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Diary Of A Central South Dakota Farm Woman - October 26 - October 29, 1929

Welcome to the Great Depression!

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26 (1929)

Not as good a day for our roofing labors as yesterday. The wind blew briskly, so each time we laid a new strip, I had to sit on it and act as weight to hold it down until Dan could fasten it in place. It took us until four o'clock this afternoon to finish the job. I had visions of completing it by noon, cleaning up while Dan went after a load of hay, then both of us driving to town, but things generally take longer than one expects and "the best laid plans of mice and men gang aft agley." However, we are glad to have the shed watertight from above, even if we didn't get the other things done, for I wouldn't be surprised if we were due for some weather change soon, which may include moisture.

Nancy and Dave are invited out for dinner tomorrow, so I expect Dan and I will be alone. James went home tonight; is not sure whether he. will come bade next week or not, but I hope he win be able to pick a few days more for us.

Had thought I might hear from mother today, but was disappointed. I had such a nice panful of doughnuts from Mrs. Ford yesterday, and we have been enjoying them for every meal, starting with breakfast. I always think doughnuts and coffee are a pretty good combination as "top-off" for breakfast.

Diary Of A Central South Dakota Farm Woman - Friday, October 25, 1929

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25 (1929)

This has been a fine, mild day and I've spent most of it up in the world. First thing after breakfast Dan and I had a big bonfire of tumble weeds. What a lot of heat there is in the Russian thistles! If one could only crush them up into briquettes, they would be wonderful fuel for a cold day.

After we had cleaned up around the garden I did up my housework then we ascended to the shed roof and proceeded to lay the roofing. The strips had to be cemented as well as nailed and I got myself pretty much tarred up in the process. We got along very well. It was an ideal day for the work, but it will take at least a half day longer to finish. The roofing is covered with crushed slate which is rather had on one's anatomy generally. My knees and elbows feel as if they had been sand papered and my fingers are somewhat mutilated too - both from the slate and from using the hammer on them occasionally instead of on the nails. Dan doesn't say much but I suspect he is a trifle sore physically too. Hope tomorrow is as quiet so we can finish the job.

Diary Of A Central South Dakota Farm Woman - October 22 - October 24, 1929

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22 (1929)

Mother's trunk is packed and ready and this time tomorrow night she will be well on her way to Chicago. She is only staying there a few days then will head for Kansas City and Pueblo, so will be on the road most of the time until she settles down in Denver next month. Nancy and Dave have just gone home they won't get in to the train in the morning so came to say their good-byes this evening.

I roasted the bird and we had him for supper as we were out for lunch this noon. I made an angel food cake too, for mother's lunch and baked up a couple of pies -one for home use and the other for our picnic club hostess. We had such a delicious luncheon and a pleasant afternoon of bridge and visiting and mother had several packages to bring home with her -journey gifts from the friends, which pleased her very much. Now we must go to bed for we will have to turn out early in the morning.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23

Mother got off this morning. It has turned off very cold, with a stiff wind blowing all day. Perhaps it is as well she is started for a warmer neighborhood, though she may meet with quite as chilly weather in Chicago and Kansas City as here. However, it will be only about a month until she will be heading for California. It seems lonely enough without her.

Nancy came over and spent the afternoon with me for she knew I'd be feeling a trifle forlorn. We sewed and visited by the fire -I repaired my fur coat for this kind of a day makes me realize I'll soon be needing it.

I've been following mother mentally all day on her journey. Separations are always hard but we live in hopes of another meeting next year. Mother and I always try to say goodbye cheerfully because tears at parting do not help any —only make it harder. There's always a let-down feeling for me when the train pulls out, but I can look back on our happy hours together and forward to her next visit.

Dan didn't do any work on the shed today. It was too chilly. We brought home the roofing from town but will have to wait for a milder day to put it on.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24

I suppose mother landed in Chicago this morning. The papers say they had snow there. It is still cold here but not as bad as yesterday.

I didn't feel up to the mark today so haven't much to my credit. I did churn but making the week's supply of butter could scarcely be considered a day's work. Dan carpentered on the shed this morning and brought up a load of cane after dinner. I didn't feel equal to helping him with it, but he managed to get it stowed away in the barn without my assistance.

