Normal, normal

March 20, 1932 - Snowed this morning.  To Sunday School and Church this a.m.  This afternoon, Arnold and I won 2 games of 500 and 1 game of Pinochle from Lydia and Raymond.  To church this evening and then to Walker's.  Mote came back from Madison yesterday.
March 21, 1932 - Tired in school today.  Cold and windy this morning, but warmed up this afternoon.  Minnie and George not to school today.  Had play practice at the schoolhouse this evening.  Got new books for Delmar.
March 22, 1932 - Harry is coming to school again.  Mrs. Walker, Evelyn and Mike went to Fremont this afternoon.  The Midland A-Capella Choir is back from its western tour and is giving a concert tonite.  Ray and Mayme called me up this evening.  Early to bed.

Gracious, but I need more to work with here.  I wish I knew the name of the play they are going to put on and could look it up.

For no particular reason at all, here's a photo of Grandma's classmates.  I think.

Another movie

March 17, 1932 - Tried to snow a little today but it didn't succeed.  Were going to practice our play tonite, but Mike was sick.  Lydia called up and asked me to spend the weekend with her.  And I guess I'll go.  Made out report cards this evening.
March 18, 1932 - I was going to wash my hair and have Evie fingerwave it for me.  But she hid, for fun, and I just about thought she had gone to Fremont.  Lydia, "Pete" Lundquist and Arnold came after me tonite.  We played "Rook" and did we have fun.  Lydia and I talked quite late.
March 19, 1932 - Talked a lot today.  Cold and cloudy all day.  Tonite Bud Templin, Lydia, Arnold and I went to Norfolk.  We saw Bill Boyd in "Suicide Fleet".  Real exciting.  I saw Ray's car but didn't see him.  Also was Raymond Jochens.

The photo shows the lovely Ginger Rogers in a still from Suicide Fleet.  But not Bill Boyd.  I like the decoration on Ginger's dress.

Grandma's diary has some interesting stuff in it that she didn't even write.  There is a historical fact for each day in little print at the bottom.  It is fun to see what shows up, compared to what might be used all these years later.  For instance, these were all for March dates:

The Boston Massacre - 1770
Dred Scott decision - 1857
First telephone patent taken out by Bell - 1876
Stamp Act passed by British House of Lords - 1765
Sale of liquor and tobacco prohibited by the Sultan of Turkey - 1887
Marshal Ferdinand Foch, commander-in-chief of the Allied Armies during the World War, died at Paris - 1929

Of course, it is the World War, not World War I since the second one hadn't started yet.

Here are March events from 70 years later, in 2002:

Space Shuttle mission STS-109 is launched.

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother dies at Royal Lodge, Windsor.

Israeli-Palestinian conflict: A suicide bomber explodes in My Coffee Shop, a Tel Aviv café, wounding 32 people.

Twentieth Century Fox's American television drama series The Shield premieres.

Quite a different tone in 2002.

Shocking, just shocking!

March 14, 1932 - A new pupil today, Delmar Stamm, he's in the fifth grade.  Started giving examinations this afternoon.  All of us went over to Fred Jochens tonite.
March 15, 1932 - Examinations all day today, and what a job!  We went to League at Templin's tonite.  Dorothy went with us.  We went in the Ford.  Evie, Mike and I rode in the back.  Bud left us at Templin's and went after Ray.  We surely enjoyed the ride.
March 16, 1932 - Tired at school today.  Corrected examination paper tonite.  Got some funny answers.  Minnie said trying annoyances were "examinations, arithmetic and walk to school."  Ronald said they were "hang up cap and coat."

Amongst all that fun is a notation in the margin of Grandma's journal that March 15 was Carrie Hansen's birthday.  I've included that information here for obvious reasons.  :-)

In looking for a photo of the Methodist Church to compare with the postcard I bought recently, I remember in the back of the Winside History book is a listing of events by year.  I flipped to 1932 and found some entries that fit nicely with some of what Grandma has written so far that year.

