Sunday, February 28, 2010

March 1910 (2010)


FIRST -- while I think of it, here (above) is the photo that went missing from the end of the February posting, the displays of MaryOP's birth family faces. Her parents and other siblings were shown there; this is the brother born just a couple years before MaryOP was -- Christian August Olsen (1850 Denmark --1929 Albert Lea MN.) The photo date is unknown. His wife Marie died in 1911 so this solo studio portrait of him could've been taken in his widower stage, 1911-1929; I'm guessing in the 19-teens . His wife and he had 7 children -- only the three daughters survived childhood. More on them another time. Back to the 1910 diary now.
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Mrs. Clark does specialty sewing for MaryOP and The Girls so I suspect she's communicating about their Springtime new clothes needs. Will and Olga were gone 2 wks, by train (I hope!)


Olga's Nilson parents and some siblings live in Bisbee, north of Cando a piece. The offspring's last name had changed to Nelson by this time, or soon, as they wished to better fit in. The family photo below shows Jacob and Kjirstine (Jacobson) Nilson with their-surviving children -- the first few were born in southern Norway, several died in illness epidemics. Standing L-to-R is Olga (Will Paulsen's wife), John, Clara, Marie and Othilde (Tillie, Henry Paulsen's wife); in front, little Emma is between her parents. All had married and stayed in the area. Jacob and Kjirstine were big on community bolstering. They had Bisbee's first hotel, were storekeepers and 'built up things' -- a Church in Bisbee, a Seminary School for young ladies, in Fargo. Jacob returned to Norway mulitple times to bring half (3) of his his siblings to USA (including brother John E.N., Fargo ND father of the spouses for MaryOP's George and Lill) as well as to escort 16-18 yr. old young women who wanted to emigrate and become servants, eventually wives, in North Dakota. This includes Hilda (mentioned below in Mar.3 entry) and her sister. I know a bit more about Jacob and Kjirstine than I do of other families as they are my Great-Grands and Tillie (1890-1990) my grandmother. The photo was taken about 4 years before this MaryOP diary.


She orders the Danish "Bud og Hilsen" periodical ['message(s) and greetings'] -- a paper designed to connect the Danish immigrant 'diaspora' via uplifting news of a religious nature. I believe T.A. Olson is the minnister of the Cando Methodist-Episcopal Church. Hilde is an immigrant from southern Norway (see entry for Mar.2) who had been a house servant among Paulsens [and their met Rasmussens] and had in 1909 married Will Rasmussen, younger brother of Lena and Anna's husbands, Ras and James. MaryOP stays in regular contact with at least three of her previous house-helpers. Here's Hilde (Fjare) Jenson (1889-1968)-- an immigrant establishing herself in North Dakota before marrying.

Will is fifth of the six Rasmussen sons who immigrated from the same small region of Denmark on the island of Fyn from which the Paulsens came. I'm strongly thinking the Paulsens and Rasmussens knew each other there, but haven't any proof yet. Most (4) of the Rasmussen sons married MaryOP's daughters or previous servants, so she knows more than a bit about them as being sons-in-law and husbands! Here is Will & Hilde's wedding photo, November 1909:
Do you suppose they had A Little Spring Fever as they shoveled the snow? Check out the temperature!
At 35 degrees it's 73 degrees warmer than just 9 days earlier! (Feb.23)
C.C. Clausen was a traveling preacher from Denmark who first went to Norway before coming to the Midwest as an itinerant. In 1910 his Oregon address is in her address list. There was a Rev. Clausen in the southeast MN area where they lived before ND -- perhaps a son of CCC, or ??

