Friday, October 27, 1944

Every human has those days where the world just isn't working out.  Usually, we all walk out of this funk and pull it together.  Other days, someone comes into our lives and they smack us across the face with reality.  I was in a terrible funk and then today three different people shook me back to logic.  Now, there's a fourth person who has joined their ranks.  Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the first letter from my Grandfather Walter William Robinson.

"AT long last, a letter from your new son, and a letter you've long deserved.  I suppose BEtty told you in the letter she wrote yesterday, we've suffered no ill effects of last week's storm.  Too she no doubt told you that we've finally settled in a very nice apartment (a big worry off my mind).  In all the time we were planning on getting married and looking for a place to live, I had the terrible fear we were to have to live in one of the apartments where there fifty or more familys - I didn't particularly relish that idea.  She (my wife you know) also has nodoubt told this is not to lager - since we're both working - to take care of, and yet just larger enough to be comfortable.  (I hope she also told you what a poor typeist - spelled typist - I am)

Grandpa passed when I was only 8.  This letter is the first tangible piece of history that introduces me to his true personality.  Whereas Grandma is matter-of-fact, Grandpa is a natural storyteller.  It gives me a newsreel of who he was.  He's an expressive and lively young man who has an acute knack for self-deprecation.  Which totally endears him to me in a heart beat.

"This has been on my mind for some time and I've wanted to write to you about it.  I'm sure I'll muddle it up, I never could put into words what my heart wants to say - I'm like dad in that respect.  I'll try my best to never make you doubt your trust in me - I love Betty with all my heart.  I hope that neither Peggy nor Betty have built me up to the peak where I'll be a disappointment, I'm just a plain fellow whose outlook is American, I try to be honest with myself, as well as others.  I want to meet you as soon as possible."

He really got me on that one.

Grandpa and Unknown pooch

On November 25, 1944

Thursday, October 26, 1944

Grandma and Grandpa finally have their apartment!  They're all moved in and ready to relax.

"Our apartment is darling.  It is very cool too.  We are going to see if someone has a camera that will take pictures indoors and we will try to get some pictures of it.  It has a large living room with a dinette, kitchen (you scrub it with a toothbrush) a large bedroom, a large bath and two closets.  It has very nice furniture too.  We are so pleased with it and it is very nice.  We have gas stove and water heater."

This whole no central air thing in Miami blows my mind.  I cannot imagine living without that.  Who wants to do that?!

Dieting is part of my familial history.  I can remember setting up a dieting system for my mother and I at the age of 11.  My mother inherited it from my Grandmother.

"I am on a reducing diet now.  I started yesterday.  It is called the $1,000 Wonder Diet.  The lady in my office went on it and you lose a pound a day.  She has lost 25 pounds.  It is a good diet and you don't even get hungry.  It was devised for a man with heart trouble so you can see it is not injurious.  I will send  you a copy of it if you want me to so you could go on it.  It is a good diet and I hope to be down to 115 instead of my 135.  I know that I will look and feel a lot better."

The women in my family trade diet plans like they're baseball cards.  In general, the way women talk about diet plans hasn't changed in 70 years.

In other non-weight loss news, Grandma and Grandpa have been married for a month.  They're just enjoying their time together.  

"We have been married a month today.  We aren't going to do anything tho.  We are going to have supper and then sit and enjoy our apartment.  We like it so well that we have no desire to go out."

Ah, the honeymoon period.

On November 24, 1944

Friday, October 20, 2014

There are changes after a couple gets married.  New daily rituals, a new person all up in your personal space, and hurricanes.  You always have to watch out for those Post-nuptial hurricanes.

"We had a hurricane scare here and they boarded everything up but the hurricane changed its course and didn't strike.  I was on duty until 11 o'clock Wednesday night.  Comdr. Hagen, my new boss, let me have Bud up here with me,  I made coffee for the officers and answered the phone and had a good time.  The wind got up to 75 miles an hour for awhile.  I am glad that it never struck here tho cause I don't think it would be too nice.  It didn't do any damage though."

In spite of the hurricane threat, Grandma and Grandpa received some good news.  They finally have an apartment they can move into! Maybe.

"Bud and I got some good news yesterday.  I think that we will be able to move into our apartment on Sunday for sure this time.  I certainly hope so, because I hate to live in just a room.  It is so expensive too.  We are paying as much for our room as it would cost us for our apartment.  Our apartment is $60 a month.  We have a telephone too.  Our number is 2-3847.  So if you ever call us up you better keep the number.  I had to pay a $15 deposit before they would install the phone, but we will get it back when it is taken out."

These 1944 prices are amazing!  I know there's a huge adjustment for inflation, but just imagine only paying $60 a month for an apartment now.  You would probably rent a shoe box in someone's dingy basement.

Now that Grandma is happily married she wants everyone to be happily married!  She especially wants Great Aunt Peggy to be married so they can hang out and be married together.

"Mother, you told me to send that prayer to Peggy when she gets married, and what I want to know is when is that girl going too get married.  She doesn't know what she is missing."

When you're happy, you want everyone else to be happy exactly the same way you are.

My favorite photo of Grandma and Grandpa

On November 6, 1944

Monday, September 25, 1944 - Monday, October 2, 1944

They're Married! Oh my GOSH! THEY'RE MARRIED!  I think I'm more excited than Grandma is!  She's so matter of fact!  Although, you can see her joy peaking out behind the typeface.

"I wish that you could have been here for the wedding.  I was really a scared kid. Bud told me that I looked beautiful.  I had a beautiful orchid corsage.  The pictures came out beautifully.  I will send them to you as soon as we have the money to pay for them and get them developed.  We have just seen the proofs and they are really good.  Bud looked good.  He had on a new set of tailor-made blues.  My legs shook during the whole ceremony, but otherwise I was OK.  They took a picture during the ceremony so you can see that too, one of us as we came out of the church and then the others we posed for.  We are so pleased with the pictures."

It's those emotional flashes that bring a grin to my face.  She needs to bring those out more and stop cataloging presents.  I don't care about the presents! I want to know about the ceremony! Well, when you're blessed with generous friends during wartime, you count your material blessings.

We have received some more nice presents.  Donna and George O'Brien the people from Chicago that we met on the train, sent us $5.  Chief Boatswain (works in my office) and his girl friend who is a WAVE gave us two beautiful bath towels, two hand towels and wash rags.  4 of the WAVES gave us 4 sheets and pillow cases.  Beverly's family sent us a beautiful Irish lin(e)n tablecloth (white).  At the wedding dinner I was presented with a can opener from the best man, a cook book from my new mother-in-law and Bud gave me a Mammouth crossword puzzle.  He always teases me about working them as I can't get out of the habit of them.  They were presented to me with cute little speeches."

