Wed. June 1 At Station
Rain last night and cattle licking the paint made it look like the devil.
Commenced at 6 A.M. and worked until 11 A.M. then started for home by the road for I had no boat. As soon as I could, I started back for Station with surplus goods with me.
Wrote to Harry Strong.
Thu. June 2 At Station
Chet went to Colchester this morning on wheel from W. Pt.
At Station alone all day.
Rain and heavy fog. At 5:30 P.M. heard tree toads singing at the point. Wrote Charlie Senna.
Had commenced letter to Jones.
Fri. June 3 At Station.
Sat. June 4 At station
Chet came back to station about noon with his wheel in a boat he got of Archie Ford at Will Perkin’s.
I came to the Pt. left it there and took sail to come home with. Had trouble putting in the rudder as a stone was in the socket, got home about 2 pm.
Hoed some of my strawberries and potatoes where foxtail was thickest. Cut worms and pismires had my garden look pretty sick.
At Henry’s this evening got some buttermilk and a dozen of eggs.
Sunday June 5
Warm S. wind A.M. and cool N. fresh breeze P.M.
Sick all day.
Made 2 loaves bread, baked 1 qt beans and made 5 pies. Aunt Em + Clara called. I was asleep and house all stirred up. He walked around and inspected farm and garden. Soon Mary Morrison came on her wheel, followed by Jack and Ida and two youngest.
After they were all gone two young Frenchmen with horse + carriage, called and inquired for Joe King.
Went over to Henry’s this evening + got pail of skim milk.
Want to go to W. Pt. in mng. But looks stormy now for tomorrow. Tree toad singing loudly and ant heaps pretty high. All of which I think means rain.
Mon. June 6 At West Point
Rainy A.M. Started for W. Pt. about 10 and was caught in rain at Mr. Coles. About 11 it cleared + Sid came over to go with me and we went to the Point and worked on Stones cottage.
Sid went home at night. I stayed.
Tue. June 7 At W. Pt.
Sid came about 7. I worked from 4 a.m until 6:20
Stone came with a professional house cleaner in P.M and the man took hold and helped Sid. Mr. Stone got supper for us all, and took Sid along home, and left me to do dishes.
Wed June 8 At W. Pt.
Sid came with loaf of bread + overalls about noon. He made new walk + patched the platform.
Charged for what he did $2.50.
We found a fishpole under the refrigerator room.
Thu June 9 At W. Pt.
Painting all day. Went to station after ladder.
Fri June 10 At W. Pt.
Painting and walking around cottage.
Carried ladder back to station.
Sat June 11 At w. Pt. + station
Put screws on windows, put finishing touches on outside. Swept and mopped kitchen, straightened out everything and went to station at 6:30 P.M.
Sun June 12 At station
Chet went with sail boat to Colchester leaving me alone. After doing work went back to bed and slept until about 4 P.M
Mon June 13 At station, came ashore
Chet + Wife + Baby came about 5 P.M
And soon afterward he brought me ashore and I came home on foot. Stopped at Hardy's + took supper. Stopped at Farmer’s. Mr. Fleury was there from Bolton. Fred was fishing + came home about 10 P.M with two eels.
Pretty tired when came to home + went to bed. Shaved my whiskers first time since last fall, and Chet clipped my hair.
Tues. June 14
Good day to work. Looked like rain all day.
Cultivated, hoed and replanted the bean-patch and sweet corn. Moved a load of hay + put it in the barn. Weeded my one row of carrots.
Went after milk + took breakfast at Henry’s this mng.
Over again this evening, Clara gave me a saucer of strawberries and some doughnuts.
Pretty tired to-night, Wind S. + feels like rain.
Wed. June 15
Worked in garden. Hot as the devil, and very dry.
Thu. June 16, 1904 At West Point
A nice cool day. Went to the point and drew seven sash for Stone and fixed windows as they can be taken out + put in hereafter.
Chet came over and painted his new boat.
Friday June 17
Put up curtains and swept out cottage, and came home in mng.
Stopped to have Hardy get my gasoline stove at the Point but he cannot get it before Sunday.
Edie is going to get me a bicycle of Fred Cross’ wife for $1.50.
Work in garden p.m. Hot + dry. All crops are suffering for want to rain. My American Wonder Peas I am afraid will all die from drought.
Aunt Em and Clara came after pea-bush this evening, I helped get them.
Sat June 18 Tipped over the ink bottle
Hot + dry. We are and have been having a very dry time. Finished hoeing out strawberries. Raked out lots of dried foxtail and witchgrass. Henry called this p.m. and stayed an hour. I cleared the barn floor of wood so he can get rake + mowing machine out. Went over to Henry’s this evening.
