Tuesday, March 31, 1936

Cold north wind with little snow flurries-
Iliff came and trimmed up all the broken limbs* in orchard and piled the brush-
worked 6 1/2 hrs
I done all the chores and stewed prunes and used the remnants of the chicken for a pie and bisciuts
Finished the ironing this P.M.
Mother has been fine to day-

Peach tree pruning techniques Virginia Tech guide pg. 4*

*Like father like son. My father is quite skilled at pruning trees, fruit trees in particular. Looks like the apple didn't fall far from the tree. Pun intended. Based on this pruning guide from Virginia Tech, peach trees should not be pruned before February because is can "reduce their cold hardiness." So, it is a good thing this storm happened so late in winter. Hopefully the trees will recover quickly. (Above image is from page 4 of the Virginia Tech guide referenced.)

Monday, March 30, 1936

plesant but rained this afternoon-
thunder rumbled
Washed Mothers dress and sweater and our stockings and ironed aprons and dresses-
Mother wanted to run away to brick house but was mad when I insisted on going along-
Hay buyer came with Leroy Bower-
Aunty worked in yard-

Sunday, March 29, 1936

Cloudy all day-
Charles came over and used the crank* on Harry's car and it started right off-
so Harry went to Auburn-
I made a lemon pie and done the usual work-
Took my bath this afternoon-
Iliff came this eve
Mother has been some restless today but not bad-

Google map of Ludlowville to Auburn, NY

*I'm not quite sure why Harry didn't have his own crank for the car, but I'm glad Charles was able to start his car. Above is the present day trip from Ludowville, north to Auburn.

 

Saturday, March 28, 1936

plesant all day-
Cooked the rooster mopped the kitchen and done usual Saturday work-
Harry worked in yard and burned burdocks* and brush in peach orchard^-
Mother got nervous and Harry was going to take her for a ride and the car would not start-
Aunty & Harry went to brick house-

Burdock burrs*

*I remember when we lived for a few months with the family in Cato, NY in the fall of 1981. My younger sister, Heather, & I made Barbie furniture out of green burdock burrs. When the burrs are green they aren't as difficult to detach. We used them like you would Bristle Blocks. Apparently burdock, or arctium, are not native to North or South America, but were introduced by Europeans. Plus, they were an inspiration for the invention of Velcro (The Big Idea: How Business Innovators Get Great Ideas to Market by Steven D. Strauss). (Image from Cherry Gal.)

^It's interesting to me that there is a peach orchard. I don't believe Irene has baked anything with peaches yet. Maybe the fruit will show up later in the year at harvest time, for NY that would be late July through early September.

Friday, March 27, 1936

Rained this early morning but faired away so Harry worked in the yard most of day
I made a crabapple pie* and oat flake cookies^ and dressed a rooster and helped some in the yard this afternoon-
Rec'd a letter from Christine and Bertha-
Mother has been wonderfull today-



*Crab Apple Pie recipe is on the post for February 17, 1936. 

^My Oatmeal Cookies on the post for January 21, 1936.

Thursday, March 26, 1936

Plesant all day
Harry worked on the broken limbs in the yard and took Mother and I to Ithaca* this afternoon-
He bought us a quart of ice cream and we called on the Malones-
I made a square cake with chocolate icing and a black raspberry pie this A.M.
Mother has been pretty good-

Google map of the trip from Ludlowville to Ithaca- 2014

*One of my readers on Facebook wondered how long it would take them to get to Ithaca from Ludlowville. With modern roads & current traffic, it's about 9 miles to Ithaca & would take 15-20 minutes to get there. I'm unsure what the roads were like in 1936. I'll have to do some research. Unfortunately, the GIS maps on the Tompkins County website don't seem to have any historical map layers. The trips seem to be short, going in the afternoon, so I'm thinking under an hour one way.

