Friday, July 31, 1925

Friday, July 31, 1925
Cool

Mary sent the kids over while she went down town. She said she could get me some things, so I sent a list and she didn’t’ get back till after lunch. I had to get lunch for the kids. I made goldenrod eggs and they all were crazy about it. It was a tough day. They make no attempt to govern Robert since was sick and he is terrible.

(Mary was Mrs. Collins across the street. It almost sounds like she was paying Grandma back for having all her kids over there at the Collins' yesterday, by leaving her kids with Grandma. I sitll don't know how many kids there were in the Collins household. Sounds like Robert Collins, at least, was a bit of a handful.

Here's a recipe for goldenrod eggs at this link. If it is the same as what she made, we used to have them as kids, but we called them creamed eggs on toast.)

Thursday, July 30, 1925

Thursday, July 30, 1925
Cool

The boys went to Collins’ to play and I finished up my mending and did odd jobs. Made Gilbert a suit of underwear, etc. Just at 5:30, the Collins kids came in and they all went wild. I had a headache and their noise drove me crazy. They were in the yard to play, then upstairs on to the beds. They lost all the sense they ever had. So did I.

(Sounds like the boys...Dale, Dick, Albert, possibly Ned, had a great time playing with the neighbors across the street, which I know included at least a son named Robert. I think they also had a daughter.

And, as usual, Grandma spent the day sewing and mending. Seems she always had a needle in hand. Interesting, she also sewed their underwear.

I wonder how Mrs. Collins felt at the end of the day with all the Smith boys at her house?)

Wednesday, July 29, 1925

Wednesday, July 29, 1925
Cool

Got done my ironing and pressed pants for all the boys. Was awfully tired when I got done and set down to do my mending while I rested. Then Mrs. Collins came with Robert. They have been out of town. The boys took Albert to the park playground so Robert went up there, too. They had a big time I guess. The first Albert had been up there.

(I don't know about everyone else, but when I sit down to rest, I don't think about picking up mending to do. It seems Grandma was always doing something to keep the boys in clothes... washing, ironing, sewing, and mending. Those boys must have been hard on their clothes.

Mrs. Collins was the neighbor across the street, Robert was one of her sons. The park Grandma was referring to was Brookside Park, which is still one of several large parks in Indianapolis.)

Tuesday, July 28, 1925

Tuesday, July 28, 1925
Cool

Washed early and ironed lots of things thinking I would not have much left to do tomorrow but after I rolled them down, I still had a bushel basket full and I thought I didn’t have much of a washing this week. It was so cold the boys hovered over the register when Gilbert burned papers and then Dick went to bed to keep warm.

(I am confused on how she washed the clothes and if she had a wringer washer or not. I'll have to do some further research. At one time, I didn't think she had to wring out clothes, but now I am not so sure since she indicates she had to "roll them down".

It must have been very cold to want to fire up a furnace with papers in the summer time, since they didn't have any coal left from the spring. I checked the weather records, and the record low for July 28th in Indianapolis was set in 1962, and was 51 degrees, so it had to have been warmer than that in 1925.)

Monday, July 27, 1925

Monday, July 27, 1925
Cool

Made up my new towels and sheets and diapers so as to wash them this week. Put my clothes to soak after I got up from my nap. I lie down to get Ned to sleep these days and always doze a little myself. It makes me feel lots better. I go to bed early, too. I think lots of sleep is the reason for my feeling as well as I do.

(I'm not sure what she means when she wrote "made up" for the new sheets, towels, and diapers. Did she have to hem them, finish off edges or what? Perhaps they didn't come as 'ready made' as what we get today.)

Sunday, July 26, 1925

Sunday, July 26, 1925

Felt lots better. Just got dinner ready to finish up when Bess came. She and Fred had come over to go to the show this evening. He went to the ball game while she came out here. Gilbert took the boys down town to a show toward evening. Albert hadn’t been anywhere for so long and it was too cool to swim and too late to go to a park.

