pretty sober but today a large herd of cattle passed here and they gave us a little heifer calf 2 months old that was tired out I was thankful and feel quite cheerful for all my blessings and that I can see Gods hand in so many things Father and the boys picked up a load of wood Julia and I picked cane seed up until 4 oclock when we did our chores and this evening I have cut out two little undergarments for precious little Gracie a chemise out of a flour sack a pair of drawers out of hand(?) cloths I saved while at the (unreadable) Little Louis went to bed with a headache I am afraid he works too hard he is only six and works about every day already and is very smart and ambitious. I hope he will be well in the morning he is an excellent boy and oh how his mamma loves him Father is very busy all the time and has too much care I hope god will ever be with us and do what is for our good. 9th last evening it commenced raining and rained all night and a fine rain all through the day. everything looks blue no barn for stock a cold house poor clothes etc 10th Father and boys got another load of light wood and brush very difficult to cut to cut it on the banks of the creek the girls and I worked in the house and helped do chores 11th Mr. and Mrs. Grigsby brought us up a load of squash and pumpkins and Mrs. Grigsby spent the day I intended to cut cane or pick rice corn but the children except for Grace went with Grandfather and picked a load of rice corn and got supper and father took Mrs. G[rigsby] home and bought 2 bush of beans [PAGE BREAK] We received a letter from the Dr wishing me to send him a photo of himself as he was going to have some taken from it Nov 30 About two weeks ago Mr. Grigsby helped father one day fix the barn so we could so we could put everything in except lightning we had no halter for him and we dare not leave him in the cow has no place fixed for her we have kept the horses in the barn about one week the weather was so cold we have had (unreadable) winter weather for three weeks with occasional snow storms snowing only a few inches my two little calves died I was sorry but am glad I have had no greater loss It takes about all our time to get wood pick rice corn get stalks and do the chores I feel sorry to think I have so little time to work in the house and teach my children Collie and Louis only 9 and 6 years of age help do the chores attend to the horses chop wood and work like little men I hope they will grow up good men a blessing to their mamma an honor to the world and my girls do all they can Dear father is a blessing to us all we could not live without him last week we had a letter from sister Harriet how glad we are to hear from her we all work hard and sometimes get discouraged but God has said As thy day is so shall thy strength be we have been without flour for one week nearly or we baked the last one week ago no meat and very little butter plenty of excellent sorghum syrup about 6 gls of milk a day to day we bought a sack of flour paid $1.40 for 50 lbs � gal kerosene paid .85 a gal. pretty cold today Dec. 1st Very pleasant Father and the children cleaned out the barn I cleaned the floor in the house and baked we picketed the horses out- the first- for over a week