Another Galena Mainstay Passes Away

Saturday, October 24, 1925: It rained today. Len, Dad & Ruby hauled in corn. Friday Mother baked and ironed. Tonight there is a basket social at Independence School. I would like to have gone very much but wasn’t able to go. Thursday we washed. It snowed that afternoon making things quite white for awhile.

Wednesday we all went to town in the afternoon. All but Len went to Eliza Bastian’s funeral. We went to the church. The church was nearly full. Rev. Smith preached. He is going to leave for Chicago tonight. Mrs. Bastian had a grey coffin, and many flowers. It was raining when the services were over. So we put on chains to come home but wouldn’t have needed them out this way. Tuesday, well Anna and Aunt Lizzie got started from here at eight o’clock. Anna has a very fine six cylinder Oldsmobile touring. While she was home she, Uncle Thomas & Aunt Rachel went up to Ft. Dodge, and Aunt Lizzie went to Hampton to see her brother she had not seen for nineteen years. Mrs. Haines came back with Anna to Eliza Bastian’s funeral. I let out my dress that afternoon. That evening Len, Ruby & I went to town. Ruby & I went to Harris Hall to the indoor fair put on by the Standard Bearers. They had a program and candy booth and fortune telling and a fish pond. They also sold sandwiches, cake & coffee. It was quite nice.

Monday we spent the day carrying in celery, endive, radishes and some cabbage. As we were eating supper Uncle Edd & Aunt Annie came. They said we were going to have more company. Anna Bates* had called out from Annie Zimmerman’s that they are coming out. Just she and Aunt Lizzie. Anna said she was awful nervous driving out over the hills by night. But they got out all right. Anna was going to start for Chicago again in the morning. The next day she is going to go up to Michigan again to take the car up. Then she is coming back again to Chicago to work. They expert to go south in December as Mr. Bates wants to stay there to go deer hunting first. He walks with crutches now is worse than he was. (Eliza Bastian died yesterday afternoon.)

* Anna Bates is the same Anna Trudgian mentioned in the last posting. Austin Bates was her first husband

The Fall Harvest Begins

Saturday, October 3, 1925: Len & Ruby went to town this afternoon. Roads are not very good. They are muddy. Friday we picked off more grapes and made jam & jelly and also baked. Flies were terribly bad. Thursday it had cleared off . We ironed and put up chow-chow, 2 quarts of ground cherries and picked off some grapes.


Wednesday, September 30th: It was rainy during the night before and also today. We made tomatoe preserve and catsup. We also grounded up the ingredients for chow chow. Tuesday we washed and made tomatoe (green) pickles. Uncle Edd and Aunt Annie came down in the evening. It was a lovly day. Monday we all went to town with two cars. The roads not very good yet. We went up to Zimmerman’s to get the shawl. They came home by train Friday night and Mr. Johnson came home Saturday evening. It rained out there Friday so that was why he didn’t come Friday. They said that Uncle Thomas told Johnson that Anna was going to Chicago on the noon train. She hasn’t heard from her husband (Bates) for sometime. Don’t know if she’s going to look him up or what.

Sunday we staid home all day. We did not have any company. Len went over to Bonhoff’s to tell them their pigs were over here. Saturday was a very rainy day, so we couldn’t go to town. Friday we were busy with baking as usual. Uncle Georges thought they might come in the eve, but didn’t come. Perhaps it looked too much like rain. Uncle Edd & Aunt Annie came down that evening.

Thursday we all went to the Elizabeth Community Fair. We left here about twenty after ten. Len & Ruby rode with Uncle Edd & Aunt Annie rode with us. We missed seeing the parade. A big crowd was there, Tresidders & Butchers and a good many others from around here. Uncle Bens, Uncle Henrys, Uncle Joes and Aunt Lizzie, Wesley and Sadie, Maryanne & children and Aunt Tillie were there. Len drove Uncle Edd’s car home as he didn’t feel very good today. Wednesday we ironed, hulled and put up 1 ½ quarts of ground cherries. Uncle Edd & Aunt Annie came down in the eve. We had intended to go to town that evening, so they went home early. We drove in there as Aunt Annie was going to try to call Zimmermans to see if they were home yet. When we got there Ma & Dad were there. They had come home on the train and had a ride part way. They walked from Charlie Ehrler’s. Uncle Edd met them and took them along back to their place. They came home with us when we came home from town. Tuesday was cold. We washed that day, but it didn’t dry very good. We got a card from Ma & Dad. They got out at Waterloo at five oclock. They went up to the Devil’s Backbone , and went through Strawberry Point. They had a cold windy ride. Anna was home yet. She was expecting Austin and his brother. They intended to go south for the winter.

