aminition on bunch of plover flying over. Chopped som wood. Caught 2
weezels & a skunk. This was yesterdy. Froggs are around. Got a new
thermomter but I think it not akkerate. The merkery is red. Probly all
rite for sumer wether. Am now taking Sistom Tonick. Good dele of baptist
wether & som snow this month but in general a fine month. Ducks & gese
hav ben thicker than hare on a dog & I done well on rats too. Got all
trapps out of marsh & som not mine. Spring is rite on skedule. Tomorrow
is April fools day & a lot of them are around.
_April 6–7–8–9–10_—All fare days with no wether, but a mushy bust of
snow has com as I rite. On the 9th was Good Friday. Our Lord was
Crucufied in my Almanack on that date. That was a big mistake. I notis
for 3 days sunup & sunsett late compard with clock so hav sett clock.
Sun & clock now on skedule acording to almanack & with my noon marker on
the stump & notch in window sill evrything is all rite up to date. Your
uncle Josiah knos the time of day.
_April 11th_—I see that Henry Clay was born today in 1776. I was always
a Henry Clay man. This is Easter Sunday the day on which Our Lord is
Risen. Thare is a lot of pepil that should take notis.
_April 15th_—Buds are well out & on skedule. Thare are freckels around
the trees showing we had a hard winter. Froggs are around thick. It was
bad wether for rats in Jan & Feb but they wintered well. I must go after
supplys & som spring medicin. I got som bisness to tend to.
_April 18th_—Must plant all gardin sass now. Moon is right tonite & this
is the time. A man com up from Beaver Lake & says hard winter thare. Wm
Hull a stedy helthy man of good bild & sober was froze with cold. He was
coming home from mil & he lived over neare West Creek. This was Jan
12th. He was found by 2 squas out after wood. He was found froze. He
owed me som money. This was a bad day. Sky looks all chesy tonite.
_April 20th_—Befoar sunup a lite spatter of rain that turned into bad
storm with high wind. All this must dry out then must plant. Lots of
herons nesting up to herontown this yeare same as usual in the
sickamores. Your uncle Josiah was all in thare in a boat. A hooting owl
was up the cottonwood last nite over the house. I got up with the gunn &
made a bloody mess of him. They cannot hoot above your uncle while he
sleeps.
_April 24th_—Jaybirds & crows ben jawing a good dele round the house &
making a rackett & thare is a lot of fox squorls & coons bobbing around
the iland when the wether is still & a bear com across. Would like to
get that cuss. Lots of wolves around. Big spring for ducks & gese but
most hav left. Meny staying to bild nests. Must see in the attic what
seeds I hav then must plan. Must plant erly stuff. It is now 5 P.M.
_April 26th_—Got all seeds in yesterdy. Robbins & Bloobirds & a lot of
Woodpekers & Chipping birds are around & they are mostly bilding nests.
I must plant som mellins. A good mellin in the shade on a hot day is a
fine thing. Almanack predicted April would be seasonable & this is rite
so far.
_April 30th_—Thares skunks on the iland maybe 3 or 4. Froggs are prety
noisy. Them crokers keap it up. Considrabel snipe around & some plover.
April has ben a remarkabel month. Mostly wet but meney fare days. Thare
was a lot of wether betwene the 1st & 15th. Lots of froggs & enybody
that wants a bullfrogg pie could get one rite heare if they went after
it. This is the place.
_May 4th_—No wether now sence the 30th. Fare & nether warm or cold.
Florida & Iowa admited into The Union yesterdy in 1845. Them are twin
states. The line of beens has sprouted & must look out for Jaybirds they
will get into these. The weeds will com along all rite. You Bet.
_May 5th_—N. Bonapart died in 1821. He was a bad egg.
_May 8th_—Sumery wether & fishing in the river is good. S. Conkrite was
down & says he got a pike of 17 lbs. I got one of 19. Pike are thick. I
can cetch all I want rite in front of the house & bass & cattfish. It is
knoing whare they are. He can not tell me eny thing he is a wind bag.
Old Josiah was not born yesterdy or the day befoar ether.
