Irene Dixon Bamford

Monday 10 March 1902 A fine warm morning thawing. A frosty morning. After breakfast dishes washed, Maud picked over beans. I'm tired doing without butter, milk or eggs. Our neighbors on every side of us have all three. I cook the last of our beef to keep it from spoiling. Wells Sr pitching hay & straw in barn all fore noon. I cut out my wrapper. Maud made an apron. I tore off another sheet and in evening cut carpet rags. Maud reading Vagrant wife. Sr goes to to bed at 8 pm. Maud and I go at 9 p.m. forgot to say I partly wrote a letter to Mrs Grace and one to box 114 Kingston, Ont & forgot to say Maud went to Mrs Niles for sweet milk. Geo Morgan sale came off to day. Going to sell every thing and go west where Jim & Bernard are. Wall Niles is helping Alex Livingston move.

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Monday 11 April 1904 A cloudy chilly day. Ice in river jamed in to stay I think. Wind S.W. and not very warm. Maude is all right this morning she bakes pies and cakes. I stew apples and make rice pud and boil and pickle beets. Evening visitors Shelly Wallace & Miss Davey. Night dark and cloudy.

Tuesday 12th April 1904 A dirty rainy morning rained all night. Voltie cant plow this day. Wind East I'll help Maud wash dishes then I'll wash separator, churn & work butter and make prints. I didn't make prints but worked the butter all over. Maud churned and washed all the lace curtains 8 of them. 4 pairs. and other things. Voltie did plow all day. Miss Davy here after school giving Maud a music lesson. Charley Woodman here to get V to go to Alice McKays sugar party. He (Charley) is going to invite one of the Jimmie girls. Evening mail Good stories, American House hold, Guest Farmers weekly, New thought with Thetascope and a letter from Turnock.

Wednesday 13 1913 another rainless day. Rain is sadly needed. This is picnic day in Snub grove. Emma went carrying a cake, umbrella, rode down in John OBriens rig at nearly dinner, time discovered we had no tea, sent Edith to Rachels for tea and ask her over to dinner. she came bringing cake for dinner. The apple pies are super excellent. Jim Morgan & his eldest son Alan here with fish for Denny. Jim borrowed the garden drill. R & Sr quarelled two childish old fools. Twitted each other of being meddlesome and Wells sick shouldnt think he would feel much like quarreling but the old disposition asserts itself to the very last.

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Wednesday 4th Feb 1914 Another fine day. Emma washed and put all her washing on the line, this is the second day Emma has washed. We hadnt washed in so long a time the washing had swelled to. Edith gone to school, walked there and walked home in the mud. Teacher threatened to whip her if she dont behave.

Thursday 5th Feb 1914 Another fine day. V working on shop till towards noon. Jim Morgan came. Then R came for her coffee. After she and her coffee, Geo McDonald drove in with fish for Denny. V phoned for Denny at Clayton. He not at home till 5 p.m. He is coming up early tomorrow morning. Mabel M came for eggs sold her two doz at 35 per George and Jim here for dinner. Mabel here to supper. Had bullheads for supper. I ate 2, Mab ate 3, V 3 E & E each 2's apiece. Edith gone to school. Edith and Alden Morgan had a row. Ed is very unpopular at school. I write a long letter to Belle.

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Friday 18 March 1914 A beautiful day. Voltie and John drew 2 loads of wood from J.W. a big one for R and a small one for ourselves. Nasty Grippe still hangs on to me. Well let it. I can stand it if the weather would only get warmer. V hulled corn. In the evening came Jimy Morgan and Johny, Bill McDonald about school business. Jim wants his pay for tinkering up the dirty old school house. A great noisy argument going on about Mexican affairs, which neither John, Johny nor Jim knows any thing about more than Shep.

Saturday 14 March 1914 A cloudy dreary dismal morning. The weather looks as if the storm would burst upon us any minute, snow white, snow white, every where and still heaped up on the washing machine, no melting away of close rigid old winter. For my breakfat I ate an egg, a slice of bread and butter and drank a cup of coffee 25 minutes past 9 a.m. "Edith washing dishes. Emma mopping floors. Wall Niles is in the kitchen. I hear his voice. Voltie is hulling corn. Henry Halliday Sr here too came with Wallace. Wallace ate dinner here. V building Wall a boat. Maggie here visiitng Edith. For play they are shoveling snow off the veranda. Samy & McDermot gone to Clayton to the horse races.