The blog posts below are taken from my grandmother's diaries. Althea Green Smith Crook was lovingly referred to as Nanny to her immediate family ~ thus her diaries are called Nanny's Diaries.

Nanny wrote in her diaries when she remembered to - mostly in the evening. There will be some years in which she didn't keep diaries and there will also be some days/weeks in her yearly diaries in which she skipped or forgot to write in them. For the most part, these are her words - written as she wrote them. There will be typos, forgotten punctuation, and other grammatical errors - but I am rewriting these as my Nanny originally wrote them.

As with all old handwriting, there are some entries that I can't quite make out - and these entries will be followed with a (?) to signify that this may or may not be correct or I can't figure out what she is trying to write.

Thank you Nanny for leaving us 50 years worth of memories! We miss you!

Thursday, July 24, 2025

January 8 - 11, 1994

 

Saturday, January 8, 1994 Nick’s Birthday

 

It was snowing here today. Tom came and plowed.  I wrote to Esther. David was here this morning. Also Carmen came and did her work. I didn’t do much as usual. I did a dite of washing. Brogan had a slumber party at her house last night. We are quite concerned about David’s letdown from the sheep. It is so sickening. Feel so bad about it. Hope he may get something back. I done some reading to get caught up on my magazines also looking the diary over to find when Betty purchased her new refrigerator. Betty and Walt down to the hospital for tests of all kinds since they have been using the water that came from their icemaker. Walt went to Portland to get Zak. They got home about 9 PM. Plowed snow.

 

 

 

Sunday, January 9, 1994

 

A nice sunny day except it was very cold. We got a lot of snow over the past two days. Carmen came this morning. Also Walt and Zak up for coffee. Carmen done the work and took care of Billie. Dorothea here and got the supper. We watched a video this p.m., it was good. Carmen brought it down.

 


 

 

Monday, January 10, 1994

 

I didn’t get up until about 6 this morning. It makes it so late. I wish I got up early. Puts me way behind. A nice sunny day. Carmen came and did her work. Betty came and got the supper. Billie all shook up today. He had to go to the therapist, he was half crazy all in all. The vet came, looked at Carmen’s calf. She has an abcess on her neck. Zak went back today. Walt went to Portland to school on boilers. Dorothea worked.

 

 

 

Tuesday, January 11, 1994

 

 

Cloudy when we got up. I got my work done. David called down this morning for coffee. Carmen here as always. Betty called a little while today. Carmen busy today. Betty got the supper tonight, very good.

Wednesday, July 23, 2025

January 4 - 7, 1994

 

Tuesday, January 4, 1994

 

This has been a miserable day. Bad snowstorm and raining in late p.m. Well a miserable day. I didn’t do much. No schools anywhere. Carmen came for a while. She done her work. Walt sick. Someone came to see (vat) Carmen’s calf. Also David’s sheep. They will call back to tell them. Tom plowed.

 

 

 

Wednesday, January 5, 1994

 

A nice day. Susan gone to Florida. Dorothea up early and took Susan to the airport. She will see Chris and family then to Monica and then to Esther’s. I did wash today. Carmen came, did her work. This was a much better day for Dorothea to take Susan to Portland than yesterday. I got caught up quite well in my reading. Walt still sick. Carmen brought Cameron here today, he is in a quite sick condition. I hope you will be all right. Arnold shoveled. Carmen did the grocery shopping. Carmen has a sick calf. David has a sick lamb and Cameron is sick. Tom plowed.

 

 

 

Thursday, January 6, 1994

 

A beautiful day. Carmen came and did her things also a little washing. I read the papers, got caught up on them. Kids here with Carmen at supper time. We had a delicious supper. Poor Cameron is sick. Betty and Walter sick. Colds and flu stuff. Dan Knox didn’t come.

 

 

 

Friday, January 7, 1994

 

A cloudy dreary day. Carmen came and done a lot of things. Cleaned up the house and it looked very good. She took me over to Harrison for a pneumonia shot. We saw Betty, she don’t look too good. Walt is still sick. They came down to Walt’s today and worked on his furnace all day. Discovered a problem down there with the water etc. Brogan has company tonight, overnight guest. She has (Carmen) been so busy all day. Dorothea came and got the supper tonight. A good one. Betty a dite better. Didn’t hear from Dan Knox today.

Tuesday, July 22, 2025

January 1 - 3, 1994

 

Saturday, January 1, 1994 NEW YEAR

 

Well I didn’t do much today as usual. Cam was sick, a high fever. So Dorothea came and worked for Carmen, and done the work, cleaned from top to bottom all day. I wish she wouldn’t do so much. Cam has teeth coming in and his shot he got makes him sick too. Brogan came up for the night. David here for coffee. The plumber and electrician came at Walt’s today. Still haven’t got the thing perfected as yet. Brogan here last night for the coming of the New Year.