Monday was quite cold. Ruby helped cut corn in the forenoon. We put up six & ½ quarts of tomatoes in the afternoon. We also washed up quite a few jars and picked up ground cherries and etz. We wonder how Mom and Pa were getting along in Waterloo. Sunday we had got up early. Pa and Ma got ready to go to Waterloo. The weather got so cloudy we thought it would rain. We didn’t know if they should start or not but they went as far as Aunt Annie’s and could see it was bright in the west. Len & Uncle Edd took them in. Ruby & I staid at Aunt Annie’s to help her. Zimmermans weren’t ready yet when they got there. I suppose it was anyway eight-thirty before they got started. It turned cooler and out to be a lovly day. We had to hurry awfully with our work to get ready to go to church. Uncle Edd went with us. We were a little late. We staid at Aunt Annie’s to dinner and supper. The Aunts came along with Uncle Georges. Maryanne’s baby was very cute. Warren was quite a boy.

The Ditmars- Uncles George, Ben, Henry, Joe, Dan; Aunts Annie, Tillie and Mag and Amelia ( Lillian's mother) with their parents 

Oops! The Computer Was on Vacation

Tuesday, June 30, 1925: We ironed and baked bread. Ma & Ruby picked raspberries and a few gooseberries*. We nosed* them and put up 2 quarts and two of raspberries. Uncle Edd & the Aunts came down this eve. Monday we washed. I picked a few gooseberries in the evening.

Sunday, Uncle George came into Aunt Annie’s in the forenoon and they had gone to church, so Uncle George and Aunt Lizzie rode along in to church with us. We staid at Aunt Annie’s for dinner and supper also. Len & Ruby took Mr. & Mrs. Stauss out to Schapville to church. Then they went down to Elizabeth to Gerraler’s. Saturday in the afternoon Dad, Ma, & I went to town. Took a bouquet of Dorothy Perkins roses to Annie Zimmerman. We staid the evening. Ate some bakery goods over in the park for supper and got a parking place early. A lovly evening but very cool and a big crowd in town.

Friday we ironed and baked and made a cake and etz. Thursday we washed. In the afternoon the Aunts came down Dad, Ma & I took them up that evening. Wednesday it rained very hard all forenoon. We put up the pieplant*. Ma & Ruby picked some raspberries, Dad picked some gooseberries and I picked the strawberries. Tuesday we put up twelve quarts of cherries. We worked very hard all day. Had to be so terrible careful as so many of the cherries were wormy. Ruby had to help with the hay too. That forenoon Uncle Edd went out and got the Aunts. They stopped down the road and brought us some pieplant. We all went up there that evening.

In Vol. II of Lillian's Diaries: Whispers of Galena's Pastthere will be a glossary of terms in the back which will explain words or terms that some of us may never have heard of, such as these below. If you know the meaning of words which appear in this blog with an * please let me know.
*Gooseberries “The gooseberry is a straggling bush growing to 1-3 meters (3-10 feet) tall, the branches being thickly set with sharp spines, standing out singly or in diverging tufts of two or three from the bases of the short spurs or lateral leaf shoots. The bell-shaped flowers are produced, singly or in pairs, from the groups of rounded, deeply-crenated 3 or 5 lobed leaves. The fruit of wild gooseberries is smaller than in the cultivated varieties, but is often of good flavour; it is generally hairy, but in one variety smooth, constituting the R. uva-crispa of writers; berries' colour is usually green, but there are red variants and occasionally deep purple berries occur. source www.Wikipedia.com
*Nosed – anyone have a definition?
*Pieplant “Ah, the pieplant -- rhubarb! Most old farms and homesteads have one or more of those plants growing somewhere on the property, usually near a barn. At least that's where I've often spotted them.” Source: www.suite101.com