Notes on a Calendar Found in an Empty House after the Death of Viola Pratt

Note: Although the author of a mammoth novel can afford the luxury of conveying every detail of the characters he is creating, an incisive story often is accomplished with just a few words. This vignette was written by Donald R. Marshall of Brigham Young University.

March

1 Cold and Blowy

2 Furnace off but rpr. man fixed it

3 Cold, Iva Lou brought me a custard pudding but I didn’t feel up to eating much

4 Cold and stormy

5 Same

6 Letter from Carlyle, I’m happy he’s found him a new wife

7 Cloudy all morning

8 Calbert is home off his mission and came by

9 Sunny but windy

10 Iva Lou stopped in & Pearl too, Feeling a little better today, Got up and walked around

11 Got dressed and went out for a little bit

12 Not so good today

13 Winona called

14 Just bills in the mail

15 Cold again

16 Card from Wendell, I sent him five dollars

17 No mail

18 Garfield County News came but not much about Boulder

19 Rested

20 Tried to sew a little but got tired

21 Lyle would have been 84 today

22 Felt blue all day

23 Cloudy

24 No mail

25 Got dressed, Had Farren take me to the DUP meeting, Door was locked, Wrong day

26 Rained all day

27 Stayed home

28 Nobody came

29

30

31

Photography by Eldon Linschoten