 

 


 

Sunday, January 2, 1994

 

A quite nice day. It was kind of cloudy off and on. Walt up for coffee. Also Zak came, had coffee and donuts. Brogan stayed here all night. She went home early, she missed her mom. Last night we put some of her puzzles together. Also she watched a movie with us on tv and vcr. I wrote to Esther.

 

 

 

Monday, January 3, 1994

 

Cloudy some and some clear. Reports we are going to get a lot of snow. I did a dite of wash. Carmen took care of it. Also she did her other jobs. She done a lot in the house. Cameron was with her this morning. He isn’t the very best health wise. She took the checks to town and made out the bills. Paid them also today. In PM Billie to the therapist. Carmen came and got the supper. A very good one too. Made pudding, a good chicken, she had blueberry muffins. Brogan got some more gifts from her grandmother today.

 

Monday, July 21, 2025

December 31, 1993 End Of The Year

 


Friday, December 31, 1993

 

Well this is the last day of the month and last day of 1993. Today Carmen and kids were sick so Dorothea came down here and done all the work. She did a good job, also got the supper. Joy called here this evening. Also Dorothea and Dave called here. I hope Cameron and Brogan will be better. Betty and Walt had a New Year’s party just the family except Tom and Charlene.

 

 

 

 End of 1993

 

A quite nice year. All kinds of weather conditions. I done my puzzles first of the year I got for Christmas. More or less sickness in the family during the year. All the homes was cleaned this spring by the family. Mine included. A nice birthday party for Betty put on my Carmen and Kim and Charlene had a hand in that also. Brogan is in the Girl Scouts this year. Brogan’s school had problems. There was moved to a new school when she started her first year as a first grader. They had to go to Naples. Arnold got a job at the hospital. Our good friend and neighbor Ilan Smart died this past February. Minnie is in Bridgton healthcare home down here.

 




 

 

Monica and Larry to Florida to work. Betty Smith has had a poor year healthwise, to the hospital for a while. Betty Crook sick a lot first of the year. David got rid of his cows and bought sheep. He done well with them. Carmen did a lot of work at the shelter, electrology work, after she had done her schooling.

Billie and I took a trip with Dorothy and David. He bought a llama. Betty got a new horse. Carmen and Kim’s father called this past spring to see them. Kim has worked steady all this year at the hospital. She also done work here with the other girls. Carmen, Dorothea and Betty. It is what they all did that got me through. Billie raised two nice beef heifers this past year. David took care of them for him and they got the best of care. Well Zak came home from California this summer. Drove home by car all alone. He got a good job after he got home. 

 

Esther came home and was here for over two months. I was in the hospital for a week or two last summer. Billie also was down there for a couple times with problems. He has had therapy all along. He has had his teeth out and got new ones this fall. Billie got a new chair and also got me one. I like it very much. Tom took test for a fire marshal job. He didn’t make it, too many others was ahead of him over the list. He may try again. He has a good job and doing well as a policeman for the BPD. 

 

All in all I am in quite good health thanks to my daughters and granddaughters, also all my other family members. Walt is changing over to a new heating system. Hope he has the best of luck. Betty Smith has had a lot of sickness and death in her family, brother, sister-in-law, niece etc. Misty the pony went from Walt’s, they sold her.

 

 

 

 

Sunday, July 20, 2025

December 28 - 30, 1993

 

Tuesday, December 28, 1993

 

Very cold today. Some wind. Carmen came and did her work. David came this morning and had coffee. Carmen took Billie for therapy today. Tom called for a minute. Betty’s company went home early this p.m. They came to Walt’s today to get the furnace set up. They got to come again tomorrow. Betty came, got the supper. She had her Christmas dinner. Very good. I didn’t do much today.

 


 

 

Wednesday, December 29, 1993

 

Sunny in a.m. In late p.m. it began to cloud up, snow began at about dark. It’s snowed quite hard till morning. I did a dite of washing. Carmen came and done her duties. Betty came, get the supper. Brogan was sick, 101 ½ temperature. Today the plumber came and worked at Walt’s. Supposed to come and finish it tomorrow. Water pipes froze up to the shelter. It was a mess. Nice thank you note from Kim and Tom.

 

 

 

Thursday, December 30, 1993

 

Some sun. I didn’t do much, trying to get some of the papers done. I did. I did a dite of wash this morning. Carmen came. She got the fudge made today. She had customers also Brogan down to Betty’s all day. She and Brogan went to Portland to get Zak.