April 3, 1942 Diary

Friday, 93rd Day - 272 Days to Follow

Written by Margie Arbuthnot, Niwot, CO

A very nice day.

Dad harrowed the garden.

Dad and Don to Longmont to sign a birth certificate for Mrs. Deetor.

Carol Jane and Darold here this P.M. while Florence went to Boulder.

A heifer calf arrived today.  

I had a card from Dorothy today.  Robert is not very well.

And Leslie's folks are not well.

the farmers in this area did their part

April 2, 1942

Thursday, 92nd Days - 273 Days to Follow

Written by Margie Arbuthnot, Niwot, CO

A south wind today and not very warm.

Aunt Ione and I spent over an hour curling her hair.

We went to club this afternoon at Mrs. Bakers.

Had a very nice meeting.

Dad went to Niwot this P.M.

Chanaldene Burke reported quite sick.

Fire truck out to Mr. Swerengin's this P.M.

The Batchelder's Neighbor's Club meeting as reported by Helen Anderson.

Hostess:  Elsie Baker

Roll call:  My favorite recipe 

Discussion:  Sunday night supper

Oh how I wish I could know what the ladies said that their favorite recipe was as their names were called.

Taste of Home has 43 vintage recipes from the 1940's that are worth trying today.

April 1, 1942 Diary

Wednesday, 91st Day - 274 Days to Follow

Written by Margie Arbuthnot, Niwot, CO

It has been cloudy most of today.

Dad plowed some garden this P.M.

Aunt Ione and I did some painting this A.M.

And sewed rags for a rug this P.M.

Grandma's rug making book.

A page from the inside of Grandma's book.

Another old rug making book.

The tools of rug making.

March 31, 1942 Diary

Tuesday, 90th Day - 275 Days to Follow

Written by Margie Arbuthnot, Niwot, CO

Very nice day.
Finished the ironing.
Worked on the rug and mended this P.M.
Also made a new cover for the couch.
Dad finished drilling the wheat this P.M. 

Drilling Wheat

March 30, 1942 Diary

Monday, 89th Day - 276 Days to Follow

Written by Margie Arbuthnot, Niwot, CO

A very nice day.  We washed this A.M.

Dad drilled wheat, Don worked on the Erickson farm.

He was not down until this evening.

The old cat had five kittens today.

Don Arbuthnot with the "old cat".

March 29 1942 Diary

Sunday, 88th Day - 277 Days to Follow

Written by Margie Arbuthnot

Real nice day.  We went to Marjorie's for dinner.  In the P.M. we went to the S & C Greenhouse and enjoyed a ride through Boulder.  I called on Aunt Kate then Marjorie brote me home.  Una was not feeling very good today.  We had a very good dinner and a very good day.

Don and family here for a little while this evening.

Wrote to Dorothy and Robert tonight.

There have been three generations of Arbuthnot's who have shopped at the Sturtz and Copeland Greenhouse in Boulder.  This is the business that Grandma is referring to in her diary today.  It was founded in 1928 and has been serving the community with the most wonderful flower arrangements, plants and landscaping products.  

When I was in High School, the greenhouses were located next to Boulder High School.  We would wonder through the pallets of flowers when ever we needed to destress, it always smelled wonderful!  The business is still open today, but has moved across town.  Click here to visit the Sturtz and Copeland Greenhouses.

March 28, 1942 Diary

Saturday, 87th Day - 278 Days to Follow

Written by Margie Arbuthnot

Another nice day, but rather cold.

Don drilled wheat in on Erickson place [where he and his wife live].

Doris and Mr. Woods came after the cows and pigs.

Took a calf to Longmont for Don to sell.

Loren H[ornbacker] here most of the day playing with Donnie.

Letter from Mass. and Nora saying that Bob Ereckson was in the hospital in Cheyenne.

Don and family here for supper so Don could harrow.  He worked until 9:30.

Another fresh heifer today.  Aunt Ione and I made more jelly.

Nora wrote that Nora was in the hospital.  

A tank of water delivered today at $1.50.

