Alert

(1995 Winter)

I heard a fox barking tonight.

Cancelled plans

(1990, Maundy Thursday)

I never did get the post card you said, last Sunday, was in the mail telling of your detailed plans for summer. I'd really rather have it separately on a paper anyway because so often the post office stamps right over your writing - that is the round stamp of place and time.

Catching him green-handed

(1953 January 14)

Mary Margaret also wishes me to tell you that Monday when she went to school, lo and behold! the place had been robbed. Her ruler, colors and pencils were all gone. Also the petty cash and many items from other desks. She also said that the robber came in through the boys' bathroom, where he broke a window, and that no one could go down there because the police sprinkled power around and if you walked in it your feet would turn green - if you touched it, your hands would turn green. Daddy had a field day kicking that one around. But as often happens, there is some truth to these tales, and that night we heard on WRCO the State Crime Department of Madison had been called in. No arrests yet.

Beyond prayer

(1952 January 18)

[Our neighbor] HL - well, let me start at another end to that story - yesterday after MM left for school, she came flying back, all excitement - eyes wide, face aflame. I was still drinking my coffee. "Pray, Mother, pray!" "What for?" "Mr. L ran over -- (puff puff, huh huh) (dear God, Tom? Dick? Mary? [his children]) -- over their black kitten, and there it lies with its eyes open. The kids feel so bad. Can they have one of ours, Mother?" I said we'd see, and she went off feeling better. The poor kitty stayed there till noon.

This Kant stuff

(1953 January 14)

Your Sunday letter to LL today, Tuesday. I agree on this Kant stuff [you are writing a term paper about]. What a puzzle. Words, words, words. My only thought for you is try to write a paper in the same vein. If no one can understand it, it may be considered as good as or better than Kant. This stuff is so hard on a person.

Homebound

(1952 January 18)

Plenty to do this week: Auxiliary, PTA Family Pot Luck, Scout meeting in police court room, foreign student speaker at Woman's Club, but so foggy and icey I stayed home.

Polite fight

(1953 January 14)

[At Women's Auxiliary] HE and I had another polite fight. She is bent on painting the church and I think we can't afford it and should pay on the mortgage. But I am the only one brave enough to say so and vote no. Then later the others come to me and say they really agree with me!

Taxes

(1990 Maundy Thursday)

Did you have a bad time with your taxes? Mary Margaret says there is nothing to it, but then Bruce [her husband, with an MBA] figures them out.

The book collector

(1953 January 27)

At Sunday School this morning I was amazed to see how diligent our little [new] priest has been. He took everything out of that messy chair room and collected all bookcases from kitchen, dining room etc., lined the wall, and lo! we have a library. Of course the teachers couldn't find anything today, but give them time.

A neat solution

(1995 February)

Just now I made a decision to keep my bed made and my room neater. I am tired of friends saying, "Shall I help you with your room, Polly?" So I will just take my shoes and socks and blouses and knitting and stuff them into the pillow cases and draw the quilt over all. That'll fix them!

Not available

(1990 January 13)

Do you know of a good thing to use to clean stuffed furniture, as my davenport, chairs, etc.? What I used to buy at grocery stores must have been poisonous as it is no longer for sale.

Kittens for Easter

(1952 January 7)



Fraidy and Copy [cats] were out howling all last night and came in this morning, hungry as food only annoyed them for the past few days - and of course all in. As you say, kittens for Easter.

Doing lunch in the first grade

(1952 January 18)

For two weeks Maggie <7> has been conniving to have her lunch at school the same day [as her friend D]. I kept putting her off by saying I didn't know all the rules etc. She said each grade must eat in its own room etc. But Wednesday she came home with the whole thing all arranged - her teacher had a talk with D's teacher and agreed MM could eat in the 2nd grade room etc. - a note on the blackboard to the janitor allowed them to stay in the building so they wouldn't get their feet wet. All went off OK.