Crossword puzzles were prevalent on both sides of my family.  Both Grandmas and a my Great Aunt Betty worked them each day.  There was even a phone tree in place.  Each would call the others for answers until eventually they would forget who had what answers and end up in a mass of giggling phone lines.

Grandma's only regret for her wedding day was that her family was not there.  

"Mother, Bud is a very considerate and wonderful husband and I am as happy as can be.  I haven't been feeling to good lately and he has waited on me hand and foot. ... I certainly wish you could have been here, but I seemed to feel that you were there in spirit with Peg and Daddy.  I know he would have approved of Bud wholeheartedly, as I know you will.  I only hope we can get a leave soon."

Family is knowing how to find the bliss in between the lines.  Especially when you knew them for a fleeting moment in this ever changing world.

Happy what-would-have-been 70th wedding anniversary!

70 years ago today

Tuesday, September 19, 1944

Transfers in the Navy or any military branch are common.  They often come at inopportune times, especially when a person is about to experience a major life event.

" The reason I didn't write last week is a long one.  I was very upset. They have combined our office with two other offices and I was up for transfer.  I was so afraid that I would be transferred out of Miami.  It just so happened that I know the most about Navy routine and they decided to keep me.  Thank heavens!  I just found that out yesterday."

Had you going for a second didn't I?

Grandma was so anxious about her potential transfer, she forgot what she wrote in her previous letter.  She re-thanks my Great-Grandmother for the same gifts as her last letter.  However, Grandma's roommate Bev gave her the best wedding present.

"Also, Saturday night I came home and had two big packages at the foot of my bed.  Bev gave me a whole set of dishes.  They are Vanity Fair by Nancy Lee and have 22 carat gold on them.  They are beautiful.  She gave me 8 dinner plates, 8 cups and saucers, 8 salad plates, 8 soup bowls, 8 smaller bowls, two big bowls, 1 platter, cream and sugar.  I was certainly surprised and thrilled.  Also, Mary, Dottie, Marietta and Bev gave me a beautiful white nightgown with a white chiffon negligee.  I am really beginning to feel like a bride."

I've seen one photo of both sets of grandparents' weddings.  The joy on their faces make them the happiest wedding photos I have ever seen.  It's not about the reception, the flowers, or the amazing food served afterwards.  It's that they will wake up tomorrow morning next to the person they will see every morning until death does part them.  They didn't get married for the wedding, they got married for the marriage.

Betty and her Gift Givers

On this day in 1944

Friday, September 8, 1944

They are getting married on September 26, 1944!  At exactly 7 PM!.  The wedding presents are already starting to roll in!  Lots of exclamation points!!!!

"I got the nightgown and the slip, pants and luncheon set.  I am thrilled with everything and they all just fit me.  The pants look so cute.  I can't wear the pants at the wedding because I am wearing a girdle and they would show.  I will put them on with my white uniform.  The slip just fits perfectly.  I still have the white slip you and Daddy gave me at Xmas time too.  I will write Peggy today and tell her."

Everything keeps coming up roses for Grandma and Grandpa: they have found an apartment they like, but there might be one hitch:

"We have a lead on that cute apartment that I told you about.  The man is getting in from Baltimore today and he wrote and told me that he would contact me.  He wants his apartment back, which is downstairs and by law he has to give the people that are in it now 90 days notice.  He might have to live in the one we want until they vacate.  He says if he can he will live elsewhere so we can have the one we want.  I am hoping and praying everything turns out OK.  It is such a cute space and in a nice neighborhood and is cool, and that is the main thing."

For a second I thought Grandma was saying that the apartment is awesome, but I quickly understood that when she said "cool" she actually meant the temperature of the place.  I had to think outside of my central air and heating brain for a second.  This is 1944 Miami after all.  Apartments in Georgia even now don't have central air and heating which is silly.  I cannot imagine 1940s Miami in the heat. Heck yes, give me the basement apartment that is like a cave.  I will buy ice blocks and sit on them. Thank you.

The only kink in their wedding plans is the dinner after the ceremony.  The San Juan restaurant is not really understanding the whole we are at war economy thing.  They are trying to up-charge my Grandparents since it is their wedding.

"We were going to have a dinner out at the San Juan after the wedding, but to have a cake they would charge $15, flowers on the table $15, service, $20 and then the food would come to around $30, so Bud and I are looking for another place.  I think that is just awful.  That was for only 7 people.  Prices are really high down here and they don't mind soaking the service men."

The wedding industry at its finest.

On October 15, 1944

Monday, August 28, 1944

Wedding planning is in full swing! My Great-Grandma Robinson and possibly one of Great-Aunts is coming down to Miami from September 15 - 30 for the wedding.  They're going to stay in the apartment that my Grandparents are going to move into after the wedding.  The wedding plans are as follows:

"A WAVE is allowed to wear civilian clothes if she wants when she is married and that is what I want.  After all, you only get married once, and I'd like to be in a dress.  I want to get a white one or else a pale blue.  Beverly is going to be a bridesmaid.  She is home on leave now.  She isn't sure whether or not she will wear her uniform or bring a dress back with her.  I don't care what she does on that score.  We are going to be married at Bud's church.  We going to see the minister tonight so we will get full details on what to do.  I think we will be married around 7 o'clock.  After the wedding we are going to a very ritzy restaurant, the San Juan, and have dinner for the immediate bridal party.  Later on we might be able to have a small party at our apartment for the kids.  I can't see our way clear for a reception.  It is too expensive.  Anyway, I don't want too large a wedding because I feel it is too soon after Daddy dying.  I only wish that some of my family could be here, but I guess that is wishful thinking."

In the end, Grandma's wedding suit was a pale pink.  Now that Grandma is getting married everyone in the barracks is also getting hitched.

"The girls at the barracks all think it is wonderful.  Dottie Thomas is going to be married next week.  Just because Bud and I started it she and Whitey got the bug.  She lives across the hall from me.  Also, the girl who lives next door to me is getting married."

There are weddings left and right in WWII.  Courtships were swiftly followed by engagements and marriages.  People entered into lifelong contracts after knowing that person for a matter of months.  Their faith in humanity shining brightly from their wedding pictures.  Urgency produced by WWII played a huge role in these marriages, but both sets of my grandparents were married until the day they died.  I'm in awe of their steadfastness and ability to maintain their relationships.  I can only hope that I have the same strength and conviction to turn to my boyfriend everyday and say, "I choose you."

Thursday, August 17, 1944

Engagements are funny things in WWII.  Grandma goes on and on about how Grandpa and she are going to be married, but then she doesn't want anybody in Missoula to know about.