Wednesday, March 25, 1936

plesant and warm
Harry Baker came and trimed limbs in door yard all day-
Brought us milk and cream and horseradish-
Iliff came this eve-
brought us home made bread for supper- was good-
Mother has bee pretty good-
was a little upset about Harry clearing the yard*-



*The implication here is that Mother was upset about Harry clearing the limbs, not Irene.

Tuesday, March 24, 1936

Cloudy but plesant untill 4-30 P.M. it begins to rain-
Made a chocolate pie and cup custard* for Mother and stewed prunes and apples for supper-
Lizzie Hughes came for the afternoon-
brought me some parsnips-
Mother rec'd a picture of Skippy dog from Clara-
Mother has been quiet-

Cup Custard baked in ramakin

 

 

*Irene is really fond on making custards. Cup custard is another baked, egg custard. 

 

CUP CUSTARD

from COOKS.COM

---

• 2 cups milk
• 1/3-1/2 cup sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
• pinch nutmeg

 

Have ready 5 individual serving custard cups. Place in a shallow baking pan filled with tepid water.Stir sugar and salt into milk. Over very low heat, bring milk to the scalding point until it just begins to form a thin skin. Do not boil milk.
Beat eggs slightly; add a small amount of hot milk to the eggs, then stir the eggs back into the milk, whisking continuously.
Remove from heat.
Bake at 350F degrees until a knife inserted in center comes out nearly clean.
When cool, cover each cup with a thin coating of caramel.

Monday, March 23, 1936

South wind and cloudy but plesant-
Done the washing and the chores-
The wash dried nicely-
Mother has been pretty good all day-
Vera and Gib with Stephen called this eve-
Sent card and papers to Clara
Will Hall came to Leroy Bowers from hospital Saturday.

Sunday, March 22, 1936

Sunday
Plesant all day North wind-
The electric line men* fixed the wires so we have lights tonight-
Iliff called this eve-
brought me his make of doughnuts and Florence^ sent me a bowl of ice cream-
both gifts were wonderfull-
Mother has been quiet all day-
We are all tired from lack of sleep and nerves caused by the storm and lack of lights.



*Now I have "Wichita Lineman" by Glen Campbell stuck in my head. 

^Irene's friend Florence Searles, mother of Mildred Searles.

Saturday, March 21, 1936

North wind and rain and snow and nasty all day
Done all the chores and made a tapioca custard and a marble layer cake-
combed Mothers hair ect-
Mother rec'd letters from Clara and Lloyd.
Mother never slept much all night but stayed downstairs but I did not sleep
was so afraid she would carry the kerosene lamp-
Been quiet all day-

Friday, March 20, 1936

Plesant all day
Done a little cleaning in the kitchen and the usual chores-
wrote to Clara and sent her a paper about the flood and storm damage
Harry Baker brought fresh fish for dinner* and I made a cherry pudding-
Mother was fine all day but is some difficult this eve-
wants to sleep upstairs-
no Electricity

Perch caught ice fishing (from Wild Harvest Table blog- link below)

*Looks like Harry was doing some ice fishing on Cayuga Lake. Apparently the southern part of the lake doesn't freeze over as much (it has this year, 2014), but the lake froze over in 1936 according to numerous accounts. Irene doesn't mention it, but the temperatures she denotes seem to suggest it was cold enough for the lake to freeze. Perch seem to be the main fish, along with pike, pickerel, & maybe some lake trout. I'll have to go back to NYS Department of Environment Conservation records to see if I can find out what the common fish were in Cayuga Lake in 1936. Above image comes from The Wild Harvest Table blog run by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Seneca County.

Thursday, March 19, 1936

Ice falling from trees
rained some at times-
I shovelled bushels of ice from flag stones-
Done all the chores and pulled limbs off from walks and path to corn house
got Aunty a bushel of corn
made apple pudding for dinner
Iliff came and took me to Ithaca and up home to see the storm*-
It is terrible-
Mother has been fine


*We are having quite the nasty winter (& nearly spring) in 2014 as well. Tonight I hit sleet when leaving work in Rensselaer, NY. By the time I crossed into Washington County it was sleet & snow. When I got to North Easton, NY it was mostly snow, but very slippery. I nearly went off the road on Bald Mountain Rd, just west of Fiddler's Elbow Road. Safe & sound now, blogging about 78 years ago.

