15 Sat. Got up real late. Didn’t accomplish much of anything. Celeste & Doreen came while we were still having breakfast. Leila & Myrtle came over. Leila had a lesson. We all went to town this afternoon. Mom & we girls, Doreen & Mrs. Stutt saw show. “The Gangs all here” Carmen Miranda, Alice Faye, Phil Baker. Bed Early.
16 Sun. Albert Lawrences came over for dinner. I wrote a letter, studied some, rode the bike. Then went home immediately after supper. Isabelle helped me study some Chaucer. Bed about 9.30
17 Mon. Mr. S. brought Doris & I to town. This morn went over quite smoothly. Doris stayed for a committee meeting. After four. Then came home and washed and shined all the woodwork in the living room. I stayed for a singers meeting then went down town. Doug and Jack Arnott(?) here for dinner. Bed at 10 tonight.
18 Tues. We had singing last period end until twenty past four. Doris had a meeting. Then went down town. I made supper & went down to the Post Office at 8.10 & phoned home. Burt came up here tonight when we were both in the bathroom. I came back & procured Doris’ housecoat for her.
19 Wed. Rained a bit this morn. Mom brought potatoes up this morn while we were at school. We both got home at 4.40. Doris got supper & did dishes. I washed all windows in the porch. She patched the broken one. We went down town tonight & had a bizmark pop in Snelgroves.
20 Thurs. Singing til 4.15. Doris went down town after four, while I made supper. We hung the curtains in the porch after supper. Did some homework, then went down town, had raisin pie at the Club, came home & went to bed.
21 Fri. Doris’s birthday. 18. We wrote an essay for Miss Cardwell in the exam periods. Mom came in for us. We brought Cpl Woolett home with us. I did my hair, took a bath, etc. We sang some songs.
(scroll to the end of this post for a picture of the original diary entries in Mom’s handwriting)
These are the diaries of a seventeen-year-old teenager from a farm near Weyburn, Saskatchewan. Her name is Lorraine. She eventually was a church organist in Colgate. In 1944 she was the piano player for a dance band in Weyburn. In these days before school busses she, and her sisters, each had to move from the farm into town to attend school for Grades 11 & 12. This is the darkest time in World War II. Weyburn hosted an airbase for BCATP (British Commonwealth Air Training Plan). In other words, the town is filled with eligible young airmen from all over the world …
There sure was a lot of washing, polishing and shining of windows, walls, floors and woodwork at regular times! And “swell” was a common expression. Although nothing swell happened in this week, sometimes Aunt Lorraine mentions several swell things in one entry that you transpose.
I’m also impressed by the frequency of “swell”. That word was not really in her vocabulary when I knew her.