"I got a letter from Laura the other day.  She said that Gale Madsen told her I was engaged to Roy.  Laura told her I was engaged to a boy named Bud and Gale said that I more than likely didn't want anyone to know yet so I just used another name.  Honestly, I don't know what to think.  I didn't want anyone at home to know, except the ones that I told, but I suppose everyone knows.  Don't say anything to anyone about that now, will you?  I told Bud and he got kind of a kick out of it.  I haven't written and told Roy yet, but I might.  I never had any understanding with whatever with him.  Oh well, I will wait and see how things turn out."

Then there is more gossip from Missoula.  Grandma's friend Marilyn is causing quite a stir.

"Laura said that she had quite a long talk with Eddy and that he said that he still loved Marilyn and that he might marry her right away if he can get her away from Martha and those kids she has been going with. ... I also got a letter from Marilyn and she told me all about what happened when Eddy was home.  He promised her that he would come to see her every weekend in Calif. now He also told her he knew part was his fault and wants to start all over now.  Maybe she will snap out of a lot of this foolishness and get back to the old Marilyn.  I hope so."

Not only is Marilyn running around with the wrong crowd, but she's also picked up some fascinating quirks!

"Laura said they all thought Marilyn had some nervous reaction.  She has picked up a way of jerking her head like Helen Kilburn and Spike Hayes do.  Boy, I got a kick out of that, here she thought she was real cute doing that and everyone thought she was afflicted."

Who are these people named Helen Kilburn and Spike Hayes?  Who would knowingly go by the name of Spike as an adult?  Unless you're in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and really want to make an impression on the neighborhood coven. 

Marilyn is the Karen of my Grandmother's group of friends, and I feel for her whenever Grandma lashes out towards her.  Then I recall that she ends up ditching Eddy and marrying Grandma's high school sweetheart, Roy.  Yes, the same Roy Grandma has to reach out to before he finds out about her engagement.  Needless to say, Grandma gets some wiggle room when it comes to the topic of Marilyn.  Marilyn so desperately wants to be liked and when her guiding force (Grandma) struck out on her own adventures, Marilyn lost her way.  From what I saw and remember of Marilyn when I met her when I was 4, it seems she got herself back on the right track.

Grandma and Marilyn and CHIEF!

On August 30, 1944

Saturday, August 12, 1944 - Monday, August 14, 1944

Great-Grandma Shannon is having a bad spell.  Grandma speaks honestly about her caregiving skills, and I know the repercussions of her statement.

"I wish I was there to take care of you, but I suppose I wouldn't be much of a help if I am anything like I used to be.  Remember the time you had indigestion and I asked you, in the worst part of your pains, if you had a stroke and it made you laugh and it hurt you all the more?  My, I was certainly a help, wasn't I?

Although she was not a natural caregiver, her humor often carried the family through.  There was always laughter in the Robinson household, even if it was the bitterest of times.

Grandma and Grandpa are now trying to plan their wedding!  They want to wait until the war is over so they can have a proper wedding, but I think the signs are there for them to make the commitment much sooner.  Even if all Grandma could concentrate on was a mosquito.

"Bud and I went over to the Luthern Service Center the other night, and there was a soldier and his girl that were going to be married and they didn't have anyone to stand up with them so we stood up with them.  All during the ceremony a mosquito was eating a way at me till I thought I was going to die -- I didn't want to move around and was it ever awful!"

Part of the process is Grandma's conversion to Lutheranism. I think the first thing to correct is Grandma's noun for the followers of Lutheranism.  She calls them Lutherns.  I love it!  She also talks about my two Great Aunts: Aunt Thelma and Aunt Charlotte.  It's odd to see her write about them as if she was an outsider.  They were always so present in our visits to St. Louis.  They were like my Grandma's own sisters and not just Sister-in-Laws.

"Bud has two sisters.  One is married and has a baby boy around a year old.  His other sister is 19 and is going to be married in February to a boy who is going to be a Luthern pastor.  She also plays the organ at church.  I went to church with Bud yesterday.  I think he expects me to become a Luthern.  I suppose I will, but I don't know yet whether I want to or not.  I guess I had better, because he is a devout Luthern and it might cause trouble between us later in life."

This passage is so much my Grandmother that it makes me giggle.  She always knew how to make me giggle.

Grandpa in his Navy Blues

On August 21, 1944

Friday, August 7, 1944

I am so thirsty for the knowledge in these letters.  They tell me things I could never grasp in the short 14 years I had with my Grandparents.  They quench my thirst and relieve my aching heart.  Speaking of thirst quenchers, let's talk about Beer.  Beer is part of my familial history.  It is present at every celebration and a drink of choice at dinner.  It is present in my family but not an issue in my family.  It adds to the joy that is my family.

My Father has a stake in a local brewery and is known through out our extended family as the beer connoisseur.  I have been popping beers open since I was 6 and my test question to potential suitors was, "What beer ya drinking?" Which was quickly followed up with, "What beer do you want to be drinkin?" Give me the cheap and watered down answer, you were never going to get along with my Father, and hence you were never going to get along with me.  NOW, I find that beer is in my maternal history as well!  My Great-Grandpa Robinson worked for Budweiser as an engineer, and they saved my Grandfather's family during the Great Depression.  Beer is a part of the family's social and generational history.  It connects us across the generations.

"I don't know when Bud and I will be married.  I doubt until after the war.  He is Scotch-Irish, some German -- a mongrel like we are.  I have been kind of leary about telling you where his Dad worked because he works for a beer company.  The Budweiser (sp) beer company.  I guess he is an engineer of some kind.  Bud has told me but I forgot just what he said and I hate to keep asking him, and I am scared to tell him you might disapprove.  I have read letters his Dad has written to Bud and he seems to be well educated -- he writes very well.  He wrote and told Bud that he approved of us and he said, "May God bless the two of you and go with you the rest of you(r) lives" or something like that.  I thought it was awfully nice of him.  Bud has two sisters, he had 3 sisters but one died a few years ago."

Any information that brings me closer to my Grandparents urges me to understand what is important in life.  Above all it's your family, and whatever joys or pains they bring you. They shape you and they share in your life no matter what.  If they bring beer, it usually adds to your joy and eases your pain.  Hence why most of my family gatherings are pretty joyful.  

Grandpa and his parents with some Random person who crashed the party
My Great-Grandfather (the beer engineer) is on the far right

On August 7, 1944

Friday, August 4, 1944

Great Aunt Peggy's visit is coming to an end.  Grandma enjoyed having her and being out of uniform for a while.  She really looks forward to never wearing a uniform ever again.

