In the afternoons, Babu does her exercises.  She reads the paper.  I bring the dog down and she tells me that “she’s getting bigger!”  She rests again and gets up and does her exercises again.  She places her double sided sheet of instructions that are, of course, in a plastic sheet protector on the table and counts out her PT exercises from about ten years ago out loud in Polish.  Sometimes I do them with her.  Yeden, Twah, Trey…OK, you get the point and if you know Polish you know how wrong I spell everything!

In March, 1940, there is gossip:

Saturday, March 2^nd, 1940

Ernie concocted the scheme of going home to VT so I called Jakey.  We got our things and skis together and John James drove us up.  Jeb stopped in for a while but didn’t stay long.  He said he couldn’t come over in the evening.  Peggy Page told me some things about him that Ernie didn’t know.  It would kill her.  He’s going around with other girls.  Saw “The Marines Fly High.”  Ernie and I slept in the living room and she tossed all night and got up every time a car went by thinking it was Jeb.

Temptation and thrills:

Wednesday, March 13^th, 1940

We are working hard on tax returns and Mr. Burg bought us a box of Fanny Farmers.  But, shucks, I can’t eat candy till Easter,  Monday afternoon Mr. Berg took me over to Steinway to help him decide which piano to buy.  I tried a number of them there and also a Hammond organ.  It was a thrill

Many a worry:

Friday, March 22^nd, 1940

I’ve always got some worry!  Teddy Drewniack called me today and invited me to a formal dinner dance next Saturday.  I don’t care much about going but I hate to tell him no.  My temper is getting the worst of everybody.  Dad and Mom are both against me.  They also found out I smoke.  I should never have been born.  I make everyone unhappy.

And logical thinking:

Wednesday, March 6^th, 1940

Hope I’m not going to catch a cold.  I stepped onto a deep puddle and have started sneezing.

Sorry, but that kills me!

But here in 2018, we have PT exercises.  Again. Each time she’s done they slide onto the chair at her right hand side and there they stay, hidden under the table.  And of course, there’s the day long paper she marks with checks so she knows she’s read it.  She’ll read a head line out loud to me and ask me what it means, many times over, before she has read the article.  Dinner time is an exciting time.  Man, that girl loves her food.

I like it when days are uneventful.