July 7, 1935
"As usual for Saturday afternoon, to the farm observing the effects of the flood. The water off the land except in the pools and two draws across the farm. A sorrowful and discouraging sight was the corn. Most of the melons washed out by the roots. Corn flat - about 8 or 10 acres of it. I tried straightening some of it but found the heart so heavy with mud that it almost broke the stem off when standing. It was discouraging and heartbreaking work so I soon quit trying until my morale came back.
Such slow work and so much down. It's a catastrophe. Even the fish worms are washed out of the ground and lying dead by the thousands. Frank came down and we floundered around in the mud - I in my bare feet (had hip boots but too heavy) and he in rubber boots. We won't lose much wheat if he can get in to cut it.
Caught a half-grown rabbit. Ritz wooled a quail. I took it away from him. It ran away when I set it down. Ritz also treed a groundhog and put on a wonderful tree climbing performance. At least 15 or 20 feet in the air - the last five feet he went up by hanging on the limbs and what a tumble he had when he came down. Frank shook the hog out and the dogs killed it. Frank took it home to eat and when he went off across the fields with it Rowdy wanted to go with his groundhog - so proud of his catch and so loathe to part with it. I called to him but he was reluctant to come and I will always remember him standing looking longingly at the rapidly disappearing groundhog and Frank."
D.C. Richard's Journal
July 7, 1935
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