I hate to see Peggy leave.  She likes it down here and has had a good time.  It is like a vacation for me in a way.  I have been able to sit around in shorts and go out in the yard without having to get into uniform and that seemed wonderful.  Well, someday I will be able to do it again and never have to worry about the war -- if it will only get over soon.  It looks like things are going well now tho.  Bud doesn't seem to think that it will last too long."

Photographs played such a role in 1940s letters.  They were connections to home and to the people you loved.  Grandma talks about the letter Great-Grandma just sent with photos of Great-Grandpa's tombstone.  She's anxious to see the photos because she isn't home to see that his tombstone is properly handled.  She cannot control the situation and as her anxiety is a genetic trait, I can understand her agony and frustration.  

"I just called Peggy up and she said we had two letters from you.  I am anxious to get home and see the pictures of Daddy's tombstone.  Peg said that she likes it."

Photographs were the touchstones of this generation.  Film and getting pictures developed were major costs, and photos were reserved for special occasions.  WWII gave this generation reasons to produce photos because you didn't know if you would ever see that person ever again.  Life held more meaning and people wanted to capture moments that were precious to them.

"We are going to finish up our films this weekend so Peggy can bring the pictures home with her.  We have only two rolls.  I want to get a picture of me and Bud when we got on our swimming suits, but our whites.  He always wear whites.  I usually wear my greys but I want me to be in white."

Grandma can be pretty sneaky when she wants to be.  She wants to be in her whites so she can suggest to the viewer of the photograph that her outfit is more bridal.  Maybe I am reading too much into it but Grandma would totally do something like that.

One of my favorite photos from the lot

On July 19, 1944

Monday, July 24, 1944

Grandpa is writing Great-Grandma Shannon for Grandma's hand in marriage!  Grandma wants to get married in Montana, but Grandpa loves his pastor in St. Louis.  They both want to wait to get married after the war, but I don't remember is they wait that long!

"He and I are going to be married some day, after the war preferably.  He wants his folks and you to be there when we are married.  He wanted Peggy to look him over and go home and tell you about him and then he is going to write you and ask you if it is all right with you to marry me.  So when he writes let it be a big surprise to you.  He is very fond of his pastor in St. Louis and has always wanted him to marry him when he was married, but I told him that you aren't well and could never come to St. Louis and that I wanted to be married at home, so we hope that his folks will be able to come out to Missoula then.  I think they would, because he is the only boy in the family(He has 2 sisters), and they think the sun rises and sets in him."

My Grandfather's sisters always said that Grandpa was their favorite.  Well, at least I like to think that Great Aunt Thelma and Charlotte loved him the best.  I never really knew him, but they made sure I heard plenty of stories about him.

"Well, I guess that is enough of that.  I want you to be surprised when he writes to you.  He wanted to let you know before I did.  Although, he knows that I have written you a lot about us and you know we like each other a lot.  I hope that everything will turn out OK.  His real name is Walter William Robinson, but he is called Bud."

Both of my Grandfathers went by Bud.  I did a little digging and found out that Bud is often used when a son is a Jr.  My Dad's Dad was Delbert Ogden Wyse Jr and that's where (I think) Grandpa Wyse started going by Bud.  On the other hand, if you had an odd or a sometimes hard to yell across the ship yard name in the service, they might give you a nickname.  Anyone willing to enlighten me on why there are SO many buds in WWII?  Links to research would be helpful.  Also in the interest of names and nicknames, If I was a boy my name would be William Walter Wyse.  My initials would have been WWW.  That would have been just in time for the advent of the at-home internet.  Thank God I am a girl.

One of my favorite photos of the them

On July 10, 1944

Tuesday, July 18, 1944

Is it true that people who live in warmer climes have thinner blood?  Grandma says that Great Aunt Peggy is so sluggish because her blood hasn't thinned out as much as Grandma's.

"The weather has been rather rainy but it has been so hot it is a relief to have it rain.  We go in the ocean quite a bit, and Peggy loves it.  She isn't too peppy but she still is all right.  I think if her blood would thin out she would be better.  My blood is quite thin now."

My blood never thickened while I lived in Chicago.  It was just so bitterly cold all the time that I learned to conserve heat by not opening my mouth.  Complaining led to major heat loss.  One can spare the heat whining in Atlanta as it rarely gets near freezing.

It ceases to amaze me how I can get so sidetracked by one sentence.  The true meat of this letter is in its main paragraph.  (Oh my gosh, wow, REALLY).  This letter is Grandma's realizations that she wants to be exclusive with Grandpa.  She puts it all on him, but I know from first hand experience that the way she describes his love for her is a reflection of the love she has for him.

"Yesterday I got a call from a Lt. that I used to go with and he asked me to go out with him last nigh.  I said I would go, and I guess I hurt Bud pretty baldy by going.  I told him before I went out and everything.  He, Bud, had the afternoon off yesterday, so he went out to visit Peg and I guess he was so lonesome for me that he about died.  I have a pair of shorts that needed washing and some mending done to them, so Bud fixed them for me while he sat and talked to Peggy.  I get quite a kick out of it.  Today he took me to lunch and brought me a present, it is a thing made out of shells that has perfume inside of it.  It is more for decoration on you(r) dresser or something.  He took me out to one of the best places to eat, too.  I had a nice time last nite but I felt kind of funny going out with Don, because I have only gone out with Bud since I have been back.  He is an awfully nice boy, Mother, he goes to church all the time too.  He goes to the Lutheran Church, and he is going to make me go with him every Sunday.  I have gone with him before and it is a nice church, so I guess it won't kill me to go with him.  Bud was overseas for 28 months and has been in 7 major battles.  He has quite a few things to wear on his chest."

I didn't know to what extent Grandpa's military service was.  I definitely teared up with pride over that last sentence though.

Grandpa at Grandma and Great Aunt Peggy's Apartment

On June 27, 1944

Friday, July 14, 1944

For the first time in my life, Great and Aunt Peggy and Grandma disappoint me.  They've been together a week and they haven't gotten into any mischief!  However, I think Grandma is trying to fix Great Aunt Peggy up with her CO.

"Peg came into town yesterday and met me for lunch.  She met Beverly and the kids and I took her over to the barracks.  She didn't get to meet Comdr. because he was out of the office, but she will be in again.  He was awfully disappointed he didn't get to meet her.  I told him I was going to rent a car when she came down here and he said it was too expensive and that we could use his car, he has a lot of gas and so I might, but as yet I don't know.  I thought that was awfully nice of him to offer it though."

After those comments though I take it back.  Grandma's CO might be sweet on her!

Ruth (used to be) Timm's wedding is still a hot topic in Grandma's letters.  Grandma wants all the news she can get.

