The Diary of Beth Thompson, a Girl in the Great Depression

October 27, 1929

Well, I must have been right. It's been a whole week, and nothing has gone wrong. Lisa and Rob made up, and they're getting married in February! Dad and I talk to each other now, and I've found out that he understands me--really understands me! We never talked like that when Mom was here. Aaron's boss finally paid him (after a week!) so that's fixed. Right now I'm busy writing a story--one of my favorite pastimes. The story is about a dog and a cat that are best friends. Well, I gotta go--I'm busy, remember?
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A Few Hours Later . . .

Well, we're eating beef and broccoli. It tastes pretty good. (Neither me nor Dad can cook as good as Lisa, and she's been at work till late these days, so dinner hasn't been the best.) Oh well. Overall, It's been a glorious day. I sure am glad. I don't think our family could stand one more catastrophe.

The Diary of Beth Thompson, a Girl in the Great Depression

October 20, 1929

Yesterday was AWFUL!! Everything went wrong--I slept in too much and got to school late,which means I got switched and marked tardy; Aaron's boss at the car factory he works at wouldn't give him his full paycheck even though he worked overtime the ENTIRE week; Lisa (my big sis) and her fiance, Robert (we call him Rob) had a huge fight and almost broke up (Dad says that without disagreement, nothing would ever get done, but I don't think so); Dad forgot to make dinner so I had to make it because Lisa wasn't home, so we ended up eating overcooked beans and rice; and I had to stay up till 11:00 doing my homework because I had to make dinner. Like I said--it was AWFUL!!

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Oh well, at least today was better. At recess, me and Anita had a lot of fun. When recess ended, I thought, Why can't they let recess last longer?
After school, I went to Anita's house to have a snack (we do this about once every week). We ate cheese, carrots, apples, and we washed it all down with milk. Then I went home to do my homework. My favorite subject is math so I usually do that first. Okay, so almost always; sometimes I like to do my reading homework first because I love to escape from this world and get lost in a magical land where the story is about a princess and she's exactly like me, or a story where a brave knight battles to save his fair maiden from the horrendous dragon. Anyway, I did my math homework first, then all my other homework. Then I ate dinner with everybody (chicken and potatoes, my favorite!) It seemed like the good times would never end.

The Diary of Beth Thompson, a Girl in the Great Depression

October 15, 1929

Well, overall it's been a good day, except it's pretty quiet without Mom throwing her tantrums like a three-year old who can't get what they want. I've noticed that everyone is happier on the whole, but still-the house seems so empty. Anyway, I've been good, and except for a few minor things (like burning the broccoli last night and a few other little, uh, mishaps) I've been doing pretty well. Well, I have to go for now-I have a lot of chores and things to do around the house, so, well, bye.