Click here to see International Harvester Disk Harrower in action.  What does it mean to harrow?  It means to break up the hard soil to prepare the land to be planted.

March 27, 1942, Diary

Friday, 86th Day - 279 Days to Follow

Written by Margie Arbuthnot

Rather nice day, but windy and cold.

Dad to Ni Wot this P.M. to have grain ground.

Doris Allen and Mr. Woods here to buy two of Marjorie's cows for $90. a piece.

And also bought Don's pigs.

A load of coal today, $9.54.

Niwot Tribune advertising.
Margie's coal delivery may have been delivered by Mr. Lee Forsyth.

March 26, 1942 Diary

Thursday, 85th Day - 280 Days to Follow

Written by Margie Arbuthnot

Cold and some cloudy today. Don plowed here today.

The girls came out from Boulder - here for dinner.

Aunt Ione and I made more jelly today.

Donnie went to Altona Grange Hall with the Hornbackers tonight to a 4H club picture show.

I am writing a letter to Nora tonight.

Click here for a 1940's film on farming and the new products for the future.  I don't know what the film was that Donnie saw at the grange, but this is the kind of thing that was shown to the 4H kids.

March 25, 1942 Diary

Wednesday, 84th Day - 281 Days to Follow

Written by Margie Arbuthnot

More rain and snow last night.

Cloudy part of today.

Florence, Aunt Ione and myself went to Boulder and had lunch with the girls.  Don kept the children and Dad home alone.  We got back at Don's at 3.  He brought us down then and he and Dad went to Longmont.  Have had a cold N.E. wind this P.M.  Am writing a letter to Jessie tonight.

Four Generations.
Arletta (Misner) Coe, Don Arbuthnot holding Darold and Carol Jane
and Margie (Coe) Arbuthnot.
Littleton, CO

March 24, 1942 Diary

Tuesday, 83rd Day - 282 Days to Follow

Written by Margie Arbuthnot

I washed today and I scrubbed the east porch, the first since last Dec since it's been too cold.

Don disked [plowed] then went home and got his plower.  The family came down with him and had supper here.  Don plowed until 10 o'clock.  Dad cleaned barley today.  

The men folk went to Niwot, we had 10 doz eggs and got $.24 a doz for them.

Cloudy and stormy looking tonight.

Click here to see a disk plow breaking up the land.

And Click here to see how a plow cuts the furrows, this is a film from the 1940's.

Click here for information on why seed needs to be cleaned.

Click here for another cartoon - Not as charming as the one we watched yesterday, this one is of World War II propaganda which was shown in theaters in 1942.

March 23, 1942 Diary

Monday, 82nd Day - 283 Days to Follow

Written by Margie Arbuthnot

I didn't wash today.  Don brought wash water today, then he disked [plowed].

Dad cleaned some barley this P.M.

Aunt Ione and I made 13 glasses of apple jelly today.

It has been cloudy most of today.

I worked some on out rug today.

Carol Jane here all day.

I tried to find a photo of a machine used to help clean the wheat and barley.  It was called a "Dutch Mill" as well as some other names.  Instead I found an interesting 1934 cartoon, called "The Dutch Mill".  It has an interesting outcome.   Click here and you can watch it.

March 22, 1942 Diary

Sunday, 81st Day - 284 Days to Follow

Written by Margie Arbuthnot

Girls here for dinner today, Don and family here this evening and disked (talked) until 10 o'clock.

This has been a lovely day.

I got another bottle of medicine.  85 cents

Eighty five cents for medicine doesn't seem like a lot.

But when you consider that the minimum wage in 1942 was thirty cents an hour, then it puts it into perspective that this was expensive.  In today's dollars, the minimum wage is equivalent to $4.77 an hour.

March 21, 1942

Saturday, 80th Day - 285 Days to Follow

Written by Margie Arbuthnot

I didn't do much today.

Made cookies and usual - sat around.

The men folks cleaned grain this P.M.

Darline went home with Uncle Will.

I pig tailed her hair for her.