(Sounds like a nice Sunday, with some company. Bess was one of Gilbert's two older sisters and I assume Fred was her boyfriend. I don't know if Fred was the man she married. Whoever she married turned out to have another wife on the east coast, so the marriage was quickly annulled, and she never re-married. She was about 37 years old in 1925. I previously posted a picture of Bess here. Since the person in the photo with her is identified only as a soldier, I assume it was not Fred, whoever he was! According to Grandma's family history, Bess died in 1970 of a heart attack, which caused a fall and head injuries, with internal bleeding. Born in 1887, Bess was almost 83 when she died. At the time of her death, she lived in the county guardian home, having no money or heirs, other than nieces and nephews.

It seems the boys enjoyed going to movies, and would either go with their father or alone on many occasions.)

Saturday, July 25, 1925

Saturday, July 25, 1925

Got the upstairs cleaned and then gave out. I guess I over did myself going to town yesterday. Had to lie down most of the day. A storm came up just after noon so the boys couldn’t have gone swimming anyway. Gilbert cleaned up the house. I felt as if I couldn’t get my breath. My heart thumped like I had been running.

(Grandma does not sound like she was very healthy or had much stamina. There were times when she went "full out" like July 24, 1925, but those generally seemed to be followed by a collapse, much like she reported on this date.

The upstairs was basically two bedroom and a landing, plus a couple of little rooms tucked under the eaves.)

Friday, July 24, 1925

Friday, July 24, 1925
Pleasantly warm

Got an early start and went to town while Mama stayed with the boys. I did a lot of shopping and got a lot of sheets, towels, drapes, etc. Got tired but otherwise felt fine and was real pleased over my purchases. Got the boys each a toy or color book. The boys are too rambunctious , their Grandma can hardly stand their noise. I can’t either some days.

(When Grandma says she 'went to town', I believe she is referring to going to downtown Indianapolis to shop. And, I assume she road a streetcar to get there. She probably shopped at places like L.S. Ayres that are now gone from the ciy landscape, replaced by a large mall called Circle Centre. She would be amazed to see the shopping options we have today, but perhaps disappointed that all the local shops that she could walk to are also long gone (though most of those were gone before her death in 1972).

She had previously written that her mother (whom she referred to above as Mama and then 'their Grandma') never seemed to be around to help when she needed her. Sounds like she was helpful on this day.

Oh, and what else would you expect from four boys under the age of 10 other than noise?)

Thursday, July 23, 1925

Thursday, July 23, 1925
Cool

Tried to get my ironing done early but got tired and when I stopped, my iron wouldn’t start again so didn’t get to finish. Mama came out again and I never can accomplish anything when she is here talking. A letter from Harry that he has been wise to Mabel for years and wants a divorce. She is going to Chicago and will leave Winifred with Mama (maybe).

(Oh my, a divorce? Not too common in the 1920's I thought, so it must be bad! A few days ago for July 21, I wrote:

Grandma wrote in her family history that "Mabel's health would not permit her to do the hard work required by keeping house, even after the birth of their only child, Winifred Sylvia... things seemed alright between them until about 1925 when other personalities seem to be encroaching upon the scene." She also wrote that Harry and Mabel lived most of their married life together in boarding houses in Memphis were he worked for awhile. Based on the diaries, I think they also spent a lot of time living with Grandma's parents.

Wise to Mable? "He had been wise to Mabel for years?" I just assumed that "other personalities encroaching upon the scene" meant that Harry might have been seeing other women. Perhaps Mabel was the one who strayed? It sure seems like she didn't do much to contribute, at least in regards to housework, etc. Oh, and you should definitely check out the picture I posted of their daughter Winifred in Grandma's Pictures. You tell me, but I think she looks just a bit spoiled. And, Mabel is leaving her daugher with her mother-in-law, Grandma's mother. That seems a bit odd.

