Entries for April 30 and May 1 - 1911 and 2011 (bad people)

TODAY: Around 11:30 Sunday April 30, 2011, President Obama announced that Osama Bin Laden was killed by a special ops unit from the Navy Seals.  May 1st all the news reports were about this.  People were celebrating, but it wasn't long before the conspiracy folks started the doubting.  "Why was his body buried at sea so fast?  Why won't the government show the pictures of the dead body?"  Some say the President made it all up so his ratings would improve.  But I think it is true and one really bad guy is gone.

IN RITA'S DAY: No terrorists.  The most wanted list didn't start until 1949.  Public enemy #1 in 1930.  Unfortunately, it doesn't mean there were no bad guys (and girls).  The picture above is from a bit before Rita.  This man, H.H. Holmes, set up a hotel for the Chicago Exposition in order to have a place to killl people!  Some say he was the first serial killer in modern terms.  And let's not forget the gals. The picture below is of Jane Toppan who said her goal was to kill more people - helpless people - than any other man or woman.  She is joined in this time period by Amy Archer-Gilligan and Bertha Gifford.

Rita's Entry: April 30 and May 1st, 1911
Sunday - Tin and I went to S.S. and church.  After dinner wrote home.  Johnson tribe amused us.  Fran played fourths.  Miss Shining and Miss Ratatge came.  Stayed for lunch.  Mr. S. on a tear.  Much music etc.  Johnsons banged their windows too.
Monday - Lesson at 9:30.  Almost an hour.

Judy's Entry - April 30 and May 1, 2011
Tried to stay up to hear the President, but I once I knew what the announcement was going to be - I went to bed. 
Monday - Elizabeth is spending a few days with us.  Packed her a big lunch.  Mom and I went to singing at Country House.  The residents there really get into it.  Our group is very nice too. 



Entries for April 29 - 1911 and 2011 (costs)

Rita's Entry: Saturday, April 29, 1911
Early walk with Fran over to Clark for string.  Practiced till noon.  After lunch Mrs. S., Tin, Fran and I went shopping.  Went to Burreslitute [???] for exhibit.  It was gone.  RAIN!  Bo't coat, fiddle case, and flowers for Mrs. Elliot.  Tin left us for voice lesson.

IN RITA'S DAY: Clark Street was active shopping area (see above).  In the back of her diary, Rita lists the costs of many items.  On this day, the coat cost $10.00, the violin case - $10.00 and the flowers and postage (?) cost $.46.

TODAY:  The cost of the items Rita bought have gone up about the same over time.  I mean you can buy an okay violin case for around 50 or 60 dollars and you can get a nice spring coat for the same.  The big event today is the royal wedding (above).  The cost of this they say was about 20 million pounds.  The news is full of the wedding, but the terrible storms kept the major newscasters here in Alabama rather than in London.

Judy's Entry: Friday, April 29, 2011
Went out to breakfast and to AC Moore Arts and Crafts store where Mom bought me art supplies as a birthday gift.  The off to Mt. Kisco for her eye injection.  Came home for lunch and then met Diane.  We went to the Lyndhurst arts and crafts show.   A beautiful day and some lovely things, but I'm saving my money for baby items!

Entires for April 28 - 1911 and 2011 (weather)

Rita's Entry: Friday, April 28, 1911
Home all day.  Much practice.  Finally forced to stop by broken string.  Raining pitchforks so culdn't go over on Clark for new string.

IN RITA'S DAY:  According to the Library of Congress, the expression "raining pitchforks" never caught on in the United States, but I remember Rita using it even when I was small.   The above picture shows it raining cats and dogs and pitchforks.

TODAY: It has been doing much more than raining pitchforks!  There has been a violent tornado outbreak in the Southern United States from April 25 to 28 (see the map above).  Most of the deaths occurred on April 27.  There have been about 340 people killed.  The pictures of the storms are more like explosions.  What is going on with nature?

Judy's Entry: Thursday, April 28, 2011
The intensity of the storms last night frightened people.  The local forecasters reported that there was an outside chance of tornadoes in New York, so one of the Mah Jongg crew stayed home with her mother.  So three of us played.  It "rained pitchforks" several times, but still a nice day to stay in and play.

Entries for April 27 - 1911 and 2011 (Watercolor)

Rita's Entry: Thursday, April 27, 1911
Practice before going down town.  Harmony at 10.  98 in exam.  Lesson better.  Got along pretty well in fiddle lesson.  "Modesty," he told me.  Maybe.  After lunch went to Sylvia Bargman's.  Informal but very nice little party.  AFter dinner Laura Barler came.  We took her home.  Fran and I sat on steps awhile.  O you new tenants with the 4 roomies!