Aunt Ione sewing rag rugs tonight and I will crochet some.

"I got pincked this evening."  And how!

Hum, I wonder what it meant to "get pincked"?

I wonder if she meant pinched?

Oh how I wish I could ask her.

March 20, 1942 Diary

Friday - 79th Day - 286 Days to Follow

Written by Margie Arbuthnot

Cold and cloudy today.

We went to Don's for dinner.

Dad and Don back here this P.M.

John and Johnny Knaus here to clean seed wheat this P.M.

Aunt Ione and I came home with Don at 6 o'clock.

I called Mr. Fentress to see how Pierce was [doing].

He reported him as very sick.  Mrs Fentress and Sylvia have gone to see him.

He is at Chanute, Illinois.

In 1942, the Fentress family lived on the first homestead established by Margie's father-in-law, William Arbuthnot.  The Niwot Road headed west dead ends and turns north on N. 45th.  William didn't want the road to go through his property so this is why the road turns north.  The Fentress home was at the corner of N. 45th and Neva Rd.

March 19, 1942

Thursday, 78th Day - 287 Days to Follow

Written by Margie Arbuthnot

Cold and Stormy today.  Dad and Don to Niwot this A.M. to sign up on this crops business.

Aunt Ione and I to club this P.M. at Burkes.  Darline at Florence's this P.M.  

Had a letter today.  

From the book by Helen Anderson of the Batchelder Neighbor's Club:

March 19, 1942

Hostess:  Ethelda Burke

Roll Call: Song of Ireland

Paper:  Irish superstitions and folklore.

Reading: "On Maggie O'Brien on being clinicked"

Who was Maggie O'Brien?  She was a young film actress.

I wonder what it meant to be clinicked - (Helen probably meant to write clinked.)

Click here for more on Maggie O'Brien.

March 18, 1942 Diary

Wednesday, 77th Day - 288 Days to Follow

Written by Margie Arbuthnot

Cold and some wind today.  I ironed and made mince pie filling - 5 quarts.

Don's were here for dinner.  Florence run the tractor while Don and Dad went to Longmont this P.M.

Darline went to school at Batchelder this P.M.

Cloudy most of this P.M. Wind in the N.E.

One wonders what Florence did when she ran the tractor.

It was most likely the new tractor that Don had purchased.

I'm sure she couldn't wait to drive it as she was adventurous in that way.

But gasoline was rationed during this time at three gallons a week.

In 1942, gas sold for $.15 a gallon.

White Texaco Service Station
Broadway and Arapahoe, Boulder, CO

March 17, 1942 Diary

Tuesday, 76th Day - 289 Days to Follow

Written by Margie Arbuthnot

Marjorie - Una - Darline - Duane and myself went to Littleton today.

All were well there.  Aunt Ione came home with us.

We kept Carol Jane and Darold.  Don and Florence went to Altona Hall to a party.

Darline stayed here.

Cold and windy today.

Margie's parents and her brothers ended up settling just outside of Littleton, Colorado.  Littleton was south west of Denver and could easily be reached by train as well as by car.  

Today Littleton is a thriving community and Margie's great-grandson, Sean lives and works in Littleton, not far from where his Great-Great-grandparents are buried.  It was a lovely community to visit back in 1942, just as it is today.

Click here to visit Littleton, CO

March 16, 1942 Diary

Monday, 75th Day - 290 Days to Follow

Written by Margie Arbuthnot

More snow last nite, but all gone to nite.

I washed to day and baked bread.

Am rather tired to nite.

March 15, 1942 Diary

Sunday, 74th Day - 291 Days to Follow

Written by Margie Arbuthnot

The Boulder folks out today for dinner.

Don's family here this evening.

Stormy looking this evening.

The Brown family moved from out District today to the Moffit Ranch.

I got another 100 vitamin B1 tablets.  $5.00

I'm not sure where the Moffit Ranch was located.  There is a Moffat, Colorado, but I don't think that is where Grandma is referring to.

If any one knows, please contact me or leave a message here on this blog.  Thank you.