Friday, December 18, 1936

Nine simple words

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Fine Day — Mild like

Spring.

Morse, Helen, Lucille, Clara

Porritt and I went to G.R. to

do Christmas shopping.

Clara, Lucille + I were a

comm named by L.A.S. to

purchase gift for Edwina W

pres of L.A.S. We purchased

a lovely table lamp. $4.50

With all our parcels we were

loaded coming home.

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With all our parcels we were loaded coming home.

It's such a happy line. Edna enjoyed her day. She had the Christmas spirit.

Joy is not so easy to find in 2020. It has been a difficult year for everyone.

Reading my great grandmother's journals this past year has often transported me to a time that was not 2020. Her journal and this blog have provided me with a much needed escape.

As we head into a new and hopefully better year, I want to encourage you to start a journal of your own in 2021. You don't have to record fancy thoughts or feelings. You just have to write a line or two about your day.

That's all Edna did. She recorded her day in a sentence or two. Those sentences have led to discovery and knowledge and emotions.

With all our parcels we were loaded coming home.

Nine words.

With nine words, Edna's happiness reached across eight decades and brought me joy.

Get a notebook and a writing utensil (Edna used a pencil) and start writing.

Thursday, December 17, 1936

EDNA GETS NEW LINOLEUM IN KITCHEN

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Mild Weather.

Men came from Wurzburg's

and layed linoleum

in kitchen.

Did a good job and

it looks fine. Like the

pattern very much.

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You may recall from an earlier journal entry that Edna was not satisfied with the tile that had been previously installed in her kitchen so she went to Wurzburg's to arrange for something different. I was happy to learn that she was satisfied (at least so far) with the replacement tile.

I imagine Edna was as happy to get new linoleum in her kitchen as I was to tear worn out linoleum from the floors in my house. We discovered beautiful hardwood underneath several layers of linoleum in the dining room of our first home.

Linoleum was invented by Frederick Walton in 1860 to use on ship decks. Because it was easy to produce and durable, linoleum found its way into buildings and homes, too.

An interesting fact, according to the Hagley Museum, "Linoleum is considered to be the first product name to become a generic term." Think ...Kleenex, Chapstick, Scotch tape.

1931 Linoleum Patterns

Wednesday, December 16, 1936

C.H. RUNCIMAN PURCHASES ROOSTERS FROM EDNA

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Morse took 13 roosters to Lowell.

Sold to C.H. Runciman.

78 1/2# @ .11¢ — $8.64

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If you are my age and grew up near Lowell, Michigan, C.H. Runciman is a recognizable name. Not because he purchased roosters form local farmers but rather because one of the elementary schools in the Lowell School district was named for him. Several of my high school classmates attended Runciman Elementary School, which is no longer operational.

C.H. Runciman served on the Lowell School Board for 38 before announcing in 1958 that he would not seek another term. A Lowell Ledger article dated May 22, 1958 tells of Runciman's departure from the school board and details how he handed three generations of Lowell graduates their diplomas.

My mother (Sally Hoover Johnson) graduated from Lowell High School in 1957. Her mother (Maxine Jones Hoover) graduated from Lowell in 1934. It is possible that, in addition to purchasing roosters from my great grandmother on my father's side, Mr. Runciman also handed my mother and my grandmother their high school diplomas.