Elin Gregory

Here’s the next bit of my western written as a series of diary entries [which will be m/m in the fullness of time].

Part 1 is here and here’s Part 2

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Sunday Jan 3rd 1869
Pa thinks writing a diary is for women and sissies. I told him that James Buchanan wrote one and he said “women, sissies and Yankees” and sent me to feed the hogs.

We did the usual chores before church and after Jacob asked me to drive Mary over to see her Ma. Ma Lewis thinks diaries are good. She says I’ll be able to show my sons when I have them about what life was like here. I don’t think life will be much different – hogs and steers, mesquite and sagebrush – but she said she’d heard that the cities back east have lights all along the streets so you can see all night and they never have to stop work. I can’t see any fun in that but she makes good cookies.

Mary was sick on the way home because, she said, I drove the buckboard too fast over the bumps. Having babies makes girls sick. It also makes their ankles swell up. I guess I should be more grateful to Ma for having me. I guess.