Two Noras: January 3, 1919 and January 3, 2025

Nora Bauer: Friday, January 3, 1919

20 below zero this morning and not much warmer all day. Gertrude got lots of mail from France today but nothing for me yet. Bertha & Loretta were over tonight and everybody was crocheting. Gertrude finished my tam. 

Nora Spitznogle: Friday, January 3, 2025

I worked from home for a few hours this morning before my dentist appointment. It was a calm afternoon at work - I enjoyed the lack of meetings this week. I was a total this evening. Early to bed. 

Brrr! What a cold day in Logansport that was. If only we could see Grandma Nora in the tam! 

Bertha and Loretta Bauer are sisters and cousins of Nora and a few years younger. 

I wonder who Gertrude was getting mail from in France? Presumably it was from a soldier fighting in the Great War (now known as WWI). Nora's beau, Paul, was also overseas as a Army soldier - I'm still researching where he was - I'm sure she was sad to not receive any mail from him. 

My day was uneventful, even the dentist visit, thankfully. Last year I had three root canals and had a crown made - I paid off the last $1000 of all of that today. 

I was incredibly lazy this evening. I sorted through the last few days of mail and paid utility bills online and updated my new health insurance in all of the appropriate places - with my doctor's office, etc. 

Two Noras: January 2, 1919 and January 2, 2025

Nora Bauer: Thursday, January 2, 1919

12 [degrees] above zero this morning. Helped invoice again today at the Drug Store. Gertrude is knitting me a tam tonight and I am working on Anna's sweater. Was awful sleepy and went to bed early. 

Nora Spitznogle: Thursday, January 2, 2025

Cold day, stayed in the 30s. Worked at Second Helpings, was the closing manager. Aaron helped me put the outdoor Christmas decorations away. I made turkey chili and divvied it up and froze for future lunches. 

It sounds like Grandma Nora was moonlighting at a drug store along with her bookkeeping job at Barns Construction.  

A tam is a beret-like hat, with a band around the bottom to hold it closer to your head - I can picture it, but I didn't know that it had a name. 

Anna is Grandma Nora's next oldest sister. 

Her siblings and ages in 1919:

William Francis Bauer, 30
Mamie E. Bauer, 28
Anna M. Bauer, 27
Nora, 24
Gertrude, 20 (twin)
Herman, 20 (twin) 

I worked at Second Helpings, where I am the Chief Program Officer. It was a light staff today - a lot of my co-workers took last week and this week off. I've certainly enjoyed the lack of meetings and I'm getting caught up on paperwork and emails. 

I'm *that* neighbor - the one with all of the yard decorations. I love these vintage blow molds - I had 18 of them on display this year. The wind knocked most of them over last night and the manger came apart also...as sure sign that it was time to put them away. 

In this case "away" is the crawl space in my unfinished basement. A third of the basement has a waist-level block wall that is filled with dirt. My blow mold collection (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Easter, Independence Day, etc) is stored there. You can't can't stand up straight in there and I'm constantly bonking my head and come out with a backache. I was grateful to Aaron for walking the figures down the basement stairs - I don't know how I used to do it by myself. 

I made a pot of turkey chili to divy up for work lunches. I took advantage of the cold porch to cool the chili down enough to pop it in the freezer. 

Nora's cash account entry for this day shows: 

1-2    
                                                     Shoe Strings            .10   
                                                     Repair Shoes           .45 

Two Noras: January 1, 1919 and January 1, 2025

Nora Bauer: Wednesday, January 1, 1919

Raining this morning but turned in to snow and very cold by evening. Went to 9 oclock Mass and worked the rest of the day. Aunt Minnie was over for dinner. Went to the Colonial tonight and saw Mary Pickford in "Johanna Enlists" It was fine. 

Nora Spitznogle: Wednesday, January 1, 2025

It snowed a touch last night and cold today. I was EME at 10:00 Mass at Saint Joan of Arc. Schaun and Chris helped me move a new-to-me washer and dryer to the basement. Aaron and I went to dinner at Pawn Shop Pub. 

I enjoy the challenge of recounting my day in the same number of words as Grandma Nora described her day, but it makes for some awkward sentences. 

Today is holy day in the Roman Catholic Church, the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God. 

Grandma Nora would have attended Saint Joseph's Church in Logansport, Indiana and the Mass would have been said in Latin. The Bauer's had a long history with the parish and Nora's dad, Felix B. Bauer was part of the team that produced the bricks used to build the church. More on all of that later...

I lit the three candles on the right in honor of my two grandmothers and my mama. 

Unfathomable to Grandma Nora would have been the thought that her granddaughter would not only be attending Mass said in English, but would be serving as an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist - helping to distribute communion.   

Aunt Minnie was one of Nora's papa's younger sisters. 

Here's a little bit about the film that Nora went to see. 

In 1919 the film would have been silent. You can watch it by clicking here if you like. 

My day was exciting in a different way. I got a new-to-me washer and dryer from my friend Kassie. 

Only I wasn't too excited about giving up my 29 year old washer even though my clothes often came out of the wash cycle with rust stains from the crumbling drum. The washer was a from a set that my parents gifted me when I moved in the house - here is a recounting of that day. https://nora-leona.blogspot.com/2016/11/dont-look-gift-horse-in-mouth.html 

Saying goodbye to the old washer - it was picked up from the curb by a metal scrapper in no time. 

My friend Schaun (his truck), Chris (my Red Key co-worker and Schuan's nephew) took care of the whole thing, with a little help from Aaron (my beau and player in the story of my old washer getting hooked up) and me. 

Aaron and I went to dinner at the Pawn Shop Pub and ran into some of my Red Key co-workers. It was a nice start to 2025.

Grandma Nora's cash account entry for this day shows: 

1-1    Cash on Hand        3.52
         Cash in Bank   1365.97
                                                     Show                       .25   
                                                     Car Fare                  .30