As a mother I must cook for my family and sew clothes to keep us all warm. I must weave and knit blankets and patch together quilts. At night I dip candles and tidy up the house. I must rock the baby fast asleep and prepare a warm drink for his tummy. I must clean the clothes in a basin and dry them on a rope by the fire. I must light the fire and keep it at a red blaze. I must use a bed warmer to heat all the beds which get very cold.
I can barely remember when I curtsied to the first mistress who walked in our small wooden cabin. My first day of school had come. I learned a lot in school. That mistress made up keep our minds and hands busy. We learned morals and stories. Work before play was a very important moral. So was Haste makes Waste. Even though my teacher was a bit strict, she was always a nice person. I hope my daughter, Lavinia, learns as much as I did.
Tonight Dinah, Lovinia and I will work abound the fire patching the quilts for the long winter ahead. I did the lazy daffodil pattern for my young one. When dusk comes, we will roll up the stitching and go to bed.
Winter seems to come so fast.
One day the leaves sit on the trees, the next they're buried in snow.
And everybody seems to know it.
The chickens refuse to lay their eggs and the children play
in the deep, deep snow. Joseph must buy our candles as our light
from out and on will die.
When the snow keeps howling I look out the window and wonder if it will ever stop.