A new clothespin bag

May 16, 1932 - We washed today and such a beautiful day.  Took a nap this p.m. and then sprinkled the clothes.  Leeroy is getting so big.  He's so wide awake and happy practically all the time.  Annabelle can talk your head off if she once gets started.
May 17, 1932 - We got our ironing done today.  Took a bath and nap this afternoon.  Ray and I went to the Old Time Dance in Hoskins tonite.  Didn't have a very good time, not many there.  A boy and girl were here in Winside asking for me last nite.  They left before Grussmother could tell them where I was.  I think it was L. & A.  Just my luck not to be at home!  Brrr!
May 18, 1932 - Hot and windy today.  Got up quite late this morning.  Made a new clothespin bag.  Started straightening up the mess in my room.  I was going to go to the Commencement exercises tonite but was too lazy to get ready, so went to be early instead.  Lyle Jenkins birthday.

Oh, my . . . a clothespin bag.  I am sure Mom remembers when I made her a clothespin bag/apron for either her birthday or Mother's Day.  I was reasonably young when I did it.  I had learned to sew on the sewing machine (thanks, Mom!) earlier than my friends, but still I missed catching the bottom seam.  Instead of sewing it first and then adding bias tape for some pizzazz, I did it all at once and some of the clothespins were able to fall out.  It had three pockets in a line so Mom simply didn't use the defective pocket. What I remember most though, was how I used Mom's old one to make a pattern for the new one and was proud for such a wonderful and labor-intensive gift and then Grandma kindly telling me that such a thing wasn't really best-suited for the occasion -- a reminder of chores as a gift.  I was a bit wounded at the time.  Funny thing is, I don't remember Mom's reaction to the apron, only Grandma chastising me ahead of time.  She must have been having a bad day since that wasn't really like her to rain on my creative parade.

This photo must be staged because that lady doesn't have a clothespin bag or apron at all.

Back to Winside history, here is 1893, short and sweet:

     March 7, permission was given to Messers Tracy and Dixon to move the J. G. Hayes building on the street to be used for a hardware store until a new building can be put up.
     April 4, 242 votes were cast at the village election
     May 1, F. W. Burdick resigned as village attorney.
     May 2, Winside saloon tax was set at $550.00 for the ensuing year.
     July 29, the board granted to the Ladies Aid Society the right to use the park for picnic purposed.
     September 4, H. E. Mason organized the school into classes and put in the ninth and tenth grades.

What a nice brother!

May 13, 1932 - Oh! so hot today.  There were 52 at the picnic.  Ray brought the ice cream about 12:15.  It was all eaten at dinner time!  5 gallons!  Had races, etc. for kids this p.m.  I got nice and sunburned.  Went home about 5:30.  Stopped out to Annie's and had supper there.  Made ice cream with the ice left in the freezer.
May 14, 1932 - Ray and I went back to the schoolhouse about 10 o'clock this a.m.  I had to finish my reports and then clean up the mess.  It was 4 o'clock before we were headed for home.  The car was loaded down with my junk.  Ray and I went to bed quite early tonite.  Rose Stamm's birthday.
May 15, 1932 - Picked some tulips for Hilda, Mom and Annabelle.  Stopped at Ola's, gave them the tulips and got some lilacs.  Stopped and visited Mom a few minutes then went up to Uncle Max's.  Looked at pictures, etc.  Had dinner and supper there.  Stopped in at Uncle Hans' this evening.  We stayed at Ola's tonite.  Annie and I are doing our washing together tomorrow.

Of course, all the brothers in our family are real peaches, but I bet there are some out there in the world that would not spend six hours on a Saturday helping their sister pack up her school stuff and haul it home.

I am not sure when the photo was taken exactly, but it darn sure wasn't in 1932.

