Still owe Dad $10 for radio

Chapter 40: 

1947 • Larry’s diary (age 13)
Aug 1  Got paid for morning route and paid off my $15 clothing bill at Baers
Aug 2  Paid dad $5 and I still owe him $10 for my radio
Aug 3  Went swimming nearly all day at Phoenix Lake’s Plunge
Aug 4  Went to Doctor Grosso and got my eyes checked
Aug 10  Went swimming at Phoenix plunge with Carleen, Betty, and Claudia and we had a good time
Aug 12  The roads of Sonora are being retarred, reoiled, and regraveled and are beginning to look better
Aug 13  Bought a full box of bubble gum, 100 pieces for $1. Gum very rare in past 6 years as it was not available during the war

Aug 15  Went through box which I had locked up for about two years. There was nothing much in it.
Aug 16  Worked 26 hours in store this week and got paid $13
Aug 17  Father (???) visited us from San Francisco. He stayed overnight and slept in Carleen’s room.
Aug 18  Paid ten dollars down on a sleeping bag; am hoping to get an air mattress also very soon.
Aug 19  I decided to get an air mattress also. They cost twelve dollars. The sleeping bag about 15 to 25
Aug 20  Tonight I enjoyed a very good show, Anna and the King of Siam. Sat through it two times
Aug 21  Mr. Mouron fired the other paper boy who was taking half my morning routes
Aug 26  Got a letter from San Francisco. In it was a first flight cover for new 24 cent airmail stamp
Aug 28  The work being done next door is going to be a garage for Central Motors trucks
Aug 29  The Days arrived for a few days. I am sleeping on spare bed and they are in my room
Aug 30  Jeff the Day’s baby cries a lot and keeps us awake at night. Got ten dollars pay at the store.
Aug 31  Today was Labor day and the first day in three years without a paper route. I found a boy to take my place

Sep 2  The Days left finally. I hope to make twenty dollars this week (50 cents an hour)
Sep 3  Only 5 days work this week, Labor Day Holiday, I am working 8 hours a day
Sep 5  Bought book Lad of Sunnybank, a dog story. So far it is a very good book
Sep 6  Earned 20 dollars this week and paid my last installment on sleeping bag and air mattress
Sep 9  Bought some school supplies. My father plans to buy Tibbits store by end of this month
Sep 10  Stood in line all day to register for high school. I got my locker number
Sep 11  Richard Duval was hurt today when his gun went off and shot him through the head. His mother works for my father.
Sep 12  Richard Duval died this afternoon. His mom will not come to work for about three weeks. 

Sep 13  An inquest is going to be held for Richard’s death. He was to go second year in high school
Sep 14  The last day before school starts again. I cleaned my room and took down curtains to be washed. My mother brought a box of apples

To be continued…

Catherine Sevenau is a writer, humorist, and storyteller living in Sonoma, California. The stories in this series are excerpts from her book, Through Any Given Door, a Family Memoir, available at Sevenau.com. Catherine is an author of three books, several volumes of family genealogy, and a longtime Broker/Realtor at CENTURY 21 Epic Wine Country. [email protected]