IN RITA'S DAY: Watercolor painting was very popular and Fran's little characters (above) are typical of what young ladies were doing.  Probably the greatest water color artist in the U.S. - Winslow Homer - died in 1910.  See his water color below.  Some difference between that and what Fran was doing!

TODAY: Andrew Wyeth (see below) was probably the most famous watercolorist of my time.  He died in 2009, about 100 years after Winslow Homer.  Who do I think is better???

Judy's Entry: Wednesday, April 27, 2001
Started our art class today.  Very interesting. The watercolor teacher believes in having a palette of only 3 colors and mixing all the rest.  Also, loves layering.

Entries for April 26 - 1911 and 2011 (Exercise)

Rita's Entry: Wednesday, April 26, 1911
Orchestra.  Pretty good practice.  S.A. over his grouch which makes it much easier for me in playing.  Practiced in afternoon.  Harmony all evening.

IN RITA'S DAY: As the Industrial Revolution continued, people moved to cities and got less and less exercise.  Rita does do a lot of walking while in Chicago which I'm sure helped.  And, of course, Teddy Roosevelt may have been the most fit of our presidents.  However, when WWI came it was revealed that one out of three American young men who were drafted was unfit for combat (according to the University of New Mexico article).  Because of this, the government called for increase physical education, but the depression soon brought an end to that.  Women didn't do much exercise although Eleanor Roosevelt did teach calisthenics in the early 1900s, but then again American women weren't allowed to compete in the women's swimming in the 1912 Olympics(see above) because women could only compete in events where they wore skirts!

TODAY:  Exercise has become such a big business.  Still it appears that as our society becomes more involved in wealth, prosperity and self-entertainment, our fitness levels are dropping.  It may sort of parallel what was happening in Rita's day.

Judy's Entry: Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Mom's root cana was postponed until next week.  She was happy.  We went to the senior center for our exercise- Chair Zumba.  All the older people there are very nice, but I hope we look a little bit more fit than the group above.  We were bad and got something to eat at McDonald's after.  Not good for the mother and grandmother of a nutritionist!  In the afternoon, I worked outside cleaning more of the mildew off the deck.  Beautiful day!

Entries for April 25 - 1911 and 2011(Typewriters - R.I.P. Not true!)

Rita's Entry: Tuesday, April 25, 1911
Fixed jacket to suit.  Expected it would only take a little while.  Took longer - result - no practice.  Tin and I met Famie, Fran and Lucina at Lyon and Healys.  All went to Crowls for luncheon.  Marge S. there.  Dandy time as usual.  Tin stayed all night.  Fran went to dance with Joe.  Letter from R. J. A.

IN RITA'S DAY:  Rita may have been using a sewing machine on her jacket but she never speaks about a typewriter.  In the late 1800s the Remington company produced a typewriter that was designed by the top mechanics from their sewing machine division.  It had a carriage return like the pedal of a sewing machine.  In Rita's day, companies were developing the portable typewriters, like the 1912 Corona seen above.

TODAY: A short piece on the evening news announced that the last factory in the world that produced typewriters shut down today.  So R.I.P. to the typewriter (1867(?) - 2011.  You will be missed!  At least by those of us that learned to use the keyboard on typewriters rather than computers. (added on April 26:  the national news with Brian Williams today retracted the story I heard yesterday.  Typewriters continue to be produced!!!!!!  Shows that we can't believe all we hear!)

Judy's Entry: Monday, April 25, 2011
Went to get art supplies for class on Wednesday.  So expensive.  Came home and worked on cleaning the deck.  Elizabeth called and the closing is finally set - May 6th.  Now I must reserve May 7th to go to house and decide on paints with her.

Entries for April 24 - 1911 and 2011 (flowers)

Rita's Entry: Monday, April 24, 1911
Lesson at 9:30.  OK.  New piece. Sarasate Faust, lso Rode caprices.  Mr. Brune stood outside and laughed at me.  Practiced as usual.

IN RITA'S DAY: In 1910, 15 American florists agreed to serve out-of-town customers by exchanging orders via telegraph.  They called their service FTD ( Florists' Telegraph Delivery).

TODAY: FTD has become Florists' Transworld Delivery.  But beyond this, you can get all kinds of flowers at your local A&P store!

Judy's Entry: Easter Sunday, April 24, 2011
Had my son and his fiancee, my daughter and her husband and his parents for Easter.  Very nice time and there were flowers!  It just made me feel like Spring is really here.  I've posted them to help me remember how beautiful everything looked!