There is a lot to consider and wonder about in this latest diary entry. What is the whole story?

This all calls for some more research... time to call my Aunt!)

Wednesday, July 22, 1925

Wednesday, July 22, 1925

Washed early this morning and the man came and fixed my machine so I sewed the rest of the day. Can hardly write for Albert is such a chatterbox and since he was sick, he and Ned stay indoors too much. They need the fresh air but don’t stay out long. I am so nervous lately and all the boys so noisy, I feel like I could go crazy.

(All does not sound so good for Grandma as the last few days might have indicated. Remember that at this point she is nealry 7 months pregnant.)

Tuesday, July 21, 1925

Tuesday, July 21, 1925

Thought big day sewing but the spring in the foot piece of my machine broke and I didn’t get so much done. Mama came out in the afternoon. She can’t do any work on account of rheumatism in her hand and Mabel worries her to death, so she is having a hard time of it.

(Mabel is Grandma's youngest brother Harry's first wife. Harry was about 9 years older than Grandma.

Grandma wrote in her family history that "Mabel's health would not permit her to do the hard work required by keeping house, even after the birth of their only child, Winifred Sylvia... things seemed alright between them until about 1925 when other personalities seem to be encroaching upon the scene." She also wrote that Harry and Mabel lived most of their married life together in boarding houses in Memphis were he worked for awhile. Based on the diaries, I think they also spent a lot of time living with Grandma's parents. It's no wonder that her Mama worried about the situation!

Grandma previously wrote in her diaries that she never got much done when her mother came to visit, and that it seemed when she really needed her, she wasn't available!)

Monday, July 20, 1925

Monday, July 20, 1925

My, I can’t fill the boys up today. Gilbert had to work late and he came near not having any supper when he got here. I had to cook more for him. Dick was so tired he slept all afternoon and was still ready for bed when supper was over. I went to Mrs. MacGregor’s and got goods for a dress, Albert a suit and cut out lots of sewing.

(I can almost forget how hard it was for Grandma all spring and early summer; things seem so much better at this point for her and the boys! They've had several good days lately. "Summer-time, and the living is easy")

Sunday, July 19, 1925

Sunday, July 19, 1925

Loafed around all day with Gilbert. Dale and Dick went to Sunday school in the morning. Then after dinner they took the suitcase back to grandmother’s and told them all about their trip. When they came back they went to the show and saw some skeletons and Dick had bad dreams in the night and was afraid to sleep alone so I traded beds with him.

(I like to read that Grandma reported such a relaxing day, and not one with kids who were sick, or with a lot of work around the house to complete or when she felt "bum", as she called it.)

Saturday, July 18, 1925

Saturday, July 18, 1925

Hurried and got the house all cleaned up early and was ready to visit when the boys came home. They had so much to tell me they could hardly keep quiet while the other told his tale. Dale caught a fish, saw a skunk, etc. Dick got hold of a snake, rode a pony, etc. Such sunburned, happy little boys.

(I have a hard time imaging Dick as a rough and tumble little boy holding snakes, etc. I recall him as an older man, married, no children, who taught philosophy at the University of Louisville. Within the librairy archives at the university are many boxes of his writings, notes, etc. I've copied the intro to this collection below, but you can get more info at this link:

"The Richard Campbell Smith papers constitute one of the largest individual faculty collections in the University Archives. Composed of 38 boxes, the papers represent over thirty years of Dr. Smith's life, covering his years in graduate school (1948-1952) until his death in 1972.
Richard Campbell Smith was born in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1918. Except for a tour in the army during World War II, Richard Smith remained in Indiana for his education. From Indiana University's graduate school, he transferred to Yale University to complete his master's degree in 1953.
Hired by the University of Louisville in 1953, he served for several years as the sole member of the Philosophy Department. Because of his heavy teaching responsibility, the completion of his dissertation was postponed until 1960. Shortly after the conclusion of his dissertation, Dr. Smith and Dr. Richard Barber began a search for additional faculty. In 1962, Dr. Melvin E. Greer was hired, followed soon thereafter by Drs. Schuyler and Flodstrom.
Detailing the contents of each box indicates the nature and extent of Dr. Smith's involvement with the University as well as the intensity of his graduate studies."

