Watch Out For Those Grass Seeders

Friday April 25,1919: Cold again today. Had an awful hard frost last night. I think ice on a tub of water. Made bread and coffee cake and a cake. Well, this evening Ruby and I went over to the Miner’s Social with Josie, Helen & Bert. We walked. Quite a crowd there. Had a very good program. Tresidders were over. Blanche had to sit on the platform holding a doll while Mrs. Wingler sang. Baskets sold well, none below a dollar. Ruby’s brought a dollar. Joe Dower had hers.He had two others. Archie Virtue bought mine for a dollar and a half and also Miss Reddington’s. Fourth time I got a Virtue. First time a cousin of theirs, second and third time Charlie Virtue and now Archie Virtue. Had a very nice time. Very interesting. Got home at half past twelve.


Saturday was very nice day. A great celebration at Galena today. One hundredth anniversary of the Odd Fellows.* We didn’t go. Ma & Ruby made some garden today. The first we made. Sunday was rainy in the morning. Ma & Ruby went up on the hill this morning but didn’t see anybody at church so came home again. Uncle Edd and Aunt Annie came down to dinner today. Rainy this afternoon and eve. Monday was well cloudy in the morninbg and road muddy. Dad & Ruby went to town to the big celebration this forenoon with Old Pet in the buggy. I had a chance to go with Uncle Edd but didn’t know what to do. Just awfully dissappointed. In spite of the muddy roads just an awful lot of cars went by also teams. They saw Charles Trudgian in town. He has been home since Wednesday. He’s working roads now driving tractor. It wasn’t such a bad day after all (the weather).

Tuesday we cleaned the rag room. At noon John Tresidder asked to borrow our grass seeder. After dinner he came up to get it. Came up in the car. I was looking out the window to see him crank it. It back fired and hurt his arm or wrist. We bathed it in hot water thought probably it was only a sprain. Also put linament on it. It began to swell. Couldn’t use his hand, so I drove him home. He had the spark to far advanced that why he broke his arm. Also the car was missing one cylinder. Then Agnes thought he’d better got to the doctor so I said I would take him in. I had to have other clothes on so we drove back up. His car went so bad that we took our car. The doctor said the both bones in his arm were broken. Said it would be four weeks before it could be taken out of the cask. Ruby went to town too. Then when we got home I had to drive John’s car down again.

Wednesday, was  raining all day today. Ruby cleaned Dad’s & Ma’s room today. Thursday,May 1, 1919, it rained a little. Cleared up this afternoon. Ma washed today or finished. She started yesterday.

*Odd Fellows: An altruistic and benevolent fraternal organization dedicate to improving and elevation the character of mankind, aiding the community, the less fortunate, youth and the elderly. ( You will be happy to know that starting with Vol. 2 there is a glossary that covers many of the words and expressions that you may not be familiar with. If, when reading Lillian, you see a word that you think needs to be defined just let me know through the blog or on Facebook Group "Lillian's Readers" and I will add it to the glossary for Vol. 3, which will be out in August 2011 in honor of Lillian's birthday)

Miracles Do Happen

For years I have searched for the missing diaries which should have sat between the 1913-1919 ones that have been published in Lillian's Diaires: Whispers of Galena's Past* and the 1925-1931 diaries which I am currently working on to be published this year. Despite all the searching these diaries - which tell of Ruby's wedding and the sale at the Trudgian farm, etc. etc - remained hidden until a week ago when an email arrived from Janet Temperly (whose mother - Sadie Dittmar Temperly - was a cousin of Lillian's)who found the diaries when searching through a box of old photographs for pictures of Lillian) She sent them to me - God bless her! and now there will be 2 more books of diaries to be published -1920-1926 and 1927-1931! Watch for some of Janet's photographs in the next couple of blog postings!

Saturday, April 25, 1925: We were busy all day with Saturday work and getting Ruby’s room straighten. All but Mother went to town this eve. It was nearly nine when we started. The roads were rough. Friday we had a dandy rain during the night and quite a few showers during the day. We baked and finished papering Ruby’s room. Also finished ironing. Made applesauce.

