Friday, Dec. 21, 1934

Leona brought the teacher & pupils of Blackburn School up for the Christmas program at the Hecker School, Rosalia & Berti went to, it was real nice, Stana came too. We went to Belleville this afternoon. Eggs 26¢ today. Received a Christmas greeting from Josie Keller today. Papenberg boy’s got a red fox; hunting season.

Thursday, Dec. 20, 1934

Cleaned front room. Rose baked oatmeal cookies. Henry & Leona went to Belleville left Billy [Willis] here. Eggs 24¢ here. Mr. Eugene Metzger 34 of Floraville shot & killed himself at the home of his sister Mrs. Freida Gerhard, 2 miles south of Floraville; funeral to be held Sat. afternoon, from Millstadt chapel to Floraville Cemetery; he wasn’t married, was sickly & unemployed in St. Louis for 2 yrs. The streets are awful icey [sic] at present; cars pass with chains, several big trucks were stuck up at Belleville Henry had said. Hecker people were shopping there today, Weigands, Klotz’s, Watchels, Lauts etc. The children of the Catholic School is having there Christmas program tonight at the hall, everybody invited Adm. 10¢. Mr. George Hepp celebrated his 101 yr. birthday last Friday, but is confined to his bed, suffering from a stroke recently. Mr. Henry Kessler left for Birmingham Ala. were he will spent Christmas with his sons there. The paper says more snow. & 20 degrees tonight.

Wednesday, Dec. 19, 1934

Fried down bacon & sausage, finished up ironing, patch. Baked eggless cookies. This morning everything was white, 6 inches snow fell, & Oh! Boy, wasn’t that a schuffling [sic – shuffling] this morning, “you tell em.” Ike Napier & Dorothy of New Athens just recently returned from Arkansas, due to the illness & death of Mr. Napiers mother. We made ice cream this evening, & it was good, this time of the year.

Tuesday, Dec. 18, 1934

Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary was up, got there sausage, & kettle fat. We washed, ironed, baked hardzorn [sic – hartshorn] 1 cookies. Rose sewed shirts for boys. Celestine Neff was here, selling tickets for the play tomorrow night.

Monday, Dec. 17, 1934

We butchered 2 hogs; for Uncle Fred; Henry & family were also up, Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary stayed in the evening, sugarcured hams & played cards, made carmel [sic] cookies. Virgil Eichenseer was here wanted to sell ticket for the school children’s play Thurs. nite; Oliver Ruhel was here to get signers to for the hog contract again. Uncle Freds hog weighed 245 lbs. @ $6.35. There is a ladies picture in the paper, where she is yawning, continously for 140 hrs; can’t stop. Clifford was here, told Henry, he has a colt for sale, he went & looked at it.

Sunday, Dec. 16, 1934

Went to mass at Red Bud. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary stayed awhile. Mr. Henry Meng came last night & paid his hogs 381 lbs. at $6.30, brought the hook this morning. We went out to Uncle Fred’s, had supper; got a cedar tree for Christmas. Red Bud Sewing Circle is out soliciting for pillow slips or cash for a euchre to be held after Christmas. Some men of Hecker Holy Name Society, are going around for collection’s to build a double brick garage for Fr. Aydts car, he keeps it by Eichenseer’s.

Saturday, Dec. 15, 1934

Papa took the feed up to be crushed but they didn’t start till late & Roy said he would bring it down at noon, so he did. We went out to Henry’s butchering 2 pigs, it rained & sleet all the while they were scalding them; we ground the sausage meat, with the machine wheel, went through in a hurry; had dinner, cleaned & scrubbed everything; brought Rose [Rosalia] along home; got 1935 calandars [sic] from Eichenseers tonight. Geo. Geodelle is having a birthday dance at Pautler’s tonite, Adm. Gents 25, ladies free Moonlighters playing. Miss Burgess Hecker school teacher has changed boarding places, has moved from Jatho’s to B Frilsther’s.

Friday, Dec. 14, 1934

Papa hauled wood, this afternoon got a load wheat to crush. Berti cleaned house, baked molasses cookies. Mr. & Mrs. Quentin Schroeder have a baby girl born Sun. morning at St. Mary’s Hospital, first born, Henry Schroeder grandparents & also Frank Rau, Hey. Schroeder soda factory man at Waterloo. The two story farm house of Paul Crook on his farm near Burksville was burned to the ground Tues. morning starting at 9:30, & spread so fast nothing could be saved, only the clothes what they had on, no furniture & nothing.

Thursday, Dec. 13, 1934

We cleaned chicken house; put in clean straw. Hy Meng got 2 hogs, 234 & 147 lbs. We went to Belleville sold 12 doz. eggs 35¢ doz; did Christmas shopping; nice day again. A ambulance went through here at 8 o clock this evening. Papa got a new battery put in the Whippet yesterday for $5.00 from Probst. Wagners telephone didn’t work, this morning, so Clara came over here & talked.

Wednesday, Dec. 12, 1934

Fried down bacon & sausage; patched, ironed. Bertie went to dentist, he couldn’t finish it yet; forgot root canal filling. Went out to Henry’s took boys clothes along. Leona came home this afternoon. Rosalia stayed out. She took the boys to school this morning & delivered some cold tablets to Cleveland’s; stopped by Henrys awhile. A beautiful day, warm. Emils birthday 51 yrs. old today. Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Bestmann, nee Geodelle have a baby girl Mon. night, first.