She looks over the papers "igjen" which is 'Dan-glish' for again. Modern Danish spells it 'igen.' Dagny (1882--1963) was a former servant [of MaryOP's or of her daughter Lena, or both] who married yet another Rasmussen brother, Christian in nearby Egeland 1900 before heading to Kalispell in 1904. There they lived in the Albert-built home which MaryOP had vacated after Albert died in a yard accident there. Here's Christian & Dagny (Jorgenson) in about 1907 with 3 of their 6 children. (Darn -- I just deleted it. Well, I'll include it in April.)
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John Nelson of Bisbee is most likely Olga and Tillie's brother -- photo near top.
MaryOP and Albert's 4th-born Lena tells her of her 4th-born, Walter, that he was "so frightened he fell down straight (?) from upstairs." Starkweather transactions are BIG. See March expenses after these diary pages. While renting it to folk and making $ on that and the harvests, MaryOP had now 5 years to pay it off at $300 a year which was a considerable truckload of cash, back then. -- $6823 annually, plus interest.
Here's a [circa 1907] photo of Ras & Lena when Walter was the littlest. Their youngest, Agnes, will be born later in this year:
Five dollars for the banker's 'trouble' -- maybe George's convoluted transactions ?
You may remember that Annie Krogstead is a daughter of MaryOP's brother Christian (see top of this posting) who asked MaryOP about a place Mary and the Girls stayed a while in Texas in 1904, betwixt Kalispell and returning to ND.

Feeling poorly, I'm glad she had the 3 youngest girls at home to help with mangling, etc.
Among other things that day MaryOP paid for a mouse trap -- 10 cents.

Ole J. Amundson seems to be 'deputized' re: MaryOP's realty ownings.
"Truth" is the word on the penultimate line.
MaryOP is sick and looking for a Call or release to join Jesus and her departed dear ones, so we can see how Psalm 84 would be a great comfort, esp. verses 2, 3, 5, and 8-12. Her husband Albert suddenly died 6 years earlier when MaryOP was 50, two of their little children in 1875 and 1888, her sister Petrine in Denmark (1907), her parents, father Ole (1874) shortly after they immigrated to so MN, her mother Henriette (1893 in MN) ... and many more dear ones.


Off to seamstress Clark to get her measurements taken. The next day she spent $9.60 on a dress form, likely to those dimensions which were not skimpy. Spring attire is in the works, house cleaning is rising to exhaustion and the men are discing fields in their Spring prep.
Here below is "Freds" --MaryOP's 5th-born Fred, his wife Myrtle (Forney) Paulsen and their two children, Albert and Jeanette, ca 1907.
I think MaryOP had a Ton of studio family photos made in about 1907.... I've seen lots.

>>>> "The big Flies" ?? Any ideas about what kind of big flies could be around in 20 degree weather in March in northern North Dakota? Do advise me: mapptree@gmail.com

"It is Summer today." - - - After a northern ND Winter, 20 degrees is Yes.

Maybe her thermometer is broken, or she doesn't record temps 'til the next Winter.
MaryOP and Lillian bake up a storm for the WCTU event the next day.
Will, Olga and Lena go north by buggy to hire a female helper to share, between houses.
The First Geese flying North ! -- a thrill for many of us. "The Hall" was Cando's community center, stage and gathering place. The town was known as being an atypically cultured one for its size & on the prairie, with various music, literary, dancing, theatre, opera, choruses and more.

"Summer every day." My apologies (maybe) if I over-enthuse about their March warming weather but here a century later I'm giddy about the same. Winter weary cardinals [males] outside my window are trying to out sing the other for territory and the Lady birds.

Theirs was a huge laundering task of multiple steps-- a heavy process which the 'young' among us with our handy push-button washers & dryers cannot fathom.

Her safety deposit box was likely a bustling place of action with all her business matters.

I can see why she twice mentioned the odious task of picking over cellar potatoes -- Glad to be done with it! Last month she bought 20 Easter postcards at 1/2 penny each. The Girls have been choosing their Spring/ Easter hats and coats via catalogs -- notice the nearly 270 dollars she mails to companies four days later! and probably locally Lillie gets a nice new (Easter?) hat for $5.oo. That's $100+ these days! so that must've been Some Hat. She'll marry Edwin Nelson within the year so appearances (and hats) might indeed be of extra-pretty purpose!
This simple image takes me there: "Raining tonight enough to lay the dust."

She goes visiting the Powells as old widow Grandma Powell died (1834-1910) that day. MaryOP is especially compassionate toward her fellow widows including her friend the widow Mrs. Phoebe Powell (1857-1940), the elder Powell's daughter-in-law with whom MaryOP had life situations and timelines in common.