Wednesday, March 18, 1936

Ice all over trees and broken limbs all over the yard
Stayed on all day- rained too
Electric light wires tore off the house so had to light kerosene lamp-
We have all been nervous and uneasy all day-
Iliff came this afternoon and told us of Johnstown flood* & Binghamton & Johnson City-
Chas brought us kerosene-
Iliff got a bag of grain from barn for chickens-


*Apparently the infamous 1889 Johnstown Flood was not the only one. There was a nasty one in 1936 as Irene mentions here, plus one in 1977. For more information, check out the Johnstown Flood Museum website.

Tuesday, March 17, 1936

Trees covered with snow all day and rained too-
Charles and Jay came and drove out the skunk from the feed box in the stable and shot it-
I done the chores and washed the kitchen windows-
cut out two slips* this afternoon-
Mother has been fine all day-
I rec'd letter and check $15.00 from Clara
See Blue birds and robins in the snow-

Magic Bias Slip 1931*

*I found a great pattern for a 1930s era slip. I'm not sure if it is the kind Irene. Mother, or Aunty would have worn, but here you are- Dress Making Research website. The slip on this page is from the Fashion Service Magazine- August 1931, pg. 14. (Copyright © 2002 Dressmakingresearch.com
Last modified: March 25, 2010)

Monday, March 16, 1936

Rained all day turning to snow about 3 this afternoon
Aunty made a custard for us-
I done all the chores and got meals and all the regular everyday work-
Too dark and gloomy to see to sew much or anything else-
Mother has been fine all day-

Sunday, March 15, 1936

Sunday-
Thawed and fine all day-
Made lemon pie this A.M.
combed Mothers hair and washed her neck and ears-
Harry Baker came for dinner
had a quiet nice day-
Mother built fire in living room*-
has been fine all day-
Iliff called this eve-


*This made me laugh. Since Mother "has been fine all day" I am assuming she started a fire in the fireplace/stove in the living room, but my first thought was a little old lady, menacingly starting a fire in the middle of a furnished room....... (Then while haphazardly looking for an image, I found this video. Basically, you have 2 minutes to get out of you house if it catches on fire.)

Saturday, March 14, 1936

Thawed and plesant but rained this eve-
Shovelled paths this morning and done all the chores-
found a white skunk* in feed box in cow stable-
Made jelly layer cake^-
Charles fixed the mail box post and got three chairs from Depot-
I mopped and dusted the kitchen as usual on Saturday-
Mother has been good today-

White skunks in 2011 (image by Ginny*)

*White skunks are apparently not albinos. They are a color variation. There are 11 species of skunk, of which, 9 are common in North America. The photograph above comes from the blog Photography by Ginny.


^I wonder if Irene makes a "plain cake" & then uses whatever jelly she has lying around for the filling...

Friday, March 13, 1936

Four inches of snow this morning-
Thawed some during day but snows more this eve again-
Wrote to Clara this A.M.
Mail box and milk bottle box* all tore down this A.M. must have been a wreck in the storm during the night-
Mother has been good today but prouled all last night.

Milk bottle tabs from my Bicentennial memorabilia

*The images I found online of milk bottle boxes seem to be mostly galvanized metal. Some were wooden. The milk bottle tabs above are from my maternal grandmother's Bicentennial memorabilia collection which I have inherited. Aren't they great? You can see more here.

Thursday, March 12, 1936

Cloudy and damp
Snow this afternoon & eve*-
Done all the chores and made oatflake cookies-
Rec'd a letter from Florence griffin today-
wrote letters to Mildred Searles and May Phelps-
Mother has been restless today and quarrelsome this eve to Aunty
went upstairs to bed at 9-30-



 *We have a nasty storm going on right now in 2014. Parts of Washington County have 18". We have about an inch with ice on top, & the wind is whipping through the house.