I am anxious to the paper about Ruth's wedding.  I will write to them and send her a little gift.  I bet she is really happy.  After that Royce deal I a so glad she could find such a nice boy and he sounds os refined and everything.  She sent me a picture of him and he seemed to be nice looking, but I could see Ruth was a little taller than he is."

Her anxiety over the newspaper and her comment about Ruth's Husband height makes me wonder if there's something behind those comments.  Grandma was a master at hiding her true feelings in plain sight.  She is still the reigning queen of the loaded question.  Her implications abound.  It's why we got along so well.  She would imply something and I would cut through the crap.  It worked best when I was little and hadn't perfected my filter.  Grandma thought it was funny.  My forthrightness lost its shine when I hit puberty.

The anxiety and the height comment make immediately think about my Grandfather.  Grandpa towered over Grandma he was at least 6'2".  Grandma was maybe 5'4"?  So, she wants info about a wedding and mentioned that her friend's new husband is shorter than her.  This makes me think that what she is telling my Great-Grandmother is that she is a little jealous of Ruth and her marriage.  That she wants to get married to Grandpa.  I could also be reading waaaaaay too much into this and being crazy.  But as Crazy Eyes says, "I am not crazy, I am unique."

On June 17, 1944

Tuesday, July 11, 1944

Great Aunt Peggy's arrival is  success!  I know Grandma is happy to have her there even after all the lecturing.  You could always tell that Grandma and Great Aunt Peggy enjoyed each other's company.  Their bond was on such a level that a few glances and eye twitches communicated their interpretation of current events over the last decade.  Or maybe they were just commenting about the horrible event someone decided to wear and lamenting their choice.

"I am so sorry for being so slow in writing to you but I have been so busy at the office, and then with Peggy here, my evening are filled and the time seems to fly.  I got to leave work early so I could meet her.  She was dirty but she looked nice and seemed well and in good spirits.  We talked 50 miles an hour I think.  Bud and Andy came down to the depot and carried her bags for her.  We went right to the apartment and she cleaned up.  Then we took a swim in the ocean too. She loves the apartment and likes it so well here.  I suppose that she has written and told you all about it.  She hasn't been in Miami, but just once, and that was to get her reservations.  She will leave here on the 8th of August.  That was the soonest she could get out of here on the fast train.  She is pretty well rested up now so she going to come down and meet everyone."

Although Great Aunt Peggy is visiting, Grandma still misses her mother.  She cannot help but brag about her mother, or as she puts it, "putting on the dog."

Bud and Andy haven been entertaining us and she likes them a lot.  Bud said that you were a very observant woman because Peg was reading one of your letters where you told all about Ruth's husband and since you had seen him only the one time and gave such a full description of him he thinks your are very observant, so I told him you were a very brilliant woman and very well educated.  You can just hear me putting on the dog can't you?"

The wedding Grandma told Great Aunt Peggy to skip took place in Missoula finally.  Grandma is so happy for the Timms and the newly weds.  What I want to point out is Grandma's admission about Grandpa!

"I only hope that you will approve of my choice, and on the QT it might be Bud."

GET MARRIED ALREADY!

Grandma and Grandpa

On June 9, 1994

Sunday, July 2, 1944

I don't know if y'all watch Call the Midwife, but the series 3 finale really knocked me on my tuchus this evening.  Obviously, motherhood is a major theme in Call the Midwife, but tonight's episode explored the ever complicated relationship between a mother and her daughter.  As every woman knows, the relationship one has with her mother is always complicated.  (Sorry to use the word twice but there really is no other way to describe it)  We are the closest person a mother has to a twin.  We share the same language and read their emotions like a guide book.  We hold our mother's as our best critique and our most avid supporter.  Essentially, mother's are the dichotomies in our lives.  We cannot live without them, but in the end we must.

My mom is the reason I started this blog, and watching Call the Midwife this evening reminded me of that.  So, thank you Call the Midwife for inspiring me to pick up my pen in the name of my Mom once again.

Now, let's move forward with the story of my Mom's mom and bring her back into the foreground.  Let's move forward with Great Aunt Peggy's journey from Montana.

Great Aunt Peggy is making her way across the country and is soon to be in or is already in Chicago, IL.

"Peg must be getting close to Chicago or should be there now.  I bet she is getting rather excited.  I know I am so anxious to see her & show her Miami."

The luggage should arrive sooner than Great Aunt Peggy, so I know Grandma will busy herself with that.  It will giver her something to do with all of her nervous energy. She also refers to Grandpa and their friend Andy as her bellhops.

I'm sorry to say that this is again a shorter letter, I wish Grandma had more to say so I had more to tell you.  On the other hand, sobbing my eyes out with my Mom to Call the Midwife just plum wore me out.  So, good evening friends and hug your mothers close.

Good Night and Good Luck.

...

(I always wanted to exit that way)

On May 18, 1944

Saturday, July 1, 1944

In preparation for Great Aunt Peggy's visit, Grandma found an adorable apartment on Miami Beach.  It doesn't have a kitchen, but it's cheap as they come and utilities are included.

"I got us a nice place over on Miami Beach. ... It is just one room with a bath and a great big closet.  It has two studio beds, they are real soft and they have covers that go over them in the daytime so they look like studio couches.  I couldn't get a pace to cook in but we can go to the corner drugstore and it is very reasonable there with good food.  The reason I took this place is that it has beach facilities.  She can go over to this private beach and since she is a tenant of the Norgate she can go there for free.  It is a lovely beach and I know quite a few people around there so she won't be lonesome during the day while I am at work.  I am so excited now I can hardly wait.  Also, the jitney goes right in front of our door.  We will live like queens.  It costs $60 a month, but we are saving in the long run because we won't have to pay $1.10 every time we go to the beach, so you can see it is just as cheap in the long run and we won't have to pay electricity and all that stuff.  That is very cheap for Miami for such a nice place."

Ok,  let's talk about lack of kitchen thing.  Oh it's ok, we'll eat at the corner drugstore?! My guess is when she says it's good and inexpensive she means it.  I can tell you though, you save a lot of money from staying in and cooking at home.  Who has two thumbs, didn't buy groceries for 3 months, and blew over $1000 on restaurants?  This kid.  That junk ain't cheap.  However, it was very tasty.  

I love how the not having to pay the beach entry fees balances out the having to buy food for every meal thing.  Well, either way I know that they will have a glorious summer.

Grandma and Grandpa at Grandma and Great Aunt Peggy's Apartment

On May 12, 1944

Thursday, June 29, 1944

Great Aunt Peg is one her way! She did not follow the rules and get her ticket for the City of Miami but the South Wind instead.  Grandma is disappointed in that, but she is ecstatic that Great Aunt Peggy is finally coming down for a visit.

