Nov. 23, 1924
     Sunday –
     A day spent mostly in my workroom painting “The March Wind” * I was in the right mood and had a few hours when I was in perfect accord with  my medium and idea.
     As if in contrast to what I was painting was the life that went on in the house across the street, glimpses of which I caught now and then.  The first was the family machine stopping in front of the house, bringing people from church.  A young boy of about 15 got out.  He was attired in painfully conventional clothes – silk top hat, small black jacket and gray trousers, big wide collar.  It was too good not to share, so I called to Bertha to go out and look.  I asked her if she wanted our future Charles David to be dressed like that and the answer she gave was convincing enough.  I pitied the poor fellow, but he seemed contented enough.  They had many callers during the day and sometimes a Japanese (?) butler and sometimes a maid answered the door.  Once I saw the man of the house in a smoking jacket.  They probably had to change their costumes like puppets, for each one of the day’s petty performances.
     I read some of Whitman to cast off the effect of these sights –chancing upon his[i]