Thursday we washed and also did most of the ironing. It was another very warm day. It came to a storm that evening. Had a nice rain. On Wednesday we finished planting early potatoes and made some garden and papered some today. Had our first asparagus today. About five oclock Aunt Till came down. She then went to town that evening with Ruby & Len to the Presbytery at Stauss’ church. We took her up before they were ready so she could get ready. Very hot weather.

Tuesday we planted some more potatoes. Also papered the ceiling of Ruby’s room. The oldest calf (that is this year’s calf) died in the morning. I guess it bled to death. It was all right last night. It was such a pet. Thought of keeping it for a steer. The Scales Mound Methodist minister called here in the P.M. Monday was cloudy and cold. Len plowed part of the garden patch. We planted six rows and a part of a row of potatoes and got Ruby’s room already to paper. Rained a little that eve.

* Lillian's Diaries: Whispers of Galena's Past is available at Book World in Galena IL and on amazon.com

Winter Socialization

Saturday, January 17, 1925: Raymond went up to Aunt Annie’s to go to town with Uncle Edd to go to Apple River yet on the noon train. Feel tough* today.

Friday was snowy in the forenoon. In the afternoon Raymond Dittmar came from Aunt Annie’s. He had come there Wed. We baked bread & coffee cake, two cakes and a batch drop cookies. Len, Ruby, Raymond & I went to the party at Bonhoff’s Wednesday eve. We walked over the hill. Had to put on leggings and wade thro. Quite a few were there when we got there and they kept on coming till about ten oclock. Over seventy were there and they dance & dance. So many came from Schapville way. I was rather disgusted with the whole affair. They jumped around like Indians. Of course, we had to sit or stand in a corner. Mrs. Heller, Agnes & Blanche & Mrs. Winsicker were there so we had a few to talk with. We started for home at one oclock in the morning.

Thursday, Len went to Raymond’s to help his father cut wood. He had gone to Scales Mounds first so Mother had went along up to Aunt Lizzie’s. Then she went to Mrs. Stauss’ to supper. That afternoon Ida and Loretta Fiedler came down to tell us there was going to be a party at Bonhoff’s tomorrow night. They talked as tho they (Fiedlers)were getting it up*. I had supposed it would be a dance.

Both Tuesday and Wednesday were clear and cold. Ruby made a apron. Mother ironed some. On Monday it was snowy and I sewed a little.

* What do you suppose "I feel tough" meant? I tried to research it, with no results.
* “Getting it up” means to organize or be the host of an event

The Frost is on The Pumpkins or at Least on The Squash

"Wed, Sept 29, 1926: Everything froze Sunday morning. It was a very hard frost that made ice in the bottom of pails. It seemed too bad that the squash vines were frozen and all the squash were partly froze. All, but Dad, went to church in the morning. He wouldn’t shave! After church we went up to Aunt Lizzie Dittmar's in the afternoon. Len went to his folks. Tresidders came up this evening to visit with us.

On Monday, Len & Ruby went down to Len Atz’s near Elizabeth, Illinois and got a sheep buck. Meanwhile, Mother and I put up 8 qts of pickles. Tuesday we washed as we do almost every Tuesday.

Today is Ruby & Len's sixth wedding anniversary. Len & Ruby spent it digging potatoes this afternoon. Len had gone to town with feed to grind this forenoon. Aunt Till [Dittmar] came down today. She and I went up on the Weis' hill to look for hickory nuts but didn’t find many. Aunt Till is going to stay with us over night.>"

Living in Michigan, I can, for the first time, relate to the temperatures in Lillian's Diaries. This year has had very unusual weather. Today the temperature had a high of 51 degrees and tonight, we are cutting down from three to one window open in our bedroom. When I was transcribing Lillian's Diaries the weather was so different from what we experience today. Global warming????

Note the lack of fanfare over Len and Ruby's anniversary.....no cards, no gifts, no romantic candlelit dinner. Throughout her diaries you will find that Christmas and big anniversaries - 30-40-50th were the only times that the day was marked with cards and/or gifts. Occasionally, Lillian will write that she has received a birthday card from a cousin or aunt, but as she gets older they appear less and less.