Wednesday, Aug 26, 1885 How lonely and melancholy this house has seemed today. Sara and Mary went to New York this morning by the Powell to be gone until tomorrow night and I have been alone here with my father who did not get up until afternoon. The wind blew from the North and the air was chilly and Autumnal and this afternoon there have been splendid and rich cloud effects and the landscape has been of an incomparable richness. The first thing I did this morning was to box Mrs. Warrens picture over at my studio and about 10 o'clock the Express called for it. Then I put some shingles on the roof where it leaked yesterday, got the vegetables from the garden and attended to a variety of duties, and finally set Tom at work digging up the drain from the cellar in front of the house I having determined to lower it in order better to drain the cellar. This will take several days but it is a very much needed work and I shall be glad to accomplish it. It was so cold I thought it best for my father to remain in bed, but got him dressed in the afternoon when he came down stairs. He seems to me to get more and more feeble and gets about now with the greatest difficulty. I dread the cold weather on his account, he seems to have so little vitality. Dear me! How very sad life seems when the changes and the feeblenesses of our declining years are realized. I do not dare to think of what this house was a few short years ago, I try rather to forget it all in constant employment and in thinking of lifes daily demands and duties.
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