Brain Getting Full of Rubbish

17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Friday, July 19, 1912: My brain must be getting full of rubbish, that I cannot even remember the happenings from one day to the next.

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

The way this diary entry is written almost makes it seem like Grandma forgot to write anything in the diary a hundred years ago today–and then tried to remember what had happened the following day.

Once before Grandma wrote that she sometimes did two entries at the same time:

By jingo if I haven’t forgotten what I did today. Just what I did several days ago. You see, sometimes it happens that I don’t always feel like writing in this diary every evening, so I wait until the next evening and make two entries at one time.

May 9, 1911

Grandma must have been in the doldrums of summer.

Remodeling a Hat

17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Friday, July 18, 1912: Made over an old hat. Wonder after it’s finished whether it will be presentable or not. I worked at it nearly all afternoon.

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Grandma was so excited in April when she got a new hat:

. . . After a trying time I got a hat that I thought would do. It is trimmed in light brown ribbon and red roses. . .

April 27, 1912

Source: Ladies Home Journal (June, 1912)

I assume that wasn’t the hat she was refurbishing—but maybe a hat could become an “old hat” in only three months.

A hundred years ago 5 & 10 cent stores sold ribbon, artificial flowers, feathers from ostriches and other less exotic birds, and other types of millinery supplies so that people could easily change the look of their hats.

Does anyone refurbish old hats anymore? . . . or old clothes (or anything else) for that matter?

I just move things to the back of my walk-in closet or give them away when they go out of style.

Injured While Playing Croquet

17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Monday, July 15, 1912: We went up to Oakes’ this evening. I played crouquet with the other players, but such playing as I did was rather shocking. If I didn’t get a game I did get a sore eye, which resulted from tossing a mallet in the air and trying to catch it with my hands. Needless to say it first came in contact with my eye and second with my hand.

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Ouch! Sounds like Grandma was showing off or fooling around. Was she bored while she waited for her turn?

I bet the embarrassment when the mallet hit her eye was worse than the pain. I can almost imagine what her sister Ruth might have said. 🙂

Church Bulletin Fans

17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Sunday, July 14, 1912: Went to Sunday School this afternoon. I was almost melting by the time I got there.

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Did Grandma fold a church bulletin to make a fan to cool herself ?

—

Fast forward 50 or so years to a time when Grandma actually was a grandmother and I was a small child. . .

I can remember sitting on hard pews in Messiah Lutheran Church in McEwensville on hot summer days.

To cool (and entertain) myself, I’d make fans out of church bulletins. Inevitably I’d accidently drop the fan onto the pew in front of me. And, Grandma would smile, pick it up, and give it back to me.

Wading and Swimming

17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Saturday, July 13, 1912: My calling was out in the field today. I was glad when it was over and I was at leisure to do something.

Recent photo of the stream that flows through the farm Grandma grew up on.

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Sounds like Grandma had to again watch cows or do some other type of field work. Thank goodness she apparently had time to do something fun—at least I hope it was fun; she only wrote that it was “something.”

I love to swim on hot summer days. I don’t think that Grandma ever learned how to swim, but she may have taken her shoes off and waded in the creek. The water would have felt good in the days before electric fans and air conditioners.

A book published in 1911 called Outdoor Sports by Claude Miller discussed the importance of confidence when swimming:

. . . The lack of confidence is disastrous. I have known girls who could swim perfectly well in the shallow but could not keep up at all in water out of their depth. And yet they have not been touching the bottom in the shallow water, but they could if they wished.

Learning to swim in water that is over your head is really better, though it is more “scary” at first. If you do learn in that way you can there-after look upon the deepest water with confident scorn.

Made an Apron

17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Friday, July 12, 1912: I made an apron today and performed some odd jobs. Good night.

woman wearing apron — Picture of a woman wearing an apron in the April 1911 issue of Ladies Home Journal

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Back in the days when it was difficult to do laundry—and people tied to keep their clothes clean for as long as possible– lots of aprons were needed.

Grandma has mentioned making aprons several times since the start of the diary in January, 1911:

Started to make a much needed apron. Mother and I had quite a squabble over it. She said I wasn’t making it right.

May 16, 1911

. . . Was going to make an apron this afternoon for myself, but Bisser took pity on me and did it herself, so you see I was saved all the bother.

June 20, 1911

. . . I made an apron today. . .

March 16, 1912

How to Dry Wet Shoes

17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:

Thursday, July 11, 1912: Ruth and I went to a party over at Stout’s this evening. It rained so hard this afternoon, and I thought perhaps we wouldn’t go after all.

rain drops — Photo source: Wikimedia Commons

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

Did Grandma and her sister Ruth get wet feet when they walked to their neighbors’ for the party?

Here’s hundred-year-old advice for drying wet shoes.

To dry out shoes, stuff your shoes full of dry grass or old paper to keep them from shrinking.

When they are dry, soften them with tallow or oil.

Outdoor Sports (1911) by Claude H. Miller