MAY 1880
Sat. May 1st. Cool and cloudy and drizzled most of eve. I plowed and finished breaking up all on H ridge (except where I ran center furrows) by dinner. I harrowed all plowed up in eve and planted some popcorn and watermelon in eve.
Sun. 2nd. It rained slowly most of last night till 10. Today I rode in field in morn and Rena and I rode Julia to Pa's for Willie in eve. I suffered all day with pain and soreness in my jaw.
Mon. 3rd. Cloudy some and warm. I started to haul out manure on my old Pinder patch in morn, but hauled only one load and then finished breaking up all H ridge by dinner and rebedded my slip ground and opened some ground for cotton on H ridge in eve. I suffered all day with pain and soreness in my jaw.
Tue. 4th. Cloudy some and warm. I slept but little last night with my front jaw. I planted cotton and whip peas on H ridge and finished it in eve. I had a little fever last night and all today with my jaw. I turned out Fanny in morn.
Wed. 5th. Warm and cloudy some. I hunted Fanny in morn early but didn't find her. I rode Julia to Pa's for Ma. She came and made a pot of soap for us. I planted little cotton in Dan's old Pinder patch in morn and finished all of my cotton. I was very sick all eve and vomited great deal and had some fever.
Thu. 6th. I took 3 alt pills last night and cinchonidia today. I commenced to bar off my corn here by gate in morn and worked at it some in eve. Aunt Tilda dined here. Clara came at 2. I sawed our old half mol-bbl and made two tubs for Nellie at noon.
Fri. 7th. Warm, cloudy in eve and threatened rain but only dropped. I barred off corn all day in Gate cut. Tigner and Mary came at sunset and I went with them to Pa's and brought Willie home.
Sat. 8th. Warm and cloudy some. I finished barring off my corn in Cane hollow by 9 and barred off cotton in Cherry tree cut till dinner and some in eve. Buddy came in eve and brought my papers. Misses Lucy and Jennie Chambers here most of day. I took dose of salts early in morn and 2 doses cinchonidia.
Sun. 9th. Warm and bright. I took children on Fanny and Julia to Pa's in morn and Mary, Clara and Tigner came and dined here. Dan and Bud came at 2 and we tried to drive Emma cow and calf but couldn't in eve. I went to Steve's late and to Mr. D's at dark.
Mon. 10th. Warm and bright. Mr. D and I went early to town. Dennis sharpened my plow. I was on Jury (Morgan's case) till late in eve. I got a grass hat for myself at 25 cts. and 6 yds of R.K. for Nellie. My old sow was sick in morn.
Tue. 11th. Warm and bright and getting dry. I barred off cotton in Cherry tree cut in wire grass in morn. Nellie and children rode Fanny to Pa's in morn and there all day. I took up a large sorrel mare mule at noon and went to Morgan's to see if it was his. Returned at 1/2 past 3 and thinned patch of corn here by gate. Finished by sunset.
Wed. 12th. Warm, bright in morn and rained good shower at 5 1/2 in eve with hard wind and little hail from E. I barred off my oldest whip peas and little cotton there and finished by 8 in morn and thinned corn in Gate cut balance of day.
Thu. 13th. Clear in morn, clouded up in eve from E but only sprinkled. I thinned corn all day in Gate cut and finished all late in eve. Clara came in eve and took Willie home with her.
Fri. 14th. Cloudy, sun shined some through the day. I hoed cotton here between cowpen and Spring gate all day. George Atkins, Mary and Ann scraped cotton for me in Cherry tree cut.
Sat. 15th. Cloudy some, high E wind most of day. I hoed all cotton by poplar log and Plum corner in morn and finished Spring gate corner and hoed my peach and potatoe beds and trimmed some peach trees in eve. I paid George $2.35 for hoeing yesterday and this morn. Dan and Bud came in eve.
Sun. 16th. Hazy and pleasant breeze from E all day. Nellie, children and I spent day at Pa's. Joe Chambers there.
Mon. 17th. Bright and pleasant, wind from SE. I tried to mold my cotton here in patch with Fanny but quit at 8 and hilled it with hoe balance of day. Mary Atkins and Ann scraped cotton for me in wire grass by Cherry stump all day.