She writes to Albert's little sister -- another widow Mary --Mrs. Mathias PaulsOn in Blooming Prairie MN.
Of course, M.& W. Co. is Montgomery Ward -- [mail-order].

"Scarf, bias binding and ruching" (a decorative frill of gathered or pleated fabric.) She is ripping or disassembling her 'Cravenette' to create a pattern of her size in order to make a new one. The Cravenette process was used to waterproof especially woolen fabrics, so I'm thinking she's making a new wool coat.

Will would later buy into Bisbee's auto shop -- if my memory serves.

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MaryOP's March expenses:
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Now a look at Albert Paulsen's parents & a grandparent --

Here is a pre-1901 photo of his mother, Anna Marie (Nielsen) Fredrickson [1832 Denmark--1901 Blooming Prairie MN] and his father, Paul Fredrickson [1826 Denmark--1907 in 'Blooming'] -- his first name gave to the Danish patronymic name of "Paul-sen."

They had 14 children. The eldest stayed behind in Denmark, the 13th died on board as a small baby while they traveled to 'Amerika' and was buried at sea, and their youngest died in MN, born when Anna Marie was in her 40's. Below is a 1989 stone-rubbing of Anna Marie & Paul's grave marker in Danish Baptist Cemetery-- a couple miles outside of 'Blooming.' In the middle of the inscription is the Danish adaption from the scripture Revelations 14:13: "Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them." And they had labored a Lot with all those children and he with road construction and farming. Interestingly, when the Fredricksens boated across the Atlantic in 1872, MaryOP (then Maren Olsen) had the very next ticket number for boarding. I'm supposing that she helped with the child care of her intended/ 'promised' Albert's youngest siblings. Albert and his next younger brother Hans had come separately the year before (ages 19 and 18) to scout southern MN for their own family and the Olsens to come.

Lastly -- a pre-1872 image of Anna Marie's father (Albert Paulsen's grandfather), Niels Nielsen, a weaver. This was most likely a daguerreotype originally, but some Readers might know otherwise -- and advise me about that, please? I found and photographed a photo printing thereof in Denmark, 1990. (My Dad Everett Paulsen subsequently disseminated copies of this to various Paulsen relatives if it looks familiar to some of you.) Anna Marie's mother was Maren Mortensdatter who died in Denmark in 1849 when Anna Marie was about 17. Niels remarried two years later-- to his niece Ana Elisabeth Christiansdatter (27) who lived down the road. This is she in the photo. Niels outlived both of his wives. AECN died in 1872

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That's it for this month. Do let me know if you have ideas about the "Big Flies" (Mar 16) or the nature of the original pre-1872 image above. Or any other contributions / comments! I like hearing from you so that I know someone is "out there."

- - -- - Marsha Paulsen Peters mapptree@gmail.com


Monday, February 1, 2010

February 1910

Before sharing the February 1910 diary pages, here's a cool image, above. The photo was taken in 1894 (16 yrs before this diary) in the nice parlor of their large Egeland farm house. MaryOP is backed by her eldest daughters, LenaFP (left) and MaryHP and her Bible is on the table before her. In 1894 ((I've stared a lot, in higher resolution, at the calendar to our right behind her)), MaryOP is 41 yrs old -- so this is about about 7 yrs before much of the family moved to Kalispell MT. Above the calendar and high on the wall --on either side of the bull-horns displayed there-- are old photos of her Olsen parents, Henrietta C. P. & Ole Hanson (both gone),, and of her parents-in-law Paulsen, Anna Marie and Paul Fredricksen, then still living. I share this now because I don't think we'll find a circa 1897 diary to share! ... unless you know where such is? Do tell.
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February 1910 Diary:




George and his wife Annie might then have been living in Fargo, as she notes the address in the back of diary (for some time in that year) as Room 7, Bower Block, Fargo N.D. Annie's family was mostly in Fargo.








