Thelma and Lowell's Diary: Sept. 19, 1943

They lit the oven to stay warm; Eleanor Roosevelt visited wounded soldiers

It was a rainy Sunday. Lowell, who had again worked third shift, slept until noon while Thelma read the funny papers (the Times-Picayune’s 92-page edition included a dozen pages of “funnies”) and wrote letters. “Was quite chilly, we lit the oven for awhile,” she wrote. Indeed, heavy rains had flooded New Orleans streets.

Readers, I apologize. I combed t…