James picked corn as usual. I hope he will stay with us until it is all out, but wouldn't be surprised if his father would be wanting his help at home any time.

The poor little lame kitten is dead and the other one seems dopy. It does seem as if we never can raise our kittens. I think Skippy has been rather hard on them as he delights in wooling them around in spite of my remonstrances. But they must enjoy his attentions for they do not offer to run away from him.

Solar Energy - I Looked Into This

As people yell and scream at each other about drilling for oil, not drilling for oil, yada, yada, rabble, rabble, rabble - We decided to explore the idea of going solar to see just where solar energy is in terms of feasibility and cost.

I mailed in an informational postcard that came in the mail, and set my husband up as the contact. - He was a bit surprised when they called him, as I forgot to tell him, but he arranged to meet with the sales guy - which happened yesterday morning.

To make a long story short, we signed up for a $16,000 system which should be more than enough for our own usage, and will allow us to put energy back into the grid. Supposedly, we will get paid for our energy, too. I'll let you know how that works out.

I expect the cost will come down once more people start doing this, and I would like it to be known that this is my official response to September 11th, 2001. I figure, if enough oil producing countries see their revenues fall off enough, they will hunt down that B*****D themselves and put his head on a stick. (Something I learned that the real Count Dracula used to do to frighten off potential invaders.)

Seems appropriate.

Have A Lovely Day,

RH

PS - More diaries to come...

Post Thanksgiving Analysis

There is nothing like a family get-together to bring out one's finer qualities. My parents hosted Thanksgiving this year and the prospect of going home for a family function has pretty much the same effect on me as a full moon has on a werewolf.

I spent the morning mentally running through the possible arguments that could arise and trying to devise a plan to return a few of my mother's items without reminding her that I still can't find the credit card she loaned me. This caused me to become somewhat agitated, and while trying to locate some particular item of clothing in the laundry room, I uncovered a great injustice that my husband had perpetrated against me;

He had purchased several new pairs of pants and button down shirts at Costco, but had not been considerate enough to purchase new hangers to go along with them.

Now what was I supposed to do? I have plenty of cheap plastic hangers and oodles of paper-covered wire hangers from the dry-cleaners, but I don't use those to hang up his work clothes because they tend to leave tell-tale, cheap-hanger creases in the shoulders and absolutely ruin the shape of the garment. They also spoil the closet aesthetics I have worked so hard to achieve - my little victory in organization in my otherwise disorderly and chaotic world.

He had obviously done this because he doesn't love me and wants to make me suffer. I had no choice, but to sacrifice a number of my wooden hangers to hang up his new shirts and pants. I of course, would not mention this terrible hardship he had inflicted upon me (for at least 142 seconds), but would endure it with stoic silence and just give all my clothes to Goodwill, for what other choice did I have? It was Thanksgiving and no suitable wooden hangers could be purchased. This was the only solution. Perhaps he would realize the extent of his inconsiderate behavior when he has to appear with me in public, with me clad only with an old potato sack. (I don't actually own a potato sack.) ...

I will spare you the rest of what we will now refer to as "The Hanger Episode". To my husband's credit, he listened calmly as I rattled off the horrors that would befall me in my new life with insufficient hangers and assured me that he would buy more hangers the next time he was at Costco. This calmed me down enough so I could finish getting ready and Thanksgiving 2009 was back on track.

As we were driving up the coast, sanity reclaimed my werewolf brain and I apologized to my husband and said sheepishly, "I guess I get a little crazy around the holidays." He just kind of laughed and said, "I know."

Boy am I thankful to have him.

RH

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Here's a little Thanksgiving humor:




Happy Thanksgiving!

RH

Diary Of A Central South Dakota Farm Woman - Wednesday, October 16, 1929

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16 (1929)

We didn't do any gadding today except to drive up to the mail box. As soon as the morning work was done, Dan mixed the paint for me and I started "saving the surface" of the shed. Got almost all the east end done before dinner and in the afternoon I did a good bit of the west side. It was really hot working in the sun.