She had been mentioning the snow they were getting.  The history book says there were 14 inches of snow the first week of the year, "bringing out the bob sled and buggies that most people thought did not exist."  Extra crews of workmen were out shoveling snow the week of January 10th, with more snow every day.  On January 28, the book reports 26.5 inches since December 31.  On March 18, more snow and the crew had drawn $1,800 for shoveling snow to date on the highway.  A total of 46 inches (no time frame given, but I am guessing through March 18).

Also of interest regarding 1932, on January 1 the markets were:  hogs $2.50 to $3.25, corn $0.45, oats $0.28, eggs $0.15, and cream $0.22.

Later in the year, W. C. Lowry, the last of the Civil War veterans in Winside died at the age of 89.  And on December 14, Federal and State agents raided several places and found plenty of moonshine.  What?  Moonshine in Winside?  Who knew?!

Ice cream again

March 11, 1932 - Weather pretty nice.  Ray and Willie came after me right after school.  We all had to ride in the "stink-bug' and were we crowded!  Read and talked this evening.  Ray's going to fix up his sedan tomorrow.  Ray starts Monday at P. Scheurich.
March 12, 1932 - Washed my clothes this morning.  Walked out to Ola's this afternoon.  Came in to town with Ray and Willie tonite. Mom and we went to movies and saw Earl Linden in "Are These Our Children."  Got a new book at the library.  Saw Loretta and had a good chat with her.
March 13, 1932 - Mother and I went to church this a.m.  Ray came after us this p.m. and we went out to Ola's.  Had ice cream and cake.  Ray took me to Walker's and from here he went to Scheurich's.  I went to church with Walkers this evening.  Mote went to Madison today.

The movie actually starred Eric Linden and I found this synopsis:  "A good kid with no record commits a robbery, kills an old man and winds up on death row.  The authorities try to figure out why he went bad."  Sounds somewhat dreary.  I do not know when the photo was taken, but it is Mr. Linden as you can see.

It seems they sure ate a lot of ice cream back in the 1930's.  I wonder if it was all hand-cranked.  I still remember "helping" make homemade ice cream at Grandma's house.  I suppose I gave as many as 10 cranks before running off to do something else.  I can still see that paddle coming out of the ice cream maker with nice, thick ice cream hanging on it.  Yum!

A job for Ray?

March 8, 1932 - Colder and windy again today.  Wore a pair of Bud's overalls to school.  Fire started this morning.  Got a letter from Mom and Bernice May.  Called Mom up and told her to tell Ray that Paul Scheurick wanted a hired man.  Wrote a long letter to Florence S. tonite.
March 9, 1932 - Dusty, windy and cold.  Everything was covered with dust at school.  Fire started again.  Nurnbergs weren't to school today.  We played Rook and "500" this evening.  Talking foolish tonite.  Evie said that she'd invite me to her wedding, also she was never going to be married, and Mote would be married before she would.
March 10, 1932 - Wind wasn't blowing so hard today.  Fire started again this morning.  All of the kids back in school today.  Mike, Bud, Mote and I played Rook tonite and Mote and I lost.

Not sure what to comment here.  Pretty normal stuff.

I shought for thure I had a photo scanned of a young Marian in overalls.  Either I am mistaken, or it is in a box waiting to be scanned.  In lieu of that, here's Grandpa looking studly in overalls.  I can't see a can of snoose in his pocket, but I'm sure this is Grandpa nonetheless.

An illustrated letter

March 5, 1932 - Clear and cold today.  Mailed a letter to Jane and Mom today.  Finished pasting pictures in my album.  Wrote an illustrated letter to Aunt Mildred this afternoon.  Played Rook and tried playing "Five-Hundred".
March 6, 1932 - Cold and windy today.  All except Mr. Walker went to Norfolk this afternoon to see Mrs. Ed Scheurick and the new baby.  Had a flat tire on the way home.  Played "Rook" and "500" this evening.
March 7, 1932 - Cold and windy today. Fire started this morning.  Got the play books, question books and a letter from Mayme today.  Wrote a letter to Helen Carr tonite.

As far as I can tell, an illustrated letter is just what it seems it should be -- a letter with drawings or other decorations to illustrate its content.  I would love to have seen what Grandma came up with.  First, horseback riding (something Nancy commented she never knew Grandma ever did), and now art.  Quite the multi-faceted young woman.