_May 10th_—Vegetition greening up & evrything lively & on skedule. Pete
Quagno & his squa com today to see how I was & if I had eny tobaco. Him
& the other inguns down the marsh all had a bad winter. They got a lot
of rat skins & coons & som Foxes. They et the bodies of all them animils
& smoaked som. Thare is nuthing not et by savidges. Thare was a lot of
sickness around thare. It shoured hard again to day as well as yesterdy
& this may wash them off som. Unusual shours along with thunder &
litening all P.M. Them inguns went back in the rain.
_May 12th_—Plum blosoms plenty. Potattoes up. All sines say a hot sumer.
Good meny snakes around som prety long ones. Som drizzel in the air as I
rite.
_May 13–14–15–16–17_—Spatters of rain a good dele now. Looks like a wet
May if this keaps up.
_May 18th_—Fishing prety good. Got a boatfull of pike & bass yesterdy. I
heare S. Conkrite has caught nuthing up to his place even if he uses
netts. Must salt down som for winter. Thares lots of sukkers in the
river. Evry litle while you get one & thare are a few eles. Must smoak
som.
_May 19th_—I put som 70 lbs. of fish in the pork brine that is all empty
now. Must get another barel for pork in the fall. Sprinkels as I rite.
_May 23rd_—Sombody stole my minnie box or it floted off. On this day my
almanack says Capt Kidd a famous pirate was hung in London & this was
rite. Thares a lot around now but not famous. Thick & sticky air tonite.
_May 25th_—Think I sene a lite frost this morning. Funy for this time of
yeare. Went after the skunks on the iland last nite & got som. The
chickins & me do not want skunks around. I got 3 in trapps & 1 with gunn
& 1 got me. You Bet. Thares too meney skunks. Som clouddy tonite with
wobblie sunsett.
_May 27th_—Foxes & skunks both got into the chickins last nite. Thares
too meney of both & if the chickins would only roost in the trees. It is
hard work to rase chickins & they get lots of things the mater with
them. Frisky looking sky tonite.
_May 29th_—Ed Baxter & his noo wife Fanny Noonan com today. It is hard
to see why them 2 got marrid. They wanted to see how I was & to borro
som things. Ed has got a sqwint in one eye & I gues that is why he got
fooled. Ed & her are both red hedded & she did not draw much when she
marrid him. I notis the temperature remains about the same with litle or
no drop or rise.
_May 31st_—These are fine days. S. Conkrite com down & I tell him I hav
4 barels of pike & bass that I caught & pikeled at odd times. He brought
som noos. He says thare was timber theves working down the river all the
winter & spring & them logs that went out was all stole. They was all
cut by the theves & floted down to the Illinoi when high watter com.
Next winter something will be done by the owners if they begin again. He
says over a thousan logs was floted out & partys are not knone. Looks
som like rain as I rite. He says if the theves get caught they will be
convicted by the laws of both states. The sherifs hav all ben given
notis. Almanack predicted May would be seasonabel & this is rite. This
has ben a remarkabel month.
_June 2nd_—Fine still day but all fish biting stoped when it thundered
in P.M. A swizzel of rain at evening.
_June 10th_—All this month so far fine days & sumery. Eny who do not
like this wether should have no wether at all. I got the gunn & blowed a
noo hornet nest in the tree by the pump. Will not need them. They are
worse than democrats. I notis flys are around.
_June 11–12–13–14–15_—All fine days. Nuthing hapened.
_June 17th_—On this day in 1775 was the Batel of Bunker Hill. Bad day
for England. Fish hav bit well. No wether to rite down. All fine. Your
uncle Josiah enjoys this. I must tell S. Conkrite of a catt fish I sene
in the river today 4 ft long. This fish was probly 6 ft if he sene it
when it passed his place. It was slopping in the shallo watter out on
the sand bar. It was probly astonished at all my empty medicin botles
that are all over the botom out thare.
_June 27th_—It rained catts & dogs & pitchforks today & I fore saw this
in the wether breeding cloudds of last nite. A hooting owl was around
but too dark to bust him. Joseph Smith the Mormon Prophet murdered in
the almanack today in 1844. Som wife troubel probly.
