I will do my best to transcribe here, spelling and capitals are hers, mostly:
“The Longest Hottest Summer of My Life”
(and everyone around me)
1983
The winter of 1983 was a very mild one, in fact here were only 3 big snows. What we consider big snows in our area, the hills of Wayne county West Virgina. We or I should say the men folk of our clans always looked forward to having a cold wet season in October each year to hunt in for those around us are very enthusiastic hunters but they were disappointed for the season never lasted the amount of weeks we all had anticipated.
They only got a weekend away to hunt, which they went deep into the wood and valleys of our area to shoot squirrel and grouse or whatever they may have seen more and returned home with only squirrel to clean and put up for meat. We ask them, John in particular, why they returned so soon and his reply was that the woods were too dry not enough rain in Oct 83 and from that adventure we all waited for the Weather to get cold and for the Snow to start falling and We Hill people never seen any wet Weather or real cold Weather our coats weren’t needed or boots either.
So as time Went on and spring Came we began to talk about Clearing Ground and get things ready to plant the Garden. As we all here had done every year past. So we cleared garden spots and ground to plant Corn and so on in – the line of vegetables.
As we all here, Jo and I, will believe in the old farmer’s almanace so we waited for the right signs and also waited for rain — rain which we never had any for 3 and four weeks at a time.
As time went on we did set our veg plants and carried Water to put on them for we Still never had any rain, the temperatures went up to 80F, 90F, 100F and no rain everything that was planted, ruined. We manage to get one good bunch of beans tomateoes and cucumber from our garden and what was left on the vines just literally burned up from the hot temperatures and no rain.
We have had rain every six weeks since may of 83 and as I Write this short Story today on August 26 -83 the temperature is 90F on our porch and so hot that we cannot walk outside barefoot and it did rain last evening enough to fill my 3 buckets up I have sitting outside but did little else Good for the Ground is so dry that the water just ran off into the grass Wherever. My good Mother whom is 81 years old was telling me that the Summer of 1934 was like this year. She said She lived in an area called Taylor’s Creek, Wayne County, Wva and that her place had the only well on it that hadn’t gone dry for miles around and folks came to her place to get water because of the drought and as I write this, the drought has hit all over the Country.
Crops have dried up and liveStock have died because of the heat and little water, as for me I had things rough too because of the heat. I got sick from the heat but I’m not the only one. I’m Thankful I didn’t have to work in this heat and sure feel sorry for those that do. We have a fan that helps cool things other folks have air conditioners but there are others that don’t have any system to cool by at all so I’m Thankful and pray for those that don’t.
We had one rain that filled some holes up and made mud holes in the road here and I told my friends those mud holes sure look good to see for we needed Water bad, and I of course hate the sight of mud, in several areas.
The ground Cracked open from the heat and in one place the graves at a cemetery had to be filled from where the ground had cracked open. We have so many different kinds of insects that I’m afraid because of a lot of them I’ve never seen before and I was born in 1935.
Below this is a partial note she scratched thru:
Oct. 18, 83:
Will finish this letter and put it in the mail, I hope David did good in his ball game the other night.
That is awesome. Even though 1983 doesn’t seem that far back to me, it’s such history, especially for the area you grew up. And to have something of your mom’s like that…*hugs*
agreed.
I have a couple more pages to transcribe, and then I’m putting it in a shadow box with some crocheting she did. Maybe a picture if I can find one. My last attempts to reach my brothers were not successful.