The Book of Me, Written By You - Prompt 6: Journals and Diaries

Do you keep a journal or diary?
How far back to they go? What do you record?
Where do you keep them?
Do you always buy the same one, or vary them?
Have you inherited any?
Do you intend to pass along your journals or destroy them?
Pictures - do you have a favourite?
What do you use to write with - biro, pencil, ink or fountain pen?


I am not a journal or diary writer. However, I did write in a journal my first year of college from September 11, 1979 to September 11, 1980.  I also did a little writing from September 22, 1980 to February 17, 1981.

In 1970, I acquired the "Daily Diary" on the left. It is the standard diary most girls of my age probably had with the little key to lock it up. I didn't write anything in it then. I went to Shasta College (Redding, CA) in the fall of 1979, the first time I was away from home, so I decided to write my experiences. They were not to exciting. I was homesick a lot. So in the Spring of 1980, I enrolled in a school closer to home, Santa Rosa Jr College. In the journal on the right is my first year of college. 

I didn't use any special implement to write with. I used a standard ink (Bic pen) or pencil.

My mom was the journal writer in the family. I knew she wrote done all of our travels we took as a family in our Cessna airplane, and my parents travels to Hawaii and to Europe. 

As you can see she just used an assortment of books. She also just wrote with the standard ink (Bic) pen. 

The most treasured journals my mom wrote were these.......

The journal on the right starts June 23, 1963 when the cornerstone of our cabin in Idaho was laid. Every time we went to the cabin, my mom wrote what we did and the progress on building the cabin. The journal ends March 26, 1967. We sold the cabin and moved to California.

The journal on the left starts June 1967 after we moved to California and goes to June 8, 1984. This journal chronicles all the friends and family that came to visit us and what we did. 

 These journals are precious to me. I keep these journals in a small suit case the belonged to my grandmother. I intend to transcribe them to share with family. I have a big job ahead of me, but it should be fun going down memory lane.