more from the neighbor’s diary
In the continuing saga as told in the five-year diary by the Wilsons’ neighbor, Bess, we learn that Mrs. Wilson and her son were interested in fish (and snails). Bess and her daughter, Helen, kept some large aquariums. My neighbor Mike, who’s restoring their home, has posted some amusing correspondence between Helen and the fish supplier on his blog.
The period reprinted below covers April through June 1935-1939. It’s poignant as the 1935 entries reflect Bess’s delight in her cat, Buff, and his penchant for catching rabbits. In 1939, though, Buff’s health deteriorated rapidly and Bess recorded his lack of appetite, lethargy, a tumble down the stairs. At the end of each year, Bess summarized the highs and lows; Buff died sometime during 1939. (June 19, 1939, as you’ll see.) Bess’s father died in 1938. Bess was a big sports fan and gardening enthusiast, but her story is not mine to tell. Mike’s blog on Foxcroft is the place for that.
In most places, I’ve posted only the section of the diary entry that deals with the Wilsons, but sometimes more must be included simply because it’s so delicious.
April 1, 1935, Monday – 42 degrees – went to Wilsons to see if Rickey’s snails were OK. [This is the first time I’ve seen that Eric Jr. was called Rickey. If Bess was checking on his snails, then the Wilsons must have been out of town. I’ll check the Society page in the Press-Citizen to see if there’s any mention of where.]
April 6, 1935, Saturday – 50 degrees – Rickey here twice to show the fish to his boy friends. [At this time, Rickey was 7. A big aquarium would have been really cool!]
April 28, 1935, Sunday – 60 degrees – Sprayed apricot trees – Wilsons brought Helen angle worms – gave them another fish. She told us about Ins. man inquiring about us.
May 8, 1935, Wednesday – 70 degrees – Planted canna and dahlia. Mrs. Wilson and her fish here. [I swear it says fish.]
June 13, 1935, Thursday – 92 degrees – vacuum cleaned house. Had bath and dressed up for Sox game. Mr. Koser and Mrs. Wilson here in evening. [Golfview Avenue is 3 blocks long. At the main street, Melrose Ave., it turns into Koser Avenue.]
May 26, 1936, Tuesday – 80 degrees – Mrs. Wilson here till 8:30. Painted chairs.
June 2, 1936, Tuesday – 65 degrees – Mrs. Wilson here to see about Brittany table for flower show Friday. [Aha! A new interest; I’ll look for coverage in the Press-Citizen.]
June 13, 1936, no day – 80 degrees – Mrs. Wilson here in a.m.
June 29, 1936, Monday – 104 degrees – Mrs. Wilson came to tell me it was above 90.
April 19, 1937, Monday – 78 degrees – Mrs. Wilson here in yard.
June 7, 1937, Monday – 58 degrees – Mrs. Wilson here in evening to make flower show prize boxes.
May 2, 1938, Monday – 80 degrees – Mrs. Sensor, Mrs. K Jerome and Dr. Smith in yard.
May 25, 1938, Tuesday – 70 degrees – Got wet as it rained from 10 on with increasing vigor. Surprised Eric Wilson’s tax exemption.
May 29, 1938, Sunday – 70 degrees – gave Mrs. Sensor peonies. [We have peonies in the front yard now, too. When snow isn’t a foot deep, that is.]
June 2, 1938, Thursday – 75 degrees – Yard work 6-9, then Mrs. Sensor and I to see Mrs. Harshberger’s garden.
May 5, 1939, Friday – 75 degrees – Mrs. Sensor, Patton, Okerbloom[?] and I write Mrs. Harshberger xxxx garden 9-11:30.
June 19, 1939, Monday – 70 degrees – Dr. Jochuk chloroformed Buff at 6:30. We miss him so but we feel we did the right thing by him. [This has nothing to do with Mrs. Wilson, but it is so sad and rings so true that I have to include it. As I try to type this post, a 5-month-old silver tabby cat named Stella, one of the wonderful cats I’ve loved, impedes me by jumping on the keyboard and chasing the cursor. I know how Bess felt.]
Mike H said,
February 16, 2010 at 5:31 pm
Hey Julie,
Just a few comments:
The aquariums were for wintering the fish in the house that otherwise spent the summer in the pond. In 1933 Bess and Helen dug and built the pond themselves. It was filled in during the 1960′s. I dug it back out last year and we had water in it. We now have 6 godlfish in a tub in our upstairs wintering over too.
Mr. Lee Koser was the real estate developer of University Heights, his home is between yours and mine. He was elected the first mayor of UH in 1935.
I have the program for the 1936 University Women’s Garden Club show. Since by that time Helen had made two visits to France and was teaching French at Waterloo West, some of the “Brittany Table” display probably came from Bess. Bess was an organized of the show along with Gretchen Harshbarger and many other prominent women of the day whose last names you’ll probably recognize.
“Buff” came to Foxcroft with the Fox family in 1928. I have many photos of him. In her last year of life, in 2004, Helen still talked about Buff.
-Mike