*
June 9th Mon, Another cold stormy day have a fire in the
furnace Ann had gone & I made the fire
Jane has washed her clothes & put them out
in the suds to let the rain rinse them I have
worked about home all the forenoon. Swept &
dusted the parlour partially, and the front entry
Sitting room &c. Was invited into Olivers this afternoon
Did not go untill after tea
Servant Jane McHanna borrowed the rain again this Monday and let it rinse the soapy clothes that she placed outdoors. Evelina did housework most of the day and even had to start up the coal fire in the furnace, a task she neither enjoyed nor did well. Ann Orel, the young Irish woman who worked for Sarah Witherell, usually did that job.
Being a “cold stormy day,” Evelina did no gardening. She probably looked out the window at her flower beds and saw the rain pelt her tender young plantings. She couldn’t have known that even as she gazed out at the bad weather, her favorite author, Charles Dickens, was giving a speech in front of the Gardeners Benevolent Institution in London on the topic of gardening.
“I feel an unbounded and delightful interest in all the purposes and associations of gardening,” he began. “Probably there is no feeling in the human mind stronger than the love of gardening.[…]at all times and in all ages gardens have been amongst the objects of the greatest interest to mankind.” The Gardeners Royal Benevolent Society, which began in 1839, still exists in the UK today. It’s a charity dedicated to helping horticulturalists in need.
Evelina had no such resource to turn to, had she needed the help.
* Logo of the Gardeners Royal Benevolent Society
evelinaames 
On this date, Oliver I, living in the other half of the house writes,”The 9th It was a raining a little moderately this morning and I beliueve it raind a little about all night it continued to rain all the forenoon and a part of the time pritty fast it was cloudy all the afternoon it was a cold rain wind outherly most of the time but was north east at night. I should think that in all that had fell this time is 2 inches or more. The ponds are all full-” Just three days earlier, he was concerned about the dryness: “The 6th was a fair day wind southerly and some warmer than yesterday the last 6 or 7 days have been verry drying and the water has settled verry far & vegetation neads rain roads are verry dusty.”
Thank you, Dwight. Having Old Oliver’s commentary to read helps flesh out the context of Evelina’s diary. I also love Old Oliver’s spelling verry much.
An absolutely lovely and fascinating comparison ..Charming and thought provoking.
Thank you, Barbara!