The sun is so hot today; we have been hoeing the cotton for a week now. Mama and the kids came here with Mr. and Mrs. Moore and their kids to help us get all the hoeing done. Sixty acres of cotton is a lot of work. We should be finished by next week July 4.

Mama and Mrs. Moore are cooking breakfast, biscuits, gravy and salt pork. We don't have enough eggs for breakfast today. Boots is filing our hoes so we can leave for the field as soon as the sun comes up. I just finished getting the pinto beans ready to put on the stove. Omie, Niva lee and Virginia will stay here at the house, they are too young to be in the fields.

The air smells so clean this time of the morning. We are walking through the woods to get to the fields. This is my favorite time of day. We will work until about 12 noon, then go back to the house to eat dinner. We have a treat today; Boots bought some ice and tea last night at the general store. Nothing tastes as good as iced tea after you have been in the field all morning. I don't have enough glasses for everybody, but I washed out some tin cans last night. Boots likes to drink out of the tin can better than a glass, says it stays colder. It seems all I think about lately is food. We are having pinto beans, fried potatoes and corn bread for dinner. We haven't had very much meat in the last few weeks; Boots hasn't had time to go hunting. We have some vegetables in the garden, but not many yet. Our chickens give us about a dozen eggs a day, and we get about two gallons of milk a day, so we have plenty for cooking and fresh butter.

Everybody finished eating and they are all taking a nap before we have to go back to the field. Mama and I heated water and washed the dishes. The little girls can sweep and mop the kitchen while we are in the field. Tonight we can have the rest of the beans and cornbread and sweet milk along with some more of that good iced tea. I hope Boots will go back and get another 25 lb. of ice for tomorrow. We don't have an icebox so we roll the ice in toe sacks; it doesn't last long that way. We put the milk on a rope in the well to keep it cool. The house is so hot, especially when we are cooking.

Finally, we finished the hoeing today. July 4 is Monday, just two more days. Our families are staying until Tuesday morning. We are going to have a picnic Monday. The store will be open Monday morning; we are planning to get bologna, pressed ham, cheese and light bread and some candy for the kids. Everybody has worked so hard they deserve a treat.

Mama made a big four layer chocolate cake to go with our sandwiches; we really had a good time. Our neighbor Mr. Davis came by with his kids and ate with us.

I forgot to tell you, Mama that Mrs. Davis died having her baby. Mr. Davis sent the baby home with Mrs. Davis's sister after the funeral. I don't know how he is going to take care of three little ones and farm. He sure has his hands full. Boots told him if he needs help we will be here.

Boots hitched up the wagon and we almost have everything packed. The kids are all excited about going home. It is a long ride back to Kinsang; they will be on the road until way after dark tonight. Mr. and Mrs. Moore told us they really enjoyed their stay with us and I know they needed the money they earned hoeing, and so did Mama. I fixed a lunch for them to take on the road, with a big jug of tea. I wanted to send milk but it would blinky in the first three hours.

The house is so quiet now, and dirty so I better get busy. Boots is out checking the cornfields. I need to churn this morning, before the cream goes bad.