~ Boyd County, Nebraska
November 17, 1920: Was a nice day. I baked bread in forenoon and talked to Mamma and she said that Art Bice died this morning. Morton is still alive. Will husked corn all day and I helped in the p.m. Mamma is feeling bad. Johnnie Brownfield ran away after school, was found in Sedlacek corn-field near West school-house.
~ Hidden Timber, South Dakota
November 17, 1928, Saturday: Sun shone only a little at times in a.m., then got real cold and quite cloudy, but no snow at bed-time. Henry Arcoren, Dave, Ben and Will put wooden weaners in the calves’ noses, and they got meals, as Louise and I went to Winner via the store and highway, had dinner there, and then we shopped for some little necessaries, and Louise got a coat, hat, overshoes and leggings, and I got stuff for a fruit cake and Louise had them put in glass in the car door at the Ford Garage, and we had to wait for it and had a bum battery, so no lights, came home in the dark to Moore Creek when the car stopped and we could not start it, so walked in about 5 miles, called Will at O’Kreek, and he crossed us on the plank. I was so all in. I thought I couldn’t stand it, and there wasn’t anything cooked, so we had to go to bed without supper, and I couldn’t sleep at all on account of being so tired. Dave, Ben and Henry went to a dance at Curtis’s place, but came in at midnight via our car, and brought in most of our things.