Dan started up the tractor just before chore time and ground barley for the hogs and a grain mixture for my chicks.

Skippy seems to have settled down to life with us and apparently is perfectly happy helping -at times a bit too vigorously - to drive up the milk cows -squabbling with the cats over the table scraps, breaking up fights between the roosters and trailing the family around devotedly. He is a nice little dog and we are all getting very fond of him - so glad our neighbor turned him over to us.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17

I did a little baking this forenoon -and thought I would get around to finish the west side of the barn, but seems it will have to wait until tomorrow.

Just before dinner Dan and I loaded up the crate with chickens and in the afternoon we all went to town and marketed them. We took the trailer for Dan had to get roof sheathing. He tore down the old corn crib and used the lumber from that as far as it would go but it didn't quite complete the job. He wanted to get the roof finished while the weather holds good, but there is quite a bit of work still to do on it.

It has clouded up some this morning. Shouldn't mind it being a trifle cooler, but I hope we do not get bad weather for some time yet. Mother has asked a few friends for dinner at the hotel Sunday. I hate to think it is her last Sunday with us for this season.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18

It thundered and lightened quite a bit in the night but I was too dead to the world to heed it much. No rain fell so the corn ??spcxing?? could continue as planned today. It would be better for the corn ??spll?? if the weather were a little colder, but we will be feeding up all we have right away, so it won't have much chance to spoil.

I finished my little painting stint this morning then as there was a small amount of paint left in the can, I proceeded to decorate the ??evenarm?? and tongue of the ??ceultivator??. Dan had put in a new tongue and hadn't gotten around to painting it, so he thought that would be a good place for what I had left.

The house had to have the usual Friday cleaning too, so my morning was pretty well taken up. The afternoon was devoted to odds and ends of the week's work.

There is always a bit of mending to finish, usually coveralls to patch and a few buttons to sew on, but at home tasks are all attended to and I feel I'm even with my work. I very seldom can get ahead, in fact, more frequently fall behind, so when the end of the week finds me evened up I'm pretty well satisfied.

Diary Of A Central South Dakota Farm Woman - Sunday, October 13, 1929

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13 (1929)

It has been like a summer day, and I've had a very happy celebration. Our dinner was not one that required a lot of work beforehand, but we all enjoyed it the more, perhaps, because of its ease of preparation. Nancy wouldn't let me do any of the dish washing, and as getting the meal is always much easier than clearing up afterward, I felt I was having a real treat. Nancy washed and Dave wiped and they both had a good time over it.

Callers came in the afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Writer and Mrs. W's father. We had a pleasant visit with them. They live quite a distance from us and we do not see them very often. After they left, we all got in the car and drove out the Lake Byron road. We saw several pretty good looking cornfields - imagine they were blessed with more moisture than came our way.

When we got back to town we found we had a puncture Dan's pet abomination so, of course, the tire had to be changed, which made us late getting home. I think some of my chickens went to bed without their supper. However, they can always fill up at the mash hoppers, so I don't imagine they suffered seriously.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 14

Another summer day almost too warm for corn picking; James went home over Sunday but was back on the job this morning. Dan has been working on the shed all day, I washed this forenoon and mother and I drove to town after dinner.

Mother expects to leave us in about a week saying she is beginning to feel the call, to march, and much as we hate to have her go, we know it is no use urging when she makes up her mind he is ready to leave. She wants to get in a little visit at my brother's before going to Denver When I'm looking forward to her visit I count the days until she gets here. Now I try to hold them back to keep her as long as possible.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15

Ironing and cooking took up most of my morning. After dinner mother and I made another visit to the metropolis. I'm not trying to do a great deal of work this week expect to play around with mother as much us I can. I think perhaps I'll do a little painting on the shed tomorrow though, for this is good spring weather for painting and the new wood should be covered as soon as possible. I got some linseed oil in town; we have paint on hand.

A letter from Jean today -the first since they left. We were beginning to get a trifle uneasy and were glad to learn all was well with them. Of course they are enjoying being with the grandchildren again.