FYI, his dissertation for his PhD was titled: Time Distinctions in Contemporary Philosophy. Wonder what that was about? The archives also include manuscripts of novels written by his wife, Carrie. None of these were published, including a novel called "The Wrestlers", which is listed as being 2216 pages. I assume those are 8.5 x 11 typewritten, double-spaced pages and if this was published as a book it would be fewer pages. Carrie did publish a novel before her death a few years ago, called Annie's Indian War, which she published under her maiden name. It is still available on Amazon.

You just never really know what a little boy will grow up to become!)

Friday, July 17, 1925

Friday, July 17, 1925

Did a lot of odd jobs mending, etc. then worked on my comfort top and pieced about half of it. Letters from the boys report a great time. They are coming home in the morning. I enjoy the peace and rest but of course I will be glad to see the boys. I have been tired ever since my trip to Mama’s. I was meant to be a home body, I guess.

(How nice that the two older boys thought to write their mother a letter while they were gone for the week. Would that happen today? How many people actually still send letters through the mail?

Grandma did seem to spend a lot of time sewing, either mending or making clothes, or in this case making a comforter for a bed.)

Thursday, July 16, 1925

Thursday, July 16, 1925

Ned seems so glad to have Albert to play with again. He is trying to talk the last few days and says lots of words now. Today he tried to mock Albert in everything he said. I sprayed all my winter coats and bedclothes with moth dope and put them away in newspapers and got out all the baby clothes I have to see what I will need.

(A little late putting away winter coats, wasn't she? That moth dope must have smelled, or at least I assume it smelled, like moth balls do today. I assume she also at one time sprayed the baby clothes with the same and stored them in the attic wrapped in newspapers.)

Wednesday, July 15, 1925

Wednesday, July 15, 1925
Hot

Got my work done easily and went to Mama’s. Stopped at Sablosky’s on the way and got me some larger shoes. Spent the day out there and came home in the cool of the evening. Albert had been saying he was not coming home till the others came, but when he saw me getting ready to leave he said “Oh, I guess I’ll go, too.” So he came with me.

(Thank you to all who kept reading with these diaries day after day, week after week, while they were all sick. I think that is behind them now! Seems like Grandma had a good day... new shoes, a long visit with her mother. Albert spent half a week, by my counting, with his grandmother before he was ready to go back home. The "others" he was referring to were his older brothers Dale and Dick who were visiting in Crawfordsville and not due back until the weekend.)

Tuesday, July 14, 1925

Tuesday, July 14, 1925

Got up early and washed, scrubbed the kitchen, and ironed and was done up by two o’clock. Then I went over the house with the cleaner. The folks report Albert as so much better, looking and acting like he felt fine. Mama insists that I come over there. She thinks I am not getting any vacation. But the quiet is what I need and Ned is better and no trouble alone.

(It sounds to me like separating the boys from one another for a few days gave them a chance to finally get well. Perhaps Ned and Albert were just passing their illness back and forth to each other?)

Monday, July 13, 1925

Monday, July 13, 1925
Cooler
Got up early feeling fine and picked up the cherries left in the top of the tree. We couldn’t reach them before, but now the tree is down I got every one. Got two more quarts canned. Ned was better but a little cross, but he is better off the way he feels to be at home and no one to tease him. Got my quilt out and worked on it a while.

(I feel bad for Grandma that their favorite (and only) cherry tree fell down in a storm the day before. (Did you catch the mention of that in yesterday's diary entry?) But, she made the best of it and picked all the cherries they couldn't reach before and canned them. Those cherries were probably pretty ripe by this time.