Wednesday, March 11, 1936

Misty and damp all day-
Raining hard this eve-
Done all the chores today
Let the hens out doors-
Made butterscotch pudding*
Sent Lloyd birthday cards for Mother and Aunty-
Rec'd a letter from Emily Parsons
Mother rec'd letter from Clara
Mother has been fine^ all day-
Iliff called this eve-



*More butterscotch pudding. It must be someone's favorite.

^One of my friends who has been following this blog on Facebook said this regarding the March 9 entry: "Ah ha! Now we know what 'fine' means -- NOT quiet and peaceable!" So today Mother was just fine...


 

Tuesday, March 10, 1936

Cloudy and fog
Thawed all day but colder this eve
nearly finished an apron when I broke a machine needle*, the last one-
Sent a letter to Lloyd in Montana this morning-
Mother has been quiet and good all day-

1935 Sears catalog showing a Singer Sewing Machine

*I was under the assumption that Irene was hand sewing these aprons. This would be number 6 I believe. I wonder what machine she had? The above Singer is similar to one we found in my grandmother's house in Cato, NY the 1990s.

Monday, March 9, 1936

Thawed but cloudy and damp all day.
Had a headache all day and tired-
Done the chores and got the meals and have not done a thing extra-
Susie Haring called this afternoon-
She is hunting cacoons of moths and butterflies*-
Mother has been quiet and peaceable all day-

Cocoons from Mark Evans' blog (link below)*

*"My favorite time to go cocoon hunting is along in maybe February or early March. By that time, most leaves have long since, blown away in the winter winds and taller grasses and brush have been as flattened as they are going to get, from the snow & ice. That makes seeing cocoons on low-hanging tree branches, all that much easier." Quote & image from Insect Collecting, Rearing & Natural History blog by Mark Evans.

Sunday, March 8, 1936

Thawed and began to rain 3- P.M-
High south winds and sleet this eve-
Made pumpkin pies and roasted pork for dinner-
Harry took us for a ride
called on Ella Miller and see Leroy Labdell (Laddell) and drove about campus-
Harry went back to Auburn 5 o'clock-
Changed Mothers dress and sweater- was fine
Iliff called this eve-
did not feel well*


*I believe this means Irene "did not feel well."

Saturday, March 7, 1936

Cold but moderate and plesant-
Made a molasses cake* and stewed pumpkin-
Harry Baker came for dinner & stays all night-
Had a wonderfull visit this eve all together-
Mother has been fine today
Charles came and cloroformed two kittens-

Molasses Crumb Cake from King Arthur Flour*

*I love King Arthur Flour, so when I saw a recipe on their site, I knew I would include it here. I must try this recipe, as I love molasses.

Molasses Crumb Cake

This simple cake, based on a recipe from Polly Wagner of Stowe, Vermont, is moist and delicious, a favorite every time we feature it in our Baker's Store here in Norwich.

Ingredients: 

3 cups (12 3/4 ounces) King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour
1 cup (7 ounces) sugar
1 cup (2 sticks, 8 ounces) unsalted butter or margarine
1 cup (12 ounces) molasses
2 large eggs
1 cup (8 ounces) hot water
1 teaspoon baking soda

 

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9 x 13-inch pan.

In a large bowl, mix together flour and sugar. Cut in butter till mixture is crumbly. Remove 1 cup of the mixture and set aside. To the remaining crumb mixture, add the molasses, eggs, water and baking soda. Beat till smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the reserved crumbs evenly over top. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool to lukewarm before serving. 

Yield: 1 cake, 24 servings.

Friday, March 6, 1936

Colder 4 [degrees] above zero 8 A.M
Done all the chores and cooked a roast of beef and stewed apples-
Mother got out of bed 10-30 last night and prouled all night-
Aunty is tired and mad-
Mother is tired and very quiet
I am just tired-
Mother has gone to bed at 8 o'clock and I am going-
Hope she stays in.*


*Poor Irene. Both Mother & Aunty were being difficult. I hope everything is better tomorrow.

