Some things don't change

November 19, 1932 - We got up late.  Mom came for me about 9:30.  We went over to Behmers, I got my order.  I washed and fingerwavd my hair. We went out to Ola's this evening, got Ray, and invited them in for dinner tomorrow.  Ray got a library book for me.  I finished it before I went to bed.
November 20, 1932 - Mom went to church, but I stayed home and got dinner.  After dinner we played Michigan.  Leeroy acted up as usual and the things Annabel didn't tell.  Ray brought me to Walkers.  I went to church with them this evening.
November 21, 1932 - Rather warm today.  Harry H. came into the school this afternoon at 2nd recess with a gun.  It gave me such a scare I could hardly talk for a few minutes.  We listened to the radio this evening and I read.  Max Stahl birthday.

With recent events in the news, I will not comment on Grandma's reaction to having a gun in school.  Obviously, nothing happened with Grandma and her pupils, thank goodness.  Here's a movie poster for a 1932 western.

A couple of mix-ups

November 16, 1932 - Got to school later than usual this morning.  Miss Sewell and Loren Agler visited the last period this afternoon.  I'm surely glad that's over.  I got a ride home with Earl Miller.  Early to bed this evening for me.  Mr. C. H. Walker's birthday.
November 17, 1932 - Rode to school with Mr. Walker this morning.  Nurnbergs came over this evening for ice cream. The neighbors (Maas, F. Jochens, C. Jochens, A. Walker, Rev. Schmitt) surprised Mrs. Walker for her birthday tonite.  Thought at first they meant to chaviari Bob and wife, we even had them hid on the stairs. The young folks played games upstairs in the girls' room.  Mrs. C. H. Walker's birthday, Mary Kahler birthday.
November 18, 1932 - I was so tired this morning.  The weatherman tried to give us a blizzard this p.m. but failed.  We went to Wittlers tonite for 6:30 dinner.  Played dominoes and ate candy afterward. Had a good time.

I got mixed up, as did the folks back in 1932.  As I was typing, I saw that Grandma had Mr. Walker's birthday on the 16th, but then was writing about Mrs. Walker's birthday on the 17th.  As I finished, I see that she was correct -- obviously their birthdays were a day apart, and apparently no one celebrated for Mr. Walker.  Then I kept reading and the surprise party had everyone fooled it seems.

Here is some information you may not know about dominoes.  From wikipedia:

     Dominoes (or dominos) is a game played with rectangular "domino" tiles. The domino gaming pieces make up a domino set, sometimes called a deck or pack. The traditional Sino-European domino set consists of 28 dominoes, colloquially nicknamed bones, cards, tiles, tickets, stones, or spinners. Each domino is a rectangular tile with a line dividing its face into two square ends. Each end is marked with a number of spots (also called pips, nips, or dobs) or is blank. The backs of the dominoes in a set are indistinguishable, either blank or having some common design. A domino set is a generic gaming device, similar to playing cards or dice, in that a variety of games can be played with a set.

     The earliest mention of dominoes is from Song dynasty China, found in the text Former Events in Wulin. Dominoes first appeared in Italy during the 18th century, and although it is unknown how Chinese dominoes developed into the modern game, it is speculated that Italian missionaries in China may have brought the game to Europe.

     The name "domino" is from the resemblance to a kind of hood worn during the Venice carnival.

And there you have it.

Wait, smoking?

November 13, 1932 - Alex, Lloyd and Mayme came at 7:30.  I hadn't expected them until 9:30.  We left Winside about 9:00.  Had a flat tire before we got to Wayne.  We had dinner at Correctionville, Iowa.  We went on to Cushing, which is about 40 miles east of Sioux City.  Lloyd went to see about basing a filling station there.  We drove around in S.C. on our way home.  Got to Walkers in time for supper, went to church in eve.  Louis M. took me home.  [There is a small newspaper clipping taped to the diary page.  Here it is, misspellings and all:  Misses Marion Anderson and Mayme Hall, Allen Brune and Lloyd Voss motored to Cushing, Ia., Sunday on business.]
November 14, 1932 - Rather chilly in the school house this morning.  Kids playing in sand table all the time.  The 5 & 6 Reading Class is going to start making Robinson Crusoe's home in connection with the story.  Mike went back to P. Schurich's today.  Listed to the radio this evening.
November 15, 1932 - Got a ride to school with Mr. Walker.  We kids went to Nurnbergs tonite to the shower for Bob and Louise.  In the mock wedding Charlotte was the preacher; Evie, bridesmaid; Helen, best man; Mote, groom; Minnie, ring bearer; George and Arnold N., train bearers; myself, bride.  They danced, played cards and smoked!  I had quite a good time.

I see with her exclamation point that Grandma was as horrified by the smoking as I was!  (Well, maybe she wasn't, but she did use that particular punctuation for one reason or another.)

I never had to, nor voluntarily read Robinson Crusoe.  I am thinking I probably should, right after A Lantern in Her Hand.

I haven't heard of a mock wedding at a shower, but it makes some sense.  I understand that back in that time, couples generally didn't plan a big to-do in advance.  They went and quietly got married with their witnesses in tow and then had showers and celebrations with family later.  So, since most everyone missed the ceremony, perhaps the mock wedding was part of how they did things then.  I can see where it would be pretty fun.