I wonder if Grandma viewed her quilting as a hobby or a necessity? We have one quilt that Grandma made; it is a crazy quilt made out of all kinds of wools and velvets with fancy stitching around each piece. She did not got to a quilting store to get the material to make it, instead she used scraps from old clothes. I guess that makes the quilt even more special to have. My older sister also remembers a 'cathedral window' quilt, which I don't remember at all. But then my sister quilts and I don't, so she would probably remember it. She probably also has the crazy quilt! I'm sure other quilts Grandma made are scattered about in the possession of cousins that we see every 10 years or so, if ever.

When we were little, we usually got a hand-made gift from Grandma, which I am sure we did not really appreciate at that time. She also crocheted, and one year she made us crocheted rings out of curtain rings to clip on the inside of our coats to hold our scarves. We did not tell her that as little girls, we really did not have any scarves like that. I'm not sure what happened to those. Another year, she made each of us a decorative pillow, and I've still got mine. I posted a picture of the pillow Grandma made me, probably in the late 1960's, on Grandma's Pictures.)

Sunday, July 12, 1925

Sunday, July 12, 1925,

Mama was bound I should come over there today but I hadn’t got my shoes yet and my feet swell so and Mr. Williamson, from Memphis was there so I didn’t want to go. I felt too tired anyway and do if I had to have it quiet for a while. The boys got off at 5:55 and Ned and I had it quiet. Had an awful storm about 3:30 that blew our favorite cherry tree down.

(I can't really make sense of the 2nd sentence, but here is what I think is going on. Dale and Dick left early in the morning to ride with Mac to Crawfordsville for the week and Albert was sent earlier to his grandmother's (Mama's) for the week, leaving Grandma home with just Ned for awhile.

Grandma's feet are swelling due to her pregnancy and she has to get some new shoes. She had a lot of problems with her feet later in life, probably caused in part by ill-fitting shoes.

And a big storm blew down the cherry tree, the one Gilbert spent all of his vacation picking cherries from.)

Saturday, July 11, 1925

Saturday, July 11, 1925
Hot

Got the boys bathed and dressed to go and suitcase all packed and Mac called up and said they were driving over in the morning early and offered to take them. The boys didn’t want to wait but Gilbert persuaded them and took them to the Ripple for a swim to make up for the disappointment. He took Albert to Mama’s for his vacation and left Ned and me alone for a rest.

(Athough Grandma doesn't come right out and say so, I believe the boys, Dale and Dick, were going to Crawfordsville to visit on their own. Luckily, Gilbert's good friend Mac offered to drive them. Otherwise, I think that they were going to ride the bus there alone, a trip of 50 miles or so.

Mac is Everett McMullen, whom Gilbert met in college. He is the one who convinced Gilbert to move to the city where he could get a job with the gas company. Gilbert first lived with Mac and his aunt when he moved to Indianapolis, and then moved in to a "room for rent" with a family that Ruth knew, the Bells. The Bells introduced Ruth and Gilbert at church.

Note: while looking at Grandma's family history, I noticed that she wrote Dale was born in 1916 and Dick in 1918, which would make them 9 and 8, not 7 and 6 as I thought. I need to do some further research to confirm the dates of their birth!)

Friday, July 10, 1925

Friday, July 10, 1925

Ned awfully cross but I managed to get the underwear patched and made Dick a pair of pants out of Gilbert’s old Palm Beach suit. We are going to buy Dale a pair of Palm Beach pants. Dale went to the dentist this AM and Don Couper went down with him and they went to the 5 & 10 and got treated to ice cream and had a big time. Had to send Dale after Mama’s suitcase in PM.

(From today's diary entry, we get a glimpse of how frugal Grandma was (and I assume other housewifes from that era). She patched underwear. I don't know about anyone else, but I throw out underwear that needs to be patched. She also made her son a pair of pants out of his father's old pants. I guess the material was still good, but other than cutting off old jeans to make a pair of shorts when I was a teenager, I don't think I've ever had pants made from another pair of pants. Dale, the oldest son, is going to get a brand new pair of store-bought pants. I am guessing that is because those pants would be handed down so that all four boys would wear them eventually, and so they could justify the expense. I did some research and I believe the "Palm Beach" pants were made out of a blend of linen and wool, which would make them cooler in the summer time.

