Friday December 5th

Dad. got another fine start this morning, got out soon after seven and got a nice lot plowed, the corn roots bother a little but every thing else is all right now. I did up about all the chores. Huby came over about nine and wanted to try the hay knife which he sharpened yesterday so we cut a big stripe of the stack, the then went back and shovelled ditches he got pretty well through with the field over the gully and has started in the oat stubble which Dad. plowed next the timothy sod.

I went out this morning and tore down a lot more of the old gully fence. Dad. hauled the waggon out there at noon and I loaded it up with rails and he hauled it up to the house to-night. I also worked for a little while at the old house. There was no word from Aunty again to-day. They expected Quint. home to-night but I don't know whether he will get here or not as the last we saw of the Algonquin reported was at Detroit. Beautiful day, sunny and warm.

Saturday December 6th

Dad. plowed all day but didn't get on very well as it froze hard enough to make the ground sticky when the sun came out and he is in the lowest and wettest part of the field so it was pretty muddy, both he and the horses are tired to-night. After I did up all the chores this morning I gave the hen house a through cleaning and put fresh straw in. I have decided to take the managership of the hens and see if I can make any thing out of them for Frank doesn't seem to be able to, he evidently thinks there is more money in trapping muskrats, and maybe there is but I don't care for the work. I put some manure on the rose bushes, rhubarb and peonys.

This afternoon I cleaned up all the chaff and dirt of the hay barn floor and put it over in the chicken yard. Frank did a few chores this morning and spent the rest of the day back in the gully and digging out an empty skunk hole down at the pond on McBains place. Dad. Frank and I caught all the pullets that were rooting around the barn to-night and put them in the chicken yard, there are about 30 white ones besides about a dozen old hens of various breeds. I went to bed soon after tea to-night - bad cold - Another nice mild day not so sunny.

Sunday December 7th

We didn't get up very early this morning and as I had quite a bad cold I didn't go to church. Dick drove Enah down and Dad looked after Tiddums and cooked dinner. Frank went to Sunday school and church, I put in most of the after noon doing chores and shelling corn for my chickens. Dad. helped me. I got two eggs to-day which is a starter. Dick went down town this after noon and stayed pretty late, he bought a very nice looking watch last night for twelve dollars. Dad. and I went down to church to-night. It rained a little last night and this morning and was very mild till noon but then started to snow a little and got steadily colder all the after noon and to-night it is freezing hard with a cold north wind.

Monday December 8th

I put in most of the day putting in panes in the cow stable window which I had in the house. Dad. worked out in the barn fixing up the empty space between the granary and cow stable for a calf pen, we are going to floor it if we can. We also did chores and shelled a little corn, we found the bushel of soft corn weighed about 40 lbs and when shelled about thirty. Harry Graham and Charlie McKenzie were over this afternoon to get Bob. Miller's corn they took about 10 bushels but didn't measure it very accurately. Charlie said he would take the turkeys at 18 1/2 cts a pound live weight but that I think is higher than is quoted in the 'Globe'. Jonas came over as we were having tea to-night and helped us eat it. He is feeling very much better but looks pretty fishy yet. He is going to try and get the farm up the Radical where Mrs. Cory lived. He was telling us some of his experiences of the road as he evidently was a pedlar at one time. He has heard that Sairy's rich bachelor brother is very ill and I guess he is expecting a little if he dreeps off.

We had a letter from Aunty to-day saying Uncle Hal was still improving and as that was written five dauys ago we hope he is very much better by this time. Frank. skinned two muskrats to-night and is now playing checkers with Jonas. It has been snowing and blowing all day. the wind is very coldbut the sun was out for awhile and was warm in it and out of the wind. The gfround is frozen solid so that there is no chance of plowing.