"I got Peggy's Telegram last night that she is one her way and I am so excited.  I will go out over the weekend and get us an apartment -- I hope.  I think I shall be able to find one.  I have so many things planned that we can do.  She told me to send the telegram to Forsyth, which, I did, isn't she going to stop and see Grandma?  I was also very glad to hear that she is going to take the train and not the bus.  I was disappointed to hear she is coming on the Southwind and not the City of Miami, but I guess she was lucky to get on the Southwind.  I hpe that she will be able to get around in Chicago ok without getting lost.  I guess if I could do it, she can."

I'm glad her faith in Great Aunt Peggy is restored.  This letter also gives me the most significant evidence that I am my truly my Grandmother's Granddaughter.

"I AM TYPING THIS IN ALL CAPITALS JUST FOR THE DICKENS OF IT.  I CAN GET ENJOYMENT OUT OF THE DARNEDEST THINGS.  OH, WELL, IT DOESN'T TAKE MUCH TO AMUSE ME."

I have been known to giggle at socks before.  Life is too short; find amusement where you can.

Today is Beverly's Birthday, and Grandma went in with some other girls to buy her a nice overnight bag.  Unfortunately, Grandma has her watch assignment this evening and cannot go out with them to celebrate.  She was able to go out with Grandpa and their friend Andy a lot this week.

"Monday night Bud and I went out to a place called the Teepee.  We had a nice dinner and then we danced.  Tuesday night I went to the movie with Bud and Andy and then we got something to eat and went home.  Last night we went out dancing again and had a lot of fun.  Tonight I have the watch over to the barracks and can't go out, so I will wash clothes and iron. I want everything done when Peg gets here."

Maybe Mom knows who this Andy guy is because they've gone out with him several times.  Perhaps he's the reason Mom wanted to call my Brother, Andrew, Andy.

On May 2, 1944

Monday, June 26, 1944

Grandma know what's best for everyone, and heaven help you if you step out of line.  Not only does she have an entire paragraph for my Great Aunt Peggy, but she also reserved the postscript for her.

"Please let me know when to expect you.  After all, I think you owe me that much.  I have a lot to do to get ready for you and then you don't let me know what yo do. That makes me good and mad and I think I shall bawl you out when you get down here -- if ever."

"Remember Peg, I am your sister & I think I should come first in your plans, rather than everyone else & me last. B.S."

It does not help Grandma's cause that her initials are B.S.  

Most of my gumption, if not all, came from Grandma Robinson.  I've known how to speak my mind even before I knew how to talk.  Despite all of the positives of speaking one's mind, snottiness has a tendency to sneak in.  Eventually, you learn how to control it, and wield it only to make a point.  Grandma feels however that Great Aunt Peggy is deserving of such treatment because she will not follow Grandma's plans.  Did I also mention that this is the BIRTHDAY letter Grandma sends to Great Aunt Peg?

Thankfully Grandpa finds her willingness to voice her opinions charming.  I know they got into arguments, but what healthy couple doesn't argue from time to time?  Grandma and Grandpa found the people that they could each put up with each other's crap.  When you find that one person, hold onto them for dear life.

"Bud is taking me out to dinner and dancing tonight.  We heaven't been doing much of that lately, so I have a new white suit and am going to dress up in that and we are going to have a real nice evening.  He is really wonderful to me and we have such a good time.  He isn't a very good looking boy but he is a good boy and I know you would like him a lot.  He puts himself out to do anything I want to do.  He doesn't have any bad habits either.  He doesn't smoke at all, and he has real nice hands."

Grandma held onto those hands until the day Grandpa died.  She knew she found a gem, her gem.  A person who is patient and kind.  The type of person all us loud mouthed women need.  They complemented each other, and made all the sense in the world.

On April 23, 1944

Tuesday, June 20, 1944 - Wednesday, June 21, 1944

Grandma's lecture for Great Aunt Peggy couldn't just take up THREE letters oh no.  Grandma had to stop half way through the third letter and carry it through to the next day!

"I don't see why you have to stay for the wedding.  After all,Peg, the summer will be over before you know it and then you more than likely never got here.  If I were you I would take the train from Chicago on down here."

The lecture starts on one day and then starts on another and continues for about half a page.  She reiterates her arguments from the earlier letters and tells Great Aunt Peggy to take the City of Miami train again.  The City of Miami train was a seven-car coach streamliner inaugurated by Illinois Central Railroad on December 18, 1940.  Its route was from Chicago to Miami, a total distance of 1,493 miles.  Apparently, Grandma absolutely adored her trip on it.  I believe Mom mentioned that Grandma and Grandpa met on the City of Miami train.  Maybe that's why she's so gung ho about Great Aunt Peggy riding on it.  Maybe she thinks it will give Great Aunt Peggy the same luck with men. 

 Speaking of Grandpa Robinson, this is the first letter where he's given more than a cursory sentence.  I adore the detail that Grandma gives about him because those are the same details I would notice about a man.  I probably would not want to reject him outright for the potential of lost hair, but it makes me giggle.

"I am going to lunch with Bud today.  It is just about time to go.  I haven't had another date with anyone but Bud since I have been back. He is a nice boy and I like him quite a lot, but I don't think it is the real thing, cause he is going to lose his hair someday, and I have to think that over.  He has real nice hands though.  We took some pictures at the beach Sunday, so I am sending them on to you.  They didn't all turn out but the ones that did aren't good either.  I thought you would like to see them though."

She's questioning their entire relationship over whether he will lose his hair or not! HAH!

Bud and Betty at the Beach

On April 14, 1994

 

Thursday, June 15, 1944

The control planning continues.  Grandma needs Great Aunt Peggy to visit her.  She starts her control planning process by admonishing Aunt Peg for following orders.

"Peggy, please come as soon as you can.  I am getting so anxious to see you and I want to have you come down here while the weather is still good. ... We can really have a wonderful time, and there are a lot better looking guys down here than there are at home, and even better that the Sergeant. ... Also, get your reservations made as soon as possible.  Now, I'm not kidding about that, so you do it as soon as you get this letter, if you haven't already done so.  There is nothing to be afraid of on the train, Peg, no one will but you.  If I have been able to come down here by myself on the train 3 times and gone up on the train once and flown once and came through OK, so you can do it and do it soon!"

There was much more to the paragraph above.  Grandma essentially reprimands Great Aunt Peggy, then cajoles her, and then ends with what she hopes is a motivational speech.  Grandma then plays her trump card, and finally reveals her genuine motivations behind the whole control planning travel situation.

