19-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Thursday, November 26, 1914: Thanksgiving. Have been having quite a long vacation. We had a Thanksgiving dinner for one thing. My taster was lacking due to a cold and I didn’t enjoy it as much as I might have. Carried a sassy goose down from town last Monday. The remains are in the pantry awaiting further digestion for the morrow. Wonder if that goose will keep me awake tonight.
Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:
Happy Thanksgiving, Grandma—
You carried a sassy (live?) goose home from town?
How the heck did you do that? A goose must weigh at least 10 or 12 pounds—and a cage would make it even heavier.
I’m not sure where you got it, but you live a mile and a half or so from both McEwensville and Watsontown. That’s a long walk.
And, then I suppose you had to help butcher it –and then cook it. And, you probably also had to make some other foods for the big meal—maybe mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, pies. . . .
Whew, I’m tired just thinking about all you needed to do to prepare for Thanksgiving.
I hope that you feel better soon, and that your “taster” is back by tomorrow. After all your hard work you deserve to enjoy at least some of the goose’s “remains.”
A Hundred Years Ago 
And happy Thanksgiving to the granddaughter of Miss Helena! I do enjoy reading your posts. 🙂
And, I hope that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I greatly appreciate it that you took a moment to write this kind note. I have a lot of fun doing doing this blog, and it’s always wonderful to hear when someone enjoys it.
Oh my goodness, fancy having to carry the goose all the way home on Monday, only to eat it three days later! I would have made friends with the goose in that time! No wonder grandma’s “taster” was a bit off, it probably wasn’t just the cold she had. 😉
Some things were just different back then.
Maybe it was on a leash!
Maybe. . .
This entry really does drive home the difference in terms used then as compared to now. Too bad, Grandma didn’t get to enjoy the Thanksgiving meal because of her cold.
There are a surprising number of similarities between 1914 and 2014–and then we get to a diary entry like this one which reminds us of how very different other things were.
Carrying a sqirmy goose with all the noise it must have made would not have been fun! Jane
Grandma must have been a sight to see as she walked home with the goose. I wish that someone had taken a photo of her. 🙂
Talk about fresh food! Happy Thanksgiving Helena and all my American friends!
Diana xo
Thank you for the kinds wishes.
Happy Thanksgiving!
And, I hope that you also have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Whoa! I hope she at least had it in a bag…they’re mean. Of course, I think I would be mean too it I had an idea of where that equally Sassy girl was taking me!
Happy Thanksgiving!
I hadn’t thought of it, but I bet that you’re right that she carried the goose home in a bag. That would have made the walk slightly more manageable. I like how you reframed this to look at it from the goose’s perspective. Grandma definitely would have been seen as a sassy girl. 🙂
It’s a shame your Grandma didn’t enjoy Thanksgiving as much as she would have liked that year.
Happy Thanksgiving! 🙂
Having a cold on a holiday is no fun! Thank you for the kinds wishes.
Maybe she put a bag over it’s head and tucked it under her arm. She was no doubt wearing coats and all at this time of year. I’m pretty sure growing up on a farm she didn’t make friends and feel sad to eat it.
Thanks for your description of how she might have carried the goose. It really helped me picture how she might have successfully gotten the goose home. As another person who grew up on a farm, I’d concur that she didn’t make friends with the goose or feel sad when it was butchered.
Maybe her cold was one reason why she hadn’t written in her diary. It sounds like she’s feeling better now. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
It does seem like she was starting to feel better. This diary entry was quite detailed for her. And, Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
I love the idea of a “sassy goose!”
Grandma sometimes used very descriptive language.
No goose for me today but I hope you have a great Thanksgiving, Sheryl!
What a sight Grandma and her goose must have been! This was a wonderful post. I read it to my husband and we both chuckled about how much easier life is now. Happy Thanksgiving!
Wow she worked for her Thanksgiving dinner!! Looks like a gorgeous goose!! Happy Thanksgiving! Hugz Lisa and Bear