Charles E. Burchfield, Journals, August 19, 1954

We were all set to go to visit the Connoisarauley Creek Falls today when the telephone rang – and I knew it would be Anna Olmsted & could not reasonably put her off – she said she & her cousin would be out “early afternoon”…

P.M.  – Visit from the Misses Olmsted – Anna a great talker  – it was soon evident that her chief object in coming here was to get me to reconsider my decision not to serve on their jury next winter – I began to weaken, but did not commit myself.

Evening – to Orchard Park for fruit etc.

To bed early, both of us exhausted --

Unable to sleep – I tested out the two formulas I knew for telling temperature by the snowy tree-cricket. One the Dolbear – “Divide the number of chirps per minute by four, subtract 40 and add 50.” And the other – divide the number of chirps per minute by four and add 40.” – my own – to the number of chirps in 15 seconds add 40. – they all came out the same, and my own seems so much simpler.

We got up about 10:00 & had coffee, and three Beethoven Sonatas.

Before supper, I had read a little in Rolland’s “Beethoven” of the Sonata #25, opus 79 he said it was hardly worth mentioning (!) and that the lovely second movement was like a Venetian Boat Song written by Mendelsohn – (!) – Such an opinionated attitude? – Perhaps it would do as a barcarolle, but surely none so lovely and romantically melancholy ever actually was sung on the Venetian canals. Granted it is not one of his major works, it deserves better than that shrug-off.

Charles E. Burchfield, Journals, August 19, 1954