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

Friday, March 27, 1914:  Called on Carrie this afternoon.

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

Carrie Stout was a friend of Grandma’s who lived on a nearby farm—but I can’t really show you where it was.

In the late 1960s, Interstate 180 was built through the area. The farm where the Stout’s once lived was divided into two, and the house was in the shadow of the highway. A few years later the house burned—so nothing is the same as it was in Grandma’s day.

Many days I’m surprised how little has changed over the past hundred years—but other times, like today, everything has changed and it’s difficult for me to even get my bearings.

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

Wednesday, March 25, 1914:  Nothing to write.

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

Since Grandma didn’t write much a hundred years ago today, I’ll share an article from a central Pennsylvania newspaper, the Milton Evening Standard.

The nation was moving rapidly into the modern era—people could order butter, eggs and other farm produce directly from farmers, and the US Postal Service would deliver it a few days later.

I can’t imagine getting my groceries in the mail today. Wonder what happened. . .

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

Monday, March 23, 1914:  Got a streak of sewing today. I get the streaks quite often in many variations. Another one is to get rid of some of my superfluous fat. 140 pounds (January) is entirely too much for a girl of my age. I don’t weigh that now, since I lost six and gained about three. Intend to take advantage of the other three and fight for dear life.

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

Grandma lost 6 pounds after her tonsillectomy.  They were removed on March 11, and two days later she wrote:

Weighed myself this morning. I had lost six pounds. My tummy is flat you can bet. Ate solid food for supper.

March 13, 1914

My memory is that Grandma was fairly short when she was an older woman—maybe 5 feet, 1 or 2 inches. She probably lost can inch or so as she aged, but I don’t think that she ever was over 5 foot 3 inches max.

—

Grandma—

You can do it. Hang onto those three pounds. 137 pounds sounds a little heavy—and you don’t want to regain any more.

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

Sunday, March 22, 1914:  Went to Sunday School this morning without being told to stay at home.

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

Hmm. . . why was Grandma surprised that she was allowed to go to Sunday School?

I think there’s a guy Grandma likes who goes to her church—but I don’ think that her parents are restricting her activities though maybe she thought that she might be grounded for staying out until 2:30 a.m. on the Friday night before she wrote this entry.

Grandma’s missed very few weeks since she began keeping the diary. She didn’t go to Sunday School the previous week—but I’d assumed that her father won’t let her go because she’d had a tonsillectomy five days prior to that entry:

Was so put out this morning. Pa aid I wasn’t to go to Sunday School. I was anticipating some of the kind. I stayed at home and took a physic. Boo hoo. . .

March 15, 1914

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

Friday, March 20, 1914:  Home 2:30. Went to sleep this afternoon and when I awoke was sleepier than ever.

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

Grandma—

You came home at 2:30!! What were you doing? You must have been having fun to have stayed out so late.

This is getting to be a habit. On  February 18, 1914 you wrote:

 Ruth and I went to a party tonight over at our cousin’s. We walked to town and from there the party was conveyed in sleds. Didn’t go very fast as the roads were full of snow. My, but we did have the eats. Bet there were some, who made it hard for their poor tummies. Got home 2:30 a.m.

 

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

Thursday, March 19, 1914:  Ruth and I went to a party up at town tonight. We played at progressive cards. I was the only one who didn’t progress. My skill was awarded by getting the ‘booby’ prize. It was a chocolate pig with a red ribbon round its neck.

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

Booby prizes are no fun!

Amazingly, I found an adorable chocolate pig with a red bow on the Compartes website.

Maybe I should have a card party (probably pinochle because that’s the card game that I’m best at)—and give a chocolate pig as the booby prize to the worst player. . . .oh, never mind. . . dumb idea. . . I think whoever got it, would get mad at me.

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

Tuesday, March 17, 1914:  Throat is about well.

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

Yeah—only 6 days after her tonsillectomy and Grandma is feeling almost as good as new.

Where was Grandma sitting when she wrote this entry? And, what time of day did she write it?  I have a vivid imagination, and like to picture Grandma doing her daily activities, but I’ve never really been able to get a good sense of when and where she typically wrote entries.

Did the write them:

• At the kitchen table?

• While  sitting on a chair or lying on a couch  in the living room?

• At a desk?

• While sitting in bed just before she went to sleep? (I don’t really think that she wrote them in bed, since she shared a bedroom—and probably a double bed –with her sister Ruth during the winter months.)