It rained nearly all night, & this morning snowing. Today is Mrs. John McCarthy Sale. Papa went this afternoon. He took the Whippet, he said he see the road back there how it was, & if he couldn’t get through he would let his machine stand by Caldwell’s. Papa heard this morning at Hecker that Ed. Gregson living along the hard road down towards Red Bud died. Papa took Clifford along to the sale, they left the machine stand, & walked to the house, but there was no more than about 2 dozen people there, so the sale was postponed until Thurs. afternoon. Ike Napier & Ed. Meng where there also, they left the machine stand to, by the Portland School & walked there. Eggs are 18¢ today.
Friday, March 6, 1931
Papa went up to Jac. Neffs to see if he would grub the well out down on the farm. He is strawing potatoes today, 8 rows we got planted. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary came up this afternoon. They planted potatoes on their place across the street. It started raining so they had to stop & go home. Rosalia & Bertille went to church this morning, & this evening. There wasn’t many people there this evening on account of the rainy weather, so he didn’t have stations, he just had the rosary & Benediction.
Thursday, March 5, 1931
Papa is plowing & harrowing the potatoe land this morning. Fr. Grootens was here. He wanted to use the truck to get some straw and our brooder. So him & Frank got it. He has 2000 little chicks. He also has a new DeSoto coupe. We planted 2 bu. potatoes this morning. Papa took the team back out to Henry’s again he is going to help him sow oats out there today. He was there for dinner. This afternoon Rosalia had to go out to get him. We have to turn our eggs twice a day now in the incubator. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary came up this afternoon. She went to the sewing circle. Tonight is farmers meeting at the new school hall, but none of us went. Eggs are 18¢ today. There was a lady here today & wanted to sell 3 flowers in a basket for 25¢. I send her off. She said she was selling them to support 5 small children & her father. There was a man here wanted to take orders for strawberrie plants, & also a fellow from Waterloo & wanted to sell or advertising Skill Gas. They sure have a time at Blackburns School this year the way Mrs. Ettling told Papa.
Wednesday, March 4, 1931
Papa is sewing clover seed this morning. Henry was here for dinner today. This afternoon he went home with his tractor & Rosalia had to take his machine home for him. Papa harrowed the potatoe patch, & when he was finished, he went out & got Rosalia again. Jac. Reheis’ wife was also at Henry’s, she got 12 doz. eggs for hatching. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary came up this evening, they brought our seed potatoes along up. Aunt Mary & Rosalia went to church. Mr. Tolin was buried this morning at Waterloo. He was playing cards till 11 o’clock at night, & at 12:30 they found him breathing heavy & shortly after he died.
Tuesday, March 3, 1931
They are sewing oats today again. George Reheis & Henry were here for dinner today. He charged Henry $3.50 for sewing oats. He finished just before dinner. This afternoon Papa went to Caldwell’s sale, but didn’t buy anything, it was a pretty fair sale. There were quite a few there from around here. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary went too. This afternoon Philip Peiffer is being buried at Centralia, he used to live around here, it is Ben Heyl’s wife & Mrs. Cleveland’s father. Rosalia got 17¢ today for eggs. We set 6 hens tonight & we also got the incubator setting with 100 eggs. Rosalia finished Bertille’s dress today.
Monday, March 2, 1931
This morning Mrs. Johnny Schilling of Waterloo is getting buried there, they found her dead. Papa & Rosalia left early this morn. & went out to Henry’s to help him, he is going to sew oats up here today. Papa brought the team & wagon & Rosalia, the machine [to] Henry’s with oats, & oil & Henry the tractor. Geo. Reheis is here too helping him. There was a car crippled one of our red hens last night so we killed the hen & are having it for dinner today. George Reheis & Henry were here for dinner. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary came up this afternoon. She started fixing Bertille’s dress, like Leona’s pattern. It is right nice. Henry & Rosalia went out to Henry’s this afternoon after some more oats.
Sunday, March 1, 1931
It is Christ Buehler’s birthday today. Leona was up for first mass today & Henry for late mass. Uncle Fred is working on the bed what he bought yesterday, he is cleaning it with coakol [charcoal?]. It just seems that everybody what didn’t have the measles yet are sure to get them this year. Agnes Gregson, Karl Boll, Hugo & Robert Probst, Oscar Birkner’s children, & a good many others all got the measles now. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary, Henry, were all here for dinner today. He tried to fix our incubator. Tomorrow he is going to sew oats up here. George Reheis is to sew it for him. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary, Rosalia put up curtains upstairs in the house across the street. They took Cyrus Hill’s wife to the hospital at Red Bud to get operated on appendix. Rosalia went to church this evening.
Saturday, Feb. 28, 1931
Hy. Armstutz was here & wanted Papa to sew clover seed, so it went down to the field & sow it. This afternoon he went to Mrs. Bersche’s sale at Waterloo. Bertille got up this afternoon for the first time for almost a week. Rosalia is setting out onion sets today. Papa planted 150 cabbage plants from Mrs. Johnny Kreher because neither one of us were able too at the time. Our little chicks are doing wonderful now. Elmer Rittemeyer also got his leg broken, the other day, when Adolph called he jumped out & broke his leg. Adolph must be in a terrible condition the way they say. Papa bought a few articles at Bersche’s sale this afternoon. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary went to a sale in Belleville, they bought a iron bed & a few other articles. This evening Papa & Uncle Fred went in to get it with our truck. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary were here for supper.
Friday, Feb. 27, 1931
Papa went out in the woods this morn. & this afternoon he went out to Henry’s to help him get his seed oats ready to sew. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary came up this evening. Aunt Mary & Rosalia went to church.
Thursday, Feb. 26, 1931
Aunt Mary, Uncle Fred were here today. Mary went to the sewing circle. Uncle Fred work over at the place. Papa was out in the woods this afternoon hauling wood together. Aldoph Rittemeyer got hurt this evening. They were moving a brooder house out from Belleville to Aldoph place. Aldoph was standing on the brooder house when he hit the telephone wire crossing the hard road by Lipperts. The wire hit him under the chin and knocked him off of the truck they rushed him to the hospital. And he has a fracture scaul [skull]. Broken collar bone and a broken hip. And still unconscious and in very bad shape.
[Ed. note: This entry is not in Bertille’s handwriting. Strong possibility that it was written by Rosalia].
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