Introduction

I have my grandmother's diaries from 1911, 1912 and 1913.  This gives me the unique opportunity to post her daily diary entries exactly 100 years after she wrote them.  At the same time, I will post a daily entry of my own. 

My grandmother's name was Margherita Altiora Lewis (called Rita), and 100 years ago she was in her early 20s.  The years 1911-1913 were interesting ones for her since she attended a music college in Chicago and then travelled throughout the western United States with a string trio. 

As for my own entries, I am hopeful that they might give some indications about how a typical American family has changed in the last 100 years.  Of course, there won't be an exact parallel between our entries since I am now in my 60s, but we shall see.. starting Jan. 1st, 2011!