Nanny's Diaries: August 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!

Sunday, August 31, 2014

January 27 - February 2, 1945

Saturday, January 27, 1945

Cold. Shoveled snow. Bill and Billie. Billie went to show. Bill down and got groceries. I went up to Minnie’s a few minutes after supper.

Sunday, January 28, 1945

Very nice and warm. Papa’s house broke into. He is still in hospital. Kinnie and Dot down to see him much better. Dolores, Kennard, Bob and Joy, Kin and Dot called.

Monday, January 29, 1945

Washed. A lot of snow fell and the snow drifted. Not so cold. Bill went back to work.

Tuesday, January 30, 1945

Bill didn’t work. Very windy and cold.

Wednesday, January 31, 1945

Bill and I went to town on business. Bill went back to work. Esther sent us a picture of Dorothea very nice. 8° below this morning.

Thursday, February 1, 1945

We washed. A very cold windy day. Did regular work. No word from papa (?) yet since Sunday.

Friday, February 2, 1945

Churned. Did regular work. Cold and windy. Dorothea and I went up to Minnie’s in eve. Rayburn came up and stayed all night. Papa got to stay in hospital a month longer.

Saturday, August 30, 2014

January 20 - 26, 1945

Saturday, January 20, 1945

Nice day. Warm. Papa still here sick. Betty sick today. Bill helped me to do a lot of my work.

Sunday, January 21, 1945

Papa still very sick. Eye swollen more. Kinnie took him down here to the Northern Cumberland Memorial Hospital. He stayed over nite.

Monday, January 22, 1945

Blanche, Brud, and I took Papa to the Eye and Ear Infirmary at Portland this p.m. Very bad eye infection. He was very weak and sick. Nice day. Mama came home.

Tuesday, January 23, 1945

We get a telephone call from Portland. Papa as well as can be expected. We did a big washday. Bill still home sick.

Wednesday, January 24, 1945

We cooked, cleaned up the house, wash floors. Began to get cold.

Thursday, January 25, 1945

Very cold and windy. No word from Papa. Billie back to school. We churned.

Friday, January 26, 1945

Awful cold. Not much doing around home, except on the work, washed. Dorothea wrote to Esther. Papa’s eye looks better. Kennard called on him today.

Friday, August 29, 2014

January 13 -19, 1945

Saturday, January 13, 1945

Bill, Dorothea, and I went to town. Did regular work. Kimball came after the bull to kill.

Sunday, January 14, 1945

Snowed. Bob’s folks here. Rayburn up over the weekend.

Monday, January 15, 1945

Kimball brought the bull back, had liver for supper. Nice day. I churned and wash today.

Tuesday, January 16, 1945

Snowed hard all day and night wind blowed. Bill went to the doctors, blood pressure better, has lost weight.

Wednesday, January 17, 1945

Cooked. Bill, Betty, and I went to town. A cloudy day after the heavy snow. Bill shoveled drifts.

Thursday, January 18, 1945

Papa here sick tonight. Bad eye infection on the eye. Billie home sick with cold. Bill down to Jeans in eve. I cleaned up the house today.

Friday, January 19, 1945

Papa still awful sick. Nice warm day. Bill helped me with the work. We churned.

Thursday, August 28, 2014

January 6 - 12, 1945

Saturday, January 6, 1945

Bob came up and cut our hog up. Very cold. Rayburn up over weekend. Bill and the kids took the hams and bacon over to Lewis.

Sunday, January 7, 1945

Fern and Lloyd up. Kinnie’s folks came after Rayburn. We borrowed Minnie’s freezer and made ice cream. Mama went back to Ferns. Snowed.

Monday, January 8, 1945

I washed. Bill, baby, and I here alone today. Bill helped me do the work.

Tuesday, January 9, 1945

Did regular work. Warmer today. Bill still home.

Wednesday, January 10, 1945

(left blank)

Thursday, January 11, 1945

Cold. I went up to Minnie’s tonight. Did regular work.

Friday, January 12, 1945

Bill churned for me today. I washed.

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

December 30, 1944 - January 5, 1945

Saturday, December 30, 1944

Bills birthday. Home all day and his foot pained him terribly. Brud and Dolores came up, Brud took me to town. Milan’s box came. Got word from George Crook. Prisoner of war in Germany.

Sunday, December 31, 1944

Cloudy. Bill still very lame. Bob called. Fern and Lloyd, Al Harmon and family, Kennard and Dolores, and Kenny’s folks. Billie and Raymond went fishing, 2 cusk.

Monday, January 1, 1945

School began. Bill still home lame. Rained hard all day.

Tuesday, January 2, 1945

Bill’s car filter came. Very icy.

Wednesday, January 3, 1945

Killed our hog. Bill still home a little better. We went down to Jeans. Ilan help to get the hog out of B. cellar. Finished puzzle.

Thursday, January 4, 1945

Very cold. Bill still lame and at home. Sick also today. He stayed in bed most of the day.

Friday, January 5, 1945

Merton Kimball brought our hog back. 275 to 300 pounds. Very cold. Bill went to Dr. Marty. High blood pressure, bad heart told him to stay home 15 days.