And remember, too, that Dale was born in 1918, so he is 7 or just turning 7 when she wrote these diaries. She sent him with his friend (also about the same age) to see the dentist. I don't think today a dentist would even treat a child who showed up in his office without a parent. The office staff would probably call the police! And, I don't think they just sent kids every six months to get their teeth cleaned, like we do today, so there was probably a problem.

Then later in the day, Dale rode city buses or street cars alone to go to his grandmother's house to get a suitcase. Sounds like Dale had a big day! But, if they have previously canceled their trip, why did Grandma send Dale out after the suitcase?)

Thursday, July 9, 1925

Thursday, July 9, 1925

Net got up from his nap with fever again so that settles my going for sure. Gilbert talked last night like he wanted me to buy a dress and shoes and go over for Sunday only but it seemed to me like it would be too much expense and trouble for one day.

(Grandma was referring to a trip to Crawfordsville to see Gilbert's father and sisters. I had previously figured out that it was 50 miles or so to Crawfordsville, avoiding the interstates which would have not have existed, obviously, in 1925. But Grandma was being practical, and not even for a new dress and new shoes, did she want to bother with a one day trip to see her in-laws. With no car, they would have been taking a bus or two to get there, which I think would have taken several hours each way. It would have been a long, hot trip for a pregnant woman.

I was thinking about these diaries being written in 1925 and how they describe a life much different than what we learned in our history classes about this particular decade. Most of what we learned in school about the 1920's was that they were the "roaring 20's" when women started to "loosen up" and went dancing in jazz clubs and smoked cigarettes and raised the hem of their skirts up to nearly their knees. Prohibition was in effect, so all the alcohol was illegal, but people went to "speakeasies" to drink it anyway. Grandma certainly wasn't living that kind of life! (And my other Grandma, living on a farm in Southern Indiana, also wasn't out drinking and dancing in speakeasies!)

I found this website that lists slang from the 1920's. I doubt that Grandma, being mostly at home raising her children, would have have heard or said many of these phrases. By the way, I did not find the phrase "fought like sixty" that she used in yesterday's diary entry, but it is still interesting to read about some of the slang they used in that decade.)

Wednesday, July 8, 1925

Wednesday, July 8, 1925
Hot

Mama came over and took Albert down to Papa’s office and he had Dr. Best lance the gland. He did not give him gas but froze it. I guess he screamed and fought like sixty. They got lots of thick pus out of it and Papa took some to have it analyzed by the test showed no tuberculosis germs. He seemed much relieved and happy because they got him some ice cream.

(Is there anything that ice cream can't fix for a young child? Especially after what Albert went through.

I have never heard the phrase "fought like sixty", has anyone else?)

Tuesday, July 7,1925

Tuesday, July 7, 1925
Hot

Was too tired to iron much. Albert seemed so done up, too. His gland is swelling and looking red in a different place, lower than it was before. Probably gathering there and will have to be opened again. We won’t take him to Crawfordsville and I feel relieved in a way as it is too hot to hustle and get my things ready to go. Besides, Ned’s glands are still swollen although he is not ill.

(So, Grandma had to scrap her plans to go to Crawfordsville to visit her in-laws. She almost seemed glad of it, too much bother on a hot day. Can you imagine ironing in a house without air-conditioning when it is so hot outside?)

Monday, July 6, 1925

Monday, July 6, 1925
Hot

Albert still feverish and sick. I washed early and Mable came to try my dress on me. My feet swelled till I could hardly stand. Ned cries after me so these days. He won’t let me out of his sight. He won’t play except at my heels and he hugs that blanket till he is all broken out with the heat. He is so trying.

