Eagle Brand Condensed Milk 1887
“To be kept”
It is so dark I can scarcely see My room is on the East side of the east wing I do not know what cold is people write me how cold it is I am never cold there are over 95 inmates with helpers there is one hundred rooms….the doctor goes his rounds it is strange so many old people not one down sick it is not the oldest that is taken I think I wrote you about my Aunt Betty Ross that made the first American flag…it hung in the -ampton Church Lord Percy built the church or had it built for Lawrence Washington generations ago….you know they are Episcopalians …
diary 1943-47, May 17th
Fortune Magazine cover, May 1933, by Roger Duvoisin
obituary of Captain John Adams Webster
. . . . .
The random bits of paper I collect, the way Linda collects beach glass.
dutchhillfarm 
ha!
What leaps out at me is the 2 lbs. of butter crossed out and changed to 3 lbs.
Aren’t those expressions astounding? (Eagle Brand Condensed Milk.)
Yes! And also 4 cans large tomatoes, spade, clothes, and ARROWS. Those babies always make me laugh.
Where do those come from? No, I don’t mean where do babies come from. I mean the diary entries–so specific and so other-wordly.
I love the beach glass and sand octopus, too, but I assume you don’t have those in your attic.
The diary has no name but I think it belonged to Aunt Josie’s cousin Bessie Mitchell because I found a letter with the same handwriting and a mention of Dearie. I have gotten kind of fond of her. I have another diary by ? that starts out every entry, “Went to mass.” and it doesn’t get much more interesting so I have to read between the lines. And isn’t the octopus fantastic?! In my attic, there are bats and they eat bugs so they are welcome but we never ever go up there.
how do you keep it all Anna? I have a tendency to store old scraps too but never know where to put them, or how to put them so they don’t all fall to pieces. (LOVE the babies)
Not very well I’m afraid. I have boxes all over, under the bed and in the closet. I like metal boxes because I imagine in a fire they would be better though that probably isn’t true. Paper and books seem to be in better shaped in New York. Baltimore is so humid in the summer. I’ve heard the freezer is a good place but we don’t have room in there to spare.
I just love this post!
I love humans and their stories. You too or we are both mad? Ha!