Monday December 21st

Garf. Porril came out this morning with a Quebec heater for us which we were informed was a Christmas present from old Dick, the old son-of-a-gun. Marj. knew about so as it was a mild morning we had let the fire out in the old box stove and Garf and I carried it around to the porch and put the new one up in its place. We spent some time at it as we shortened the zinc covered board that the old stove sat on and made it fit the new one. Garf was very important as he was alone with the stove and much grieved that he couldn't lift the stove out alone. Why before he was sick he wouldn't have thought nothin' of carrying that stove into the house, but he had an attack of "ammonia" flu and pleurisy all to-gether and it has left him weak I had to take the storm door that I had nailed up to the dining room door down so when Garf left I put the hinges on it. While I was at that job Dad. came in with a load of Pokahontas coal to burn in the new stove. It was a present from him & Enah for Christmas, so we have certainly fared well, and it proves the truth of "The Lord looks after the poor & needy." I tell Marj. it pays to be poor because folk have pity on us. Dad lit a fire in the new stove and showed us how to run it. I didn't do much this after noon but chores and sit around and bask in the genial warmth of the Quebec & Pokahontas combination. Marj. put in a busy day and she shouldn't have as she was not in fit condition to be doing any more than necessary but she had to clean up after the stove had been put up and then she walked over to the school house to see what Mabel intended to do about to-morrow as her aunt is going to Toronto to-night, and Mabel & her sister are going to be here for the school concert, so Marj. invited them over here for dinner. Then she sat up late to-night doing up boxes of home-made candy for Christmas presents, while I snoozed in the big chair. It snowed all the after noon but there is not enough for sleigh

Tuesday December 22nd

I went up into the attic this morning to get a basket of onions for Ina and as Marj. has shifted the bed around so that it is directly under the manhole I went up before I put my boots on and before she was out of bed. I got the onions and called to her to get them from me and when she reached up for them, she nearly fell from weakness. Upon investigation she discovered good cause for weakness so made no more attempts to get up. I got the kids dressed and gave them their breakfasts but