A Line a Day / UPDATED

** My first plan was to post 1 entry a day on the mainblog, i've decided instead to format a side panel directly to the right, and update that section as often as daily, that way the main content isn't as often interrupted. I should have this area setup over the weekend, thanks!**

While going through a bunch of old boxes last weekend to find junk to sell for a unfortunately rained out lawn sale this past memorial day weekend, i came across an old leather bound journal. I could tell from the binding of it alone that it was old; the leather wasn't smooth, nor was it ever at any rate, it was a style I've never seen before; very course and bumpy - and the edges of the pages were gilded and still lustrous... the whole book had the weight and smell of "old" and i was excited.

I popped it open and flipped to the first page, and it softly fade pencil was written:

Jennie Moore
Merry Christmas
from John + Chas
December 25 1931.

i turned another page and read the title:

WARD'S
A line a Day
A condensed comparative diary for five years.

(then a poem by -Eloise Ward)

"Nulla dies sine Linea."
(No day without a line)

I thought this was fascinating - the concept of this particular diary, was that instead of an in depth thoughtful diary, you instead have a limited amount of space per page, as its divided into five horizontally aligned sections, each one pertaining to the same day in your life, spanning five consecutive years. Being as it is, it becomes, at least after the first year, a rather interesting daily habit as you get to read what it was you were doing and thinking on this day, the previous year, and eventually the previous years before that; and now i -77 years later; get to read it all.

I'm a voyeur at heart; that's why i think i enjoy reading people blogs - being a shy kid growing up, you learn to enjoy watching people in action, when you get a chance to look behind those outward trappings, it's even more interesting, and when you get to look through time, well - it's enough to make me giddy.

On another hand; i wonder - this is someone's Diary - Jennie Moore's diary; wouldn't she be mortified to find out a boy (from the future no less) was reading her thoughts? Blogging them no less? But then - i also think, She's dead. She really doesn't mind at all - in fact; i would imagine the dead, want nothing more than to be remembered...

So from here on out; i plan on printing here one entry for everyday - Starting tonight, with Jennie's forward that precedes the first entry on January 1st, 1932. I don't think she would mind, and in the meantime, I'm going to spend time researching who she was - i know she must have been a relative of mine, my middle name is her last; as i learn more about her from my grandparents, I'll include the information with the entries. As some of the text has faded, and a lot more of it is in difficult to read cursive, I'll try my very best to transcribe it accurately, where there's question, I'll place a mark. Enjoy.

"John had an automobile accident Dec 21-1931. When Leo McGeltrick run into him Evelyn Goldenbury was put the hospital. Eye surjical (sic) and face terribly cut.

Charlie + Mildred were married - Nov 14 1934."