Code words

May 10, 1932 - Lovely day.  Corrected and gave back exam papers today.  Played marbles the 1st recess with the little kids.  Went to Nurnberg's tonite.  Looked at flowers etc. before supper and after supper looked at pictures, talked and worked puzzles.  Got a letter from Florence Jenkins today.
May 11, 1932 - Harry, Minnie and I went to school before George this a.m.  Made health posters today.  Sent home the list of what each family should bring to the picnic.  Called up the others this eve.  Walked down to the field where Raymond was working and told him.  Went to town this eve. and got some lemons, etc. for picnic.  Also went to choir practice.
May 12, 1932 - George and Delmar weren't at school today.  We sorted and put the books up on the shelves.  Picked up around the schoolyard.  Made out report cards and parts of other reports.  Went to Norfolk this eve.  Saw Richard Bartholomew in "Alias the Doctor."  The "slobbering sisters" went with Maas' and the "scrubs" with G. Jochens.  Went to Trano's.  We measured booths, switched places, had malted milks upset, etc.  Helen Rhuday's birthday.

Bartholomew sounded perfectly fine to me, but in looking for information on the movie itself, I found Grandma was incorrect.  The actor was Richard Barthelmess, someone I had never heard of.  Seems he was kind of a big deal, and was one of the founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to boot.  A little more from wikipedia:

     Russian actress Alla Nazimova, a friend of the family, had been taught English by Barthelmess's mother.Nazimova convinced Barthelmess to try acting professionally and he made his debut screen appearance in 1916 in the serial Gloria's Romance as an uncredited extra. At this time he also appeared as a supporting player in several films starring Marguerite Clark. His next role, in War Brides opposite Nazimova, attracted the attention of legendary director D.W. Griffith, who offered him several important roles, finally casting him opposite Lillian Gish in Broken Blossoms (1919) and Way Down East (1920).

     He soon became one of Hollywood's highest paid performers, starring in such classics as The Patent Leather Kid (1927) and The Noose (1928); he was nominated for Best Actor at the first Academy Awards for his performance in both these films, and he won a Special Citation for producing The Patent Leather Kid. He founded his own production company, Inspiration Film Company, together with Charles Duell and Henry King. One of their films, Tol'able David (1921), in which Barthelmess starred as a teenage mailman who finds courage, was a major success.

     With the advent of the sound era, Barthelmess' fortunes changed. He made several films in the new medium, most notably Son of the Gods (1930), The Dawn Patrol (1930), The Last Flight (1931), and The Cabin in the Cotton (1932), Central Airport (1933), and a supporting role as Rita Hayworth's character's husband in Only Angels Have Wings (1939).


     Barthelmess failed to maintain the stardom of his silent film days and gradually left entertainment. He enlisted in the United States Navy Reserve during World War II, served as a lieutenant commander, and never returned to film, preferring instead to live off his investments.

Impressive stuff, but the summary of the movie does not make me want to rush out and find it, however:

     Karl is the workaholic adopted son while Stephan is the lazy one. They both go to Munich to study medicine and Karl is at the top of the class while Stephan is barely passing. When Stephan's actions causes the death of Anna, Karl is the one who takes the wrap and three years in prison. When he gets out, he finds Stephan is dead and a sick child needs an operation and he does brilliant surgery. This gets him noticed and his mother tells them that he is Stephan Brenner, not Karl Brenner. She tells Karl that he must cure sickness in the world. But, being that he is Stephan, he can no longer marry Lottie, as she is now his sister.

The movie poster is lovely, don't you think?

Enough of movie stuff -- what in the world is Grandma referring to with "slobbering sisters" and "scrubs" and such?  I wonder if she would have remembered from that far back if we would have had the chance to ask her.

The things you learn . . .

May 7, 1932 - Ray turned the machine for me this a.m.  Ola was here for dinner.  Cleaned up the house.  Went to Norfolk with Arnold this evening.  Saw Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. in "It's Tough to Be Famous."  Bridge north of Norfolk not fixed as yet.
May 8, 1932 - Ray came in this a.m. and took me out to Annie's.  She gave me some instructions about the picnic.  Took a picture of the kids.  Was getting ready to have Ray take me to Walker's this p.m., but Arnold and Lydia came.  Was at their place for supper.  Went to the pageant "Life Immortal" at the church this evening.
May 9, 1932 - Nice day today.  Finished giving examinations today.  Minnie asked me to come over to their place tomorrow nite.  Mr. and Mrs. Walker, Mote and I went down to Ed Scheurich's tonite.  The baby surely is sweet.  Stopped at Lou Scheurich's and got some fish.  They caught them last nite and had them in the tank.

