Thursday, December 31, 1936

Last day of old year
what will the next bring to us-
Made a squash pie-
Clara & Harry hunted stove lids Jim Seeley came & got the stove from the stable-
Harry took Mother & Clara for a ride
I got supper-
Clara & I had indigestion-
We watched the old year out & new year in and drank toasts in Creme de Minthe & orange juice^-
at midnight
*Taught Clara to crochet this eve-

Aussie Mozzie cocktail^

^Maybe this is the cocktail Irene made- Aussie Mozzie: 1 oz green creme de menthe, 5 oz orange juice- Pour the orange juice into a highball glass filled with ice cubes. Add green creme de menthe, and serve in Highball Glass. http://www.scooking.net/cocktail/aussie-mozzie#.VI0VmXtWWh0


*This is written up the left hand, inside margin of the diary entry.

Sunday, December 27, 1936

Sunday-
Made a banana cream pie for dinner-
Harry took Clara & Mother to call on the Bristol sisters and then took us all for a ride-
Had a very nice ride-
Aunty & Clara on their high horse all day-
I have felt like a worm-
Mother good all day-
Midnight

Thursday, December 24, 1936

plesant s wind
Made a layer cake with date filling and cherry pie and 2 shells and apple turn over for dinner-
Mopped the kitchen and dustedthrough the two living rooms & kitchen-
Clara & Harry came about four o'clock this afternoon-
Iliff came and took me over to the Searles' tree
Had a wonderfull evening-

My Christmas Tree from 2009

Sunday, December 13, 1936

Sunday-
freezing & cool-
Made a banana cream pie-
Combed Mothers hair & washed her neck-
and got the dinner and cleared it away and Aunty washed the dishes for me-
Iliff and Mildred came for me to spend the afternoon at Searles'
Charles and Marcia was there also-
Iliff left for Buffalo 5-15 P.M. and Mildred and Florence brought me back-
Had a wonderfull time-

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.

Sunday, November 29, 1936

Sunday-
plesant
Harry took Clara to Auburn to meet the 3-20 bus to Syracuse this afternoon-
I made banana cream pie for dinner-
Mother has been very quiet and drousy all day
Dr ordered her to sit with her feet up in a chair-
and takes four kinds of medicine-
Strange to eat supper just us 3-

Wednesday, November 25, 1936

plesant & thawed
I made a pumpkin pie & a shell and a layer cake with lemon filling
Harry came for dinner & Mother & I went to Ithaca with him for supplies-
I got me some stockings-
I rec'd a nice letter from Iliff today-

Friday, November 13, 2014

Cloudy & misty rain
Harry worked some in door yard and it got too wet-
I made banana cream pie and roasted pork loin and stewed apples for dinner-
Harry left us about 4 o'clock this afternoon for Auburn-
Aunty rec'd a nice letter from Clara today-
I washed and ironed my blue dress and fastened on new collar-

Saturday, November 7, 1936

Cloudy & hazy & thaws
Made apple pie and two extra shells-
cooked and canned Aunty's green tomato and cabbage chow chow*-
Mopped the kitchen, swept my bedroom
fixed the electric light over well-
Rec'd nice letter from Iliff-
Chas. stopped for our grocery kist
Loaned Aunty $5.00 bill-
Mother good all day-



*& didn't a bunch of recipes practically jump off the Google page? LOL. Here is one to try. Granny's Chow-Chow by Joyce Bacon & found on the Southern Plate website.

Ingredients (For the rest of the recipe, follow the link above.)

• 12 medium onions (4 cups)
• 1 medium head of cabbage (4 cups)
• 10 green tomatoes (4 cups)
• 12 green bell peppers
• 6 sweet red bell peppers
• ½ cup coarse salt
• 6 cups granulated sugar
• 2 T mustard seed
• 1 T celery seed
• 1 ½ tsp. turmeric
• 4 cups white vinegar
• 2 cups water

 
 

Tuesday, October 13, 1936

snow squalls & cold
cloudy & dull all day-
Harry raked some horse chestnuts untill it got wet and bad-
I made chocolate pie for dinner
Harry got a can of water of Mrs. Evans and I got 2 lbs butter.
Lizzie Hughes came for afternoon-
I have been nauseated and sick yet today.
I rec'd nice letter from Iliff and the pictures from Heads'
Answered letter to Iliff this eve-

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.

