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are. It rained hard last night and has been cloudy today but we had had a soaking rain which began to be needed. I walked in the garden a while today. I am trying to think of painting but cannot succeed in getting into a quiet state of mind. If I had a little money now and could go away somewhere for little sketching in some great spot I know I would enjoy painting from nature. 

Saturday July 17" 1886. I worked in the garden a while this forenoon A postal card came from Kurts saying my pictures has not been returned to Wilmont from Detroit as well as other belated pictures. That he had written Hanna & Ives and they did not reply. I wrote him at once that I had heard nothing, suggesting that Wilmont take some measures to find out about the pictures and that I would wait to hear from him again. Looking over my Diary of 1871 I found it was in May of that year we all went to H. K. Browns on the completion of the South Statue. Joe and Gussie moved to Hillsboro. We sent the Sherer children to the West. Bowyer, Downing, my father and I went to the Neversink for a week and Gertrude and I spent the Autumn in the Kaatskills and many other interesting incidents. Dear Gertrude. How I love to recall any of my life with her. She went to Boston for a month and I missed her so much and was so happy when she returned. It has been a beautiful day and we sat late on the front porch, Sara Mary, Lucy and I (John having retired) and talked over the Hillsboro trouble. Somehow today has been beautiful and calm to me and for no especial reason.

Sunday 18". Wrote to Mrs. Steele this forenoon. The house seems as it used to with Lucy and her family here. My father sat on the front porch but he seemed silent and feeble. I think perhaps he has not yet become accustomed quite to the larger family. We have had showers and toward evening it grew cool. I think John finds it dull here and Lucy says he already prepares to go to his post in two months instead of taking four months leave. I regret I am not in a position to do something for their entertainment.

Monday 19. I worked in the garden all forenoon until after 11 oclock. When I drove Andrews and Jamie up to the Station their way to Wilmington where they have gone for ten days or a fortnight. After dinner I worked in the garden again until 4 O'clock getting very tired having the weeds among the beets, which have grown into a wilderness while Tom is getting in the hay. He cut the hay on the lot over near Woods today. It should have been cut before. I feel very tired tonight and not a little depressed, but that I try to attribute to my fatigue. The weather is cool and delightful. We really so far have had only two or three hot days. 

Tuesday 20". Awoke with a bad feeling in my head, the result of a little indigestion from our fatigue yesterday. I felt very depressed and wretched. In the midst of it, after breakfast Girard came to me to tell me he was in money difficulties and wanting me to get my father to endorse a note for $1000. It seemed to me the end had come, but it has been done and he will go on I presume for a while again. I told him frankly I was inclined to assist him but that I distrusted his business ability and his application but there is no use wasting words. I have felt badly all day and am so irritable I am ashamed of myself. I worked in the garden awhile this afternoon just because there is work there which ought to be done. I cant bear to see any neglect about the place, and there is getting to be so many instances of it that I am annoyed all the while It is simple slavery living in this way and I sigh for a smaller place, less to look after, and peace and quiet for my art which seems more in altogether secondary interest to all this pottering. I had a card concerning the Detroit pictures from Kurtz saying some were shipped to N.Y. but he did not know whether mine were among them. Received a letter 

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