I didn't find a movie poster for "It's Tough to Be Famous" but I did find this summary:

"When his submarine, S89, is sunk by an excursion boat, Scotty is the last one left aboard after helping the crew to be rescued. However, Navy divers are able to save Scotty and his heroics make him a hero. Retiring from the Navy as a Commander, he finds that, as a hero, he is in great demand. There are parades. speeches, endorsements, banquets and autographs galore. Even his marriage to his sweetheart Janet is headline news. Everyone wants a piece of Scotty. The only thing that Scotty does not have is his freedom and a life of his own."

This is rather reminiscent of the much more recent movie, "Flags of Our Fathers" detailing what happened in the lives of the Iwo Jima flag-raisers after the famous photo.

I had previously heard, of course, of Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. but did not know of his WWII service.  I found this on wikipedia -- interesting stuff.


In 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed him special envoy to South America.

Although celebrated as an actor, Fairbanks was commissioned a reserve officer in the United States Navy at the onset of World War II and assigned to Lord Louis Mountbatten's Commando staff in the United Kingdom.

Having witnessed (and participated in) British training and cross-channel harassment operations emphasizing the military art of deception, Fairbanks attained a depth of understanding and appreciation of military deception then unheard of in the United States Navy. Lieutenant Fairbanks was subsequently transferred to Virginia Beach where he came under the command of Admiral H. Kent Hewitt, who was preparing U.S. Naval forces for the invasion of North Africa.

Fairbanks convinced Hewitt of the advantages of such a unit [clarification needed], then repeated the proposal at Hewitt's behest to Admiral Ernest King, Chief of Naval Operations. King thereupon issued a secret letter on March 5, 1943 charging the Vice Chief of Naval Operations with the recruitment of 180 officers and 300 enlisted men for the Beach Jumper program.

The Beach Jumpers' mission would simulate amphibious landings with a very limited force. Operating dozens of kilometers from the actual landing beaches and utilizing their deception equipment, the Beach Jumpers would lure the enemy into believing that theirs was the principal landing.

United States Navy Beach Jumpers saw their initial action in Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily. Throughout the remainder of the war, the Beach Jumpers conducted their hazardous, shallow-water operations throughout the Mediterranean.

For his planning the diversion-deception operations and his part in the amphibious assault on Southern France, Lieutenant Commander Fairbanks was awarded the United States Navy's Legion of Merit with bronze V (for valor), the Italian War Cross for Military Valor, the French Légion d'honneur and the Croix de guerre with Palm, and the British Distinguished Service Cross. Fairbanks was also awarded the Silver Star for valor displayed while serving on PT boats and the National Order of the Southern Cross, conferred by the Brazilian government. Among his other exploits was the sinking of the light cruiser Capriole while in command of a mixed division of American PT Boats and British Motor Gun Boats.

He was made an Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in 1949. Fairbanks stayed in the Naval Reserve after the war and ultimately retired as captain in 1954.

Sounds like the stuff of movies.

I am giving the Winside history book the day off.

Rain, rain, go away

May 4, 1932 - Worked on our alphabets all day today.  Played ball this noon.  Took a nap before supper tonite and they just about had to call out the fire department to wake me.  Went to bed right after supper.  Kennard Hall's birthday.
May 5, 1932 - Played ball this noon.  Did some reviewing for exams.  Got a letter from Mom.  She went up to Thomas' yesterday.  Don't know when I'll see her again.  Went home with Lawrence tonite.  Raining quite hard when we went to bed.  Erwin Ruschman's birthday.
May 6, 1932 - Gave examinations this p.m.  The rain last nite surely did some washing.  Washed out R.R. tracks west of Hoskins and bridge north of Norfolk.  Ray came after me tonite.  Rain did a lot of washing around Winside, too.  We were out to Ola's for awhile.

Grandma was right about that rain.  The history book even mentions it briefly.  It also mentions that on May 4, Henry Miller and Miss Evelyn Darnell were married.

