in Misc. Diary Entry

June 20: Dresses, Sandy Wells, and Chickens at the Post Office

June 20, 1929, Thursday

Bright, real warm outside and cold indoors [so] that fire in cook-stove was fine. The girls ironed the washing. I sewed on my figured rayon dress and we all got meals. Dave went to Moore Creek and elied corn. Ray and Will went to the pasture and finished bottom in tank but [there was] no water on account of sand, they came in late eve. Harry Furrey here in eve.

June 20, 1931, Saturday

Rained in night, cool north east breeze, sun shone until towards noon rain again. The men chored. Wm went to Moore Creek to eli corn. Will went to O’Kreek and met Hugh Barton and they went to Winner and Rank S. and a small boy went along. I worked at pulling weeds in garden and sewed on white dot voile dress for myself and wrote in this book. Will, Wm and I went to school-house where a box-social and program for ball-teams of Hidden Timber held.

June 20, 1934

Cool, partly cloudy, a relief from heat of nearly 100 yesterday but got warm in p.m. I fixed the pickle-meat and Maggie cooked it in oven, also she put all meat in cellar and finished the lard, got meals, and cleaned all the meat dishes and mopped kitchen and front room. I also churned butter, cut out my organdy dress and slept in p.m.

Ben Clausen came in wagon for the eli and he took the axe home also some poles, so he could make tongues and check-yokes for the eli. Will took lunch and took fence north side of McDonald Land and put it on line north of John Sundquists. Bud (Harold) Whiting came to see Will about getting a horse to use as one of theirs died, and he brought the mail.

June 20, 1936, Saturday

A terrible south-east wind and warm. I got meals, baked bread, ironed clothes and mopped floors. Will chored, and he and Thomas and Lemoyne pulled out the cow from Rock Creek again, and after dinner the same cow was near the creek, so Frank Van Epps and Glen Lattimore, who brought home the sweep, pulled her out with their team as Will went down with the car.

He put root-beer on ice, then varnished center table and painted our toilet. Thomas and Lemoyne took lunch, rode on cattle, and finished the Big Pasture fence. Lattimores butchered a hog and they got it all cared for, so Frank brought the lard press back. Will went to the store and mailed letters and came right back after telling Ora Daywitts they had chickens at the post office.

June 20, 1943

Father’s Day was bright, real hot, 94 in p.m. I got meals. Will chored, took a bath, lay down to rest. Harry, Louise, Harley, Dorothy and Billie came. We got a hurry up dinner, had lemonade and drank cherry and grape drinks, in p.m. had cookies and sandwiches before they went home, also [ate] Mrs. Mary (Abe) Turgeon’s pickles. The children went to wade and fish, but no bait, so no fish. Harry and Will talked in front room. Louise and I washed dishes, talked in kitchen.

June 20, 1946

Bright, North breeze cool so when [there was] no fire in heater, was chilly indoors. I got meals, lay down in p.m., played solitaire and read some. The Men chored and went to fix Well on Moore Creek and took off one joint, was pumping well and a little sand, so we went back after supper and looked at it and took tools back to Wm Pierce’s and I talked to Mrs. as Mr. is at Gregory Sale Pavilion as he is Brand Inspector. Marrs, Leah, Bobby, Carol at home and Bill Jr. newly married is fixing a foundation to move Chauncey house south of Kleins that Wm Jr. bought. Wm Jr. married Phyllis Vasser a few weeks ago and she is with her parents near Colome.

We stopped at Abbotts to see if they [could] bring us some meat tomorrow from locker at Winner. Delores, Billie and Cora Ann came horseback on Star, Jimmie and Trixy and got a tube tire. We used the tire on the way to White Horse Ranch and return. They also took one tire pump. They had dinner here and I fried biscuit dough as there isn’t any bread but Will and I got some in late p.m. Will cleaned carburetor and we went to Whiting Store. I stayed at church for Elsie and Mary [were] cleaning church. Bill, Billie, Dean and Marjorie came for Elsie. Church is nice now.

  1. I love reading about your Aunt Hattie! There is something very calming about her life, how grounded in its specific place and time and people and tasks. Hattie was a real writer, so very observant. Reading her entries is like reading bits of an epic novel. She paints a picture of everyday life on the Great Plains, but in addition to the small daily details we get this broad sweep of history. Thank you for keeping up with this blog. Hattie is a real American treasure!

    • I also definitely think of Hattie as a writer. The very fact that she wrote every day for over 37 years is beyond what I can claim. You are right that she was keenly observant of everyday life, even in her last years when she didn’t have as many “adventures.” She would be thrilled to know that her words have an audience beyond her own family. Thanks for such an encouraging comment! The transcribing continues, one page at a time…

Comments are closed.