An early start on spring cleaning

(1990 January 13)

One room is spring cleaned and that is the living room, which Marveline did last week. She washed all the woodwork sills, mop boards, cleaned pictures and frames, used Pledge on all the furniture. I probably won't have the [oriental] rug cleaned because in the past I used my oil paints to tone up some of the flowers.

Sunday afternoon

Sunday afternoon and its lethargy around here. I have washed the lunch dishes. I have read the Heidi chapter. I have helped Maggie practice her new [piano] lesson. I have persuaded her to play outside and [return] two baskets of egg crates to Goplin's. I have sewed up her pant legs on her green snow suit so they don't droop, and I sewed the red buttons on her red coat so they won't roll off. I have got out the picnic basket for the pot luck and annual meeting tonight [at church]. Then I made the beds, except mine, which I am on now. Daddy is listening to some terrible Communist program, smoking placidly while twenty peasants are being lashed to death.

The medicine man

After Polly, at 88, complained of chest pains, her daughter Mary Margaret took her to consult a cardiologist at the local hospital.

So when we got in the hospital parking lot, I sat while she got a wheel chair. Then in elevator up to 3rd floor, where she was told the doctor would not be in till 12:30. So in wheel chair and off to Gables [restaurant] - easier to cope with than Country Kitchen [across the street]; no stairs. Got chicken salad sandwich and malts.

Was at 3rd floor promptly 12:30. Sat and waited 10 minues. What would this wise man look like? Old & bearded? Soon in came a zippy young man about 40 wearing a gray suit, jacket open and flapping, and had my resume - about 3" thick. "Ah" said he, "Carolyn Kay - which of you is? And does your mother live with you?" Correct answers. Behind my chair, pulled up my sweater and listened to my heart. "Hm - perfectly normal now. Go home and do what you feel you can do."

So ended the long looked for appointment. Yes, sometimes I do pant. Sometimes there is a tightness in the chest. MM said that. "Ah yes, yes." So we went home and got in the mail, including your postcard with a bottom corner chewed off. I may return it so you can take it to P.O. if you wish to complain of the service.

Flying squirrels

(1953 January 27)

[Sunday morning Lorin went to church early.] That left Maggie and me alone - so as we were dressing [for church] she says, "Let's see if there are any flying squirrels in the traps" -- "And here is one!" Then as we were finishing our breakfast at 8:30, NJ drove up. ... We told him about the flying squirrel and we all went up [to the attic] and he brought it down by the tail, quite like a chipmunk I thought, but cute.

(Later, on an undated postcard)

Count to date: 8 flying squirrels!!!

A book report

(1953 April 15)



Tuesday V called to say we were having a hurry-up meeting of Music Club Friday (instead of the 3rd Friday of the month) and would I have my book report? Wow! I got to work and started reading and taking notes. My back ached.... Sometimes I would read a chapter before getting up. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday I retired at 7:30 so I wouldn't hear the radio.... I never did get good notes on last part. But I did rout out old sheet music and weave it in. Also old records. The business meeting etc. lasted till 3:30, when I began and talked little over an hour. I was generously applauded. They just ate up the old sheet music with pix of I. Berlin years ago - George Gershwin - Mae West's name - the Castles. I learned a lot and it was fun. But such a rush.



[She never states the title of the book or the subject of the talk.]

The music club

(1951 October 20)

This afternoon at one I was invited and went to VS's where about 25 girls and a leader from Oconomowoc met to form a Federated Music Club. Not being musical, I felt a bit lost. After the speaker explained all the rules and answered questions, V served donuts and coffee, and at that point I had to leave to go to another meeting to plan MM's Halloween party October 30. So what officers were elected etc. I do not know. Hope I wasn't. As programs are to consist of members performing to illustrate text of speech, I feel I got in with the wrong crowd.

A doppelganger disaster

(1953 January 14)

On the feminine side: Eve gave me a bright red jersey dress of hers, originally her daughter Lucy's. I was so glad because I could wear red now I had a blue coat. So I wore it to Auxiliary, which met at A's last night, and there sat Jan L with an exact copy! She said hers was a couple of years old, and everyone knew mine was new (for me). I was in a tight spot answering questions of when and where I got it and was glad when the talk turned to other channels.