_June 30th_—Good month all through. Potattoes begin to carry buggs. Must
brush them off. June is a bugg month. Gardin fine if the woodchucks
would keap out. Shot severil & will shoot these rite along. Must get
them off the iland & the skunks too. You Bet. Coppery looking sunsett
tonite.
_July 2nd_—Geting hot wether. I do not kno whare all the potattoe buggs
are from. Thare must be a big bugg town somwhare that they all hale
from. We need som rain. The moon is now full.
_July 4th_—This is the Nation’s birth day but thare are too meney
forriners. J. Podnutt S. Conkrite & Amos Horner Ed Baxter & Peleg S.
Mason all com down. I think Podnutt is a forriner. Thares lots of
miskitos now & they bit well in the shade & plenty of flys. These men
all say it has never ben so dry. Thares no watter up the byous & the
marsh is drying out. Conkrite says thare are big fish left swiming in
puddels back in the woods whare the watter went down & left them in
April & he says pike & bass as long as your arm are thare. I tell him he
beter drop some salt in them puddels. Tally 1 for old Josiah. Sam Green
& a man named Wasson com in the P.M. to see if thare was eny hay around.
Wasson I think is a forriner. On Jan 5th 1828 it says in the almanack
the Turks banished all forriners from their empire. Thare was too meney
thare like thare is heare. Green says catel not geting filled on grass
yet can live. When my tobaco was gone these men all left in boats. They
went home by bugg lite at nite. Such a pack of lies hav never ben told
as today. I think Wasson should cut som whiskers this fall. It is prety
hot as I rite & thare is too much tumoil & visiting & too much going on
heare & thare. Thares too much passing to & fro. Thares too meney flys &
thares too dam meney pepil. God bless all departing travelors. I rite
this on the 5th.
_July 11th_—It has never ben hotter even in the shade. Hamilton & Burr
had a duel this day in 1804. Burr was a good shot but a bad man. For a
week it has ben to hot to rite in my wether book. & the nites are
sticky.
_July 12th_—We are having a bad dry spell & I fore saw this erly in the
month. Only 1 lite spurt of rain sence erly June. I stay in the shade
for I do not want eny body to get sun struck. This is a big miskito
month & they are at it constant. Eny body that wants miskitos & natts
can get them rite heare. Take notis. This is the place & dog days is the
time.
_July 13_—Hottest we ever had. At Nantuckett rite close to the watter
300 bildings burnt today in 1846. Took fire from the sun probly. A big
snapping turkel was around the pump today. Maybe he was chased out of
the river by the heat.
_July 15th_—My almanack says Jeruselum was taken today in 1029. It is
probly hot thare now. If the almanack would go as far foreds as it goes
back it would be a valubel record. It says also W. Penn died in 1718 on
the 20th. I keep my almanack heare with me in the shade. Penn was a
grate man. I com from his state. It has never ben so hot as sence the
10th. Your uncle Josiah has got the thermomter on the tree by the pump
now to cool it som.
_July 16–17–18–19–20_—When it is hot I sett genraly out of the sun &
smoak. That old yellow pipe is prety hot & it works all day. This has
ben going on for a week now. You can lite a match by sticking it in the
river now if you want to. It is sissing hot. You can cook eny thing by
setting it out doors. No frost in the air now. You Bet. I wattered all
gardin sass from the river with a buckett at evening & all grows well,
but some probly cooked. The merkery will hav to climb the tree if this
keaps up.
_July 31st_—Too hot to rite in wether book. Still dry. I mostly stay
down by the pump & the flys like this. I slep out on the grass sence the
15th & the miskitos liked that. This has ben a remarkabel month.
_Aug. 1st_—In August on the 1st in 1798 was the Batel of the Nile so my
almanack says. Must have ben hot out on the watter in Egipt at that
time. Meteors which are bals of fire in the sky are predicted for
August. They should begin dropping soon & your uncle Josiah will keap
his eye open. It is so dry now that Ed Baxter says the mushrats hav all
left the marsh & they are all going out round the country for watter to
qwench their thirst. He says thare are cases whare they went to wells &
fell in & 1 com to the watter buckett in his house. Bad sumer for rats.
A good catt nap in the shade is a fine thing now.