"All the kids have been getting presents for their Dad's and it hurst me that I can't send him anything.  I wish you could hurry up and get down here, Peggy, for that one reason, so I can talk to someone about it.  I don't like to talk to the other kids because ti makes them uncomfortable and they don't want to listen to my troubles."

Losing her Father made Grandma's control planning go into over drive.  She could not control the events surrounding her Father's passing, so she's trying to control what she can.  Thankfully she is staying busy in her office and Grandfather keeps taking her to the movies.

"I havent been doing much.  Tuesday night I had the watch so I had to stay in and so I cleaned the room, washed all my clothes and ironed.  Thrilling, isn't it?  Last night I went to the show with Bud and Andy."

I don't know who this Andy cat is, but I think Grandma and Grandpa end up living with him.  Also, I believe the show she mentions is the movies, but knowing the 40s it could also be a floor show.  I think I like envisioning her and Grandpa going to a floor show rather than a dark movie theater.  It's glamorous.  

At least Grandma has my Grandpa and she was able to verbalize what was wrong.  That doesn't mean my Grandmother isn't still annoyed that my Great Aunt Peggy didn't follow orders.

"Don't stay for Ruth's wedding.  It will be over in 10 minutes & then what good did it do you - just make you mad you're still single."

Sister's really know how to cut to the chase.

On April 8, 1944

Tuesday, June 13, 1944

Plans are like crack to me.  I plan everything months in advance, right down to every last napkin ring. When I was a child these plans would never come to fruition because as a child you are never in control of your schedule.  No one would follow the strict guidelines and paths I set them on in order to achieve these amazing jaunts we were never going to jaunt about on.  Did I mention I read a lot of British adventure stories as a child?  Essentially these plans I dreamed about for months always fell down about my ears.  Losing all feeling of control over this harsh cruel world known as my uncooperative family members, I would inevitably lose my tiny tot shit.

As I grew older, I discovered something wondrous and universe altering.  With every failed plan, it enabled me to contrive more convoluted and intense plans.  They usually had more details that I had to iron out and when those failed, it meant that I got to add on more detail.  As I write these words, my pulse is quickening and my brain is whirring.  For instance, if you ask me to plan a menu, but you want to have input, that's cute.  Along those same lines, if you try to change my menu, you will fail.  I know how this meal's taste sensations will work together down to the last candied flower.  In reading these letters, I discovered today that this too is a genetic trait.

Grandma's control planning category was travel arrangements, especially if you were coming for a visit.

"Peg, I wish you would tell me the exact date you are going to be here so I can arrange things.  I'd like for you to get here by the 1st of July if possible.  Now, when you buy your ticket, try to arrange so you can leave Chicago on the City of Miami streamliner.  Get your reservations for both ways.  Also, plan to stay here at least a month.  Make your reservations thru Missoula station.  When you get {to} Chicago stay at the Stevens Hotel.  That is close to the depot you leave to come down here."

Grandma gives Great Aunt Peggy exact instructions on how to make her transfer work in Chicago.  Some people might call it controlling, well, I do too, but it really is a way to show we care.  I know how to plan this out and make it as easy as possible for you.  We have your best interests at heart.  Could we sound more like Big Brother?

Big Brother from 1984 dir. Michael Radford

On April 1, 1944...

Thursday, June 8, 1944

Time marches forward as Grandma prepares for Great Aunt Peggy's arrival.  Great-Grandma keeps her updated on Peggy's comings and goings.  Grandma used to grill me before I left to go out with friends.  Where you going?  What are you going to get up to?  How long are you going to be gone?  I couldn't even drive, and she was trying to anticipate my every move.  I didn't even drink until I wen to college!  Now I see why she was so nosy.  She remembers what she was like at my age.  She'd already done everything and wanted to make sure I didn't do anything!

"I have to laugh about Peg going out all the time.  I am glad that you are, Peg, cause it does help to make you feel better and I know that Daddy wouldn't have minded.  He always liked to see us  have a good time, even though he used to get mad at me for the hours I liked to keep.  He would be glad to know that I now have to be in so darned early."

I know Grandma was whistling through her teeth when I left for college.  She sat up there working around her chair, trying to find a less judgmental spot.  She probably hit a few high notes there as well.  Grandma made those Chicago winters colder so that I wouldn't leave the house.  We'll see how well they comport themselves when Great Aunt Peggy gets to Miami!

"Don't wear yourself out with all the running around, Peggy.  I want you to look good when you come down here."

Grandma and Great Aunt Peggy will inspire some mischief but Grandpa will tag along for the ride.  He'll also make sure they don't fall off the ride.  In honor of D-Day Grandpa took Grandma to dinner and dancing, and took her out the next night just because.  

"I haven't been doing too much.  Tuesday night being "D" day, Bug, Andy and I went out dancing and had quite a nice time.  Last night Bud took me out to dinner and to the show over on the beach."

I wonder what Great Aunt Peggy will think of Grandma's new beaux Bud?!

On March 24, 1944...

Tuesday, June 6, 1944

Snarkiness runs in the family.  These are the first documented evidence that it is a family trait.  Grandma was my first clue, but our snark blooms with age.

"I am sos sorry for not writing sooner.  I have been terribly busy and just didn't seem to get the time to write.  I know that you miss my wonderful letters so much. Ahem!  I got both of your letters and I believe that was the last time I heard from you.  So Peggy, you think you are smart being dated so much?  I don't believe that I know this Sergeant.  Am I supposed to?"

Great Aunt Peggy will have plenty of time to enjoy that Genetic Snark when she she gets to Miami soon.  I cannot wait to read the reports of her visit.  They probably wrote about the pair of them in the newspapers.

Their fair faces did not grace the front page on Tuesday, June 6, 1944 however.  The newspapers were too concerned with D-Day to report on their fabulousness.  Grandma is apparently not impressed.

"Well the invasion has started at last.  This town is really excited about it.  It is just about all you hear and they have a lot of extras out and whatnot."

Somehow she cannot muster the proper enthusiasm for D-Day, but she can learn to fly for the forrest service parachute fire fighters at Missoula, Montana.

"In the news reel the other night they showed pictures of the forrest service parachute fire fighters at Missoula, Montana.  I about went through the roof."

Grandma is incredibly nonchalant about the D-Day invasion.  I initially did not understand it but, I quickly checked myself.  I had to realize that information and media did not reach people instantaneously back then as it does now.  Citizens and Military personnel on American shores did not understand the magnitude of the D-Day invasion.  They did once the information and media became available to them. 

General Dwight D Eisenhower well understood what this invasion meant for WWII and how it would affect human history.  He expresses his sentiments in his message to the troops.  The triumphs and horrors of this invasion were not evident to the people safe on American shores.  It changed the course of WWII and it changed the face of human history forever.

