17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Monday, July 1, 1912:
In the shadow of a shade tree,
There the weary often be,
After they have been well roasted,
In the hot sun of July.
Stopped picking strawberries today. All my earnings, about $4.00 in all, I still have and expect to keep until I spend them.
Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:
Grandma apparently has—at least occasionally– been picking strawberries for money since June 10. I assume that a neighboring farmer paid her to pick them.
$4.00 would have been worth a lot more a hundred years ago than it is worth today. I wonder how Grandma eventually spent the money.
Poem
On the first day of every month Grandma included a poem in her diary entry.
A Hundred Years Ago 
Hi Sheryl. I am impressed with how regular your grandmother was with her entries, and how interesting they are. She must have picked a lot of berries for her $4.00 When I was young, we got $.35 a box for blueberries. Jane
I also think that $4.00 would have required her to pick a lot of strawberries. I’m trying to figure out what the inflation rate was between 1912 and 2012 so that I can better understand what $4.00 would be worth in today’s terms. When I get it figured out, I’ll tell you about it in a future post.
I have nominated you for the Mrs Sparklys Ten Commanements Award you can check it out at – http://thoughtsfromanamericanwoman.wordpress.com/ Blessings! Patty
Thanks for nominating me. I’m honored that you think this blog is worthy of the award.
I hope it wasn’t as hot there 100 years ago as it is here today! Even in the shade of a tree it was over 100.
It had to have been difficult in the days before air conditioning and electric fans.
I have memories of women fanning themselves with beautiful fans when I was young. I bet fans were even more popular a hundred years ago.
hmmm… good for you Miss Muffly. I too wonder what she decides to spend her well earnt dosh on Sheryl. Hope she shares with us her “wonderings” 🙂 …
We’ll have to wait and see. 🙂
Congratulations for the nomination, I really hope you win that award. You deserve it.
Thanks! And, thanks for the kind comments. It’s always wonderful to hear when someone enjoys this blog.