_Aug. 2nd_—This is Monday & I have stade in the shade now sence this
thing commenced. This wether will probly blister the buggs off the
potattoes. They wont get off no other way until it gets cool if they are
waiting for your uncle to brush them. Everything well het up. Lots of
smoak. Big fire in the woods somwhare I bet.
_Aug. 5th_—Nuthing ritten now sence the 2nd. Thare is thunder off in the
west tonite & she is coming up. Som wind & all sines say a soking storm
of rain.
_Aug. 7th_—Raining hevy as I rite. Rained all nite long & yesterdy. Must
patch the roof som. Had to put a buckett under a leak last nite. Good
thing I got plenty of bucketts. Litening struck all around in woods hard
all nite.
_August 9th_—Awful rains sence the nite of the 5th. We are geting too
much rain. Seems like something has busted up above and all thare is is
coming down. Som should be saved up & sprinkeled along the rest of the
calender. What is the use of all this. This is a very wet time. Thare
are no flodes predicted for this time of the yeare. I must read the
bible som if this keaps up & bild an ark. This is a grate lesson to us
all. In 1812 on this date a caravan of 2000 Turks from Mecca was
destroyed in the Desert by lack of watter. I bet they wished they had
som of this. Too bad all the Turks were not thare. All Turks are wicked
men & it says som whare in the bible that they shall have their part in
Hell Fire. Hell Fire & Turks will mix well. The litening was after your
uncle again last nite.
_August 10th_—Clearing now with som wind & again warm. Looks wet in the
west. Thares watter enough to swim the young ducks around now all rite &
plenty of it for eny body that wants it. My potattoe buggs all floted
away. This shows that trubels of all kinds will quit som time if you
wait & do nuthing. You could swim all over the country now. Ed Baxter &
S. Conkrite com in a boat today to see how I was & if I was still above
watter & to borro tobaco & cowcumbers. When eny body coms around it is
always somthing for them. They both say They never sene so meney snakes
around as this yeare. Ed Says he killed 4 rattlers & Conkrite says he
got 6. These men will both see more snakes next year than they did this
if they do not quit. Conkrite’s biggest snake was 5 ft with 6 ratles. I
showed them a skin I took off of 6 ft with 9 ratles & they lit som more
of my tobaco & told of erly days. I notis they all get into the trees
when your uncle Josiah comences to talk. His feet are mates & he drinks
nuthing but pump watter. Snakes do not com around him much but when they
do they are Whoppers. Drizzeled som at nite.
_Aug. 15_—It is hot again & the Old Bull Eye now glares stedy on the
crops. Thare was a pop corn sky last nite. No cloudds today. Full bugg
lite at nite.
_Aug. 21st_—Thare com up a hale storm today that was over in 5 minits
with hale stones big as pidgun eggs & a strong wind that would blow bark
off a bass wood. I do not kno whare it com from. Somthing must hav
hapened up above to do all this. Hale turned to rain & it drizzels as I
rite. Meney litle ded todes & froggs are all over the iland whare they
probly rained down. Maybe fish & small live stock will com next.
_Aug. 22nd_—Cleared off all rite but cloudds in the north look like
wether breeders tonite & it is a mackral sky all over. Ed Baxter &
Conkrite com today in a boat that looks like the one that got loose &
floted off away from my place 3 years ago. It is now painted up & the
ores changed. They com to see how I was & to borro som big fish hooks
for their sett lines. I tell them to use an axe for big fish same as I
do. Could not find eny hooks after I sene that boat. My eye sight got
bad. The old man’s mind is foggy. He does not kno how to do.
_Aug. 31st_—Your uncle Josiah went down to the marsh yesterdy to see how
mushrats are. They sumered well. Young ones are thick & well grown &
geting lots of clams. Meney wood ducks around & the ducks hatched in the
marsh all are flying well. Cloudded up at nite & had a dark time geting
back. The moon was around but it was so dark a cat could find nuthing.
Thares an awful lot of new thick grass in the marsh. I do not like
watter with so much whiskers on it. This has ben a quere month &
thermomter has jumped around a good dele. This has ben a remarkabel
month.