Tue. 18th. Bright and pleasant wind from SE. I barred off all Dewberry cut of cotton and second planting of whip peas by dinner and hoed some of corn here by gate in eve. I found blue hen's nest in bush roots with 8 eggs late in eve. Mary Atkins and Ann hoed and finished my oldest cotton and 2 plantings of my whip peas.
Wed. 19th. Warm, bright in morn, cloudy and thunder late with wind from SE. I harrowed corn middles in morning and hoed and finished patch corn by gate in eve. Mary and Ann scraped cotton in Dewberry cut all day.
Thu. 20th. Cloudy, dropped rain at 7, and had good showers at 10 1/2 to 12 and one late in eve. I finished harrowing corn middles by 10 and hoed cotton here in patch N of cowpen. I paid George $3 at 1 for work.
Fri. 21st. Bright and pleasant in eve, wind from NW. I hoed in patch here in NW corner in morn. Gordon and Alice came at 1. I went to creek with them late in eve. I planted 3 hills of gourds for Willie in morn in NW corner of patch.
Sat. 22nd. Bright and pleasant, wind from N. I hoed in patch by Lyn stump in morn and went to Morgan's to see him about sewing machine and on to town and got a bottle of tar and 3 spools of thread for Nellie.
Sun. 23rd. Warm and sultry and threatened rain but only sprinkled in eve. Nellie, children and I dined at Pa's. Gordon and Alice went home at 3. We went to hear Mr. Brown preach in eve.
Mon. 24th. Warm, dropped rain at 12, and drizzled most of eve and good shower at dark. I barred off most of cotton and youngest whip peas on H ridge in morn. Susan and Mary Turner scraped cotton there all day. I hoed some here in patch where big gourds grew and planted 3 hills of powder gourds in eve. Mr. Sims came in eve and I went to Mr. D's at dusk to take him a message from M. H. Woodruff.
Tue. 25th. Cloudy all day, wind from S. The ground is very wet. Mr. D, Dan and Clara came in morn. I started to scape my potatoes but set out some tomatoe and pepper plants and planted 9 hills of watermelons. I hoed cotton in N end of patch here all eve.
Wed. 26th. Dark, cloudy and dropped rain some in morn. I hoed little cotton here in patch in morn. Charlie Brower brought us the sewing machine in morn. I barred off and finished all my cotton on H ridge in eve. Susan and Mary Turner scraped my potatoes and some cotton in eve. I had sick headache all day and vomited good deal in eve.
Thu. 27th. It rained hard shower last night but no rain today. I hoed cotton in NE corner of patch most of day. Nellie rode Julia to Pa's in morn to get Ma about how to run sewing machine.
Fri. 28th. Cloudy in morn, bright in eve. I took cart to town in morn, carried Mr. D's tools to Joseph's, had my plow sharpened and got 1/2 bu of lime at 50 cts, 2 pds sugar at 25 cts, 1 pr scissors 35 cts, 9 spools thread 50 cts, 7 yds lawn for Clara $1.40, 2 boxes lye and 3 spools thread for Ma 45 cts. I went to creek at 1 and got bag of sand and mixed some mortar for fowls and finished hoeing cotton here in patch in eve. I went to see George and Charlie at dusk to get them to help me mark my pigs and calves.
Sat. 29th. Cloudy in morn and showering, bright and warm in eve. Pa, George and Charlie helped me mark my calves and pigs early in morn. I plowed out corn here by gate in morn and some in Gate cut in eve.
Sun. 30th. Cloudy some and sprinkled some through day. I have had a cold in my head and throat for several days and I took 3 alt pills and 2 tonics and 2 cin today and took fever at 12 and had pain in head and sick stomach all eve and night and slept but little. All of our cows out at night but Lizzie. Mr. D came late in eve. Nellie and children went to Pa's early in morn.
Mon. 31st. Very warm weather, cloudy some in morn and rained hard shower at 12 from SW. I barred off my potatoes and plowed some in Gate cut in morn and hoed some in my sugar cane in eve. Willie and I went for cows to Sims' place in eve.