On March 17, 1944

Sunday, May 28, 1944

No offense to my brother, but I always wanted a big sister.  Not instead of him, but in addition to him.  I appreciate the things that only a brother can teach you: how to burp, how to mouth off, and most importantly which men a woman could trust.  You know how there's that old adage that women and men always find someone like their opposite gendered parent?  Not only did I end up with somebody like my Dad, but my boyfriend also shares some traits with my brother.  There are times my boyfriend will say something to me, and I will often respond, "Did you talk to Andrew today?"  I appreciate the relationship my brother and I have, but like most humans, I yearned for something I didn't have, a sister.  Now that's not to say Andrew didn't search for his own band of brothers either.  Before I was born, he would put aside his old clothes and say he was saving them for his little brother.  So, we both got what we needed: Andrew from his childhood friends, and I from my friends and Sister-In-Law.  Which my Sister-In-Law has survived our family for almost 10 years!  That woman deserves a medal.

BUT TO BRING THIS BLOG BACK AROUND TO GRANDMA:

Grandma's sister, Great Aunt Peggy is coming to Miami for the summer.  She became the principal of her school, and she still gets the summer off.  So, she's coming to stay with Grandma.

"I suppose Peggy is there by now.  I got your card, Peg, but since then I haven't heard from you.  I hope you had a nice time in Cody.  What is this about you getting to be principal?  I am very interested in hearing that.   I am getting quite anxious for Peggy to get down here.  I have it figured out that you will be down here in about 3 1/2 weeks.  You should get here by the 21st of June.  I think it would be nice to be here for your birthday.   Why don't you come straight down here and make you(r) stops on the way home.  I suppose that I had better start looking for a place for you.  I am hoping to be able to live with you while you are here."

Their relationship showed me what having a sister truly meant.  They complemented each other and my Grandmother often knew when it was Great Aunt Peggy ringing on the other end.  They would get into arguments and be laughing together five seconds after those arguments ended.  That's what always struck me.  They shared the same laugh.  Grandma's was tinted with smoke, but their laughs shared the same timbre and soul.

Sisters

On this day in WWII history

Tuesday, May 23, 1944

I have the same dream after every loved one's funeral.  The dream sens a message of peaceful rest and happiness in their life to come.  Now, these dreams might be my subconscious fulfilling a psychological need, but I know they are messages from my loved ones.  Dreams can heal us or haunt us.  Great-Grandpa Shannon passed suddenly and Grandma still doesn't sleep well.  She finds peace in her work during the day, but her sleep is filled with nightmares.

"You dream a lot of Daddy, well so do I.  Twice now I have dreamed of him in his casket & that he comes alive.  The first time I dreamed that, I dreamed they jarred the casket & he sat up & wanted to know what was going on.  Last nite I dreamed we were at the funeral & it came time to close the casket & he rolled over.  We wouldn't let them close it and & Daddy talked to us, but he was dead & didn't know it & we didn't want to tell him.  They are such awful dreams & I feel so badly when I wake up.  I'm glad I can still see him clearly.  I am afraid I'll never reconcile myself to his going."

The sudden passing of a parent is earth shattering.  Whenever either of my parents go, I will be changed forever.  Death always changes people whether it is expected or unexpected.  It's what you do with your life after the death that shows the world how you have changed.  Sometimes it's just not for the good.

On this day in WWII history

Thursday, May 18, 1944

Death complicates everything.  Not so much for the loved one who passed, but for the ones who remain.  Great-Grandma Shannon is learning a whole new way of life.  She doesn't have her husband to help her though.  She must depend on her daughters know how to traverse this quickly changing world.  Women are woking outside the home and taking on roles that were held by men for generations.  How does a person confront this ever-changing planet without their partner-in-crime beside them?  Grandma decides that flowers will bring Great-Grandma hope in this dark period of her life.

"I'm glad you liked your flowers.  I was so afraid they wouldn't be nice ones.  I think it was nice of everyone to come see you too."

Grandma lists the letter she has received upon her Father's passing.  Her favorite so far comes from her cousin Don Shannon.

"I got a letter from Don Shannon & he was somewhere in Brazil.  He told me how sorry he was to hear about Daddy.  He also is quite stuck on Beverly."

I believe Mom once told me that Don Shannon was the crazy cousin.  It's impressive to be classified as crazy in the insane asylum.

Somewhere in a box in Chicago, IL there are moving pictures of my Grandma and Grandpa before they were married.  My Grandparents met another couple on a train bound from Chicago to Miami.  I believe my Grandparents met each other on the same train from Chicago to Miami.  Not only did they meet the love of their lives, but they also made some shutterbug friends.  Let's hope this blog leads to those moving pictures.

"I still go out with Bud.  The people we met on the train leave today.  I hate to see them go, we had such a good time with them.  They took some moving pictures of us so I'm going to see them if I ever get to Chicago."

I hope Grandma got to see those moving pictures, or at least I hope I find out whoever those wonderful people were. 

Great-Grandma and her Girls

On this day in WWII history

Monday, May 15, 1944

Mother's Day past and Grandma did not receive a phone call or letter from her Mother thanking her for the flowers she wired to her.  However, it is only the day after Mother's Day so I am certain Grandma will receive word soon.

"Well, I hope you got the flowers that I wired to you & I hope they were nice."

Grandma spent Mother's Day with her future husband, Bud Robinson.  I'm not certain what Grandma has against the people Grandpa hangs out with, but she refers to them as those people.  I guess the answer will reveal itself in time.

"What did you do Mother's Day?  I went to the beach, over to those people's place.  Bud rented a car, a convertible, & last night we rode around & had a very good time."

The Navy is reviewing Grandma and Great-Grandma's application to see if Great-Grandma is eligible to receive an allotment from the Navy.  As an explanation: Great-Grandma is now dependent upon Grandma.  

"I had to put down on my application for your allotment that you had some income ... You will be getting your application soon."

Grandma and the Navy are both coming to Great-Grandma's aid as the Navy is taking a portion of the allotment out of Grandma's paycheck.  

The next page is filled with talk of Grandma's new watch.  What the band looks like, how she could not have it engraved, and she even draws the diameter of the watch to show her Mother.  I wondered why she was going to in such detail when she reminded me of some information:

"I wish I could have had it engraved, but I tell everyone that Daddy gave it to me, so they all know.  I only wish he could have seen it."

This watch was the last gift from her Father.  Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa sent her the money to purchase a new watch and he passed before she could show it off to him.  I know the watch brings comfort to Grandma in her grief.  However, I think Bud Robinson is the better cure for too much grief.

On this day in WWII history