17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Wednesday, June 5, 1912: Trotted up to McEwensville this morning on an errand for Rufus, the dear little mortal.
Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:
Throughout the diary Grandma referred to her sister Ruth as Rufus when she was particularly annoyed.
Was the errand to deliver a message to one of Ruth’s friends? . . . .to buy something at a store? . . .
Older sisters can be bossy, but why did Grandma agree to walk the mile or so into McEwensville? Hmm– maybe running errands was more fun than watching cows.
A Hundred Years Ago 
Interesting use of words in this diary entry- “trotted” and “dear little mortal”. Did your grandma have this penchant for writing and words all thru her life?
As far as I know she didn’t do any writing–except for the occasional letter–after her teen years. It’s too bad that she didn’t keep it up, but I guess that she must have gotten busy with other things.
Sheryl,
What a wonderful blog. You are bringing the past to life! I love this sort of thing, and I can’t wait to read more.
Brenna
Thanks for taking a few moments to write a note. It’s always wonderful to hear when someone enjoys this blog.
have to agree i love the use of “trotted” and “dear little mortal” ..by your granny… almost reminds me some fairy folk talk! love your posts.
She did have a way with words!
I love tihs entry. It leaves so much to the imagination!
It is fun to try to imagine what the story behind diary entries like this one might have been.
Perhaps Helena’s mother told her she had to run the errand for her older sister. It was back in the days when “respect your elders” was a major teaching. She doesn’t sound very happy about doing it though.
You’re right– “respect for your elder” probably was a major teaching back then.