MaryOP is mediating some business deal between her 10th-born George and his brother-in-law. Ras S. Rasmussen. MaryOP is big on sending religious tracts esp. to her children who, in her view, might be 'going astray' somehow; a Mother on a Mission. She's always ordering tracts from places for someone. When she writes letters to "Lord" they are more of earthly business than heavenward; Carl Lord was president of her bank, Ist National Bank in Cando with his brother Harry Lord as associate of same. I wonder if the "S. mortgage' at the end could be her farm property at nearby Starkweather... ?






Will and wife Olga will be relocating to Bisbee, some to the north where her Nelson parents/ some family lived. A photo of them in some later posting...






Someone help me figure out who Carl Nelson is -- it is so famiiar I can taste it ! --[I should know.] Could this Grandma be Sine Nelson, wife of John Ed Nelson, also parents of Annie and Edwin? she/ they lived in Fargo. If so, it's odd that MaryOP doesn't mention this lady is also Mother of George's Annie and Lillian's Edwin ... >>> YO,, Cousin Ed Nelson in Wichita just e-replied to my question and he thinks it is indeed Carl, the (then) 13 yr old little brother of Annie & Edwin. 'Grandma Nelson' has relatives in Bisbee -- so indeed maybe so. (The Wichita Ed is a grandson of Lill (Paulsen) and Edwin Nelson, who will marry in 1-1911. Thanks, Ed!)

- - - - MaryOP often uses a W for the letter V, fitting her Danish English tongue.



Yay! -- This could be the key to WHERE in Texas MaryOP and her 3 youngest Girls lived for a while, after moving out of the new Albert-built home (Kalispell MT) where he had been horrifically killed in an accident in 1904. MaryOP couldn't stand to live in there further with those memories... She took the girls to the coastal region of TX, as she [I do believe] wanted to board a ship there, back to Denmark. Each of the girls had a trunk for the trip. But the girls didn't want to move to Denmark and talked her into moving back to Towner County, ND -- and they soon did. Beeville TX is not named for buzzy bees but for a leader with the last name of Bee. Annie Krogstad, daughter of MaryOP's just older brother, Christian Olsen, lived in so. MN, and is conferring with her Aunt about land Mary might've owned. [at end of this posting is more about MaryOP's siblings, incl Christian -- parts of what's known (due to research by Amy Michelsen, Dale Paulsen, me, others) -- but a good overview; a "View" indeed! Photos were mostly provided by cousin Kenn Woll. Thanks!]














Photo below is of Annie (Mrs P.A. Krogstad) and children:





"Mrs. Mathias" is MaryOP's sister-in-law, another Mary -- Albert's youngest sister. There's Lots of Marys in this extended family, so she distinguishes them by quoting the husband's first name; this one is Mary (Paulsen), married to Mathias PaulsOn.
This photo I've cropped from a 1901 Full Mathias-Mary family studio photo. This shows her (in her early forties) with a twin baby; she had born 12 children by then-- two more would be born after this photo. Very unfortunately, Mathias died late in 1909 {two months before MaryOP wrote the above-mentioned letter to her) leaving "Mrs. Mathias" with 13 living children, only one of whom was married. You'd think giving birth to 14 children within 22 years would've done HER in --but he died. I see some similarities between her and brother Albert. Here's the tired and determined Mary "Mathias" in 1901. She was born in 1866, 13 yrs after her brother Albert and wife MaryOP. 'Our' Mary was very good at visiting and writing to Widows -- an area of much experience in 1910, so she could empathize and sympathize. In 1910, this Mary 'Mathias' lived in Blooming Prairie MN, at a rural route address.




MaryOP is one Strong lady! (Having 13 kids is not for wimps.) Although not feeling well, she hauls a five gallon tank of kerosene up the stairs from the cellar -- 40 lbs, yes? And tanks don't hang on as a child would, to help one hold-lift them up.







She means "Angrove and Volstad," I do believe-- a mission charity which collects things for the needy --the address is in Minneapolis. She donates money and clothing. The Presbyterian Church in town [how much fire damage we don't know] functioned as a congregation from just 1906 to 1912.