Puddlejumper

(1994 February)

Saturday night Jill took me to the Square [mall] where I not only bought the pair of white sox I thought I need but 2 packages of 3 each. Also a baby bib to be embroidered. "There," she said, "I guess you have what you wanted. Now I'll take you back and work on my Sunday School lesson." A teacher. "You do very well for 90," she said, watching me jump over a puddle. "Before my father died he had a resperator" etc. etc. Ah yes - something to look forward to.

Newsletter

(February 1995)

EXTRA

Read All About It

Elderly Woman Undresses in Dining Room

"Grace," grandmother type, after finishing a meal in a posh dining room, pulls off her twopiece dress as diners pound knives to attract waitresses. Ushers take her to room. She just wanted to go to bed.

Bake sale

(1952 February 18)

Auxiliary bake sale today at Meadow's [furniture store]. I made a white cake with chocolate frosting and did 8 tallies with Liberty Bell to match napkins I bought. Lorin said he thought both sold right out.

It was the cat

(1994)

Last night I being rather restless and not sleeping well found myself browsing in the past [ca. 1952].

I was in the kitchen after supper doing last minute things while Lorin was in his adjacent study, from which came such swearing and cussing as were rarely heard in our house. He was working on his priceless stamp albums and had put the overflow momentarily on the floor when Copy Cat, our black kitten, paper trained, was streaking for his life out of there and down to the safety of the basement and sand boxes.

Happy Birthday, Polly!

Today is Polly's 105th birthday. Carolyn Parsons was born in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, on February 7, 1904, the first child and only daughter of Frank Parsons and Minnie Ellman Parsons. We celebrate with her description of the party for her 90th birthday at the Schmitt Home in Richland Center.

(1994 February 8)
What a birthday that was - yesterday. We gathered all in the dining room. Jill and I passed around coffee or juice and cake Joan made and others. Henry K who sings in our church choir leaned over and said, "Say you want me to sing Danny Boy. It's the only one I know." So I said, "Of course I do," and he pops up and says, "Polly wants me to sing Danny Boy." And off he went - adding to the fun. Especially for me.

The Simple Life

No matter how hard I work I never seem to get the routine work done so I can do the extra jobs, like making toy chest for MM and finish things for her room or paint front porch, let alone ever have time for reading or sewing or craft work or letters - ever, ever, ever. It got so bad I had a little nervous cave-in yesterday, but I am better again now. What I need is help and that quickly. The summer will come and go and my summer clothes will never be ready, etc. ...
In fact, I believe I am at a turning point in my way of life, philosophy of life, if you care to go that far. I find that I am never thru my work and that because it piles up so, it makes me so nervous I can't stand it. Therefore I must simplify things so that work will be more simple. And to make it more simple I must not have so many things to dust and clean. So I am going to start slowly to give away many things that are not in use around here. The first thing I have in mind is that long low bench-stool I got from Mrs. C. We used it to look for PocketBooks on top shelf. But now it will do nicely perhaps for a kneeling bench for second row of choir, who kneel on cement.

Pots are not kettles

(1951 June 20)
What did you do to my dear tea pot? I took it down when I asked Jill over for tea and it was a wreck. Cracked in two places and all black inside. I coldn't imagine who dun it and then it came to me - the cake and tea you and Ronnie had. This is the second tea pot you ruined by putting it on the burner. The first one, a fat little black one, you used to make me tea for a headache on Central Avenue [circa 1945]. You tried to boil the water in it.
Listen: here is how you make tea. Put water in tea kettle and boil hard. then rinse out tea pot with a little of it (as 1/2 cup) and throw down sink. Now tea pot is hot and clean. Put tea in tea pot (1 tsp. per person). Now pour boiling water over tea. Place in a warm place, near burner, or if burner is barely warm on burner, for about 5 minutes. Drink.
Do not put tea pot on hot burner ever. Never boil tea. What a shock that was.