Thursday, March 5, 1936

Plesant and thawed a little-
Made a rice pudding* and took down the clotheslines and washed them^-
gave Mothers head a fine combing and washed her neck and ears
done all the chores-
Mother has been fine today
Aunty rec'd a letter from Clara.

Grandma Kuck's Baked Rice Pudding from Spoonful*

^Who washes the clothesline? I suppose it makes sense because it's outside in the elements, but I never remember my mom washing the clothesline rope.

*Like tapioca pudding, there are 2 ways to make rice pudding. I have included versions of both here. The 1st is from Martha Stewart Living. The 2nd is from Spoonful.

Easiest Rice Pudding 

Ingredients

• • 1 cup Arborio rice
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 4 3/4 cups whole milk, divided
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • Ground cinnamon, for serving

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, bring rice, sugar, salt, and 4 1/2 cups milk to a boil over medium-high. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 25 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring constantly, until rice is tender and pudding is creamy, 5 minutes. Stir in vanilla and remaining 1/4 cup milk.
2. Transfer to a serving dish and press plastic wrap directly on surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour (or up to 3 days). To serve, stir in heavy cream and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Grandma Kuck's Rice Pudding (baked)

Ingredients

• 1 cup whipping cream
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup uncooked white rice
• 4 cups 2-percent milk
• Cinnamon and orange zest for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 325º. Combine all the ingredients, except the garnish, in a 2 1/2-quart casserole (low and wide is better than tall and deep).
2. Bake the pudding for 2 hours without stirring. Let it sit half an hour to set.
3. Serve the pudding warm or cold, garnished with the cinnamon and orange zest, if desired. Serves 12.
   
   
   
   
    

Wednesday, March 4, 1936

Thawed and been plesant
Done the ironing today-
done all the chores-
Soaked Mothers corns with cotton wet with Listerine* and cut off some-
She has been pretty good today-

Listerine- post 1920s glass bottle^

*Most of the information I see about Listerine for the treatment of corns et al, refers to Listerine & vinegar. This is the most sraight foward post I found without video & bizarre images. Apparently it is also good for calluses, & fungal infections of the feet & nails. (I am not offering medical advice. I am simply trying to locate information related to everyday things mentioned in my great-grandmother's diary.)


^This image, which was originally posted to Flickr.com, was uploaded to Commons using Flickr upload bot on 08:16, 10 November 2012 (UTC) by Dreamyshade (talk). On that date it was licensed under the license below. Uploaded from http://flickr.com/photo/88884459@N00/8013850844 using Flickr upload bot - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Old_Listerine_bottle.jpg

Tuesday, March 3, 1936

Soft snow this morning
Cloudy and dull all day-
Swept the walks and done all the chores-
Made tapioca custard this morning-
Iliff came and we went to Ithaca-
Sent Emily her pillowslips*-
Mother has been fine today.

Twin kittens pillowcase from 123stitch*

*Pillowslips are simply pillowcases. I'm an embroiderer so I thought I would share a  place where you can get some traditional pillowcase kits to stitch.

Monday, March 2, 1936

Cold and windy with a little snow blizzard this P.M.
Done the washing and all the chores-
Lizzie Hughes was here for dinner.
Mother has been fine today.

Sunday, March 1, 1936

Sunday
Cold but plesant
Made banana pie* and got meals and done all the chores.
Iliff called this eve-
Mother has been fine
March came in lamb like^

March came in like a lamb in 1936 & in 2014

*This is for all of you followers, because this blogger hates bananas. Food Network has a bunch of Banana (Cream) Pie recipes.


^Irene is referencing the old saying "March comes in like a lion, goes out like a lamb," but in this instance the opposite is happening, at least at the start. We shall see how March 1936 goes out! According to the Farmer's Almanac, this is a mere rhyme, not based on true weather observations.