17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Tuesday, August 13, 1912: Yes sir,, and I did do the ironing this forenoon. All except two collars. Ruth went up to McEwensville this morning and was a long time coming home. I thought it wasn’t very nice.

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:
Yes sir?? . . . Sounds like Grandma was mad at someone (her mother??).
Since Grandma’s sister Ruth didn’t get home in a timely manner, she apparently was ordered to do her sister’s chore (the ironing).
Why did Ruth go to McEwenville? Was it an errand? . . . to visit a friend?
sounds like she likes ironing as much as I do–I would be mad at Ruth too!
Hard to be stuck at home doing ironing … some things don’t change. I wonder about the task in McEwensville, too … sounds like it captured Ruth’s attention, whatever it was …
Love the way Miss Muffly uses the term “forenoon” instead of “morning”. Charming…
Now we know why she gets upset when her sister goes, even though she’s upset when her sister is there… at least when she’s there she does her own chores!
I think I might dislike ironing even more than cow watching.
So it’s official, ironing has NEVER been fun..ha.