"Know gittin’ thrue with milk"

In his farmer's journal for February 1899, Smith Austin of Carmel records a problem caused by a blizzard. He and John Wixson, a tenant farmer, were unable to ship milk for several days because the "rods" (roads) were buried in snow. Wixson couldn't retrieve his empty milk cans, which sat at the Mahopac railroad depot, and Austin couldn't take his cans to Mahopac Falls or the Mine (German Flats) depot. Waste not, want not, so some gets churned to butter -- but soon, every handy container is full of milk...

Monday, Febuary 13th
Wether: ’nother big snow storm, bliserd, & high wind.
Know gittin’ thrue with milk. I suvel [shovel] snow all day. Shuvel to sprng in west swamp, spout froes up & haf to bring warter from thar. John Wixson sends know milk to-day, rods drifet up, can’t git thrue.

Tuesday, Febuary 14th
Wether: clear’d, & the bliseard of agane, this four-noon, & drifet sum.
Codent send know milk to-day, rods all block up. Know-boddy suvlin’ out rods. John Wixson braut 2 cans of milk in house & put in pans on table, in pans to chirn [churn]. Haf to bring warter from Robert springs. Saint Val’tine Day. Half pork, half haz.

Wensday, Febuary 15th
Wether clear ‘four Noon, but clowed up after-noon, & looks like another snow storm.
Rods ain’t shuvel out yet. John Wixson ships know milk to-day, again; got every-thing ful of milk. Know-body bin hear to-day.

Thursday, Febuary 16th
Wether worm, but clowin’ agane, looks like rain.
Rods ‘bout shovel out; I & John Wixson shovel’d from my barn yard. Gat up Sackrider hous, but know milk goes to-day -- train ain’t up to mind yet.

Friday, Febuary 17th
Wether partly clear, & snow settlin’ down.
Rober com last knight & got milk, & we went to Falls depo with cans, & John Wixson went to Mahopac & got cans, & milk car up mind for first to-day. & we dun two chirning to-day. I got rod shuvel’d, yet west torgs Isac Hulce, yet going do it ‘morrow.

--------
From the journal of Smith S. Austin (1830-1909), in the files of the Society. Spelling left as-is, punctuation added.