Monday, October 5, 1936

plesant and cool
Harry mowed & raked off the lawn this forenoon-
We set up Auntys stove this afternoon-
I made a lemon pie for dinner-
Harry and I got a can of water over to Mrs. Evans this afternoon-
He went home
Mother had been good.
Three baby kittens gone mysteriously

Sunday, August 30, 1936

Cloudy & cool-
I roasted beef and made Banana cream pie and steamed acorn squash & swiss chard for dinner
Harry came this forenoon-
brought us a half bushel of peas-
He and I went for a ride over to see Iliff & Mildred-
Had a wonderfull time
Mother terribly upset this afternoon-
but better by bedtime-

Tuesday, August 25, 1936

plesant all day with a little shower this eve-
Christine done the ironing of my clothes and Harrys' _
I made an elderberry pie and a shell and Harry, Christine, & I went to Ithaca for afternoon-
Harry bought a tire-
Iliff, Mildred, Harry & I took Christine home to McGraw for supper and spent the eve-
The Fowler family & Harry Messenger gave us a concert-
wonderfull time
*Iliff and Mildred home to stay


*This statement is written up the inner left hand side of the diary entry.

Saturday, August 15, 1936

Thunder shower 4- P.M.
Iliff and Harry drawed in 3 load of oats-
I baked huckleberry pie* & custard pie and made veal stew^ for dinner-
Iliff went to spend evening with Mildred so Harry and I called on Clara, Mother & Aunty this eve-
Had a very interesting time-

Veal Stew from the recipe below- saveur.com

*Huckleberry Pie recipe
^Veal Stew recipe

Tuesday, July 21, 1936

plesant & cool
made a lemon pie and finished the ironing-
Made two sheets for Aunty and she gave me one this afternoon-
Listened to the Radio this eve-
Heard Edgar A Guest recite a poem on the Drouth* and also on the passing of the art of the man who carves the roast at the dinner table-
good

A copy of The Waste Land

*I believe the poem being referenced here is T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land from 1922. The critic Edmund Wilson wrote an article about the poem called "The Poetry of Drouth." If you would like to read either, I have provided the links.

Thursday, June 4, 1936

plesant all day but cool-
Made elderberry pie* & shell and two cup custards & stewed prunes-
Combed Mother's hair and washed her neck-
Mother good-
mowed the lawn on all four sides & only left a narrow strip-
Iliff called this eve-
Charles got groceries & told us Will Hall died this A.M. at 9 o'clock-

*Irene is obviously feeling better because she is baking & cooking! Check out this elderberry pie recipe & video from Urban Nature Man. It even tells you how to pick & clean the elderberries.

Elderberry Pie from Food.com

Ingredients:

• 4 cups elderberries 
• 1 1/4 cups sugar  
• 6 tablespoons flour 
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice 
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 
• 2 tablespoons butter  
• pastry for a double-crust 9-inch pie

 

 

Directions:

• Combine berries, sugar, flour, and lemon juice in a medium sauce pan.
• Heat mixture until it just starts to boil, stirring occasionally. 
• Remove from heat and let cool for 15 minutes.  
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. 
• Spread bottom crust in a 9 inch pie pan. 
• Spread berry mixture in pie shell. 
• Sprinkle cinnamon on top. 
• Dot butter on top.
• Put top crust on and seal edges. 
• Poke several vent holes in top crust.
• Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes. Turn oven down to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, leaving pie in oven, and bake for 30 minutes longer.

Thursday, May 21, 1936

plesant all day, cold
Made rhubarb pie and stewed some for sauce
Mowed three sides of lawn this afternoon-
Leroy Bower adjusted the mower for me & took the valve from cistern pump* home to renew-
Charles harrowed the garden and Leroy drilled the oats & barley-
Mother fairly goo today-

The flushing cistern patent application 1936*

*Cisterns have been around for thousands of years. They are vessels that collect rainwater. "Most were built against the home’s foundation and water was drawn from a tap located low on the basement wall.  Some delivered the water with a hand pump.  The water, not of the quality for drinking, was mainly used for washing and laundry." (This Old House blog accessed May 21, 2014.) (*Image from patent application filed February 26, 1936 by A. Gebert.)

Thursday, May 14, 1936

plesant but cold wind
Had a fire so baked molasses cookies, lemon pie & macaroni and cheese* this forenoon-
finished mowing the lawn so it is mowed all around the house-
four sides-
this afternoon-
Mother has been good today-
wanted the fire-



*Ah, so there is a fire. Don't waste it! Get some baking done.

Monday, May 11, 1936

plesant all day warm
Charles plowed the garden
Harry set out hollyhock* plants and sowed the grass seed and took Mother and I to Ithaca this afternoon-
He bought a qt of ice cream for supper-
I made pie plant** pie and stewed sauce and cooked dandelion greens and made a cake-
Mother nervous and difficult all day
Harry left this eve-
^Got a Mothers Day card from Geo & Bertha & family-

Rhubarb pie recipe from the rhubarb capital of the world**

*Hollyhocks are biennials, so Harry is planting them to bloom next summer.

**Pie plant (or pieplant) refers to rhubarb. For everything rhubarb, checkout the website for Sumner, WA: The Rhubarb Capital of the World. The above recipe image came from HERE.

^This sentence was written up the left, outside edge of the diary entry.