Charles E. Burchfield, Journals, April 28, 1962

Apr. 28 – Saturday –

Sultry weather, almost unbearable – Spring is coming along with a bewildering rush; bloodroot in full glory, and more than we have ever had –

A.M. – Car to be washed, + to the Bake-shop on Clinton –

About 11:30 William Schmidt (Melvin Schmidt’s nephew) called and said he would be ready to work Monday after school about 2:30. He wanted to come down in the afternoon to see what I wanted done – I suggested he come before lunch, and he said he was dirty from working in the garden – I told him that wouldn’t matter, but when he came, he had somehow managed to clean himself up. He seemed like a very appealing boy, with good manners. While we were talking, a mourning-cloak butterfly [Mourning Cloak Butterfly] came and alighted on the overhanging branch of a pine tree –

Peggy, Bertha, + I to lunch at [word unintelligible possibly Creams], then to Southgate Plaza shopping –

Stopped at Richter’s for Peggy to pick up a dress for church tomorrow – Tommy came in with his current chum. When he introduced him to me, he added, “This is the famous artist,” – When I chided him for it, I said that you must not do that; that I was no different than anyone else – and Tom rejoined, “Yes, he’s stupid like all the rest of us.”

As part of our TV viewing in the evening we watched a special movie of, “The Man Without a Country” – Very well done – This is an agonizing but appealing story. In the first place the punishment Nolan was forced to endure was severe all out of proportion to his “crime” – the appeal comes through his reaction to his exile – instead of being embittered he is ennobled by his ordeal and wins the respect of all those who must carry out the sentence.

Bedtime music “Peggy’s old time favorite – The Folk Music Suite and “Norwich Rhapsody” by Vaughn Williams – the movie music by Virgil Thomson, and The American Quintet of Dvorak.

In the P.M. – In the studio studying “Solitude” and “Swamp-fire at Night”. The latter gains immeasurably from its new dimensions (from 40 x 54 to 48 x 54-).

Charles E. Burchfield, Journals, April 22, 1962