A basket & a story for Ethelyn
“Tatting. It’s a lost art, you know.”
The sun, having filtered through velvet and lace, ivy and oak, and traversed the broad verandah to find her, kissed her late autumn cheek, so lightly, in his late afternoon call, leaving the faintest blush there beneath her blue eyes.
I watched her fingers dance with the tiny shuttles, their shadows echoing on the papered wall.
“Now macramé at least has been revived—not the complicated knots Auntie taught me back in the ‘nineties but at least it’s had a breath of life blown into it. Who today has even heard of tatting?”
She had certainly taught me a lot—knitting, crocheting, my favorite, embroidery, and the love of all of this work—but the knack of the intricate twistings and turnings of tatting had evaded my fingers.
She’s gone now but I’m still seeking, still learning, her memory smiling on me.
So, dear Auntie Ethel, here’s macramé for you, blue for your eyes, and a sun-kissed tear for you and tatting and all the lost arts and souls who have gone on.
©2000 Maggie Wilson
June 1893
1 Thursday Geo and I went up to J.K. Waldrons and helped him shingle 3⁄4 of day. We came home about 4:30. I went up to social at the Baptist Church. Minnie & the Girls went up to social.
2 Friday Geo and I done odd jobs around. Geo finished pulling red root out of pasture field No 5 and dug some around the raspberries. I set some tomatoe plants and cabbage plants and sowed some seeds in the garden. Uncle John Benedict & Aunt, and Mother came down here and took dinner with us. I went up to Lodge this eve.
3 Saturday Geo, I and the Boys went down and got the sheep and took them to the river and washed them to day. Charlie Drake helped us wash them. Pd him 25 cents, yet due him 25 cents.
4 Sunday We all went to Church except the boys and Grandma.
5 Monday Geo piled up manure in barn yard this AM. I planted over corn in field No 7 this AM. C.Pocklington came up this AM. Paid him $5.00 on a/c. This PM Geo and I planted over corn on Dr. Whites until about 4 oclock. It rained. This eve Minnie, the Girls and I went up to town. I borrowed $5.00 of B.A.G.
6 Tuesday Geo piled up manure this AM. This PM he cultivated corn in field No. 7. I went up to town this AM and staid all day. I did not feel very well. A. Shaw in town (Irving Bros) Turned sow away from Mr. Smeltzers hog this AM.
7 Weds I planted over corn to day in Dr Whites field this AM. This PM I finished planting over corn in field No. 7 and mowed in the front yard with lawn mower. C. Albaugh came down and tried to trade mowers with me. Geo finished cultivating over corn in field No. 7 this AM and cultivated on Dr Whites this PM.
8 Thurs I cultivated the garden over and the potatoes and cane in field No 7 and drove Old Comfort Cow down to Aaron Taylors this AM. This PM I went up to town to a called trustee meeting, but was not called. I got some extras to mowing machine. Geo cultivated corn on Dr.Whites to day.
9 Friday I hoed in the garden this AM. This PM I went down to the wood and salted the stock. Geo cultivated corn on Dr. Whites to day with 2 horses.
10 Saturday Geo and I went down to C. Pocklingtons, and shore our sheep there. Ben Snyder, R. McCook and John Hoag helped me shear them. We got ours done about 2 PM, pd them each $1.25. pd Cornelius 50 cents for board, brought the wool home.
11 Sunday Minnie, the Girls and I went up to Church to day. Minnie and her Mother went out riding this PM. J.K.Waldron and wife were here and called a few minutes. This eve we went up to Church to concert. (Childrens Day)
12 Monday Geo cultivated corn on Dr.Whites to day with 2 horses. I worked in the garden this AM. Went to town this PM.
13 Tuesday Geo cultivated corn on Dr.Whites to day with 2 horses. I cultivated corn in field No. 7 with old Fran.
14 Weds Geo cultivated corn on Dr.Whites to day with 2 horses and mowed the front yard with the machine. I finished cultivating corn and potatoes in field No. 7. Mr. Chas. Cosad of N.Y. came to visit us this AM on his way to Chicago. He and I went out riding this PM.
15 Thurs Geo and I went up to town and helped Wm Cupples move. Chas. Cosad went to Jaxon on freight train this AM. Mother Garlinghouse and Mother Gates started for Portland on 11:11 AM train. Bought wide tire truck wheels ($22.00), set of machine knives ($4.00) and bbl salt ($1.00) of C.A. Slayton.
16 Friday Geo was sick to day. He worked a little while this AM, piling up manure. I went down to the woods and salted the cattle this AM. This PM I hoed some cane.
17 Saturday Geo thinned corn on Dr. Whites this AM. This PM he cultivated the garden. The rest of us went up to Wamplers Lake to Farmers Social picnic.
18 Sunday The Girls and I went up to Church to day. Geo and May went and staid till eve. Then Uncle John brought them home.
19 Monday Geo and I went down to the woods and worked on the road all day.
20 Tuesday Geo and I cultivated corn on Dr. Whites to day with 3 horses. Miss Viva Howell came home with the Girls and staid all night.
21 Weds Geo & I cultivated corn on Dr. Whites this AM with 3 horses and got over it the 3rd time this AM. This PM Geo cultivated in field No. 7 with 1 horse. I took wood up to Chilton and sold it. 280#, received $44.96 for it.
22 Thurs Geo and I cultivated corn and potatoes in field No. 7 a little while 1 hr. Then it rained us off. Geo made screen to south window in dining room. I fixed wheel to cultivator. This PM Geo began mowing in field No. 3. I moved some fence corners & hoed some potatoes in field No. 7.
23 Friday Geo finished cultivating over corn in field No. 7 this AM and mowed an hour in field No. 3. I tedded (to spread, scatter newly-mown grass for drying) out hay cut yesterday and hoed some potatoes in Field No. 7. This PM Geo put up hay and I raked and mowed & put up hay. Minnie went up to Dolph Heesons to tea party.
24 Saturday Geo cultivated potatoes in field No. 7 and hoed one row and hoed some cane this AM. I worked in the garden a little while & tedded out hay in field No. 3 & moved some fence corners. This PM Geo and I raked and put up hay in field No. 3. Minnie & the girls went up to town this eve.
25 Sunday We all went to Church to day. This PM Arne & I went down to the woods and salted the cattle and sheep.
26 Monday I took Mr. Smeltzers hog home this AM. Then Geo and I drew in 6 loads of hay from field No. 3. At 4.30 PM I went to mowing & Geo hoed cane.
27 Tuesday Geo & I hoed cane an hour then we drew in 3 loads of hay from field No. 3 this AM. I tedded out what I mowed yesterday. This PM Geo finished mowing field No. 3 @ 4:30, came down and mowed in field No. 1 rest of day. I put up what was cut in field No. 3.
28 Weds Geo hoed cane this AM till 10 oclock, came down & finished mowing field of hay No. 1 this AM. I moved fence corners & tedded out hay in field No. 3. This PM we put up hay in No. 3 & 1. I went up to Chapter meeting this eve.
29 Thurs Geo & I thinned out corn in No. 7 ½ of AM. Geo mowed in No. 8 rest of AM. I tedded in No. 1. This PM Geo mowed in No. 8 ½ of PM & I raked and put up hay in No. 1. This eve Minnie & I went up to Eastern Star meeting.
30 Friday Geo and I drew in 3 loads of hay from field No. 3 this AM. This PM we put up hay and drew 1 load from No. 8.
