Nanny's Diaries: 2014

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!

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

May 31- June 6, 1947

Saturday, May 31, 1947

Finished cleaning the front bedroom. Papa over his foot swollen badly.

Sunday, June 1, 1947

Cooked. Blanche over, we washed. I cleaned some in the sitting room. Billie worked for Lloyd and Raymond.

Monday, June 2, 1947

We finished the sitting room, it looked good. Bill got ready for chicks.

Tuesday, June 3, 1947

A terrible rain. Papa taken sick, they took him to the hospital down here. Didn’t know as he would live. I stayed down to the hospital with Blanche till midnight. Began to sell milk to (?).

Wednesday, June 4, 1947

Nice day. We called Esther today and Milan a telegram about Papa. He was quite sick tonight. I finished cleaning dining room.

Thursday, June 5, 1947

Washed, cleaned the shed. Cold and windy. Down to hospital to see Papa, his heart quite weak and worse tonight. Chicks came 101. Billie sold his veal calves.

Friday, June 6, 1947

Hot today. Ironed most all day. Cleaned kitchen ceiling. Down to hospital. Papa still very sick and out of his head. Swelling gone down.

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

May 24 - 30, 1947

Saturday, May 24, 1947

Very hot. I finished cleaning upstairs. Bill harrowed the garden. Papa over, his feet very bad. Mama got S. plants put out.

Sunday, May 25, 1947

Nice day, we washed blankets. Bill and Billie harrowed several ground down. Sat out S. plants and hauled dressing, had Jim’s tractor.

Monday, May 26, 1947

We washed. Ironed. Nice day.

Tuesday, May 27, 1947

Nice day. I helped Blanche to get a bed ready for Papa up to her camp. He is up there sick. Dropsy. Leg swollen bad. We cleaned Mama’s room and closet (?).

Wednesday, May 28, 1947

Fern and I cleaned at Mrs. Coles. Cloudy and rain in a.m., cleared off a lot in PM. Fern and I called up to Bob’s to see Papa on way home. First thunderstorm tonight.

Thursday, May 29, 1947

Cloudy and rain. We did a big wash. I cleaned a little in front bedroom. I did big ironing in eve. Bill didn’t work, caught nice lot of trout. Billie gone to Jim Small’s show at state theater.

Friday, May 30, 1947

Memorial Day. Mama and I went down to Kennard and Dolores to the parade. Dorothea was in the parade.

Monday, December 29, 2014

May 17 - 23, 1947

Saturday, May 17, 1947

Cleaned shed chamber. Sunny. We washed after supper. Aunt Ava and Uncle Lewis here for dinner.

Sunday, May 18, 1947

I finished the shed chamber. It rained, no one here. Billie’s Chet cow had her calf. It came wrong way. Her legs very bad. Turned heifers over to Will Seavy’s pasture today.

Monday, May 19, 1947

Fair and warm. We washed. Aunt Ava ironed. Uncle Lewis and I went to town and Betty in PM. I washed upstairs curtains.

Tuesday, May 20, 1947

Rained. Bill home. Aunt Ava and I went over to Blanches. Uncle Lewis sick. Calf’s legs are better.

Wednesday, May 21, 1947

Fair. We did Blanches washing. Aunt Ava and Uncle Lewis went. We ironed in PM. Papa down, he is sick.

Thursday, May 22, 1947

It rained. Bill home in PM, we got the barn cleaned out and ready to put (?) down. A load of shavings came. Dorothea got her scout uniform.

Friday, May 23, 1947

Very nice day. I began cleaning upstairs. Billie up to Chet’s to work. Papa came down, feet swollen.

Sunday, December 28, 2014

May 10 - 16, 1947

Saturday, May 10, 1947

Very nice day. Dorothea and I went to Norway with Carlton and Dolores.

Sunday, May 11, 1947

Nice warm day. Got some nice useful gifts for Mother’s Day.

Monday, May 12, 1947

We did a big wash. I worked out back. Fern and I went to the Brownies investiture with Dorothea and Sara. Very nice. Dorothea got her wings and G. S. pin. She is a Girl Scout now. Very hot day.

Tuesday, May 13, 1947

Cloudy and showers. Cleaned the parlor down to Fern’s today. Aunt Ava there and did a big ironing. Aunt Ava came up yesterday.

Wednesday, May 14, 1947

Not so warm. We cleaned Ferns living room.

Thursday, May 15, 1947

Cold but clear. We cleaned Ferns dining room.

Friday, May 16, 1947

Fern and I cleaned her kitchen or telephone room today. Fair but quite cold. We got all done at Ferns.

Saturday, December 27, 2014

May 3 - 9, 1947

Saturday, May 3, 1947

Rain. Bad day. Washed. Billie and Bill laid new tie up floor. Bill got his tractor back. Yellow cat had kittens. Bill lame.

Sunday, May 4, 1947

Rained.

Monday, May 5, 1947

Rained. We washed. Bill kind of lame, didn’t work.

Tuesday, May 6, 1947

Rained. We cleaned Ferns entry.

Wednesday, May 7, 1947

Sunny and rained hard before noon. Cleaned Ferns attic, shed chamber, back hall and Es’s room. Velma went to the hospital.

Thursday, May 8, 1947

Clear and windy. Fern and I cleaned Uncle Os’s and Sara’s room. Dorothea has gone down to PTA and going to stay down to Sara’s stay all night.

Friday, May 9, 1947

Cleaned Ferns room and hallway today. A very cold day but no rain. Bill quite lame today. Velma came home.