December 8th, 1861

Today was a very pleasant day, Emma had a good day at school and I had a good day at the market. It was alright, like any other day where nothing ever quite exciting occurs. This evening, a nice woman named Mary Belcher whom lives right down the street invited Emma and I over for dinner. She is a very lovely woman, quite petite and enjoyable to be around. I brought over a fresh roll of bread and she made potato soup, with fresh vegetables she grew from her garden. It was very delightful and delicious making my taste buds tingle. For dessert, I brought over a raspberry pie that I made from my secret recipe. Mary and I had a long conversation about the generals and soldiers in the war. It seems like nowadays the talk is always about the war. That's all anyone is worried about and can keep a conversation on about. Although, soon the war will be over and everyone will be together back with their friends and families.