It's 36 below zero, that's 68 degrees colder than freezing -- but deep Winter is the season for butchering as the meat then freezes fast. Rasmus is married to Lena, MaryOP's second daughter. MaryOP paid $9.50 for a bunch of meat -- see her expenses page, after Feb 28 below. In the ca 1904 photo page below (thanks to Larry Smith, Rasmussen historian) a winter butchering day is documented, the year that MaryOP left for warmer climes >> like the day in Feb.1910 with Ras and workers near Cando. This (below) is at the Kalispell MT home of Chris Rasmussen and Dagny, Larry's grandparents) with Jim Rasmussen (2 of Ras's married brothers) and AnnaCPR (MaryOP's 3rd daughter), with Rasmussen parents at left and 2 younger brothers at right..




These are tough lasses! It's -34 and the Girls went to a school supper -- with cake in hand.




John is the kindly father of the Segerborg family with whom Albert & Mary and 7 Paulsen kids stayed (I believe it was in their barn) when first arriving in Towner County, ND from southern MN. The Paulsens lived there while building their own house, and stayed friends lonnng after.




Such an icy, exhaustingly wet mess! -- plus a 'stormfull' night to finish it off.


38 degrees below zero,, yet The Girls made it to Literary meeting. No heated car or insulated ski-pants; just dresses with many stockings and, if in a horse carriage (which I doubt, in town and all), a lap rug for warmth. A heated brick, at least. Mangling (flat-press ironing) was a way to warm and hands.


A freshening of linens outside in those ice cold temps... They'd reheated them near the furnace once inside again,, yes? Brrrrr!


I'm not glad she was very, very tired --but I am glad she could admit it when she was.




'Mrs. Miller' is Dorothea (nee Paulsen, sister of Albert) who lived in Blooming Prairie, a piece north of Albert Lea MN. She had five children when her husband Peter Miller died, a year before Albert did. Not only did these women have this Albert connection, but widowhood, too. They wrote each other a lot.



MaryOP is famous for her letter writing! Her three letters above include one to a publisher for a Cookbook -- in her expenses list, it's a "Kogebog," the Danish, cost of $1.00;. 20 half-penny Easter cards; and Sunday School books. The month kindly ends with a sweet 12 degrees above with soft, seemingly thawing winds - -

Her month's cash-out:


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Now some "thumbnail" basic info and photos of MaryOP's family of Olsens, and this shows why I took an extra day to post this! Certainly not a total of what we know about this family -- [other research done by Amy Michelsen, Dale Paulsen, myself, others] -- but it's an overview, quite literally a View thanks to Kenn Woll and his Grandma for the photos, and his sharing thereof.



First is MaryOP's parents in a Danish photo: Henriette Conradina (Pedersen) born ca 1816, she died 1893, MN -- and Ole Hansen born ca 1809, he died in 1874, just a year after they got to MN. Quite progressive, this Danish photography studio: she has her arm tucked into his prim elbow! This was very badly faded when cousin Kenn Woll obtained it [I think from his Grandmother Mary (Paulsen) Fredlund] so he had a professional restore it to its current nice condition. Taken circa late 1860s / early 1870s:



Their six xhildren were born in Denmark --and they are:

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1.) MARIE ('Mary') FREDRIKKE OLSEN, born Feb 26, 1839; she died Aug. 10, 1893, a few months before her mother died. Here's a ca 1870 photo of her with husband Rasmus Jorgensen/ 'Skrea' (1838-1919) They had two children, also in the photo: Anna Kirstine ('Stenna') and little Jorgen/ 'George.'

Here, some years later, the same: Rasmus "Skrea" and Marie (Mary) F.O. Jorgensen.

I see similarities between Marie/ 'Mary' and her 14 yrs younger sister, MaryOP, yes? The photo has the name 'Krauser' erroneously scribbled onto the Studio name -- but no; Kraushaar 'Crowser' was married to their daughter Stenna.



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2.) (baby) Christian August Olsen, born ca Feb 1842, died June 1842. No photo. The tradition was that if a baby or child died, the next child of same gender would be given the same name as the 'lost' one. So his name will live on, given to the next son born 8 yrs later.


