bit of laughing, too.  This is probably due in part to the fact that the family left Fehmarn once upon a time.

I did some genealogy reseach last year and kept finding that Grandma Anna's ancestors on her mother's side were from different cities, but all the cities were part of Fehmarn, Germany.  I knew people weren't as mobile way back then as they are now, but it was so curious that every single person was from this Fehmarn.  I looked it up and found an easy answer to my question -- Fehmarn is an island.

It is between Germany and Denmark, very close to both.  For being only 70 square miles is size, it has quite a history.  Unfortunately the history is of conflict and war and slavery and burned ships and burned churches and torture going back to at least the 8th century.  If I remember correctly, Grandma Anna's mother (who was born on Fehmarn) was not the cheeriest, easy-goingist person around.  I forgive her completely.  It seems that starting life on Fehmarn would have been sobering at best.

The photo above is of Mom when we were in Rhinebeck, New York for the old timey air show in 2008.  She looks to be having fun and the air show hadn't even started yet.

Speaking of birthdays, my cursory peek at the one family history book shows that February birthdays include Aunt Margaret, Aunt Clara, Aunt Irene, Aunt Helen and Marjorie.