transcribingmemory

What does this silence speak?

What did my silence from this blog for so long indicate? And what does her silent reading now show? I’m back at it so I bring all of March 1935’s journals down to Babu. She begins reading and, like every single other time, she tells me: “I’ve never seen Jenete written that way.” Then she…

The Second, Third, and Fourth Week of March

Babu celebrates her 17th birthday! Her mother gives her a beautiful compact and her friend gives her a slip – with lace! Babu is up to more shenanigans. The class, and Babu, get answers from another girl for the English test and then she and Sophie use the excuse of the crowd to skip church,…

What I’ve learned so far…

I’ve learned… …that this is important. And it’s important to do now. The blog keeps me accountable but really it’s about the time spent with her sharing the memories and people and retelling her story, the one she wrote, back to her. ….that even though that sounds like I’m doing her a favor, she has…

“Just don’t think about it and do it.”

My life can’t just be simple: Go to work, come home, help to take care of my grandmother, spend time with husband, cook and clean and take care of myself. For many reasons and due to many X factors, it isn’t like that at all, the first three are the only ones that happen with…

Fourth Week of February and First Week of March 1935

She started an autograph book and still seems to be swooning a little over having gotten WBZ’s autograph. She talks with a classmate, Evelyn, about going away to school. She hopes she wont have to go alone. Someone Johnny takes care of got Scarlet fever and he is not allowed back at school and Babu’s…

Reading her journals – The experience so far.

I was surprised initially reading her journals that they were so clinical. Not only were they almost simply a clean record of the day, but they lacked detail. What does this club you attended do? What was your theme about? Why weren’t you going to prom? I expected them to be secretive and was surprised…

Excerpt #6

Jenete has 2 sets of initials in her book. Her’s and Robert Sullivan’s and mine and Judson Ferguson’s. I think he’s so magnetic. He’s got a forehead like Franchot Tone. I was ironing some cuffs and collars and I haven’t done my brief on Burke. Poor me. :)!!!

Second and Third Week of Feburary 1935

She attended a Quill and Masque meeting and claimed she didn’t fit in with this group of people. The club sounds interesting and I plan on asking her what this club did. Spoiler alert since I have transcribed ahead of this month, she continues to go to it. She got a valentine from Caveman, was…

Reading entertainingly and with wonder

I remember back to that almost snow day on Jan 24th, 1935. According to Babu, there were only about six students in each class and Ms. Short had them read from themes. Babu wrote: In Miss Short’s room we had to read from themes. I seem to have the habit of reading what I don’t see….

Excerpt #5

Jenete’s going to the prom. Bobby Sullivan asked her. She got a gown from Peggy Zimba just like mine. Her aunt Jenny is letting her wear her coat and her aunt Lucy gave her a pair of shoes. She is certainly one lucky girl. I wish I could go.

The First Week of Feburary 1935

This is an exciting week! Jenete is going to prom and there is much talk about dresses – even something an acquaintance is wearing that Babu calls “transparent velvet.” This isn’t the days of Miley Cyrus so I doubt she really meant transparent. Babu helps her friend get her eye brows done and her nails,…

Excerpt #4

Wednesday, January 30, 1935 I thought this would turn into another wallflower dance. It was almost. I had two numbers with Pansy and me – – – with some unknown boy. Oh but I liked to dance with him. I hope from now on someone will ask us to dance. We had lovely corsages. A…