The New England landscape in February is short on color. It still has an “Ethan Frome-ish” feeling about it. But it’s a short month, and there are days that brighten its passage. Red appears on February 14th when valentines, roses, and chocolates celebrate the day. My mother always made a cherry pie to celebrate George Washington’s February 22 birthday. We ate our slices after the evening meal garnished with big blobs of homemade whipped cream. I’m sorry the Presidential birthdays were merged into one work-friendly holiday. It seemed right and fun to celebrate George and Abe on their own special days, and then to start looking forward to spring.
“February Window,” Carol Crump Bryner, monoprint
Sunday, February 11, 1912 – “Four degrees below zero in morning. Zero at nine o’clock. Severe winter weather. All at home from church.” – Lydia Jane Hall
Sunday, February 22, 1914 – Morning clear. Cold, near zero in afternoon, cloudy. South winds and very chilly. Looks like storming. The traveling very badly drifted. Snow blowing in, filling up the paths.” – Lydia Jane Hall
Friday, February 22, 1924 – “A very nice morning for Washington’s Birthday. The ground covered with snow. Quite a snow and crusty good sleighing and sliding. Hard for autos. Moonlight evening. Good time for sleigh rides. Several horse sleds have been out but no ox teams. How the times have changed since the days of Washington. Very progressive. Ellsworth and Agnes have been spending the evening listening to the President’s speech through Radio.” – Lydia Jane Hall
See also: April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December, and January Windows.
On Monday: Tractors
Hi Carol, I always enjoy your art work. Your relatives would like it in here in MT now -in the 50’s in February!!!!
Thanks, Netzy. Sounds nice in Montana!
My father’s birthday was February 22, and my grandmother always gave him a box of chocolate covered cherries. I think I would rather have had the pie and whipped cream…
The pie was pretty good. The whipped cream was better!
Dear Carol,
Our firstborn, Mike, who lives next door to us on Lake Pocotopaug in East Hampton, comes over each week to review the latest WH blogs with Anne and me, using his large-screen I-pad, resulting in many comments, recalled memories and wonder at your voluminous resources on Hall history. We look forward to each edition, thank you.
I learned about driving tractors, including a yellow caterpillar model, while working summers as a teenager on the Whirlwind Hill Farm with Harold Dederick and Dean Rickard. Your descriptions of former times bring back many memories from those days “up the hill”.
I also refresh those thoughts again as I mow a large house lot lawn with my John Deere lawn tractor many times all summer and enjoy every minute while I am on it.
Thanks for all your appreciated efforts.
Pete Foster
It’s always good to hear from you Pete, and I’m so delighted that you and family enjoy the blog posts. We were all so fortunate to live when we did “on the hill.”
Pingback: March Window | On Whirlwind Hill