Some mushy stuff

March 2, 1932 - Foggy today.  Tonite Mildred helped me copy examination questions.  We got all but two sets copied.
March 3, 1932 - Foggy again today.  I got a letter from Jane today asking me to spend this weekend with her.  And I'm going if the weather permits.  Washed some hose.  Mr. Walker trimmed my hair for me this evening.  Bud saw Ray in town today.  Played Rook with the girls and finished a letter to Mom.  Evie said, "A feeling that you feel that you've never felt before is love."  Also "Love is a ticklish feeling around the heart that you can't scratch."
March 4, 1932 - Stormy today.  Louise, Lawrence and Raymond were the only ones at school.  Went home at 1:30.  Pasted some of the pictures in my album.  Washed my hair and Evie fingerwaved it.  Played Rook this evening.  I won't get to go to Wayne tomorrow.  Brrrr!

Grandma is quoting Evie here, but this is the mushiest stuff we've seen in Grandma's diary to date.  If she is having any "ticklish" feelings herself, she doesn't let on.  And by the next day she is in a mood about not getting to go to Wayne.  Maybe the two concepts are connected.  Perhaps she was hoping to see someone other than Jane over the weekend.  Regardless, I have a lot of fun imagining Grandma at 20 years old.  I can't possibly know if my imagining is even close to the real thing, but it is entertaining nonetheless.  My favorite so far, I think, is Grandma wearing overalls and testing out deep drifts.  What fun!

Old and feeble?!

February 28, 1932 - Started a letter to Mayme this morning.  Mike and I went horseback riding.  Went up to the other place and stopped at Charlie Jochens' awhile.  We had ice cream tonite.  Played five-handed Rook tonite.
February 29, 1932 - I feel old and feeble today.  The kids played ball today but I didn't feel like playing.  Went over to Nurnberg's tonite for Marie's "4th" birthday although she's 16.  It was a quarter to two when we got home. They had more company besides us kids.  I had a fairly good time.  Could have been better.
March 1, 1932 - Raining today as if it were in April.  Stopped about noon.  None of the Nurnbergs were in school today.  Dismissed school at 3:30.  Got a "note" from Ray tonite and with it a letter from Aunt Emma.  To bed early.  (Got the exam questions today.)

That must have been some serious horseback riding for a 20-year-old Marian to feel old and feeble!!

I wonder why the word note is in quotations.  And what was in Aunt Emma's letter?  Inquiring minds want to know.

And Grandma was maybe a bit feeble at the time the photo was taken, but that is only because she was a little baby.  She had pretty eyes!

A new addition

 

February 25, 1932 - The kids played ball this noon.  I went home from school early tonite so I'd have plenty of time to get ready.  I had a terrible time in the mud.  Hazel, Gilbert, Raymond, Willard, Fritz and Harry came here and we went to the party in a lumber wagon.  Played Bunco and I won 1st prize.  A tie between Fritz and I and we shook it off.  Home at 1 o'clock.
February 26, 1932 - I feel the effects of that lumber wagon ride last nite.  Coming home tonite I stepped in the ice and snow and went in up to my hip.  I was over in Maas' pasture, trying to find a better place than the road to walk.  Got the 2 play books.  Went to bed at eight o'clock tonite.
February 27, 1932 - Washed and mended my clothes this morning.  Read play books this afternoon and frosted cinnamon rolls.  Mildred and I played "Over the Top' this evening.  Teased Evie when we came upstairs to bed.  She was just about asleep.  Mom called up this morning.  Alice & Raymond have a baby boy, born Tuesday.

I am pretty sure I do not know who Alice and Raymond are.

But enough of that.  Looking at the two new postcards I bought on ebay and have scanned and included above, what's up with the school?  Was it added to at one point, or was someone fast and loose with photographs back in the day and just lopped off half of the school?  I am guessing there was an addition, because it would have taken a lot of old-timey photoshopping to lop off the building and leave all those people.  But what do I know?

And is it just me, or should the roses one have been flipped over before the photo was added?  It would look better the other way around, I think.