February 24, 1945 (Saturday)

EDNA HAS TROUBLE BREATHING. SHE ALSO PLAYS EUCHRE.

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Nice sunny day.

Thawing a little.

Did usual Sat cleaning.

Had a hard time

getting my work done

as I was so short

of breath all day.

I transformed feathers

into new pillows last

evening and the fine

feather dust affected

my lungs and caused

shortness of breath.

Kate and Bill out

to-night. Played euchre.

Men won 2 games more

than we women.

Awfully tired to-night.

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In the 1950s, Good Housekeeping published a weekly schedule for a typical housewife.

• Monday: Grocery and Kitchen

• Tuesday: Laundry

• Wednesday: Bedrooms and Bathrooms

• Thursday: Linens and Living Room

• Friday: Groceries, Defrost Fridge, Dining Rooms & Halls

• Weekend: Free Day/Family Day

This is the 1940s and Saturdays were also work days on the farm for Edna and Henry and their family. In her journal, Edna often remarks "did usual [insert weekday} chores.

On this Saturday, Edna isn't feeling well. She is having trouble breathing which she attributes to the feather dust she inhaled while making pillows the night before.

In journals from previous years, Edna talks about their chickens. She hasn't referenced them in this journal but I am going to make a leap and assume she is using chicken feathers collected from the farm to assemble her pillows.

We know now that poultry dust contains bird feed, bedding material, bird droppings, feathers and dander, dust mites, fecal deposits, and more! It's no wonder Edna was having respiratory issues.

Despite being tired and not breathing well, Edna played a few rounds a euchre with Kate (her sister-in-law) as her partner. I am not sure how many games they played but the men won two more rounds than the women.

Edna and Henry often play euchre with friends and family and it seems that they always pair off by gender and not as couples. Edna always makes note of the score between men vs. women. She doesn't say so outright but I think she takes a bit of pride when the "ladies" give the "men" a run for their money,

What hashtag would she be using if her journal entry in 1945 were a Facebook post in 2024?