And on to 1892:

     April 5, 201 votes cast at the village election.
     May 2, Frank Weible was granted permission to build a stairway on the west side of his store, which is used mostly for lodges and gatherings.  The board also allowed him to build a stairway to his basement entering form the side walk on main street -- provided that the side walk along the front of the store be eight feet in width.
     June 7, The Board notified E. Hans, saloon keeper, that he must remove the obstructions on the windows and the partition between the front room and the room where the bar now stands by 3 o'clock June 8, or the law shall be enforced at once.
     June 14, Walter Gaebler was appointed city clerk.
     July 16, Estimate of village expenses for the coming year, $990.00.
     October 4, P. F. Panabaker was appointed a committee of one to ascertain to whom a petition asking for the construction of a series of water works is to be presented.
     December 6, the following resolution was introduced and passed:  That whereas the Union Pacific trains are run through this place at a rate of speed in excess of that fixed by statue for the running of trains through incorporated towns and cities and greatly to the danger of public safety -- notice shall be served upon said company of such violation of the statutes and requesting said company to prohibit the same.

Well, the $300 for a saloon license in 1981 will make up almost a third of the city's expenses for a year.  Not bad.  And I wonder what the deal was with obstructions on the windows and a partition -- sounds seedy.

The photo is, obviously, of a muddy road.  I do not know where or when it was taken.

So, where were we?

May 1, 1932 - To S.S. and church in a.m.  Then to F. Jochens for dinner.  Wittler's there, too.  To church this afternoon, the kids practiced on their pageant.  Went home with Wittler's for supper.  To League and church in evening.  Evie went home with Ed Scheurich to help them awhile.  Took pictures today.  Grandpa Kahler's funeral. 
May 2, 1932 - Hot and windy today.  Played "Sheep in My Pen" with the kids this noon.  Went over to Charlie Jochens tonite.  We played Rook this evening, Raymond and I against Gilbert and Hazel.  Ray and I won 2 games playing to 500 and they won 2 games playing to 200.
May 3, 1932 - We had a nice little rain last nite.  Had to wear Mrs. Jochens overshoes.  Shortened our noon hour and got out early tonite.  Went to League at Rev. Braun's with Arnold.  We played outside and I led the games.  Evie wasn't there and Lorene J. led the meeting.

Here is what Winside was up to in 1891:

     January 5, bill for McClusky and Needham for $75.29 for lumber and other materials and A. B. Clerk, $12.43 for nails and other material in building the calaboose.  G. H. Lyon, clerk, handed in his resignation and Bert Givens was appointed to fill the vacancy.
     April 6, First village election held with R. Benser, J. Marvin and F. Benser on the election board.  149 votes were cast.  Walter Gaebler came to work for Louis Ulrich east of town, but was persuaded to work for Frank Weible in his store.  (The town elected a full board every year.)
     April 23, sidewalk ordinance states what walks must be made in the residential section of one inch material laid on three 2x6 stringers and be built in workmanship manner, and under the direction of the street commissioner.  A ten foot walk was ordered on the west side of the park to the depot, to be made out of two-inch plank and laid on three 2x6 stringers.  Walks on main street in front of the business section to be similar to the latter stated walk, except that it must be seven foot wide.
     June 25, August Krueger was granted a saloon license for $300.00 a year, payable quarterly in advance.  (This was Winside's first saloon and located in the frame building later owned by I. O. Brown.)

Well, I like the order of things in early Winside -- build the jail first and then license the saloon.  Here is a photo of a calaboose, but likely not the Winside calaboose.

I'm still around!!

I haven't lost the journals nor dropped off the face of the earth, but things have been rather nutsy around here.  First we found out on a recent Friday morning that we had a chance to join friends in Colorado for a quick trip, leaving that next Tuesday at o'dark early.  The day after we got back, John's daughter and family came for a weekend visit that included the Offutt Airshow and a birthday party.  They left (purposefully) their 6- and 4-year-olds with us for the week.  We borrowed another grandkid to help show them the ropes and lead by example as to how things go at Grandpa and Grandma's house.  I am working just in the mornings and going home to wrangle grandkids in the afternoons this week.  Also, I had a 2.5 hour visit with my periodontist this morning just to make things more interesting.

I hope to be back to "normal" come Monday and hope to get back to posting then.  And here for no particular reason, is a photo of Grandpa with a dog nose on.