Cocking Hay and Other Fun Chores

A Day in the Life: July 7th


(Aged 14)
Wea.  rainy                                TUE. JULY 7, 1896               Ther.

Worked all day.  Pa went down to get him some cigars in the A.M.  Ma stayed with aunt Em all night.  Aunt Em sent for pa to come down + see her.  He went down in the P.M.



(Aged 16)
Wea.                                          THU. JULY 7, 1898               Ther.

Worked all day haying. Ma went to burg + took Mrs. Mason home.  In eve went in swimming.


(Aged 17)
Wea.                                           FRI. JULY 7, 1899               Ther.

In A.M. opened up some hay + mowed some.  In P.M. drew in one load and raked + cocked what I mowed yesterday.  In eve it rained. 
Claude Monet


(Aged 18)
Wea.                                           SAT. JULY 7, 1900                 Ther.

Worked all day.  Jim + Bess Traver went up to the ball play but there wasn’t any.



(Aged 19)
Wea.                                            SUN. JULY 7, 1901                Ther.

Stayed at home all day.  Bess Traver + Gordon Taylor were here.



(Aged 20)
Wea.                                             MON.  JULY 7, 1902             Ther.

Sold two calf to Gib for $5.  Glen stayed down all night.  Mowed the hay in front of house.


(Aged 21)
Wea.                                              TUE.  JULY 7, 1903                  Ther.

NO ENTRY AGAIN UNTIL OCTOBER 10th



***********


Editor's Note:  From what I have learned "cocking hay" is not nearly as salty as it sounds.  It seems to be drawing it up into piles hence the term "haycock".   But I tell you, I'm going to try and revive and expand the term into common usage.  "Honey, when you finish mowing could you please cock the grass"?  I wonder if you can cock the leaves in the fall or the snow in the winter?  I hope so.

But I digress.  Poor Aunt Emma.  She almost 38 and most likely calling on Frank to draw up her will.  Her husband is a curious fellow.  He never gets a mention like Blaine does.  I think I've said here before that he marries again after Em and has two step daughters and one daughter of his own with his new wife.  But that story goes deeper because that marriage doesn't last and I think he has a third wife.  I can't find him on the 1910 Census and his second wife is living without him in Albion, Pa.

Comments

Popular Posts