FEBRUARY 1913
Sat. Feb. 1st. A frost in morn and a chilly wind from E all day and bright in morn but cloudy in eve and rained some in night. Willie rode Sandy to town in morn and Ben drove our mules to our wagon and Dago drove Wiley's team to Lewis' wagon and carried 2 loads of peas for Wiley to town in morn and they returned at 2 in eve. I packed manure to garden from under new barn in morn.
Sun. 2nd. It rained some last night and no sun today and rained a little in morn and misted a little in eve and a chilly breeze from E all day and night too and rained some in thunder showers in night. Nellie at Wiley's most of day.
Mon. 3rd. Cloudy and wet and chilly from W of N all day but a little sunshine in eve. Willie and Ben threshed peas in old kitchen in morn and finished all and Willie rode Sandy and Ben drove our mules and wagon and Dago drove Wiley's team to Lewis' wagon in eve and carried peas for Willie to town and Willie sold to Lewis and Mount and they returned just before sunset. I cut up good deal of wood in morn and fed in eve.
Tue. 4th. Bright, nearly clear, and very cool from N but pleasant in sun. Willie and Ben cleaned up ground in field today. I packed chicken manure from under old kitchen and put on E side of garden in morn and got wood and water and fed in eve.
Wed. 5th. Clear and frost and slight freeze in morn but warmer in eve. Willie and Ben cleaned up ground in field today. I got wood for Leah to wash in morn early and ridged up 7 rows in garden on E side to plant in onion sets by 12 and shucked corn and took up manure and got wood and water and fed in eve.
Thu. 6th. Cloudy some all day and a chilly breeze from NE. Willie and Ben cleaned up ground today. I set out onion sets in garden and planted lettuce and radishes and mustard till 3 1/2 in eve.
Fri. 7th. Dark cloudy and no sun and a very chilly wind from NE and nearly cold enough to freeze and rained some slowly in eve. Willie and Ben cleaned up ground in field today. I hoed winter onions in NW corner of garden in morn and shucked corn and fed in eve.
Sat. 8th. Bright and a cold wind from N but not quite cold enough to freeze. Willie walked and found all of our cattle in Elmwood pasture in morn and he and Marion drove Sandy to town in eve. Ben cleaned up ground in morn. I cut up good deal of wood and put up some pickets between hog pen and SE part of garden to keep chickens out of garden in morn and fed in eve.
Sun. 9th. Bright and sunshine most of day and a slight freeze in morn but warmer in eve from SE. Rena and her children dined here. Wiley went to his Pa's in morn. Willie and children went to SS in eve. I was feverish all day and took one Bond's pill which worked me at dusk and till bedtime.
Mon. 10th. Cloudy and a damp breeze from SE and warmer today and sprinkled rain a litle in eve. Willie and Ben hauled out manure from cow pen all day to the field. I dug up ground in garden and planted 3 boxes of peas (45 cts. worth) and planted some early tomatoes by 3 1/2 in eve. I rested well at night.
Tue. 11th. Cloudy and sprinkled rain slowly till 10 in morn and rained pretty hard at 10 1/2 to 12 and slowly most of eve. Willie and Ben hauled out manure till 10 in morn and didn't work anymore today. I dug up ground in garden till 10 in morn. Willie and I set the trap on a hen near bean patch in eve.
Wed. 12th. Bright, but cloudy some all day, and a cold wind from N or E of N. Ben cleaned up ground today in field and Willie too in morn and Willie drove Sandy to town in eve and got 150 lbs. salt and some salt petre. I packed manure from new barn to garden in morn and shelled some bread corn in eve and fed.
Thu. 13th. Bright, but cloudy all day, and a cold N wind and little ice today and clear and calm and cold all night. Wiley and Dago halped us to kill and clean and cut up 5 hogs by 3 in eve. I was cold all day and some at night and didn't sleep well.
Fri. 14th. Clear and a hard freeze in morn and white frost but all thawed by 10 1/2 and pleasant in sun after 10 in morn. Willie cleaned off ground in field today and Ben broke turf ground in Gate cut with the mules today (and first plowing this year). I cut up good deal of wood in morn and shucked corn and fed in eve. Nellie cooked lard today.
Sat. 15th. Clear and a freeze and very white frost in morn but pleasant in sun after 10 in morn. Ben broke turf ground in Gate cut till 11 1/2 in morn and finished there and broke ground in patch E of here, near where old hayhouse stood, for cane balance of day. Willie cleaned off ground in field all day. I dug up ground in garden in morn and planted 5 rows of Irish potatoes there in eve and a paper of sage seed too.
