Fri 17 Mar 1922
Mary's Journal Entry
wind blew & rained all night morn. wind stopped but rained on 9 A.M. sun shone but pale B painted car J worked on gate W here & there P.M. men went across road and ditched
Letter Sent Home
Dears ones at home,
I don’t know but maby the Jack rabbits will get a run tonight & maby go after mail so I’ll be like the wise Virgin I’ll be ready when the chance (bridegroom) comes but had they started when I commenced to look for my pen they would have got quite a ways when I found it. I rummaged thru 2 bags on bureau finally found it on desk perhaps where I left it sure pa don’t use it. he never knows what to write. as you see we are still holding the fort & by the way it looks today guess we better a while longer it is cloudy & cold the clouds look like fall but sho’dent it storm pa says we move the fore part of next week. he wants to help J- a few days yet he is getting “live oaks” out where he wants to plant Whit digs them out by roots then J & Whit saws them post length what they can & he blows the stumps so theteam can pull them out of hole & he also blows the posts the wood is so tough & hard its the only way they can split them & a fire place is the only place to burn the stumps I am very glad for both today its real cold. Uncle Will is cultivating grapes with mittens & extra coat. Tues. was real hot so it changes here as well as good old N.Y. They are going to build a school house at Valley Center & each taxpayer is to do so many days work they had J- 2 days with team so he went Tues. & Wed. he had enough to do but tho’t he better go while it was to wet to farm. he wanted to build a tight wire gate at road he has chicken fence along road but the rabbits know where the gate is such a country you have to tile fence & then the gofers come up from China & the birds from heaven & they don’t have any thing left any way. the birds were so bad in Apricots & prunes last year Whit poisoned them (not on J- on Lake’s I think) he told pa they picked up 1400 in two days some birds (“Lynits”) we have to fight bugs & worms but can better than the animals that travel so far that’s Cal. I told you of getting oranges for 50¢ a box (culls) two weeks ago W & J went to town got some they were not quite so good as pa & I got well Mon. they got more & they were hardly worth bringing home no taste nor no juice I fix them for sauce at noon & put sugar on & let them stand till night well they go better.I had rather have one “Northern Spy” (N.Y.) than the whole box. I sure hope that Dr is right about Lucile & helps her
Well! Well! so I’ve lost my curls well its no more than I expected to hear as they were all doing it. “Buster Brown” Wilfred now & finish the job like Cliford Dunstan & Junior Richards don’t pester him another summer with all that hair he is a man anyway no baby any more. Say that pesky “Yellowstone Park” don’t open this year till June 20 it knows we are stormed in. Uncle W & pa each got a Jack R Tues night but neither last night pa got a shot but did not stop it. they like warm evenings so maby its not a Jack night its cold enough well I will wind up for now perhaps there will be more doing before going to P.O. as I look up I see rain drops on windows. so long ---
Fri morn. 10.30 --
I should say it did rain & wind blew all night till about day light the wind let up but we have had a couple of showers since the sun comes out rather pale between showers the Palomar mts. are good & white again. no we have not heard from Melvin direct but his folks hear from him nearly every week got a card from Phebe yes. poor little Doretea (Ellis’s girl) has been pretty sick with flu just able to sit up. poor kids something is the trouble with one or both all winter long & P- siad she felt as if she was getting “grippe.” just Dr. Uncle W’s boil on his temple just in his hair its terrible pains him its about so big O put sticking salve on. 11:15 dinner time
2 P.M. Fri. 17
well the men did not chase rabbits last even they were glad to sit by the fire. but they talked at dinner table they might go tonight. Whit is not working today but was here to dinner (visitor) I have just got the work done up & oranges sliced with sugar on for supper. Johny cake & bread & butter is all they get. J- has his gate done next is to hang it. they are going to put a pal?? on when the rabbits come thru it closes then in the morn. they will go out & catch them I’ll watch them doing it the Jacks are no fools. they have fun talking about it. Uncle W- bro’t me some wild Perenial peas or they look like ours only not so large (Tues.) they keep blossoming & are very pretty. they have the wild Lilac too they don’t look so much like the tame ones but are pretty I had a bunch over a week before it commenced to drop. trees are just in bloom Almonds, Apricots, peaches. well I don’t know if I told you pa killed a little rattlesnake about twice as long as this sheet but a great deal larger around than Uncle W- boil about like a quarter (2 bits) in the bulge. as pa said he read this letter & said I made mistake he did not kill the snake Whit did well at any rate he bro’t it to the house & acted as if he did it, my mistake his treat. well supper is over & the men full of Johny cake. J talks of town tomorrow ought to write about 6 letters maby maby not Hope all are well. Love to you all. Mother
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Sat. morn. 9:30 A.M.
Well I guess this will be my last chance with this letter J goes to town right after dinner don’t think I go send pa I am going to try some new medicine for “neuritus” (saw add. in paper) they did not have it in drug store but ordered it for me I think “absorbine” helps some. but they ache just the same but I can get some sleep. this is a beautiful day warm in the sun this morn. the roofs looked as if they had snow on a good white frost & real fresh if I lived in this country I would lie in my bed till sun up. J- & W- are putting cleets over the crack of plaster-board checking it off in squares he has a very comfortable house will be more so when finished Uncle W- says he likes it here he is perfectly contented. glad he is it would be a shame to come so far then not like it. I am getting low on tablet may have to write on wrapping paper, wax paper or sand paper or even on fly paper. say they are never free of flies in Cal. the pesky things. Uncle W- can’t knap in peace the other day he got up & come out & got fly swatter & went after them I laughed & asked him “what was the matter” Ma
Valey Center Mar 17 - 22
well every one at home I have just read Mas letter & she sure gets all the news so you see there is nothing for me to write about - she sure is feeling fine & looks good has done more whistling & singing than I have heard her do in 5 years rats [added by Mary] has some trouble with teeth may have to have some pulled those in front that were loose when we left
well if you want to cook lime sulphor you better get Char v Korff or some one H Halstead to help you fix put new flues in Boiler - charge flues to me - they all want to be new can get them in Tonawanda at Spillmans (Hirschell & Spillmans) Louie Human would be a good one to get them for you Willie Bush got mine got the Boiler of them. there is 50 flues they come cut right length you will have to put in new steam pipe where steam leaves Boil - it is busted so you cant get it loose to get boiler out with out breaking old pipe (the 1 1/4 inch the strainer is shot but I have not been so careful to strain as the old Barrels are full of dirt any way & that crushed Lime leaves less settlings. W Capen can see about sulphor & Lime for you if you feel like bothering with it you can make $200 in a few days & I would have my Boiler fixed it is some job. rained all last night & wind blew over 30 inches of watter since Dec 15 ground to wet to work at trees today grubbed brush & plowed roadside
Love to all Grand Pa
Ma says Mary s got hair cut wait til she gets to ? off you hers
On scrap of paper:
Pa don’t tell of the nights I am awake nearly all nights with my arms then with my teeth one morn I had such pain in my bowels I could not get breakfast -- he tells the bright side. I just have to whistle & amuse myself believe me