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3.) PETRINE ANDRESINE OLSEN was born July 23, 1846; she never left Denmark. I know little about her -- I don't believe she married or had children. I recall MaryOP adding after the fact to a May 1907 diary page something like 'my dear sister Petrine died today' --when she'd heard or read word from her MN brother.



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4.) CHRISTIAN AUGUST OLSEN, named for the baby brother who died 8 yrs earlier, was born 1850 in Denmark, where he was well acquainted with his wife-to-be, Marie Hanson. I BELIEVE STRONGLY that there exists a pre-emigration, pre-marriage sweetheart Photo of Christian and Marie, seated side-by-side, as there is for our MaryOP and her sweetheart Albert, all from the same small location on the island of Fyen, Denmark. Can anyone help me find the Chris-Marie photo? .Dale Paulsen, would/ could you help me, please? Christian and Marie H. Olsen had 7 children, four of whom died; surviving were three daughters, one is referred to above (Feb 12.) .Marie died 18 yrs before Chris did, so the following solo photo was taken sometime during Chris's widower years of 1911-1929. the year C.A.O. died.



[ Darn ! I thought I had uploaded the Chrstian Olsen photo !! I did -- and it's gone. Can't re-add it. I'll include it, next month as a visual comment to myself and you! ]


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5.) "Our" MARY (OLSEN) PAULSEN was born 1853 in Denmark and died 1940 in Minot ND. In this cropped Danish ca 1972 studio photo of then 'Maren Olsen' and her future husband "Albrecht"/Albert Paulsen were well acquainted, 'promised.' They married 1873 in so.MN soon after she arrived in MN. There they had 9 of their 13 children-- then moved to Egeland ND where the last four were born. [Two of the 13 did not survive beyond young childhood. I share the Danish maiden of age 19 look so you can compare her younger face with her siblings.


- - - -- And next is a photo taken nearly 30 yrs later of Albert & Mary O.Paulsen, then married for 28 yrs. The photo is cropped from the ca 1901 family photo of their Paulsen troops.


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6.) Lastborn LUDVIG OLSEN was born 1855 in Denmark, then to Albert Lea, and then lived many years in /near Los Angeles CA. We know he was in CA already 1910 as MaryOP notes his address as 615 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles Cal. in the back of this diary and then in 1929 he is listed in his bro Christian's obituary as a survivor (still in or near Los Angeles, would then be about age 74.) Before leaving Albert Lea MN he was a tailor and had a shop on Main Street. >> Does anybody want to take on the challenge of finding more about Ludvig and Christine's life, possible children, other family and death dates in CA, and previously, Albert Lea? The photo below is with his wife, Christine ___(? name), location unknown. Do notice his crisp, well-tailored, classy suit - -



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Comments from Readers:

>>> Re: Again, the "Axel Hanson" mentioned as 'Axel" in last month's diary (Jan. 15th) -- Ralph Rasmussen and wife Lois recently found an OLD Atlas of the area and thus could report that an Axel Hanson had land right next to George & Annie Paulsen, thus so well known to the family that MaryOP could and did mention him on a first name basis. (The other Axel in the area was Axel Nelson, with whom MaryOP had farm dealings -- but of course she might have made a "typo" regarding the name, and both could be the one Axel.) >> Thanks, Ralph!



>>> Re: My comment in last post (Jan. 16) that maybe a MAN had burned when MaryOP wrote "Tilskovs hired mans Shake burnt up this Morning, from the Stove" -- I had worried to you that could his hired hand "Shake" might have burned ?!? -- but my sister, Cindi Paulsen gave me the good idea that 'Shake' more likely is MaryOP's way of writing 'shack' with her typical capitalizatioin of nouns. So, yes, let's assume it was the unnamed hired man's Shack that burned, not he. .. Thanks, Cindi!




>>> Please remember that I welcome Reader comments re: further ideas about, illuminating additions to, and corrections of my comments or re: MaryOP's entries. ---> I heartily invite that so please use my email mapptree@gmail.com for such (but no other general fwd'ings, please) with the referred-to diary date included in text. Thanks --

Signing off until the 1st of March,

-- Marsha Paulsen Peters


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