This Thursday, I figured my tomato plants had produced long enough so I picked anything over an inch through. One plant that a deer had taken the middle stalk out right after I first set the plants out. Bob Manzer had given me the seeds at my birthday party last winter. They were organic seeds and I can't remember their name. They weren't a big tomato but were the solidest fruit of any tomato I ever saw. And they were quite some producer, too. When I cleaned that plant, there were 47 tomatoes still on that plant. So I'm well supplied with green tomatoes.  My mother and Ag used to make delicious green tomato pickles. I used to carry them to work in sandwiches. 

 Speaking of sandwiches, one time, during the Depression, one of the sweepers in our department, asked me if we used honey at home. Said he had a friend who had quite a supply of Buckwheat honey in 5-pound pails. Guess he'd had them quite a while, a lot of people didn't like dark honey, so he was letting it go at a ridiculously low price. I can't remember what it was but I know I couldn't believe it but I do remember carrying a peanut butter and honey sandwich in my pail for a long time. Till he sold all his honey anyway. 

 Meat was hard to come by for poor folks, any way. After we got to raising pigs, it was easy to get rid of spring pigs. But one fall only two people ordered two pigs apiece. One man came and got his but the other fellow backed out and we were left with 19 young pigs. We could fence in the sows but the youngsters could get through most anything. You were supposed to have red stamps to buy meat. 

 One day, Ag's youngest sister's husband made Ag a deal. He said, "Ag, if you will forget the red stamps, I can tell you how to get rid of all those young pigs." He had grown up on the north side of Binghamton and a lot of those people had come from the old country, his folks had come from Lithuania. He said, "If you can deliver them at night people will buy them but they want you to ave the blood and the innards, too." 

 By that time the pigs were running all over the top of the hill. They had gotten big enough to dress about 75 pounds a piece. The first pig I stuck, Ag was there with a gallon glass can. She caught some of the blood and then the pig kicked the can out of her hands. So that was the end of the blood deal. We would put the innards in a wooden lard bucket and Ag would deliver the meat and the pail that night. We didn't feel as though we were breaking the law for that type of pork wouldn't have sold on a regular market. We finally got all of the pigs delivered. 

 The rules for gasoline were so tight that I wouldn't have been able to get enough gas to drive back and forth to Endicott if it hadn't been that we had a little three and 1/2 horse gas engine that, if you were very careful we could buzz stove wood with. They allowed us enough gas for that engine, that I could get back and forth to work.

  Times were hard enough so that you did anything to keep on going. 
 Fritz's circulation has been giving him real trouble. Hope he can keep on driving his truck and trailer.

 Got a letter that Luty's caretaker had written. Told her that I wished I had a secretary to do my writing, too.