Sun June 19
Another hot dry day.
Intended to sponge bread last night but forgot it until 6.20 this mng. The yeast was all right and everything ready in bread cupboard as I did it then. It went right along and I had it baked by 11 o’clock.
I baked beans, and gingerbread, All things were O.K.
Went fishing about 4 p.m. No luck at all.
Gave Sid an order on Henry for $2.50.
Went over to Henry’s this evening.
Will Francis + wife + baby + dog were there after swill.
Had a house-cleaning to day.
Yesterday I picked a little over three pints of wild strawberries.
Monday June 20
10:30 a.m. Just home from W. Point. Started from here at 4 a.m.
Chet came for mail. I gave him the strawberries I picked Saturday. Stopped a few minutes at Farmer’s as I came along.
So cold this mng my fingers ached.
So hot now I sweat in the shade.
Hot and dry weather I am afraid will ruin us soon.
8:30 P.M. Joe Bessett came after my cultivator at 1, and brought it home at 2.45.
It was as hot at 1, that I couldn’t live in the garden + so laid down and was asleep when he came.
I sawed wood in the shade until 5:20 + then prepared a piece of ground for potatoes and dug out 200 hills ready to plant in the mng.
Am afraid my early peas are past redemption + almost everything else also.
Henry took mowing machine + horse-rake home.
Patsy came for scythe, to grind for tomorrow.
Heard thunder for first time in long while an hour ago, and if it wasn’t such a dry time should expect a good shower by looks of clouds. Hope we may get one before mng.
It has been hotter than ever, and terribly dry.
10.00 P.M. Raining
Tue. June 21
Hot and showery. Set out 6 hills winter squashes and weeded and put on ashes and raked them and cucumbers clean.
Cleaned out part of my seed bed, and sewed onion seed in one row.
Planted about 250 hills early potatoes. Sifted ashes and worked hard all the time from 5 a.m. then went over to Henry’s. Took supper, and they gave me some milk, potatoes and tomato plants.
Clara took me out and showed me her garden + gave me a bouquet of roses.
Looks as if we might have more rain. I hope so. There is talk of instituting a new mail route, and we may loose our carrier Mr. Howard, but we all hope not, for he and his wife are both very obliging people, and we all have great confidence in, and respect for them.
Wed. June 22
Cooler and quite showery until 9 A.M. Fine time to work since then.
Went to Henrys after tomato plants. Caught in shower.
Took breakfast. Then another shower, so helped Henry cleanup barn floor and put away machinery.
Gale from N. about 8 A.M. but easier P.M.
At this time 8 P.M. lake almost still
Mixed up fertilizer, and marked off tomato bed, dug holes and got ready for plants + them set out so.
Have 20 more hills if I can get some good plants. Pretty cool tonight and few clouds.
Hope we won’t have any frost.
Thu. June 23
A good day to work. Fair and pretty warm in the middle of the day.
I started for W. Pt. at 4 A.M. and got home at 9 A.M.
Chet was sweeping the shingles. I flew home and he heard and came down to the boat and come right over. Had to use an oar with the sail.
All well at the Station. Chet painting outside.
Stone had brought some floor paint for the piazzas, but the floors were wet with dew and I could not wait as my garden needs my attention Just now.
Got some butter-milk this mng, and I never want any more. It made me sick. Drank too much, I guess.
At Henry’s this evening. Going to city tomorrow if it don’t rain.
I hear that Mrs. Raytee unmercifully flogged Blanch and that old Mrs. Cole entered a complaint and had her arrested for it. I hope they will make her sweat for it. I hear also that Mr. Raytee was there and encouraged the fracas.
9:45 P.M. A fire balloon just passed beyond Henry’s to the northward.
Fri. June 24.
9.30 P.M A good hot hay day
Went to city with Henry. Purchased as follows:
At Manson’s a razor $1.00 :B. Pump $.40¢ Tacks .05 + jack knife .25¢ At Fletchers, New shoes $1.39 : old shows repaired .10¢ E.J. Thomas Crackers for Chet .25¢ Red Cabbage Seed 5¢. 10 lb pail lard $1.25 : Bologna .10¢ O’Sullivan’s Calcura Solvent, 1 week treatment free + Hair brush 25¢ Brewer’s Brown writing paper .8¢ Weeder 5¢ Trowel 5¢.
Took dinner with Henry when we got home about 2:30 P.M. Wheeled my plunder home and raked the hay that Patsy and another fellow had mown this A.M.
Looks tonight as if we might have rain tomorrow.
Sewed some Red Cabbage seed.
