Grandma Rose never fails to entertain and educate me – usually on plants but today she taught me a new phrase I’d never heard before. “Stoved up.” Have you heard it before? It essentially means that you’re “bruised up, crippled up so it’s hard to get around, sore or stiff from overwork or injury, worn out” according to the Internet. She also mentions her Mouli again and running the tomatoes through it – Lori said she still has hers and I vaguely remember my mom having something similar back when we had a garden and were canning. There seem to be various versions of Mouli’s floating around but based on age, I think this one is closest probably to what she had. And if you’ve never seen a Mouli in action, there is a great video on YouTube by Laci Fay, the “Vintage Girl Next Door” demonstrating the different blades. Click here to watch that video demonstration!
NOTE: As always, I left her spelling, capitalization, and punctuation as much as possible.
August 20, 1977 – Got up 8:00 Set out a couple hedges – After breakfast Len worked on grass & weeds in driveway. I’d raked most of the grass where I mowed yesterday. Awful wet from dew but raked up nice before Len got up.
While Len cleaned around well pit, I edged some of the side flower bed by the maple tree. Emptied cart and wagon in evening when I shut up, and locked the buildings.
August 21, 1977 – Got up 8:45 Swept up sawdust in garage and cleaned up old grass from the mowers before Len got up at 10:00. Made some chicken soup. Took nap about 2:15 – Couldn’t sleep much.
Long day!! Too tired to do much. Len ran sweeper in room and hall.
August 22, 1977 – Got up 8:00 Donna called about 10. Offered us some tomatoes.
Len worked cleaning up around well pit – I mowed around greenhouse and east side of garage and most of side yard where I left off Fri 19th (with hand mower) Len worked on east side of the garage – Pulling out old weeds & grass – I cut down old weeds etc. next to garage – I picked up 2 buckets of apples at Henry Johnson.
Donna and kids brought up peck or so of tomatoes. So pretty we hated to cut into them.
August 23, 1977 – Got up 8:00 Wet with dew again – Set out a couple more hedge starts. Len cut up tomatoes brought up yesterday.
In P.M. Len and I got out riding mower. He finished side yard and a couple rounds in the back yard – I finished it.
In the A.M. I cleaned out more iris on front bank & cleaned more around fox gloves again. Don’t know how the weeds & grass grow so fast.
August 24, 1977 – Got up 9:00 Had quite a rain last night so slept in this morning. Pretty stoved up from riding the mower yesterday but it is worth it, when I look and see how nice the yard looks.
Canned 7 pints tomato juice from Donnas tomatoes. Beautiful
Len cut up more apples this A.M. Got two gallon apple pulp Len ran thru the Mouli while I defrosted the refrigerator this afternoon. Len pulled more weeds from the driveway while I watche soap operas.
Butt tired tonight.
August 25, 1977 – Slept in this morning Got up 9:00 Opened garage and greenhouse – fed cat.
Washed out panties, bras & Lens P.J.s while waiting for Len to get up. After breakfast – canned 4 pts. apple sauce and put apple butter on to cook.
Picked beans so Len could work on them this afternoon.
Real cool this morning and windy.
Had 3 pints apple butter cooked down. Took at hour nap after my soaps. Gathered up 3 piles of grass after supper.
August 26, 1977 – Got up 8:00 Set out two hedge on bank. Got in cans for wax beans – Got 5 pd & 1 pt left over.
Watched soaps, then went to Evelyns to see if she’d take me to the grocery. She did. Got cigarettes and bread and a few other things we needed.