Two Noras: February 23, 1914 and February 23, 2021

Nora Bauer: Monday, February 23, 1914

Worked this morning but the furnace smoked so bad so we stayed home the afternoon. Will [brother] took Mamie [sister] and I up to the Deutscher Verein this evening. They had a musical and dance.

Nora Spitznogle: Tuesday, February 23, 2021

I had my annual review today and it went well - why do I fret so? Straight home to paint  - what have I gotten myself into? I'm told it should not involve a ladle.

How nice for Will to take his younger sisters to the theater! Will would have been 25 years old, Mamie 22, and Grandma Nora 19. I've been wondering why their Mom wouldn't have joined them. The youngest children, twins Herman and Gertrude would have been almost 15 years old...or maybe leaving teenagers home alone wasn't a good idea. I assume that their father would have been working at his saloon in the evening. Below is a blurb from the next day's paper about the show. 

I've been trying not to look ahead in Grandma Nora's journal or at the newspapers, but I looked up Grandma Nora and Paul's wedding announcement yesterday and it was full of clues. Her employer, Mr. Barnes was listed - Nora had mentioned him before and I assumed that he was an employer, but I wasn't sure. The piece also mentioned that Mr. Barnes was the mayor at the time she got married - bingo! That opened a floodgate of information. 

Mr. James I. Barnes was running a construction company started by his father, James E. Barnes. They were prominent builders in Logansport and at the Culver Academy. Over the last few months when I'd asked Dad if he could remember who his mom worked for, he couldn't recall a name. When I asked about Barnes, he was sure that was it. Woo hoo! 

It is a little ironic that a construction firm's office was smoked out by the boiler. 

Speaking of construction, I'm in over my head - literally - on the painting project. I sent this photo to two friends and they both commented that they'd never seen a ladle used in a painting project. I'm finding that putting paint in a plastic cup works well for using the brush. My ladder is so old the thingie to hold the tray of paint is gone. I'll keep painting away as long as none of you look too closely at the walls the next time you're in my house. 

Bonus: When looking though the papers for a review of the show they attended this blurb caught my eye.... damn actors!