Sunday
The weather was very hot through the afternoon and into the evening.
For breakfast I had two peaches, cornflakes, coffee, and bread. At lunch I enjoyed a spring chicken, spuds with gravy, ice cream, cake and cocoa. For supper we had a salad, water, and bread.
Up at 6:30 bathed and dressed in time for reveille at 6:45. After mess we were to have barracks inspections at 8:45. We were ordered to have all G.I. clothes out on bunks. It was supposed to be a checking inspection, too, but they did not check – just went through the barracks & looked them over.
Ralph had to feed today, so after noon mess I hiked over to the Cameron park. It is about two and a half miles from the remount east, past the base hospital. It is rather nice over there. There is a cool spring running water. That was the first natural cold drink I’ve had in Texas. I walked around over there quite a while then lay in the grass & read a while. I wrote part of a letter to Honey Girl.
Then about 4:25 I started for the remount. I had to walk very fast, but I made it in time for the Sunday evening mess at five alright. After mess I had a good bath & change of clothes & went to the Y. I was to have led a Bible class there at seven. It was not called to order until 7:30 nearly. Another meeting was to start at eight. Mr. Cook selected the songs & offered prayer & in fact, gave me about ten minutes to speak. The fourteenth chapter of John was chosen. It could have taken me a good hour or two to really talk about it.
Monday
It was cool in the early morning, got very hot again in the afternoon, then cooled off after six in the evening.
Breakfast: hot cakes & syrup, half an orange, and coffee. For lunch we had Kraut and wieners, bread & water, and pudding. For supper we had stew, potatoes, bread & water, and cake.
The usual routine today. I worked in #8 and 9 corrals today. I had two letter from Mary Dear in the afternoon. She is getting along fine. She is talking of her & Aunt Frances getting rooms together somewhere & of her going out nursing. Then Aunt Frances wouldn’t be alone so much. When Mary was away there would be some of the Christians near to look after her.
If Honey Girl does not decide to come down here, that will be fine. Of course I am selfish and would like to have her near me. I wish I were not so selfish, but I am.
Rebecca Nolen 
You are inspiring me to get back to a project I started decades ago, a memoir based on my dad’s experience in the navy in WWII. Seems I always have something more urgent to do (like writing about how people in the here and now can get along better, to their mutual advantage). But I’m thinking that, when my body has had enough keyboarding for the day, I could use my voice recog. to dictate my notes into a document. At least that would be a start. Thanks for what you are doing. There are few, if any, veterans of WWII left, and none from WWI, to tell us their stories. It’s important you are preserving this piece of history.
LikeLike
Rebecca, how wonderful. I wish I could have known your grandpa. From his words, he’s a great guy!
LikeLike
Thank you, Jim. I remember him as a very kind man who loved to garden and to read. He was always doing one or both. Oh! And as my grandmother was in poor health, he would cook Sunday dinner for all of us when we would visit Waterloo.
LikeLike