February 19, 1963 The Frances Hubbard Diaries

February 19, 1963

Tuesday. Cloudy hi 40 snow started about 2:30pm and colder 30. David went to Windham in am to see if that job had started yet. Clifton, the girls, and boys, and I went to Cobleskill. In afternoon. David and Wayne went to Timberland after we got home. I wrote to Dougie and sent him the Middleburg News.

Comment:  Timberland was the charcoal plant in Stamford where LaVerne was the general manager.  David worked there for a while and got his hand caught in a briquet press and injured it pretty bad.  His hand was caught until LaVerne went into the control panel and re-wired it to reverse the press.  I used to draw bark for the factory out of the paper mills in Mechanicville, NY getting paid 8 cents a mile.  I got fired when the trailer brakes blew out on a steep hill just outside of Schoharie and complained about the poorly maintained equipment.  That was an exciting ride.

They probably went to Cobleskill for Dad to sign up for unemployment which was always scheduled for a Tuesday....

January 25, 1963 The Frances Hubbard Diaries

January 25, 1963

Fri Sunny 10 below in the am 10 to 0 at night.  Wayne didn’t have to go to school David and Clifton went to Middleburg after Chimmney Sweep for the big Chimmney which was full.  They cleaned that in the P.M. The water came out of water pipe over kitchen and that had to be fixed. Gerald came home at night.  Clifton,  the girls and I went to LaVerne's and Roberta's at night.

Comment:  Again a frigid day with water leaking from the pipes that froze and were fixed a couple of days ago.  Now the chimney is plugged and probably the wood stoves would not work or would fill the house with smoke.  I must have come home from Cobleskill Ag & Tech and it must be just about graduation time.  This is the chimney in the Hubbard Hill House and it ain't pretty.  The chimney is supported by a 2x12 cantilevered support that's resting on a large hand-hewn beam on the 2nd story floor.  The picture below is a view to the attic where the hot water heater was and probably where the leaking water pipe is.