Sun. 16th. Clear and some frost in morn but a beautiful and pleasant day - wind from W. I walked to Wiley's and back in eve. Willie and children walked to SS in eve and Nellie and Charles to Lewis'.
Mon. 17th. Bright, nearly clear, and a little cool and pleasant from SW. Willie and Ben stripped cane in patch E of here all morn and planted it in patch near road in eve and finished all. I hoed strawberries in SW part of garden in morn and till 3 1/2 in eve.
Tue. 18th. Bright but cloudy some all day and pleasant. Willie listed ground in Gate cut most of day with Sandy and Maud Est (his first plowing this year). I hoed strawberries in garden in morn and some in eve and saved some seed corn in eve. Ben broke up all of cane stubble in new ground E of here in lands for Irish potatoes today.
Wed. 19th. Cloudy some all day but bright and pleasant from E. Willie and Ben broke ground in Gate cut with both double teams today. I hoed strawberries in garden most of day. I got wood and drew water in morn for Leah to wash here.
Thu. 20th. Foggy and wet till 10 in morn from E and cool from E and bright and pleasant in eve. Willie and Ben broke ground in Gate cut all day with both double teams. I hoed strawberries in garden most of day and finished them.
Fri. 21st. Cloudy and a damp wind from SE till 3 in eve and a thunder cloud came up from NW then and we had a big rain with some thunder till 4 1/2 and quit and cool and clear from NW all night. Willie and Ben broke ground with both double teams till 3 in eve and got wet some. They finished Gate cut by 10 1/2 in morn and broke on H ridge till 3 in eve. I hoed up some ground on N side of garden in morn and shelled and winnowed some bread corn in eve.
Sat. 22nd. Bright and cool from N most of day but some clouds all eve and sprinkled a little rain and hail at 10 1/2 in morn. Ben drove the mules to wagon to town in morn and carried 7 1/2 pecks of corn and got it ground and Willie rode Sandy and went too and they returned at 2 in eve with a new A plow and one spool of net wire and 2 sacks of Irish potatoes to plant. Willie and Chunk and Earl went bird hunting in eve. I set up posts around 4 pear trees in hollow in orchard to put wire around the trees in morn and shucked corn and got wood and water and fed in eve.
Sun. 23rd. Bright and cool from E. Willie and children walked to SS in eve and Nellie and Charles walked to Wiley's in eve. I found a Dom hen setting on 8 eggs under Lucy's house in eve and put the eggs under 2 hens in old cotton house.
Mon. 24th. Bright, nearly clear, and very cool from N all day but pleasant in sun after 10 in morn. Ben broke ground on H ridge with the mules today. Willie and Wiley and Dago roped and drove Frilby (colt) all morn in lot around our house and they plowed her with Ned (mule) in Wiley's field some in eve. I cut up good deal of wood in morn and shucked corn and fed in eve.
Tue. 25th. Bright, nearly clear, and a very slight freeze in morn but a damp wind from SE all day and warmer in eve and cloudy all night. Willie and Ben broke ground all day with both double teams. I cut up good deal of wood early in morn and set posts and stakes around old Applepear tree in orchard to put wire around it by 11 and shucked corn and got wood and water and stopped chickens' holes around mule stables in eve.
Wed. 26th. Dark cloudy and a damp S wind and sprinkled rain a little in morn and sprinkled and drizzled in eve till 5 and rained hard in thunder showers at 5 to 6 and some in night and a thunder cloud came up at 3 in night and we had a big washing rain at 3 to 4 1/2. Willie and Ben plowed and harrowed cane ground E of here by 9 1/2 in morn and planted Irish potatoes there till late in eve and finished. I cut the potatoes in morn and some in eve - 5 bu of bought ones - and Willie cut some home raised ones too in eve to finish with.
Thu. 27th. We had a big rain from NW before daylight and bright and pleasant from NW. Willie rode Sandy and saw all of our cattle by 10 1/2 in morn and he and Ben set posts and put up a wire fence from big back gate to cow pen by sunset. I cut up good deal of wood early in morn and found a hen's nest near bean patch with 10 eggs in it by 11 in morn.
Fri. 28th. Bright and calm and pleasant from W. Ben broke up some ground E of cane patch E of here early in morn and Willie and I planted the ground in home raised Irish potatoes by 11 1/2. Willie and Ben broke ground with both double teams in Sims' corner in eve.