About

This blog is mainly taken from my Great Grandfather's diary. In 2012 we are in the year 1915, after completing 1916 in 2010 and 1927 in 2011. 1915 is the year that my Great Uncle Norman was born. 1927 is the year that my Great Uncle Roger, was born. 1916 was the year that my grandmother, Annah Lee was born.

My Great-Grandfather's name was Bonnie Elmore and he worked as a clerk or secretary for the old Norfolk & Western Railroad, based in Roanoke, VA. Mary is his wife. Norman is their first born son. The Raines are Mary's parents. Skin is Bonnie's brother along with Jake.

Bonnie's work associates and friends are also mentioned quite a bit. Bonnie does a great job of blending everyday life in 1915 with the mention of some world and USA history as well. I do know from a quick glance ahead that 1915 is going to be quite different as Bonnie did not write quite as much.

After Bonnie's diary entry, I will occasionally make comments, maybe tell a little about life in 2012, possibly some current events, and some musing about the Christian faith.


Sunday, June 13, 2010

The Joys of Home Ownership

On Tuesday, June 13, 1916 Bonnie Elmore wrote: Sunshine. Arose at 7:15. Mr. Smallwood fixing porch. V.P.I. Special (2) went to Blacksburg. Wrote descriptions. Men came and paper kitchen and dining room. Went by Mrs. R and shaved 6 p.m. Talked Sam Thompson. C.D.T. in. Re-copied reqsn. for typewriter desk. Mrs. Raines bled. Mary went along. Cut grass and raked yard after supper. There is so much about this entry that I just do not understand today without actually being inside Grand-daddy's head. His sentences today...well, his phrases today are so short and choppy and some just don't seem to go together. Some time I need to put a picture of the actual diary on here so readers can see it. The space is small and I get that, but today everything is very choppy and the pencil writing gets very light as it is written. I will try to intrepret maybe a little a bit, but I will probably raise as many questions as you already have. Something has been wrong with the porch though I don't know what. We have been reading about materials being delivered for that and so today, Mr. Smallwood (funny name for a carpenter) got started on that repair. The V.P.I. special is a train that runs to what is today called Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA. This was a special run train that is apparently usually the #2 train. I don't know what the occassion was for today. Graduation at Tech maybe? While Mr. Smallwood fixes the porch there are also men wall papering the kitchen and dining room. Oh, the joys of home ownership. I am a little stumped as to why Bonnie seems to shave and bathe at other places so much, especially Mrs. Raines, his mother-in-law. Sam Thompson is a close friend of Bonnie's and C.D.T. is some sort of work colleague who was in the office today. I remember Bonnie writing a requisition for that typewriter desk before. Reckon somebody lost it? Or did it get denied at the time and so Bonnie is trying again. This last sentence is the one, I just don't get. I don't know why Mrs. R bled, and I don't know where she went that Mary went along. But, while they were gone, Bonnie mowed and raked the yard.
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