August 14, 1914

Dear Diary,

It is another warm evening but at least we have had some cool ones in between to make it more bearable.  I am happy to write that Mama is back. She looks so much better and seems her energetic self again. I think maybe the rest did her better than whatever treatments the doctor gave. She said she was proud of how Hazel and I had taken such good care of things. Seems like that should prove I am ready and capable of taking care of my own household but I doubt the folks will agree.

We had a real nice crowd at church today. Most of the talk after the service was about that awful war going on in Europe. Some of the folks seem to think we are going to get involved. I sure hope not, I don’t want to think of any of our boys here going to war or worse yet, my dear Roy.

I can’t get it out of my head how awful my Grandpa Smith said the War of the Rebellion was for him growing up. His father died because of that war. He said it was so hard for all the families to carry on with so many of their men gone. Mr. Caple, Roy’s father, told pretty awful stories, too. He said he had been a prisoner in Andersonville. I sure hope this thing in Europe ends quickly, the cost is too big.   

Roy wrote that his parents are planning to move to Missouri this fall. They never did it last year but this year he thinks they will. At least he has no plans of going with them. He wrote that as a child he had no choice but to follow his father from place to place but he doesn’t have to now. Seems his father always thought the grass was greener somewhere else.

It will soon be threshing time here and for that I can hardly wait. And then I guess we will be the ones finding some place to go. I am hoping it will be Washington.  

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Mona, Wyoming

Aug 17, 1914

Dear Roy –

I will try to write you a few lines this morning. How are you any way. Well and happy tho I hope, I am pretty well only have some trouble with my throat. I suppose you are real busy working. What kind of weather do you have now days. My we had a few days of nice cool weather but Oh how hot it has been in the last week. It was just awful hot I hope it will get cooler now for I believe we had enough for one year already.

Every one is still awful busy but we will be thru before so very long if a thashing machine will only hurry up and get here, so we can thrash and then I don’t know where we are going to go but some where I guess. There is nothing to do here so I guess we just as well go away.

I just got this far when I got such a headach I had to stop and have had a dreadful headache, it is pretty bad yet but I am going to write anyway for a while. My it is warm this afternoon. There is a dance at McDonalds Friday and Hazel is crazy to go so I guess I will go too. I don’t want to tho. Hazel and I are going down to stay a few days with papa and so will be there until after the dance. I wish you was here to go. My isn’t it awful about the war being so bad?

Well I guess I will have to write to Lillian and Justin before I will hear from them again.

When are your folks going away. I suppose Lida is going is she not? My I am sure you will hate to see them go. I am glad your berrys did so well I think that was a lot. I am glad you have such good times on Sunday for that is usually the lonesomest day. How did you celebrate your birthday worked hard all day tho I suppose.

When are you going down to Puyallup again? Mama was gone nearly three weeks so Hazel and I had quite a time baching. We got pretty tired of it tho. I only got twentyone quarts of cherrys and the birds got the rest of them. My we had wagon loads of them, but did not get quite enough, but maybe we will have a few plums.

I was talking to Vera and she and Florence Ryan were going down by McDonalds tomorrow evenings so Hazel and I will have company on the road. I am awful glad.

Vera was up and stayed all day Saturday. She said to tell you Hello. We surely have some great time talking and planning. Well I will stop and let you rest a while I may send you a card soon as I have one for you.

Best wishes,

As ever Mae

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August 18, 1914

Dear Diary,

This is the most pleasant morning, blue sky and not to hot or cool. I am in Donald to keep Papa company for a couple of days. Hazel and I came down yesterday afternoon so we would be here in time for the dance. We picked up Vera and Florence on the way and of course Clarence was along, too.

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Vera is so very blue about Clarence leaving for Nebraska with his family. They plan to leave in another month once all the crops are in, here. Mama and Papa lived in Nebraska for a few years. They were just kids though, at least Mama was anyway. Papa says the Waddington’s and Phillips have been following each other around since at least the 1850’s. At least they have no plans of following them back to Nebraska.

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I got a terrible headache at the dance so didn’t stay to long. I was thankful we were spending the night here and I didn’t have far to go home.  I guess I slept it off as it is gone this morning.

I must stop now and start making some lunch. Papa has found a few ranch hands to help so I need to rustle up some food for them, just meat sandwiches and oatmeal cookies they can eat out in the fields.