19-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Tuesday, September 15, 1914: Climbed an old apple tree after grapes, and got well scratched up.
Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:
Grandma—
It sounds like harvesting grapes is challenging and dangerous work. At least you didn’t fall out of the tree.
—
Old-fashioned grape vines were much larger than more modern ones. I suppose that the apple tree served as a trellis for the grape vine—and that the grapes were Concord grapes or another similar variety with seeds and slip skins.
A Hundred Years Ago 
And climbing trees in long skirts too!
I hadn’t thought about the long skirts–but you’re absolutely right, that would add additional challenges. 🙂
Another great turn of phrase that I will be borrowing: ‘Got well scratched up.’ Certainly not what we say in Ireland!
It is a fun turn of the phrase–thought it’s not how I’d say it either. 🙂 I think that the way some things are worded have changed across the last hundred years.
I wonder was it just Helena or other people who used these turns of phrase. Can we ever know?
My Pennsylvania grandma used that saying too. It almost sounds like an Amish-type phrase.
Many thanks for taking the trouble to respond. Really interesting!
Mom made preserves and grape juice from her Concord grapes. Excellent stuff.
mmm. . . that sounds good. I thought about making jelly from Concord grapes to illustrate this post, but the only Concord grapes I could find were in little one-pound boxes at the supermarket and quite expensive. . . .so I just bought 1 one-pound box and enjoyed eating the grapes,
Hi. We still see wild grapes growing in trees along the St. John River. I wish I could still climb trees. Did a lot of that when I was young. Jane
I wish I could still climb trees, too. I remember that my favorite tree to climb when I was small was a Seckle pear tree. It seemed like the branches were spaced just right for a kid to climb. 🙂
I wonder if her grapes might have been wild ones? I think the muscadine would have grown in her area. It’s amazing to see how high the wild grapes here will climb — well above the height of an apple tree. Hooray for the people who learned how to tame the grape, so we can pick them from a position on the ground!
Maybe, I hadn’t thought about wild grapes. I’m not familiar with muscadine grapes, but they may have grown in the area.
I’ll bet Helena had a great time even if she did get scratched up a bit. There’s nothing like harvesting fresh from the vine.
I bet that she had fun, too. I bet that she still enjoyed climbing trees; and the need to harvest the grapes would have given her an excuse a “kid” activity. 🙂
I bet those grapes were worth it!
So do I. 🙂
Another post that expands my view. Thanks.
I’m glad you enjoyed it.
I think she likes climbing trees 🙂
So do I. I think that she sometimes found it difficult to fit into the role of a 19-year-old adult–and that she enjoying having a reason to climb a tree.
Thank you for explaining that entry Sheryl – I was so confused! 😀
Diana xo
It’s nice to hear that you found the explanation helpful.
I remember those slip-skin grapes from when I was a kid!
I found some slip-skin “table grapes” at the supermarket. They have a wonderful taste, and I’ve been enjoying eating them–though they are much slower to eat than more modern grape varieties. 🙂
Just love Concord grapes and this time of year when we get fresh local ones – can understand why your grandmother made the effort!