July 23, 1973In which do something unusual

Wow! In one month I will be seventeen!
The Marshalls are moving tomorrow. It seems kind of sad.

2:30 pm
I never thought I'd have the courage to do it! But, here I am, at Wing Park, sitting under a tree, writing in my journal. It is a terribly gloomy day and I had to deliver some letters for mother and I felt like acting like an authoress of olden days. I wonder if anyone in the world has ever done this besides me -- It's so wonderful having a bike!!!

I am looking at a Chetek setting while feeling an Elgin wind. This really isn't a very good place, I think I will move on and maybe read a chapter of Five Smooth Stones at the new location.

Note:
It is sad to think that I was nearly seventeen years old and had never gone alone to Wing Park. Amazing that it took so much courage. Funny how I wondered if anyone else had ever done the same - what, ridden a bike to a park and written in a journal? Or ridden to Wing Park and written anything at all?

I vividly remember reading Five Smooth Stones, a story of interracial marriage during the civil rights years. I recently found a copy of the book at a library book sale. I don't think I will ever read it again, but I remember that it was one of the first books I'd read where the characters became like a part of my family.

The Marshalls mentioned in the entry were our next door neighbors. Beth was a buxom woman who loved cats and visited our house almost daily. She'd come to the back door and shout, "Yoohoo!" Vern was seemed older than Beth. They had a son, Billy, who'd been born to Beth before she was married and was raised his first few years by her mother. He thought Beth was his sister, and it must have come as a shock to find out she was his mother when they finally told him the truth. He and my brother were good buddies. I had a small crush on Vern.