Tuesday, December 8, 1936

plesant but cold
6 [degrees] above zero this morning
Made a grape pie* and macaroni and cheese for dinner-
Harry put weather strips on my bedroom door this morning-
He went home to Half Acre this afternoon-
Susie Harring called this afternoon-
She invited me too come to church-
I got warmer shirt and another skirt on Mother this morning-
She has been good today-

Grape Pie recipe by Irene Bouchard*

*Grape pie is a Central NY tradition. Check out this recipe featured in the Fall/Winter 2002 edition of Voices: The Journal of New York Folklore.

Saturday, October 17, 1936

Rainy day-
Rec'd a letter from Aunt Sarah
Felt badly all day and went to Dr. Trabell in Groton this eve-
He says I have Intestinal Grippe*-
Took my bath this afternoon and went over to Susie Harings for a pail of water-
Iliff and Mildred came this eve and took me to Groton-
get me pair of rubbers-
Mother has been good today.

From the Eagle-Bulletin Fayetteville, NY 04/23/1936*

*I am not sure what "intestinal grippe" is, but it made the local paper when someone came down with it. The above clipping is from a paper not too far from where Irene was living in 1936. See the paper HERE.

Saturday, October 10, 1936

rainy forenoon-
plesant afternon-
Harry, Clara, Mother & Aunty went to Ithaca this forenoon-
I made 3 pumpkin pies and a plain cake and a pigeon pie and dressed a rooster for tomorrows dinner-
Susie Haring and Flora Sperry called to see Clara this afternoon-
Clara & Mother called on Leroy & Anna this eve
*Clara gave me a pair of nice silk stockings

Pigeon pie

*This line is written vertically up the left hand side of the diary entry.

^A nice pigeon pie can be made by following the recipe from the Jane Austen Cookbook founf on the BBC- Radio 4 website.

Friday, October 9, 1936

plesant and warm
Stewed pumpkin* and swept and dusted upstairs this forenoon-
Swept and mopped the kitchen and dusted all through downstairs-
washed off kitchen and middle living room windows and mopped south porch
Combed Mothers hair-
Susie Harring and Flora Sperry called-
Rec'd nice letter from Iliff-

pumpkin

*Stewed pumpkin recipe & history can be found on the My Family Doctor website.

Monday, September 7, 1936

Labor day-
cloudy, plesant
Clara left us for Newburg, N.Y. 11-30 today-
Mother has been pretty good about it-
She would not let Harry take us for a ride this afternoon-
Harry & I went to look for Elderberries this afternoon-
None
then he went on home-
Aunty called on Susie Harring this afternoon-

Saturday, July 25, 1936

plesant all day
Made patty cakes today and got meals and washed dishes and took the tallys for 5 loads of hay
Susie Haring called also
Mrs. Nellie Smith Tuller of Minnesota called on Aunty this eve-
Floyd Fenner brought her over-


(I accidentally posted this a day early, I have fixed July 24, 1936 to reflect the actual diary entry. I apologize for the mix up.) 

Saturday, June 20, 1936

plesant all day
Made a cake and stewed a little rubarb-
took a bath this afternoon-
Hannah with Ann & Matty and Dick & Joann called a little while before supper-
Hannah is so thin & seems so weak.
Harry came before supper.
Mother has been uneasy and nervous all day-
she called on Susie Haring before supper

Tuesday, June 16, 1936

plesant all day
Mother was lost this morning right after breakfast-
I ran over to Susie's and then all the way to Leroys' and no one had seen her.
Charles brought me back across lots found tracks in the grass up the lane but she was here when got here-
I made cookies and got dinner and hoed in garden-
Mother restless and sulky and does not want me.

Saturday, June 13, 1936

plesant all day
made ginger bread and done usual Saturday cleaning and mopped south porch this forenoon and weeded all the small vegetables in the garden this afternoon-
Susie Haring called at tea time and showed us her moths
Luna Moth and the Peacock Moth-
Harry came this eve and brought us pink & white peonys beautifull

White and pink peonies from my mother's garden

Tuesday, June 2, 1936

plesant, south wind
I am still about speechless with cold in my throat-
Rec'd letter and check $20.00 from Clara paid to June 8-
Iliff called this eve to see how my cold is-
Susie Haring brought over some plants for us-
Aunty feeling better today and Mother good all day-
I have tried to keep by myself so not to give Mother & Aunty my cold-

Tuesday, May 26, 1936

plesant all day cool
made butterscotch pudding and done general work-
Susie Haring called-
Vera, Gib Malone & Eilene Pealo came this eve-
Vera taking treatment of Langford Baker, Chiropractor and is better-
I wrote to Florence & Mildred this morning and rec'd letters from Clara and Bertha-
*Shot two woodchucks with one shot.



*This line was written up the outer, left-hand side of the entry.

Saturday, May 23, 1936

plesant all day. warmer
made layer cake.
Leroy Bower drilled corn today-
was here for dinner-
Harry Baker & Kenneth Wright brought a coal box on a truck-
a bushel of seed potatoes & chicken wire fence-
Mother run away after supper to Evans' before I missed her.
Was mad because I came for her-
Elnora & Susie Harring helped me get her home-
*Rec'd birthday card from Hannah



*This line was written up the outer, left-hand side of the entry.

Friday, May 22, 1936

plesant all day but cold
done usual Friday dusting and washed kitchen windows on inside-
wrote letter to Mildred Searles-
Rec'd card from Iliff-
Susie Harring called this afternoon-
Mother good all day-

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.