The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers, Digital Edition > My Day
My Day by Eleanor Roosevelt

[This column has emendations. View original version]

      

HYDE PARK, Thursday—Yesterday was a day when many things went wrong! On the way to the picnic which Mrs. Scheider and I were attending, my car suddenly began heating up to the danger point, and when I switched off the ignition, the engine continued to run. So in Danbury, Connecticut, I had to go to a garage and spend forty minutes getting the car put in order.

I was distressed about the people who were waiting to lead us to our destination, and finally the very kind gentleman owning the garage drove me out to our meeting place. The others went on and Mrs. George Bye, who is always kindness itself, came back with me to the garage and waited until the car was ready to proceed, so we should not lose our way. I don't know of anything more uncomfortable than keeping a great many people waiting particularly when they are hungry! Everyone was more than kind, however, and Mr. and Mrs. George Waldo, our hosts, have a fascinating old house. The walls are panelled with great wide, old board, the beams are hand hewn, and the big old-fashioned fire place with the oven back of it, would be a joy on an autumn day.

Yesterday was too warm to contemplate a fire with equanimity. We all sat around and listened to the records of the now famous soft-ball ball games which Lowell Thomas inaugurated. The view at the back of the house is charming and soothing to the spirit, neither too closed in nor too expansive.

I stopped on the way home in Poughkeepsie to do some shopping and I was going to file my column, but for some unknown reason we completely forgot it, reached the cottage and I was starting to go through the mail when Mrs. Scheider who has a good memory, suddenly came in to announce that I had not filed my column! I climbed back in the car and drove to Poughkeepsie remembering the many times when I have told my children that it is well when you are forgetful to have to suffer some kind of consequences because it helps you to be thoughtful in the future. I was taking my own medicine just about as philosophically as the children used to do!

An old friend, Emily Sloane, who is the Baroness de la Grange, whose husband is Air Minister for France, spent the night with us and it was a pleasure to see her. She is very charming and very interesting.

Our son, James, arrived last night to take up Mr. McIntyre's duties, but it is rather a peaceful moment to do this for they will all be leaving this afternoon for a few days' cruise. This always means fairly light secretarial duties. My husband was busy finishing up all his last minute pieces of work this morning so that he might start with a fairly clean slate, and a feeling that the next few days were going to be as care-free as events of the world at large will allow.

E.R.


Names and Terms Mentioned or Referenced

Geographic
  • Hyde Park (Dutchess County, N.Y., United States) [ index ]


About this document

My Day by Eleanor Roosevelt, September 3, 1937

Roosevelt, Eleanor, 1884-1962
[ ERPP bio | LC | VIAF | WorldCat | DPLA | Wikidata | SNAC ]

Digital edition created by The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project The George Washington University 312 Academic Building 2100 Foxhall Road, NW Washington, DC 20007

  • Brick, Christopher (Editor)
    [ VIAF | ORCID ]
  • Regenhardt, Christy (Associate Editor)
    [ ISNI ]
  • Black, Allida M. (Editor)
    [ VIAF | ISNI ]
  • Binker, Mary Jo (Associate Editor)
    [ VIAF | ORCID ]
  • Alhambra, Christopher C. (Electronic Text Editor)
    [ VIAF | ORCID ]

Digital edition published 2008, 2017 by
The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project

Available under licence from the Estate of Anna Eleanor Roosevelt.

Published with permission from the Estate of Anna Eleanor Roosevelt.

MEP edition publlished on June 30, 2008.

TEI-P5 edition published on April 28, 2017.

XML master last modified on June 9, 2017.

HTML version generated and published on May 3, 2022.

Transcription created from a photocopy of a draft version of a My Day column instance archived at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library. My Day column draft dated September 2, 1937, FDR Library, Hyde Park, NY
TMsd, 2 September 1937, AERP, FDRL