_Sept. 1st_—The meteors in my almanack did not fall in August &
predictions not reliabel. Nuthing of the kind around. It is geting along
toreds fall. Pidguns are around. They broke som ded lims on the iland
this week whare they roosted. Thares slews of them. This is a good yeare
for pidguns. I got 33 with 2 shots. They did not kno that your uncle
Josiah was around with a gunn. I notis in my almanack Oisters are now in
season. Nuthing of the kind around heare.
_Sept. 4th_—Soon after sunup it looked like streky black cloudds up
above but it was pidgun flocks coming south. Pidguns are all over now.
Big droves roosted around last nite. I must salt down som. They are in
the woods after the young akerns. Pidguns still going over. Cant tell if
it is clouddy. Warm day thow.
_Sept. 10th_—Must get a houn pupp. Old Tike is geting wobblie in the
nose & he looses his nose now & then. He is sick som & not lively. He is
a good dog but he has erned his money. He is now going on 13 yeares &
has ben over the country som sence I had him. S. Conkrite had some pupps
last week & I must go up. They may be all spoken for thow. Must get som
supplys & som backake ointmint. Hell I broke my pipe. Wether breeding
clouds in the west tonite as I rite.
_Sept. 12th_—A sorel mare was stolen by 2 men & a buggy Tuesday nite
from Ed Baxter who had just bote the mare. They caught these men over 18
miles off on the Hickery Top Road & they are now locked in jale. He was
down at evening to see how I was & to get some eggs. The sherif & a
possy was what nabbed the theves. I hear from Ed that Henry Clay died
last June & that a chese facktory & brick kill are to be bilt neare West
Crick. I fore see a church next. This country is geting too much setled
up. Thares too dam meney pepil. It rained som today but cleared at noon.
Ed had a lot of noos. He went off home by bugg lite about 9. He kep me
up. I rite this on the 13th.
_Sept. 14_—A wolf has ben on this iland frequent & has ben after
chickins & eny thing he can get. I set a trapp & he turned it over & got
the bate evry time. Last nite I set it botom sid up & he turned it over
& I got that cuss. He did not kno the trapp was botom upwards & he was
astonished. You can not fool much with your uncle Josiah. Som drizzel in
the air tonite & som colder. It is geting into fall all rite. I kno
whare 2 bee trees are. Your uncle has them spotted. Thare will be honey
heare in about a week. You Bet.
_Sept. 17th_—The merkery took a sudden jump & it is hot as July &
August. I slep out on the grass last nite. A good mush mellin in the
shade is a fine thing now. Conkrite & Baxter com yesterdy when I was not
within & left a buckett they borowed Saturday to take down the river. I
must put a date on that for its the first thing they ever brought back.
_Sept. 20th_—I got a cubb bear that was 1–2 in & 1–2 out of a bee tree
after honey & got him home well chained with a colar. I got about 60 lbs
honey. This was yesterdy & the day befoar. The animil eats well & acts
tame but scared. I name him Jim Crow.
_Sept. 21st_—S. Conkrite & Ed Baxter & Wife com today to see how I was &
to see if I got eny honey yet. They are rite on skedule. Also they
wanted to borro som small shot & to get som fouls. Ed’s wife made beleve
she was scared of the bear. Probly so Ed would save her from it.
Conkrite says he got a wild catt over to the swamp that was 37 inches
tip to tip. I got one 40 inches last winter that I spoke nuthing of.
Mine was a feerce animil. Conkrite blows a good dele. The pupp I got
from Conkrite houls all the time & has et his hed off up to date. Jim
Crow got a peice of the pupp yesterdy when he got neare. The pupp tried
to bite Conkrite & I think this shows he was treated bad at home. I
asked Conkrite about pork for winter pikel but he semes to think my
place is whare money dripps off the roof & shakes out of the trees. At
killing time it will be diferent. Ed Baxter says he has dug a deeper
well. His other he says is full of mushrats that com for watter in dry
spell in July to qwench their thirst & now living thare. I tell him to
sett & fish for them with a pole. It is now 8 P.M. & your uncle is reddy
for his blankett.
