Frances' daily routine

Here is a quick letter where Frances outlines an average busy day, which she says helps take her mind off the fact that her husband is overseas.

March 4, 1946

Dearest, My Love,

The days manage to go by.  They are full and overflowing with things to do and yet they lack the touch that makes them glow.  You and your vital presence supply that to my days.  Here it is March.  I hope I can be busy the rest of the time you are gone.  It keeps me in a nice safe shell.  It keeps me from wanting to dash around and do something silly.  By the time I get breakfast cooked and served to ten people 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM, the dishes washed, Martha attended to, the room straightened, clothes washed, itis time to help with lunch.  Before I can breathe good, the girls are gome at 2:30 PM.  Twice a week, I take them to dancing.  Once or twice a week I get a chance to take a nap in the afternoon.  The girls are wonderful about letting Martha play out in the yard with them.  On the days I don't fix breakfast, I cook dinner.  It is always seven or afterwards before we are thru in the kitchen.  Then I hear Monty's reading and spelling.  Emily gets her arithmetic by herself.  By the time I get them to bed, it is eight thirty or after and I am just dead or feel like screaming.  I generally put Mother Ki to bed about nine thirty.

Martha goes to bed about six thirty and goes to sleep.  When Monty and I go up to study, she wakes up and has a gay time (and incidentally contributing to the general bedlam) until the girls are undressed and in the bed with the lights out.  By trial and error we have discovered that it is more satisfactory to take the girls up to our room immediately after supper whether it wakes Martha up or not.

Friday night Bryant and I went to a fashion show at the Erlanger.  It was sponsored by Rich's, a social organization and several fabric concerns.  There were some luscious styles from the movie style designer Adrian.  Tina Leser, Hattie Carnegie, Maurice Renter and several other top style designers had costumes displayed.  My eye always caught the Western designs before they were announced because they were colorful, casual and comfortable.

Today I took Emily, Monty and Margaret to the auditorium to see a tap dancer and a fancy harmonica player.  Emily enjoyed it but it was too slow for the other two.

All my love,

Frances