Mar 13th Pleasant no snow to be seen horses all let loose but Prince and he picketed Father Julia and Grace went to the post office got a letter from good sister with one dollar in it and a new apron for me also some papers from Lake Co. Ill one stated the death of an old acquaintance by a railroad accident which is sad also that Father Simons was still alive Our feed was gone and we had to go on to fathers timber claim and cut a load of stocks I sent a letter to N H Dunnell MC in regard to my pension Oh how anxious I am to get one Julia wrote to Aunt H from the office a postal 14th Today would have been my dear mothers birthday I often find myself wishing her back to earth again It was so hard for me to give her up. It has been cold and windy Father bought 14 bags of broom corn seed of Quance for $2.00 paid $1.00 down and the other to be paid in 10 days the dollar was one Harriet sent us yesterday Our flour was all baked yesterday have meal enough to last a few days I cut out a coat for Collie out of a coat - old coat- I had extra pieces in it where I had to piece at-beside a great many darns Children got their lessons except Louis and Grace have been neglected today. Father has wrote a letter to bro Louis. 15 It is cloudy we had quite a hail storm Father and I commenced plowing the garden then we took E[toile] and L[ouis] and went to the timber claim and got some old stocks for the horses and found some cane seed. We got a card from the seed house. 16 It has been very pleasant and warm Father Julia and I went to plowing on the timber claim. We left E[toile] and L[ouis] to pick [PAGE BREAK] up cane seed on fathers claim a mile from us we plowed six rounds Julia and I plowed 3 rounds and let father lay down in the wagon box Julia drove and I held the great breaking plow she drove nicely and we were very proud to think we could plow without fathers help we went to the claim and help the children load in their seed and came home Collie and Grace kept house Collie chopped all the wood watered prince and the cow and picketed her they were good children and I love them better than gold and silver and precious things. All abed but me and I am going now. 17 Julia and I plowed on my timber claim all alone L[ouis] and C[ollie] cut rice corn stalks for fuel E[toile] and Grace staid at home father borrowed 13 lbs of flour from Quance and went to the office and got a letter from good sister H with $10.00 in it we had had no bread but corn bread to eat since the day before at noon God has remembered us again 18 Father and Julia and I plowed driving Cleopatra Father plowed 5 furrows and Julia ? driving a young horse Collie cut stalks and E[toile] and L[ouis] and I staid at home It looks cloudy it snowed some this evening It seems as if winter would never be willing to leave us again 19th Father went to Weares bought 2 sacks flour 1 gal kerosene 25 lbs meal paper pins $3.50 Collie and Etoile and I cut stalks and picked up seed then father and we loaded up and went to my claim E[toile] and C[ollie] cut (unreadable) Father and I plowed six times around we had a call from Mr Wilsons son and another man pretending to want to buy a horse but we were afraid he wanted to jump our timber claims or for some mischief. All abed but Julia and I Mar 20 rather cool this afternoon it thundered and lightened is cool tonight Collie rode with the mail carrier part way to Wearis to get some flour we left there for Mr Quance walked over five miles I was not very well we have only a few sticks of wood and tomorrow I must plow with Julia Oh my lot seems hard but I