Another Iversen sighting and a recipe

November 10, 1932 - Not quite so windy today as yesterday.  Little snow flurries every once in a while.  Got a ride to school with Bud and home with Earl Miller.  Mike came home today.  Jack Kemp birthday.
November 11, 1932 - Ray came after me tonite.  He nailed up the holes in the foundation.  I went to Rebekah Lodge tonite.  After lodge I went to the Armistice dance at Carroll with Iversens.  We had a good time although there wasn't a very large crowd.  (Got sand for sand table today.)
November 12, 1932 - Went to Wayne on the train with Alma L.  Went to see Miss Sewell and Aunt Mildred.  We just about missed the train coming home, had to run for it.  Ray and I were all ready to go to a dance at Uncle Hans' tonite when Willie came and said it was called off.  Ola and Annie, Aunt Lena, Edwin, Florence F. came up and we played Michigan and had lunch.

Does anyone know who Willie is in this instance?  I don't recall a Willie in any of Grandma's previous diary entries.

I was going to resurrect the Sunday recipe posts I did when I first started this way back when with a post yesterday.  But I ended up feeling lousy due to a stomach bug and didn't post at all.  So, here it is Monday and I'm doing a recipe anyway.  I asked Mom for Grandma's recipe book some time ago for a Christmas present project that didn't pan out as I would have liked.  But I still have the book and will find something.

Since it is still sort of zucchini season, here's the recipe Grandma used for zucchini bread.  Her note says she got the recipe from Mom.

Zucchini Nut Bread

3 eggs, beaten
2 c. sugar
1 1/2 t. vanilla
1 c. salad oil
2 c. grated zucchini
3 c. flour
1 t. salt
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. cloves
1 t. baking soda
1/4 t. baking powder
1/2 c. nuts, optional.

Mix eggs, sugar, vanilla, oil and zucchini together.  Add the dry ingredients and mix.  Add nuts*.  Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour or more.  Makes 2 loaves. Freezes well.

*Grandma didn't indicate when to add the nuts exactly, but I'm guessing after everything else is mixed based on previous baking experience.

I do not have the knowledge of trains to tell if the photo is something like the train Grandma would have taken between Wayne and Winside, but it is a train photo nonetheless.

A new president

November 7, 1932 - I've been sleepy and tired all day.  Mike left this morning to help Paul S. pick corn.  Listened to the radio awhile this evening and then went to bed early.
November 8, 1932 - Got a ride with Bud to school.  We had an election this afternoon and Roosevelt won.  Got a ride home with Earl Miller tonite. He said Miss Sewell visited him today.  I can expect her any time within the next week. Listened to election returns until 9:00.  It sounds as if Roosevelt is winning over Hoover.
November 9, 1932 - Snowed a little this morning.  Roosevelt is our next president.  Worked on Pilgrim posters this afternoon after recess.  Marie and Charlotte N. came over tonite. We girls played Rook.  Bob was married yesterday to Louise Appel.  They came to Hoskins last nite.

I wonder if Grandma had to listen to the election returns very long.  I took a peek online, and Roosevelt won easily over Hoover, 472 electoral votes v. 59 electoral votes.  Roosevelt carried 42 states to Hoover's 6, there being only 48 states at the time.

Who is Bob that married Louise, if anyone knows?

Off to the picture show

November 4, 1932 - Finished the exams and got all the papers corrected.  Mayme and Lloyd came after me about 8 o'clock.  We went home right away.  Walkers cashed my check for me today at Norfolk.
November 5, 1932 - I washed my hair and Mayme finger-waved it.  Also washed out my clothes.  We went down to the library this evening and I got some books.  We stopped in at Schellenberg's to see Florence but she wasn't home.
November 6, 1932 - I went to S.S. but Mayme didn't.  She came to church with Mom and Ray.  An adult class was confirmed and we took the Lord's Supper.  We went to see F.S. this p.m.  Tonite I went with Mayme and Lloyd to the Granada.  We saw Bing Crosby in "The Big Broadcast."  Peggy Jean Francis birthday.

Courtesy of wikipedia, here is the story of The Big Broadcast:

     Radio-singer Bing Crosby is not very serious about his career. His chronic tardiness and his affair with the notorious Mona Lowe (Sharon Lynn) has become an issue at station WADX. After Mona cheats on him, the despondent singer meets Texas oil man Leslie McWhinney (Stuart Erwin), who has also been wronged by a woman.

     Soon after, Anita Rogers (Leila Hyams), the former fiancée of McWhinney, falls in love with Crosby. Meanwhile, station manager George Burns is plagued by the addled conversation of his stenographer, Gracie Allen and eventually loses the radio station. McWhinney buys the station in order to help out Crosby and Anita, whom he still loves. McWhinney comes up with the idea of putting on a "big broadcast" of stars to pull the station out of debt.

     Mona returns on the scene and threatens the budding romance between Crosby and Anita, as well as the station's upcoming big broadcast. McWhinney tries to find a phonograph record to replace the absent Crosby, and ends up impersonating Crosby on the air. The singer returns and takes the microphone in mid-song. Crosby, who actually has been feigning irresponsibility to bring McWhinney and Anita together, succeeds both in reuniting the former lovers and in taming Mona.

Is it just me, or does neither of the guys in the movie poster look like Bing Crosby?

I am not surprised

November 1, 1932 - We went to League at Schmidts tonite.  We handed in our day's wages this evening.  Played some new games.  "A good time was had by all."  Ella Mann birthday.
November 2, 1932 - Cold and windy.  I went to Hoskins to prayer meeting with Evie this evening.  Stopped at Simon Strate's and got my check.
November 3, 1932 - Started the examinations this morning.  I have all the papers of today's corrected.  Schmidt's, Wittler's and Fritz Maas were here this evening for a committee meeting.

I am not at all surprised that Grandma corrected the day's exam papers that same day.  Me?  I didn't get that gene, but instead a procrastinator gene, which showed up quite a lot in my 20's.  I'd like to think I am better now; not completely cured, but better.

The remark about handing in our day's wages, would that be a League tithing sort of thing?

The photo is of Hoskins from 1912.