(Remember, Grandma is pregnant, which is probably why she was getting a new dress and why her feet swelled up if she stood a lot. I can only imagine how trying it must have been to have no air condititioning and sick kids, with no medicine to take for whatever they had. By the way, most of us who read this diary regulary assume that Albert had mono which is why he was sick for so long.)

Sunday, July 5, 1925

Sunday, July 5, 1925

Albert feverish today. Maybe too much excitement yesterday. The two boys went to Sunday School and Dick teased so hard to go to Broad Ripple in the afternoon that Gilbert took them to see the elephant show only on a promise that they help him to sort when they got back. So we all helped him with some work in the evening. I got a rest in the PM.

(I am surprised to read that Gilbert brought work from the office home with him. I thought that was more of a post WWII phenomenon? It would be interesting to know how many hours he worked each week on average, and how often he worked on the weekends, so we could compare it to our work lives today. FYI, he was an accountant for the gas company.)

Saturday, July 4, 1925

Saturday, July 4, 1925

The great day for the boys. Up bright and early. The baby seems lots better but cross and glands still swollen. It is a blessing I feel as well as I do, but pretty nervous and tired. Oh how can I stand two years more of baby crying? That is what a baby means. Bang-bang all day. Pretty fire works all night. Gilbert took Dale swimming at Broad Ripple. First watermelon of season

(Seems like not much has changed in all these years. They celebrated the Fourth of July with fireworks, summer activities like swimming, and summer foods like watermelon, just about what we would do today. Mom says she remembers when she was little, the boys, who were then a bit older, would shoot Roman candles off the front porch on July 4th.)

Friday, July 3, 1925

Friday, July 3, 1925
Hot

Ned slept better last night and wasn’t so feverish today, but awfully pettish and cross. Perhaps this attack won’t last long. Papa thinks not. Albert seems better. His glands going down. We have hopes of going to Crawfordsville in a week. They will surely be well enough by then. If I can get ready.

(Gilbert was from Crawfordsville, so they would go there to visit family. I am sure there was a lot for her to do to get everything and everyone ready for a trip like that.)

Thursday, July 2, 1925

Thursday, July 2, 1925
Hot

Ned sick as he can be and his glands swollen again. I am so discouraged. It seems as if we will never get over this scourge. Papa brought out some new medicine to take and some things to apply on the glands. I hope it is more effectual than others have been. Mama took my dress home with her for Mable to make.

(It was nice to have a doctor in the family. In her family history, Grandma wrote that her "Papa", Dr. Rolla Campbell, practiced medicine in some form or fashion for fifty years. Around the turn of the century, he was focusing a lot of his time on making medicines and had several "agents" who sold it for him. She wrote: "When the Pure Food and Drug Act was passed he decided that he would have to discontinue his making of his medicines for sale by agents so he decided to limit his practice to make a specialty of gynecology, and not make house calls except in rare cases.")

Wednesday, July 1, 1925

Wednesday, July 1, 1925
Warmer

This evening we all worked in the yard. Ned seemed so well and happy and suddenly he cried for me to take him. He wanted me to bring him in and I did. Rocked him and finally put him to bed. He went right to sleep and an hour later woke up crying with a burning fever. I could hardly believe it. He was feverish and restless all night.

(Check out the pictures of everyone on Grandma's Pictures to imagine what this family of four young boys would have looked like, all out working in the yard on a summer evening. From what Grandma wrote previously, she had flower beds with cannas and august lilies (hostas) and clover in the grass, which they planted on purpose. In the back there was at least a cherry tree, catalpa tree, and tree of heaven (also known as 'stink tree'), along with grapes (which she wrote about how they were nipped by a late May frost).

Down in southern Indiana, my 'country Grandma' would have been working in a vegetable garden perhaps starting to pick green beans to can. She had a one year old son at this time and was expecting her second baby, due in the fall, the same as Grandma.)