Sat. June 25
9. P.M. Prepared Tomato hill, by hoeing + raking off weeds, putting in fertilizer + about 2b or 3b I guess and set out all my red + yellow pear plants and 8 of my “Matchless”.
It was pretty hot but I used lots of water so I am hoping they all may live.
Sowed last of my beet seed, and a mixture of cabbage + turnip seed that aunt Em gave me: wet them down thoroughly and covered them with hay.
An awful hot dry day here, but thunder showers have been hovering all around us. Hope we may get some tonight.
Henry and Hiram mowed my farm over and cleaned bushes out of Cherry orchard. Cherries are commencing to turn a little.
Hoed some more of my potatoes.
Bugs are showing up quite a little on them, but luckily for me not any bugs have yet appeared on either squashes, pumpkins or cucumbers.
I tried riding my wheel a little after dinner when Henry got back. Fortunately I have met with no mishap, so far.
Started Yeast at 7 a.m. (Vienna) and had three first class, No 1. loaves of bread baked at 1 P.M.
This evening I carried some of my new bread, and two kinds of old cheese over to Alma, and Clara sent her an orange.
She looks pretty feeble. They can’t get any one to help them.
Mrs. Aimes and her son (Campers) called, and as I came home.
Put mosquito netting on bedroom windo and now have window entirely out, and that with the front door open makes it quite comfortable. I guess there isn’t a mosquito in here; at any rate I haven’t heard one yet.
I wish we might have rain for it is now getting to be quite dry again.
Had a hot dinner while baking bread, and then I cleaned out the pantry washed dishes and did up about all my Sunday work.
If it don’t rain in the mng I ought to go to the Point, but I hate to start.
Sun. June 26
Another hot dry day. Though this mng looked showery. Raked in garden half an hour.
Took bath, laid around and read most of A.M.
Henry called, and I clipped his hair.
Later on Martin Cross + young Cote drove in but stayed only about 5 minutes. He had hurt his foot walking in Williston three weeks ago and came home. He said he was going back to W. tomorrow.
Went out to Point late this P.M. and could not call Chet. Fresh west breeze. Carried mail, one letter for Mrs. B. from Bal. 1 Mag + 4 papers. Bologna, Peas + 2 oranges.
Stone and a friend were there.
Hiram + two companions came from Benlaw just as I arrived.
I left my things for Chet at Stones’, and rode up with Hi. He is going to give me some tomato plants + asparagus. Gave me leave to get some rhubarb stalk and roots on the Island.
Mon. June 27.
10 P.M As dry as ever but a good day to work. Northerly cool breezes all day. Finished hoeing my potatoes on flat. Raked up hay around here and got it ready to load onto a wagon any time.
Sharpened a few bean poles.
Tue. June 28
Still dry as ever, and a good hay-day.
Went to the Point. Rode with Howard to 4 corners. New mail regulations preclude his carrying anyone after June 20.
Chet had been over but came when I hung out the red Flag. All well at Station.
He helped move dock out further, and then I finished it, repairing the walk and laying it out, I also repaired stairs + painted back --piazza.
Made my back awful lame, + was very tired at home 10 P.M.
Didn’t get through until after 7 P.M.
I stopped and saw Farnham, a few minutes.
Called at Hardy’s. Got bottle of Derma Balm I had ordered and a pkg Boraxine that I hadn’t ordered, must get one more making 45 cents to pay Edie next time I go down.
Adrian promised to get my gasoline stove tomorrow. Called at Farmer’s. I was as tired, it seemed as if I never could get home. Only Mrs. F was up paring potatoes.
Wednesday June 29th
Raining this mng. But not much. Cloudy all day, and now at 10 P.M. looks very much like rain before mng. Made an eye and ring for Chet’s new boat. He had that and the scoop painted and at anchor off Tucker’s stairs, yesterday.
Lost Henry’s keys coming from his shop, but after dinner all hands went out and in about 10 minutes Clara found them.
My back is so lame today that I haven’t been able to do much.
I set out about 20 cabbage, and 32 tomato plants about sunset and pulled a lot of weeds. Cherries are ripening very fast now and I shall have to pick them with all the rest of my work and not a soul to help me to do a thing. I get almost discouraged sometimes.
Thursday June 30th
Cloudy mostly, and rain commencing at 5 P.M. Back feeling pretty bad. Henry went to city and got new shoe for M. Mach. Cutter-bar. I went and got box of Dadd’s Kidney Pills, 50 cents. Hope they will help me.
Cultivated bean patch, pulled and raked weeds put Kanib around squashes, cucs and tomatoes just before rain. Dr. Merrow’s agent here. Shot and wounded woodchuck that was looking into my garden. Several more are over at Henry’s. Took apples there, got my pills and can of milk.
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