IMH 75:2 59

"Chronicles of Upper Burnet" (1)

1881

Friday January 14th

And it came off. The mercury stood at zero this morning
and got some warmer during the day but cold again at night.
The sun shone brightly from rising to setting. This was a day of
small things "Marget" and "Dumby Billy" Ballinger(34) came
shortly after breakfast and got some soap grease and some
more soap. Dan Bain(35) came around to look at that strange hog
(see last Monday) but would'n't claim it. I followed him off and
gassed to him awhile. Pap went down and laid some rails on
the fence along the top of the levee which had blown off long
ago. Alvin and I fingered over part of the potatoes in the cellar
with the result of finding nearly a peck of rotten ones. I began
a letter to Grandmother, and whacked some at the wood pile.

 

Teaching Note: Making one's own soap goes back quite far. The main ingrediants are lard
and lye. Wood ashes can be used to make the lye.