Author: David Haldeman

Friday November 30th 1979
Dave and Mary’s four classes on Christmas decorations brought in about $500 in sales. Have also advertised a home decorating service. Charge $10 an hour.

Thursday November 29th 1979
First snow – but only a trace. But cold down to 22 and only 30 all day. Howard put the bird feeders up yesterday and they flocked in all morning. Goldfinches, nuthatches, chickadees, titmice, juncos, red bellied, hairy and downy woodpeckers, blue jays and the red and fox squirrels.
Put my portrait photo in frames for gifts to the family. Wrapped gifts- cleaned Nikkormat FTN that David had ready to send to Kathi and wrote simplified directions- paid bills- sent biographical information to publication in England. Wrote to Iris Adams in Redding, California to tell her Eber Baker didn’t have a daughter Malvina (was she a love child?)
Cooked up spaghetti squash that Floy Baker brought me. It’s the weirdest thing! Really like spaghetti!
Read October 1944 Colliers that I’m sending to Bob. Made me relive those days.

Wednesday, November 28, 1979
[No entry]

Tuesday, November 27, 1979
[No entry]

Monday November 26th 1979
Flood! Log jam against the sycamore in the river- extended clear to other bank.
712 signed for door prizes but we gave out 850 calendars! So think there must have been about a thousand there.

Sunday November 25th 1979
Rain! Temperature 40 in to shop about 10:30 and everything was ready! Mary brought mother and Roger about 12:30 and people flowed in. Gave miniature poly poinsettia corsages. Fanny and Floy and Loren and Jesse came and Floy discovered the picture of the house where he and Mary grew up (Samuel Baker’s home) that Loren had given me. Surprised I had it.
Kenny and Ann Hemmerly came about 4:30 and when we closed at 5 we all went to isaly’s to eat. Kenny took Roger home and he will leave for Florida next week.

Saturday November 24th 1979
No weddings- most of day spent in getting ready for open house. Order evolved out of chaos. The kitchen is darling in blue and white check with shingle decorations with cookie cutters & miniature bread. Blue bows on everything. Lots of people in and I think expecting open house but they saw the mess. I left about 9 and back room was shaping up with Laura’s huge arrangement of white carnations against a silver background in the wedding design area.
I planned the wedding room in pink and white with the white wrought-iron table and chairs and arrangements on pedestals. Even got my office cleaned with only a little pile of the index on one corner of the sofa.

Friday November 23rd 1979
Shop a real mess getting ready for open house Sunday.
75 poinsettias arrived and the western greens came in Wednesday. All excellent quality. Worked until 9.
Rain and river bank full.

Thursday November 22nd 1979 [Thanksgiving]
Howard bacon and eggs breakfast David here to fix his own sausages. [Illegible]In to Mary’s about one with pumpkin pie, baked apples and sweet potatoes to add to her turkey and dressing, scalloped corn and scalloped oysters, mashed potatoes and gravy, celery, two kinds of cranberry sauce, olives, dates in the new room- nice and roomy. Howard and I home about 4 and Haldeman’s back to Cincinnati.
Stop at shop on way to Mary’s for Howard to see the fall display.

Wednesday November 21st 1979
Busy! Ran out of turkeys but substituted and sold over 100 total Cash & Carry. Kept everybody busy on funeral work and centerpieces. Diane and I ran one delivery 12 and 55 minutes and Terry did all the rest.
David and Karen in at 10 PM from Cincinnati and kids wide awake. Had cheese snack and sauteurne [sic] from David’s customer- homemade- sweet and good.
David had first slides from his new Canon AE-1 excellent lenses and exposures. My slides back of Cincinnati trip composition improving.
Bed at 1.