_Sept. 25th_—I went after supplys. Old Josiah now has plenty of
evrything. Thare is Backake Remedy Foot Ointmint Magick oil for Stif
Joints & Pain Killer & 2 kinds of Bitters & Sistom Tonick & pills both
blue & pink. I got Condition Powders for chickins if sick. I got som
tobaco black as Egipt for those who com to borro. It is strong enough so
you can pull nales with it. I got all they had and some candels. Jim
Crow is well & he likes all swete things. I got Jim som stripped candy 3
sticks. The Pacific Ocean was discovered in 1513 by my almanack on this
day. Funy they missed it befoar. When I com by Ed Baxter’s place last
nite the boat that used to be mine got loose & com along down with me. I
find certain marks on it that I will show Ed. I reckonize my own boat &
it now seeks its home. A drizzel of mosture as I rite. I tended to a lot
of bisness today. Conkrite says the Sistom Tonick I ben buying is loaded
but does not say what with. He says mix a lot of pump watter with it &
not take to much or darkness will com.
_Sept. 28th_—The wether stays moist. Today in 1828 in the almanack the
sultan proceeds to the Turkish Camp with the sacred standard. Probly
stole from som whare.
_Sept. 29th_—These cold stormy drizzels may bring in a few ducks. Would
like som ducks. Moon full last nite but not sene.
_Oct. 1st_—Sept. was a quere month without much wether other way. Oct.
now opens clear with frost that nipped the vines last nite. Had the pupp
out for a run on rabbitts. His nose is good & he may learn. I never sene
a good dog that com from S. Conkrite’s yet. Was down to the marsh
yesterdy & meney noo rat houses. They are bilding thick & high & this
menes a hard winter & high watter in the spring. All sines say a hard
winter. Snipe are skitting around & thare is a lot of mudd hens & loons
in the marsh. 2 deer swum the marsh & dove into the timber. They kno
when Old Josiah has got a gunn & when he left it home. Sam Green & his
friend Wasson com in a boat tonite to see how I was & to get som honey.
The pupp bit Wasson. Tally 1 for the pupp. These men also wanted to
borro tobaco. Gave them som of the black. I tell them smoaking that kind
makes me strong.
_Oct. 6th_—Stormed & I stade in. Conkrite com in the rain to see how I
was & to borro powder & see if I had eny thing in my medicins for boils.
He says he com yesterdy & nocked but I was not within. I was then in the
woods traning the pupp. His noos is Ed Baxter claims he has 2 twins that
com erly this morning & I bet they look like young mushrats. He spoke of
pork but old Josiah is keaping prety still until after the snow flys. He
says of Ed’s twins they are both boys & red hedded. Thares too meney
Baxters now. S. C. Says them 2 twins will be named James & John.
_Oct. 12th_—In the full of the moon & on a frosty nite your uncle Josiah
goes after coons & I note this down. It will be the 27th if nite is
clear. I notis Columbus landed today in the almanack in 1492. He was the
first of the forriners.
_Oct. 18th_—Nuthing happened sence the 12th, but last nite a killing
frost & today a swizzel of rain & sleat with N.W. Wind. This will bring
down ducks & gese. Stade in today & clened up shot gunn & rifel & all
trapps. Saw to all aminition. Evrything all fixed up as I rite. Put all
potattoes & vegitibels in sod celer & evrything all tite up to date.
Cleared off som today & som ducks are coming & som gese are in the sky.
Unusual wether for Oct. Gese honks all nite long as I slept. This was
last nite. I got 25 lbs tobaco in the sod celer too. When I need tobaco
this winter I kno whare som is.
_Oct. 19_—Blowing strong from N.W. Rain & sleat. Sky all speckeled with
ducks & gese. They are coming in slews now. Gese honk all nite can not
sleep. Active wether will come rite along now. No more lofing for your
uncle Josiah. He gets on his sheap skin coat now. Take notis. He is in
the field.
_Oct. 20–21–22–23–24–25_—I ben busy all this time. Josiah is around with
a gunn. He makes fethers fly & he fetches in the birds. Fine gese & duck
wether. The marsh is black with them evry morning at sunup. The Irish
Rebelion was on the 23rd of this month in 1641. They begun coming heare
then.